Caravaggio
Madonna of Loreto of the Pilgrims
1603-05
Oil on canvas
Church
of St. Augustine, Rome
Loreto is the Italian town to which the Virgin's childhood home is
believed to have been miraculously transported from Nazareth. The
home, a tiny cottage, has been a pilgrimage site since at least the
15th century. The walking sticks identify the two figures in the
foreground as pilgrims, while the bare feet and ragged clothing bespeak
a poverty that may characterize the proper attitude of pilgrims: being
"poor in spirit," aware of how deep is one's spiritual need.
More of the Virgin and Child
Photographed at the
site by Richard Stracke