St. Christopher is best known as the Patron Saint of Travelers. He was celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on July 25 and in the Eastern Orthodox Church on May 9. He is one of fourteen Auxiliary Saints or Holy Helpers who were asked for help to fight a number of diseases. As St Christopher’s cult expanded, he became the patron saint of bachelors, storms, mariners, epilepsy, gardeners, toothaches, athletes, boatmen, soldiers, floods, and bubonic plague. His importance increased in the 14th Century during the bubonic plague (Black Death, 1346 until 1353). His role as the patron saint of travel continues.
Images of St. Christopher first appeared in the Eastern Orthodox Church in Greece in the 6th Century. Images, tales and legends of St Christopher date from the 9th Century in France. In Europe the cult of the saints greatly increased in the 10th Century, when pilgrimages to churches, shrines, and specific sites, became an important part of the Catholic worship experience. Pilgrims wanted reminders and evidence of their journeys. Tokens, souvenirs and books were available at pilgrimage sites. Printing on fabric from a carved wood block began in China and were brought by Marco Polo to Italy in 1295. By 1400, when paper became available, artists had developed the technique using carved wood blocks to make a print on paper. These woodcuts were the least expensive and most popular souvenirs.
“St Christopher” (1423) (woodcut from Buxheim, Upper Rhine) is one of the earliest examples. St Christopher traditionally is depicted as a very large man carrying the Christ Child across a swirling river. At the right is the image of the hermit who instructed him in the Christian faith. Christ is depicted with a Trinity halo, representing that He is Father, Son and Holy Ghost in one. He also carries a globe with a cross on top.
The printed lines of a woodcut are above the surface of the wood block. Everything not printed must be gouged out of the wood and remain below the surface of the line. The lines are simple and wide and most are cut with the flow of the grain. Early wood cutters wanted to make sure the lines did not collapse as the of result application of ink from a roller, and the force of the press. Any color was painted on by hand after the print dried.
As Christopher carried the young Child across the river his burden becomes heavier and heavier and the water swifter and swifter. The Child identifies himself as Jesus Christ. He then tells Christopher to plant his staff into the earth and tomorrow evidence of the truth would appear. The next morning the staff had grown palm leaves with flowers, fruit and dates. The Latin inscription that appears at the bottom of the print is a declaration: ”In whatsoever day thou seest the likeness of St Christopher, In that same day thou wilt from death no evil blow incur.”
Albrecht Durer’s “St Christopher” (1511) (woodcut 8.25” Square) illustrates his personal advance in the woodcut technique. Parallel lines following the grain of the wood are abundant and can easily be seen in the water and elsewhere. Durer has achieved numerous circular shapes that can be seen in the curly hair of Christ and Christopher. To create a greater sense of light and shadow, Durer adapted the drawing technique of cross-hatching lines to create a darker area. Very small cubes needed to be cut into the wood instead of cutting lines. Shadows on the water and on Christopher’s clothing are most obvious. Durer used his knowledge of perspective to place all the figures in a realistic space. Knowledge of anatomy and facial expression also generate the strength and the struggle Christopher experiences with the enormous burden on his back. Christ is depicted as a robust infant. The three rays of holy light that rise from His head represent the Trinity.
The Golden Legend by Jacobus Voragine (1228-1298), was a notable source for the life of the Saint. According to the Legend, Christopher was originally names Reprobus. A towering 7.5 feet tall, he was a Canaanite. He decided he wanted to serve the greatest king on earth, and went on a search to find that king. When he thought he had found that king, he served him. When the king heard the devil mentioned, he crossed himself for protection. Reprobus saw the king feared the devil: therefore, he searched for the devil in order to serve this greater king. On the road he encountered a band of marauders and one of them said he was the devil.
Christopher served the devil until they passed by a wayside cross, and the devil fled in fear of Christ. Reprobus’s search for Christ led him to a holy hermit who instructed him in the faith and baptized him. The hermit suggested he should serve Christ by fasting and praying, but Reprobus replied this would not be possible for him. The hermit then suggested because of his great size and strength, he could serve Christ by helping people cross a dangerous river where many had perished in the attempt.
Scenes of the story of the life of St Christopher are almost non-existent. Unfortunately, the paintings of his life by Andrea Mantegna (1448-1457) in the Ovetari Chapel in the Church of the Eremitani, Padua, were largely destroyed on March 11, 1944, during WWII.
Lucas Cranach’s painting “St Christopher” (1518-2) (16.5’’ x 11’’) that depicts St Christopher carrying Christ across the river is the traditional image. While Christopher was sleeping, he was awakened by a childs’ voice asking for help. He was not able to find the child until his third search. The Golden Legend describes the event. “Christopher took the child upon his shoulders…little by little the water rose and the Child became heavier than a leaden weight…until Christopher was so sorely tired that he thought he would founder in the water…’Child, thou hast put me in dire peril, and hast weighed so heavy upon me that if I had borne the whole world upon my shoulders, it could not have burdened me more heavily!’…And the Child answered: ‘Wonder not, Christopher, for not only hast thou born the whole world upon thy shoulders, but Him Who created the world. For I am Christ thy King, Whom thou servest in this work!” Christ then told him to plant his staff n the ground,as depicted in the 1423 woodcut, and then vanished. From that time, Reprobus became Christopher, the ‘bearer of Christ.’
Cranach added a fisherman’s creel and knife to St Christopher’s attire. A fish and a loaf of bread can be seen in the creel. The fish and loaf of bread suggest the parable of the loaves and the fishes, among other Biblical references. St Christopher is large and capable and intended to assure a safe journey and a safe harbor. However, Cranach has included a warning about the need to be ever watchful and faithful. A small mermaid swims in the water in the foreground. She is a young, well-endowed woman with long blond hair, fins, and serpent’s tail. The mermaids’ ability to lure and tempt men even to death is an ancient belief. She serves to remind the viewer of the temptations and dangers continually to be faced.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, St Christopher was often depicted with the head of a dog until the 18th Century, when the church in Moscow forbade the use of this image. There are several possible reasons for this attribute. Reprobus (scoundrel) was from Canaan, and an incorrect translation of the Latin word Cananeus (Canaanite) as canine (dog) may be responsible. One story tells of Reprobus having been captured by the Roman army forced to join the Roman Marmaris division, men of great size with dog heads. When the unit was transferred to Antioch, Reprobus converted to Christianity and was baptized, which gave him a human appearance. In all versions of the story Reprobus is changed by his conversion to Christianity. In later stories of his life, he converts hundreds of people to Christianity, and after torture he is beheaded and dies a martyr.
In 1954, the Roman Catholic Church extended the worship of St Christopher to all masses. However, his name was dropped from the Roman Catholic calendar in 1969, and his feast day was no longer an obligation. The decision included the dropping of several other saints because they were not part of the early Roman tradition, and there were doubts concerning Christopher’s actual existence. Nonetheless, many Catholics continue to seek St Christopher’s blessing and protection for their travels.
Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring with her husband Kurt to Chestertown six years ago, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and Chesapeake College’s Institute for Adult Learning. She is also an artist whose work is sometimes in exhibitions at Chestertown RiverArts and she paints sets for the Garfield Center for the Arts.
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