Saint Friedrich - enamel ring

(this listing is made to order)
 
Inspired by the catacomb saint, Saint Friedrich, at the Benedictine abbey in Melk, Austria. After a trip to the Abbey and sketching calmly under the looming cathedral ceilings, Friedrich came to be. Catacomb saints were the bodies of ancient Christians that were carefully exhumed from the catacombs of Rome and sent abroad to serve as relics of certain saints from the 16th century to the 19th century. They were typically lavishly decorated with gold and precious stones. During the Beeldenstorm of the 16th century and continued iconoclasm of the 17th century, Catholic churches throughout Europe were systematically stripped of their religious symbols, iconography and relics. In response, the Vatican ordered that thousands of skeletons be exhumed from the catacombs beneath the city and installed in towns throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Few, if any, of the corpses belonged to people of any religious significance though, given their burial, some may have been early Christian martyrs. Each was nonetheless painstakingly dressed and decorated as one of the various Catholic saints.
 
Cast in sterling silver with a large garnet brain, spinel eyes, and hand painted enamel coloring. Each ring will vary slightly due to the artistic process of painting every small detail. Made in Ohio