Santos in Oaxaca's Ancient ChurchesA study of santos in 16th-century and other
churches in Oaxaca, Mexico
By Claire and Richard Stracke Funded by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation In
San Miguel Achiutla: Christ carrying the Cross Crucifix Our Lady of Sorrows (Soledad) Our Lady of the Rosary Resurrected Christ Sacred Heart of Jesus + Christ Child St. John the Baptist St. Joseph St. Michael (1) St. Michael (2) St. Michael (3) St. Michael (4) St. Peter of Verona (Peter Martyr) St. Rose of Lima St. Sebastian Unidentified Dominican saint Unidentified saint Virgin Mary Altar Virgin Mary in White |
Saint
Sebastian |
Saint
Sebastian:
The figure is in the traditional Sebastian stance and has curly blond shoulder-length hair. The right arm has been repaired. The right middle finger is missing. The paint is chipped in places, especially the left leg. The loincloth is quite brief; there is a navel. A wooden implement is in the left hand. Local Name: San Sebastián. Basis for Identification: Youth
in
mustache and goatee tied to a tree, naked except for a
loincloth. Red and bleeding arrow wounds. Other characteristics: Ample curly
blond hair, gold loincloth. Site: Church of San Miguel Achiutla. Location: West end of the north wall of the nave (see note). Media and construction: Wood,
gesso,
paint. Eyes: painted eyes. Size: About 3 feet (90 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Ocotlán, Teotitlán, Tilantongo, Xoxocotlán, Yanhuitlán. External Links: Next: A crucifix on the
first of four altars we shall visit on the north side of
the nave. Note: On
this
site,
references to the cardinal directions always assume
that the main altar is at the east end of the church,
the narthex or entry area at the west end, and the two
walls
of the nave on the
north and south. (The
nave is the long central section.)
Actual orientations may differ.
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