St Genevieve (?)

There are few folk sculptures of saints whose images can be found in the countryside. This sculpture probably represents St Genevieve (422–500), who lived not far from Paris, and had special powers to heal and prophesy. She became a nun at the age of 15, and lived a very ascetic life. She is portrayed in art with a nun’s veil over her head, and with a candle in her hand, or as a shepherdess weaving or holding a stick. When a religious carver was asked to make a sculpture of a rare saint, he would study pictures or read about the lives of the saints in order to find out about the saint’s appearance and attributes. This unknown carver may have been guided by devotional pictures of St Genevieve, in which she is portrayed as a nun with a locket with a cross on it. The locket was said to have been hung on her neck when she was a girl by St Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre (ca 378–448), when he saw her shepherding and was impressed by her modesty. Her right hand may be holding yarn wound on a stick, as she is portrayed in devotional pictures. She is holding a prayer book in her left hand, showing her exceptional devoutness.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė

There are few folk sculptures of saints whose images can be found in the countryside. This sculpture probably represents St Genevieve (422–500), who lived not far from Paris, and had special powers to heal and prophesy. She became a nun at the age of 15, and lived a very ascetic life. She is portrayed in art with a nun’s veil over her head, and with a candle in her hand, or as a shepherdess weaving or holding a stick. When a religious carver was asked to make a sculpture of a rare saint, he would study pictures or read about the lives of the saints in order to find out about the saint’s appearance and attributes. This unknown carver may have been guided by devotional pictures of St Genevieve, in which she is portrayed as a nun with a locket with a cross on it. The locket was said to have been hung on her neck when she was a girl by St Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre (ca 378–448), when he saw her shepherding and was impressed by her modesty. Her right hand may be holding yarn wound on a stick, as she is portrayed in devotional pictures. She is holding a prayer book in her left hand, showing her exceptional devoutness.

Text author Skaidrė Urbonienė