The goldfinch in depictions of the Holy Family and the legend of the crown of thorns

In depictions of the Holy Family, the infant Jesus often holds a little bird, or receives one from the hands of the infant John the Baptist. The bird is a goldfinch, the very one from the legend of Christ's ascent to Golgotha, which alighted on the crown of thorns and pulled out a spine, staining its own face with the blood of Jesus (goldfinches love to feast on thistles and prickly weeds). In paintings of the infant Christ, the goldfinch serves as a sign of the spirit of Christianity and of Jesus's destiny: when grown, he would suffer a martyr's death and atone for the sins of mankind.

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

The goldfinch in depictions of the Holy Family and the legend of the crown of thorns

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s