Monuments
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- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
The picture with St. Catherine is not much different from the previous one. She is presented like her mother, with a pilgrim cane and a crucifix. Likewise, like St. Bridget she lifts her eyes to heaven. But Catherine sees only the great light coming from the open sky. The picture's caption says: COMES PEREGRINATIONIS FIlIA E[I]VS S [ANCTA] CATHARINA (Travel companion, her daughter St. Catherine).
In these both paintings, the mother and daughter are shown as nuns, pilgrims with a single vocation - a journey to God. Both are looking in the same direction, but their visions are different. Bridget sees Jesus as the one who had a grace to talk to the Divine Persons and Saints. Catherine, like other Bridgettines, is following the example of her mother. This thought could be visualized in a plastic way that each of them was depicted in a separate image, and the seemingly almost mechanical repetition of the composition is used to convey the idea of imitation.
These two painting show that Bridget and then also her followers - the friars of the Order of the Most Holy Saviour, undertake an ascetic pilgrimage through the life in a convent. In life of Bridget and Catherine it was the time when they went to Rome. There led life modeled on monastic. These paintings undoubtedly refer also to their numerous pilgrimages, which they considered to be an important factor in spiritual development. In the distance, in the landscape in the image with St. Catherine we can see the outline of the building, which shape resembles the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Indeed, at the end of St. Bridget's life, Catherine and her mother went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
- Details
- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
This image is the largest in the series, and was originally placed above the door to the monastery. Currently located at the top of the bench in the aisle of the church. This is the only image without a signature.
The composition of the scene is symmetrical and static, what gives the impression of calm and tranquility. Kneeling on both sides of the cross, St. Bridget and St. Catherine with a cheerful smile are looking at the cross, holding flowers in their hands. Adoration takes place in the garden, which in the picture was taken in an awkward perspective.
Apart from the observation of a lack of painter's skills, it can be noticed that in this way he emphasized the virtues of garden, its closure - a small garden surrounds the hedge, unity and exclusion from the world. In such perspective nothing covers the second plan, everything is arranged in order, this impression strengthens the geometric arrangement of beds. And besides - and what is most important here - in this way it is clearly emphasized that the garden is set on a square plan. The square was a symbol of order in chaos. In the garden we can also see a circle that is formed by beds, with a cross placed in its cental point.
The circle by its circular shape is the most perfect form: it has no beginning or end. God was compared to a circle. This shape is also a symbolic sign of participation in glory, so the saints were depicted with halos. Saints Bridget and Catherine are kneeling on flower beds, but if you look closely at them, it turns out that with this miserable perspective the painter managed to surround these two figures by a circle. The artist thus showed the idea of their presence both in a paradise reality, where they live after death, but also on earth, as they remain here as a model to follow by nuns. The garden in art was often used as a symbol of the convent surrounded by the wall of the monastic rule. This scene is taking place when saints receive crowns, adore Christ the Crucified, and the faith is confirmed not only by words but also by actions, what is proved by the lily helding together by Bridget and Catherine at the feet of Christ. This image represents the Order of St. Bridget. In the garden we see not only lilies and roses, which are the largest flowers here, but also narcissuses, violets and tulips, which presence can be considered as an indication of virtues practiced in the Bridgettine's Order, e.g. violets symbolize humility.
- Details
- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
Bridget is kneeling at the altar on which the candle is burning. Her face is distorted in pain, and the hands are helplessly spread. Above, in the clouds a pair of angels are raising a childlike figure that the painter presented in proportions of an adult. The caption below is: MORTEM BEATAM SVI FILII SPECTAT CAWLVM PETENTIS LIB [RO] 7 REVEL [ATIONVM] CAPIITE vel ITVLO 13 (Sees the happy death of her son heading to heaven, Book 7 of Revelations, chapter 13).
The inscription clearly says that this is an illustration of the Revelations' fragment about her son Charles's death. In the form of a naked child, we see the soul of Charles. In this way people's souls were often depicted in art. The son is still glancing at the desperate mother while she is looking at the altar. Bridget is dressed in an usual dress of a nun, without the prince's mitre, and her head is clearly marked with a luminous nimbus.
Charles, Bridget's eldest son, was violent, non-obligatory and indifferent to faith. When he stayed with his mother at the end of February 1372, he fell ill with heart and died on March 12. Bridget, although she loved her son, did not show any pain. The Saint's pain, shown in the image, refers not to the fact of his death. She poured tears when she realized that the life that he led on earth would not provide him eternal life.
In the signature indicated in the picture relating to Bridget's writings, a court process over the soul of her son was described. We learn from it that after his death, the mother helped him with merciful deeds and long prayers to entreat for him the God's mercy. Eventually, Charles obtained that great Lord's mercy what is seen in the painting. For devil's complaints that such soul should be his property, the angel replied that the tears and constant prayers of his mother caused that God commiserated with him.
- Details
- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
In this image Bridget is burning her forearm with a melted wax of a candle. At her feet, and in front of the mensa of the altar a whip and scrolls of chain with thorn ends lie. The Saint looks at the crucifix on the altar. The painting on the top of it is filled with angels holding wreaths, a bouquet of white and red roses and a palm of martyrdom. The stage is signed: IGNE ALIISQVE INSTRVMENTIS CORPVS CASTIGAT (With fire and other methods she is tormenting the body).
Every Friday, in commemoration of the Passion of Jesus Christ, she fasted on bread and water. Having waxed the candle, she burned the waxed drops on her naked body, so that she always had painful burns, and she had a fever as a result. In the mouth she usually kept very bitter herb. Bridget, when she conducted actively in various spheres of political and court life also devoted herself to very strict ascetic practices, especially fast. She fasted almost half a year.
