St. Francis and the Springtime of Faith
There is something about Easter glory that draws us to look at sacred art and the ‘snapshot’ of faith which it strives to capture. Christian art does more than decorate a church or illustrate a story. At its best, it helps the viewer linger over a mystery of faith and notice how creation, beauty, and worship point beyond themselves to God.
The images gathered here connect the joy of spring with St. Francis of Assisi’s love for creation and with the Church’s adoration of Christ, the Lamb of God. They invite a slow, prayerful gaze rather than a hurried glance.
Albert Chevallier Tayler’s Painting of St. Francis
As spring unfolds in the Northern Hemisphere this rare painting (above) of St. Francis by Albert Chevallier Tayler (1898) touches on the reality of the springtime of faith and the rejoicing of the Risen Lord by even the ‘little ones’ of creation. Tayler (1862–1925) was an English painter associated with the Newlyn School of artists in Cornwall, known mainly for portraits and genre scenes rather than religious subjects — which makes this tender depiction of St. Francis among the birds a rare find.
Ecce Agnus Dei: Sacred Art of the Eucharist
