Fotoreproductie van een fresco, voorstellende de heilige Dominicus before 1890

This is a photographic reproduction of a fresco depicting Saint Dominic. Immediately, the halo arrests our gaze—a visual symbol tracing back to pagan sun gods, appropriated to denote holiness and divine favor. Consider its evolution: In early Christian art, it sparingly marked Christ, but gradually expanded, enveloping saints and figures of importance. It is the visual manifestation of an aura, or emanation, that the holy person exudes, a symbolic container for divine presence. Dominic holds a book and a lily, symbols of knowledge and purity. The book is a signifier of scripture, linking Dominic to the divine text. The lily, often associated with the Virgin Mary, is a symbol of purity, resurrection, and hope. The collective unconscious sees in these symbolic manifestations, an expression of our yearning for transcendence, and divine connection, continually resurfacing. These symbols have traveled through time, changing form, yet their essence persists. The halo, book and lily create a visual language that transcends the immediate narrative of Saint Dominic, creating a link between the divine, knowledge, and purity that engages us.