In the picture she was shown looking at Crucified Christ. It demonstrates that she did these practices in order to have her share in the sufferings of Jesus. In this image the Saint is shown only by herself, without the association of another nun. The point is to make this kind of penance in thesilence of heart, without spreading all about your suffering, without ostentation.
The painting expresses the idea that Bridget was a martyr – was pouring blood on faith, what found its artistic expression in the symbol of pink roses being carried by angels.
- Details
- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
The Saint is portrayed in a dress of a nun, but also in a red prince's mitre. She is bending over the group of poor men. One of them has bandaged legs, the other cuffs on the shoulder. Bridget is handing out coins which are passed on a tray by another nun standing behing her. The signature is saying: PLVRIMOS SANAT ET ELEEMOSYNIS SVSTENTAT (Heals many and gives alms). While she was leading secular life she set up a little hospital with her husband, in which she looked the needy after, without denying any work there. Also in Italy, she was constantly concerned about the poor, even though she was often herself in financial trouble after she distributed her fortune. She practiced poverty to become even more conformed to the poor Christ.
The accompanying nun is probably her daughter St. Catherine, who her mother was bringing up along with other siblings, implementing them to the service for the poor. As a young child, she was led to a hospital where her mother gave her an example of merciful ministry: she cherished the ulcers and wounds of the sick, helped them with donations and good words.
In the image they are depicted as nuns, whom Bridget had commanded to have none of the smallest thing, and they must not touch money with their hand. That's why the nun standing behind Bridget gives her money on a tray.
The paradigm of a founder of the Order, also became an inspiration for the Bridgettines gathered in Lublin monastery. The information, which was found after the monastery's visitation in 1596, informs about functioning the infirmary. There was also a brotherhood of the Poor under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, set up by the church. The rectors were obliged to celebrate a mass once a week for the living and died members of the fraternity.
- Details
- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
This is the penultimate picture of the cycle. Around the head of Bridget lying on the bed there is a shining nymph. She is holding a simple wooden cross in her hand. A nun kneeling beside accompanies her. In open heaven we see Jesus and Mary and the half-lenght. Some words written on banderole are emergin the mouth of Christ: VENI SPONSA MEA, CORONABERIS ('Come, my bride, and you will be crowned'). The picture is signed: SANCTE MORITVR ROMAE A [NNO] D [OMINI] 1373 AETATIS SVAE 70 DIE 23 IVLII (She dies in holiness in Rome in the year 1373, July 23, aged 70).
Bridget's health deteriorated gradually, and from 17 July she felt physical torment. All the time, however, she was obtaining visions of Divine Persons' , preparing her to death and indicated her the exact date of death. On this day, in the early hours of the morning, she received the Holy Communion during Mass that was celebrated in her room. The death occurred at the residence of Piazza Farnese. At dying Saint, there was a large group of people: her daughter Catherine, Birgerus - her son and friends of Roman families of the Orsinis, the Colonns. In the picture the painter limited himself to depict only one Bridgettine.
As the sources say, the sisters of her youth, the Franciscan tertiaries, wore her in her habit, a dark brown dress, a scapular, and the rope with the knots of St. Francis. In the picture however, she is wearing a Bridgettine's habit. The author of this image did not try to reconstruct the circumstances of Bridget's death accurately: only one person is keeping her company - a nun who represents the entire Bridgettines' community. In Order of the Most Holy Saviour, consideration of the ultimate things was considered a very important mean of spiritual progress. For this reason, in the monastery there was always an open tomb, and a catafalque in the church. They were supposed to constantly remind the sisters of death. Each day they had a prayer which element was the gesture of throwing a little earth into the tomb and reciting 'De profundis' psalm by sisters and the abbess.
- Details
- Category: Pictorial cycle showing the passages of St. Bridget's (Swedish) life
The last picture of the cycle shows the event that took place after the death of the Saint. The nun sitting on the clouds it is St. Bridget. The caption below says: ABNEPTEM SVAM DISPONIT AD MORTEM SANCTAM MIRACVLOSVM VICTVM SVBMINISTRAT (she is preparing her granddaughter for holy death, providing miraculous food).
The hagiography of St. Bridget exactly describes this scene. The Saint's eldest son Charles had a daughter, also named Bridget. When she was seven years old she was sent for studying to the Cistercian Vretum monastery. When deadly sick, she saw St. Bridget, her grandmother, who told her: confess daughter. She replied that she had already confessed, then the Saint added: 'Confess I say and then you will able to wear your coat and crown and rejoicing yoy will not be able to comprehend your dream'. After this event, the dying asked to prepare her wil strawberries for eating.
When the nuns standing around her heard it, they explained her that there was a time of winter and wild strawberiies can not be found. But she insisted, and pointed to a place where they were supposed to look for: 'search near the Monastery, flick snow back and you will pick them up with overflow, because my lady told me, the Saint Bridget. Indeed, and where never the wild strawberiies were found, now, in winter, they gathered a lot of them. After this event, she died and was buried in Vadstena.
The nun sitting near a bed of the dying is probably one of the nuns of the Order. But she is wearing a bridget's habit, not a cysterian. She is holding a tray with wild strawberries in her hand as proof of the miracle, while in the arcade clearance we see nuns, also in bridget's habits, looking for wild strawberries under the snow. The presentation directs the message to the nuns, who in Lublin church looked at this picture every day. They knew that as spiritual children of the Saint they can always count on their mother's presence. The strong link between Bridget and the nuns of her Order portrayed here, is felt even after her death.
It was one among many miracles performed by Bridget after her death: miraculous healing were recorded, and during the storm she rescued sailors sailing to the grave of St. Saturn.