St. John Chrysostom (c. 347 - 407) was an early Church Father and prolific writer. He is a Doctor of the Church, one of only 37 so far, because of substantial contributions he made to theology and doctrine. He served as archbishop of Constantinople and was known as a great preacher. He also spoke against corruption in church and political leaders in a time of turmoil. Hence the scene in this painting of him getting kicked out of Constantinople by the Empress Eudoxia.

This is the second time she has exiled him. Riots after the first time, and an earthquake she interpreted as God's anger, led her to allow him back. But now he has spoken against her again because of her putting up a large, silver statue of herself near the main church (the old Hagia Sophia). Jesus and the Twelve Apostles on the wall behind her aren't enough to inspire her, and only to-be-canonized Saint in the room will leave again and die in exile.

We like how we get a feeling for the opulence of Byzantium and the atmosphere of the times the early Church worked in after it was legalized. In contrast to the luxury of the Empire and to the "byzantine" theological intricacies of other preachers, St. John Chrysostom had a direct, practical way of preaching that helped people lead holy lives. He was very popular with the people. Riots broke out again after his second exile. In 1908, Pope Pius X declared him Patron Saint of preachers. Feast day September 13.

Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant (1845-1902) painted mostly historical and "Oriental" scenes of Asia minor and the Near East. He did some Catholic-themed paintings we like very much, including this one and one with Joseph and a young Jesus.

** 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", 1.6" for 11x14" pictures, or 1.75" for 13x17" , 16x20", 18x24" and 24x36". Inquire about special printing needs. Not much needs to be trimmed of the art to go to the edge on this print. Border sizes are 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!
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 - Classic Catholic.