Sacred

While we have been to holy places of all faiths and persuasions, all over the world, the individual stories of historical people always stand out. Along with beautiful art, architecture, music and writing, thinking about the sacred often brings to mind the courage people had in the ancient and past world.

One of these people is St Joan of Arc [1412-1431] from Domrémy in north-eastern France, painted with the saints appearing and speaking to her by the French symbolist painter Gaston Bussière [1862-1928], above. Many films have been made about Joan, like the famous silent one, the 1928 The Passion of Joan of Arc and the 1994 French film Jeanne la Pucelle, click to watch, [title meaning 'Jeanne the Maiden'] by French director Jacques Rivette and French actress Sandrine Bonnaire [b. 1967].

Anyway, St. Saturnina's feast day is June 4th. Whether or not she is legend or fact [probably living pre-1100], there must have been some person out there who suffered as she did. In that vein, I think there is something to honor and think about.