Monday, February 3, 2014

Who Is She?



Beautiful Woman
Holding Eagle Feathers
An Indian Saint

Saint Kateri
Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680) is the first North American Indian to be beatified, and was canonized in October 2012. She was an Algonquian-Mohawk woman of New York State. At an early age, she converted to Christianity. The statue was created by Estella Loretto, a sculptor from the nearby Jemez Pueblo, and installed in August 2003.[3] A plaque noting Kateri's canonization was added in October 2012. (Credit: Wikipedia).
This beautiful bronze statue is located in the front of the St Francis Assisi Basilica Cathedral in downtown Santa Fe

15 comments:

  1. Very pretty. I am surprised by the jewelry. Such a short life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was going to say it ain't the VM (Virgin Mary)...but what a gorgeous sculpture! Look at those eyes!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm hoping you arrived safely. that statue is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. wow. her face - even as a statue - exudes kindness and love. remarkable.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A beautiful work! She looks very alive.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Like Lowell, I'm captivated by her eyes - and what a sweet face. Nice that she has gotten positive recognition. Many California Indians were "converted" and some worked as virtual slaves at the California missions. Treatment wasn't good overall in California.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I remember this and other statues in front of the cathedral in Santa Fe. They are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It is a gorgeous statue, of an apparently gorgeous woman. However, I somehow think it less than authentic of the woman and her era. And the significance of the jewelry?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good questions, Julie. Because this statue is located in Santa Fe, the land of many cultures I would surmise that it is an honor to include an Indian (even one from a different geographical area) because of the many Pueblo Indians in NM. Eagle feathers are part of the culture and turquoise is ubiquoitous among Indians who have crafted gorgeous jewelry here in the Southwest.

      Delete
  9. I had no idea there was an Indian saint. She is lovely, and I like her earrings....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautifully sculpted and shown to us here Kate.. Like the others I like very much the expression on her face.

    ReplyDelete

Happy that you have visited my blog. Come back often; I appreciate your comments! Thank you.