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Hubert Gerhard, Saint Michael Overcoming the Devil German, 1588 Munich, Church of Saint Michael |
“War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.
The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,
who is called the Devil and Satan,
who deceived the whole world,
was thrown down to earth,
and its angels were thrown down with it.”
(Revelation 12:7-9)
Three great or "arch" angels, named in the Bible, are celebrated on September 29th: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. But this is only in recent decades. Up to 1964 the day belonged to Michael alone.
Of the three archangels named in the Bible Michael is the one who has had the least contact with human beings. Where Gabriel and Raphael have acted in human history as divine messengers or healers, Michael has appeared only to visionaries, to the authors of the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation.
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+Andrea della Robbia, Saint Michael Weighing Souls Italian, c.1475 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
His appearance is one of great power, terrifying even. He is the leader of the heavenly armies, the victor over the dragon, that symbol of Satan and evil. He is the defender of Israel and, by extension, of Christianity and Christian people. He is the angel who weighs the souls of the deceased in his finely balanced scales.
Even his name, Mich-a-el, portrays his character. Its translation is ‘who is like God?’. It is both a question and a challenge. It is the rallying cry of the angelic host in their battle with the rebel angels. It is also a rebuke to Satan's lie to Adam and Eve in Eden “You will be like gods” (Genesis 3:5). Expressed in Latin as “Quis ut Deus?” it is sometimes shown on Michael's armor or on his shield. |
| Willem Rottermondt, Saint Michael German, 1750 Bonn, Koblenzer Tor |
In spite of his elusiveness, his terrible presence, his aura of mystery, Michael has left his footprint on virtually the whole map of western Europe, from Skellig Michael in Ireland at its extreme western edge to St. Michael’s Mount in Cornwall, Mont St. Michel in Normandy, to Boulevard St. Michel in Paris to Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome to Monte Gargano in the Apulia region to Maidan Square in Kyiv. The latter has received quite a bit of media attention since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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| Saint Michael the Archangel, Patron and Protector of Kyiv Ukrainian, c. 2002 Kyiv, Maidan (Independence) Square, Lach Gates Monument |
He is also a patron of the military and of police. Indeed, it is Michael who is the angelic patron of the NYPD officers killed on September 11, 2001.
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| New York Police Department Memorial Poster for the officers killed on September 11, 2001 |
In addition, he is a patron of both France and Germany and of Ukraine and Russia. And, in the past, his feast of September 29th was known as Michaelmas. Once upon a time it was a holy day of obligation.1
In the secular world also it was an extremely important day, as for instance, in the English calendar. One of the English ‘quarter days’, it was the day on which rents used to be due, court terms began and universities opened their academic year.
In art, Michael is primarily represented in three ways: as a member of the heavenly court, as the leader of the armies of Heaven and as the angel who weighs the souls of the dead against the deeds of their earthly life. Sometimes the types overlap.
In the secular world also it was an extremely important day, as for instance, in the English calendar. One of the English ‘quarter days’, it was the day on which rents used to be due, court terms began and universities opened their academic year.
In art, Michael is primarily represented in three ways: as a member of the heavenly court, as the leader of the armies of Heaven and as the angel who weighs the souls of the dead against the deeds of their earthly life. Sometimes the types overlap.
Although these three are the main iconographic types of the images of Saint Michael, there are several others. Among these are: Saint Michael as patron of France and Michael as Worshiper.
Michael as a Member of the Heavenly Court
In Byzantine art, and later in the art of Eastern Christianity, Michael often appears in the dress of a member of the court of heaven, dressed as one would have been for the Imperial Byzantine court. |
| +Saint Michael the Archangel Part of a Consular Diptych Bzyantine (Constantinople), c. 525-550 London, British Museum |
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| +Master of the Icon of the Archangel Michael, Saint Michael the Archangel Byzantine, 10th Century Venice, Treasury of the Basilica of San Marco |
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| +Saint Michael Fragment of an Ivory Casket Byzantine, 10th Century London, Trustees of the British Museum |
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| +Saint John Chryostom, Emperor Nicophorus III and Saint Michael from Homilies of Saint John Chrysostom Byzantine (Constantinople), 1074-1078 or 1078-1081 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Coislin 79, fol. 2v |
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| +The Theotokos with Michael and Gabriel Byzantine, c. 1180s Monreale, Cathedral, Main Apse |
,%20c.%201460-1500_St.%20Petersburg,%20State%20Hermitage%20Museum_2.jpg) |
| +Icon of Saint Michael Russian (Novgorod), c. 1460-1500 Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
,%20c.%201500_Saint%20Petersburg,%20State%20Hermitage%20Museum.jpg) |
| *Icon of Saint Michael Russian (Rostov), c. 1500 Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
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| +Icon of Angels Gabriel and Michael Russian, 18th Century Saint Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
Predominantly a theme of the earlier years, in which parts of Western Europe still looked to Byzantium, this theme of Michael as courtier mostly disappeared during the Middle Ages in the West and reappeared at the beginning of the Renaissance. His satanic adversary appears only as a kind of attribute in these images. In these pictures, Michael is as likely to wear his armor, or at least parts of it, as he is to wear courtier's robes.
