St. Hermann Joseph of Steinfeld and the Madonna
Church of St. Blaise, Glottertal, Germany
Hermann Joseph (1150-1241) was a Premonstatensian canon who was believed to have effected many miracles after his death. The miracle shown here is said to have occurred during his childhood in Cologne. He was in the habit of praying before a statue of the Madonna and Child in the abbey church of St. Mary. One day he brought an apple to the statue and the Madonna reached forth to accept it from his hand (Acta Sanctorum, April vol. 1, 688; Butler, II, 48).
This painting, however, has the Christ Child accepting the fruit.
The altarpiece behind the statue features St. Catherine of Alexandria on the right (wheel, sword, crown) and on the left another female saint without attributes. In the image on the wall left of the altar we see Jesus accepting the prayers of a kneeling woman while a haloed woman at his right seems to commiserate. Perhaps the kneeling woman is the one "taken in adultery" in John 8:1-11?
This saint is commemorated on April 7.
View this image in full resolution.
Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.