The Saints of Holy Cards
When Holy Cards first appeared in the 1500s, their purpose was to allow Catholics to connect their own lives to those of the Saints. The cards were visual representations of the lives of these holy people, and helped an often illiterate public to understand a Saint's life story through a commonly understood visual vocabulary. The images and symbols used on Holy Cards were common to all religious art, while the portability and low cost of the cards made them more accessible to everyday people than some other, more expensive religious artwork. These cards allowed people to create intimate connections with holy figures, and brought the Church more deeply in to people's homes.
Follow the links below to find out more about the lives of the Saints seen throughout the exhibit.