"St. Catherine of Sienna"
Eleanor Fortesque Brickdale

Catherine of Sienna (1347-1380) was a clear and powerful thinker at a time of great unrest in the Church. She was also an eloquent and persuasive speaker, helping thousands return to the faith. A mystic, an author, she was also involved in the politics of the day and was a great influence over the governance of the Church. The Papacy was in Avignon, France, at this time, which was undermining its credibility. The College of Cardinals began to rise in power as the Papacy waned. Catherine, the advisor to priests and cardinals, persuaded the Pope it was time to return to Rome. This scene shows Catherine's central role in the Church of her day.

St. Catherin was a lay member of the Third Order of St. Dominic, which is where she got her education. She lived a quiet docile life at home until a mystical vision at age 21 prompted her to help the sick and the poor, and to engage her mind upon the world. She is a Doctor of the Church, one of only a few dozen ever so honored. Her Feast Day is April 29. She is the patroness against fire and illness, and for the United States, Italy, miscarriages, people ridiculed for their faith, sexual temptation, and nurses. (source: Britannica.com)

Eleanor Fortesque Brickdale was an artist and illustrator of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. She had great skill in evoking the character of her subjects and the story of their lives. This painting is from The Golden Book of Famous Women (1919).

** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a white border of about 0.5" inch for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", or 1.6" for 11x14" pictures. All Approx! Fine art printers do this because the images are almost never the same rectangular ratio of the standard paper sizes. It also gives the prints a finished look, and lets them look good in a frame without a matt.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!

Thanks!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - CatholicArtAndJewelry.