Fresco Painting
As I sit here window side evoking my memory to my recent visit to the beautiful city of Prague where churches and buildings are adorned with hundreds of statues and shrines, mostly religious in nature, I recall the narrative told to me by one of the Sisters of Charity. In the early days of Christianity, when people couldn’t read or write, the stories about Jesus were told through pictures. Artist would do scenes of fresco paintings on the walls and ceilings of churches so people could relate to the stories of the Scripture.. And still this 2,000-year-old tradition continues to beautify churches and the religious works of art are an integral part of worship services today.
As I write I try to explore many of my senses to provide a “fresco painting” to my stories.
In churches, where we can discover all of our senses – where many people take in the scripture words and sounds and smells as they gaze at the images stationed around the church. It may be the statue of Mary, or a pieces of stain glass with the morning sun gleaming through or the small devotional candles that are grouped altar-side or the incense that is filtered into the air ….. these all involve all our senses in worship – it is not only touches the soul but also the body – there are things to hear, touch and see - the whole person is involved. It helps us to experience inspiration, lifting us up and beyond the ordinary mundane matters of life. It is not the statues or the artwork that we worship but it is the inspiration that we experience from them, leaving us closer to our spiritual being.
