Of St. Anthony Shrine & Ministry Center
Logo
The image used in our logo for The Pieta Ministry of St. Anthony Shrine is Michelangelo's "later" Pieta. It is known as The Deposition of Christ (also called the Florence Pietà, the Pietà del Duomo or The Lamentation Over the Dead Christ). Michelangelo worked on it between 1547 and 1553, when he was in his 70's
The four figures in the sculpture represent the dead body of Jesus Christ, newly taken down from the Cross, Nicodemus (or possibly Joseph of Arimathea), Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary. The face of Nicodemus under the hood is considered to be a self-portrait of Michelangelo himself. Originally, Michelangelo intended this sculpture to be his tombstone at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. However, he abandoned the sculpture after eight years of tireless work upon discovering an impurity in the marble that had gone undiscovered until that point. The figure of Mary Magdalene was then finished by sculptor Tiberio Calcagni. and the sculpture is now housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence.
According to Robert Hupka, "Pieta is an Italian word meaning compassion or sorrow. It is derived from the Latin pietas, signifying loyalty to the highest degree ... a profound love that neither life nor death can destroy." As such, it is a perfect symbol representing the Pieta Ministry of St. Anthony Shrine & Ministry Center.
According to Hupka, "The classic meaning of the word 'pieta' is the whole-souled abiding in the Divine Will, but it is also the name traditionally given to works of art representing the body of Christ in the arms of His mother."
