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 the church of Santo
Domingo Yanhuitlán: Christ
carrying the Cross Tour of the Ayuxi Chapel |
Altar with Unidentified
Saint and Trinity |
Site: Church of Santo
Domingo Yanhuitlán.
Location: South wall of the narthex (see note).
Unidentified saint Blue robe Media and construction: Face and hands: wood, gesso, paint. Body: frame and cloth.
Trinity: A dove may once have been in the empty space within the
circle. In that case, this work would be an adaptation
(missing not only the dove but the cross) of a somewhat
later iconographic type exemplified in this
stained glass from the U.S. and this
sculpture from Navarre. This latter type has the
advantage of illustrating Catholic doctrine regarding the
procession of the Holy Spirit. The triangular
halos are from another tradition especially favored in
Latin America, in which all three persons have the same
face (for example, this
work from New Mexico). Basis for Identification: Christ with Father in
cope and triple tiara, standing on Clouds, supported
by angels. Triangular halos. Media and construction: Wood, gesso, paint. Size: 12 inches (30 cm.) Comparable santos in Oaxaca: Diaz
Ordaz, Mitla,
Tamazulapan,
Teitipac,
Teotitlán,
Tlacolula,
Xoxocotlán,
Yanhuitlán 1. Wikimedia Commons: Throne of Mercy in Mexico. Sculptures of Holy Trinity. Catholic Encyclopedia: The Blessed Trinity Wikipedia: Trinity Christian Iconography: The Trinity Next: Also in the narthex, a group of santos with a
crucifix 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. The photo shown here is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. You are free to share or remix it on two conditions: first, that you attribute it to the photographers, Claire and Richard Stracke, without implying any approval of your work on their part; second, that if you alter, transform, or build upon this photo, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one. |