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| +Guido Bigarelli, Saint Michael Italian, 13th century Pistoia, Church of San Michele in Cioncio |
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| +Cimabue, Michael from Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saint Francis and Four Angels (Detail) Italian, c. 1278-1280 Assisi, Church of San Francesco, Lower Church |
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+Luca di Tomme, Saint Michael Italian, c.1360 Amiens, Musée de Picardie |
,%201440_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan%20Library_MS%20M%20157,%20fol.%20203v.jpg) |
| Michael Among the Other Saints From a Book of Hours French (Possibly Anjou), 1440 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 157, fol. 203v |
This theme seems to have been especially prominent in the decades just before and after the year 1500 in both Italy and the North.
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| +Lorenzo da Viterbo, The Madonna and Child with Saint Peter and Saint Michael Italian, 1472 Rome, Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica |
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| +Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula, Madonna and Child with a Donor Presented by Saint Michael Flemish, c.1480-1490 Private Collection |
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| +Sandro Botticelli, Madonna and Child with Angels and Saints (Pala di San Barnaba) Italian, c.1488 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| +Domenico Ghirlandaio, Madonna and Child in Glory with Saints Italian, c. 1490-1496 Munich, Bayerische Gemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek |
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| +Jean Hey, Saint Michael and the King of France From Statuts de L'Ordre de Saint Michel French (Moulins), c. 1493-1494 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 14363, fol. 3r |
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| +Luca Signorelli. Assumption of the Virgin with Saints Michael and Benedict Italian, c. 1493-1496 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, European Paintings |
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+Andrea Mantegna, Virgin of Victory Italian, c. 1495-1496 Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Peintures |
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| +Pietro Perugino, Madonna and Child in Glory with Saints Italian, c. 1495-1496 Bologna, Pinacoteca Nazionale |
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+Innocenzo da Imola, Saint Bernard Presented to the Madonna and Child by Saint Michael Italian, c.1500-1550 Chambery, Musée des Beaux-Arts |
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| +Andrea del Sarto, Saints Michael and John Gualbert Italian, c. 1528 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| +Benvenuto Tisi, called il Garofalo, Madonna and Child with Saints Italian, c. 1530-1532 Rome, Galleria Borghese |
His role as warrior is sometimes combined with his role in the heavenly court.
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Saint Michael Subduing the Dragon French, c. 1425-1550 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| +Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Michael From a Life of St. Catherine Dutch (s-Hertogenbosch), c, 1475-1500 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Neerlandais 129, fol. 1r |
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| Hans Memling, Saint Michael Flemish, c. 1479 London, The Wallace Collection |
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| Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula, Saint Michael with a Donor Flemish, c. 1480-1490 Bruges, Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie |
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| Bernardo Zenale, Saint Michael the Archangel Italian, c. 1490 Florence, Galleria degli Uffizi |
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| Saints George, Michael and John the Baptist German (Upper Rhine), c. 1500-1525 Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
Michael as Warrior and as General of the Heavenly Armies
Predominantly a theme of the Western Church, Michael appears most frequently as the armed warrior, clad in armor.
Sometimes he is simply seen as the soldier, not involved in combat or shown in repose after his battle.
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| Saint Michael the Archangel Byzantine (Constantinople), c. 1086-1215 Venice, Basilica of San Marco, Treasury |
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| Piero della Francesca, Saint Michael Italian, 1469 London, National Gallery |
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| Perugino, Saint Michael Italian, c.1499 London, National Gallery |
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| Saint Michael Flemish, 16th Century Bruges, Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie |
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| St. Michael French, c.1500 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Jean Bourdichon, Saint Michael From the Grandes heures d'Anne de Bretagne French (Tours), c.1503-1508 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9474, fol. 163v |
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| Workshop of Patanazzi, Archangel Michael Italian, c. 1580-1590 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
But, he is most often seen in the act of combat against the dragon (symbol of Satan) or against a demon (again symbolic of Satan). These images fall into two types. The first, and earlier of the two, is that of single combat between Michael and his adversary.
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Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon French, c. 1125-1150 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
Manuscript images of the subject frequently come from illustrations of the Book of Revelations, also called the Apocalypse, and from commentaries on it, such as the Commentary by the Spanish monk known as Beatus of Liebana. They also frequently appear in prayer books, such as Books of Hours.
,%20c.%201204-1219_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan%20Library_MS%20M%20739,%20fol.%20146v.jpg) | ||
| Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From a Book of Hours German (Bamberg), c. 1204-1219 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 739, fol. 146v This little image really makes me smile. We are so used to later pictures of Saint Michael in which he is wearing full plate armor that it comes as a surprise to see this image of Michael wearing the much simpler armor of the earlier middle ages. Michael here wears chainmail armor, including a coif of chainmail and a high crowned early helmet. You can compare this to just about every other image of Michael in plate armor that will follow below.
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| Michael Overcoming the Dragon From the Liber floridus by Lambert de Saint-Omer French (North French), c.1250-1275 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 8865, fol. 39r |
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| Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From Vies des saints French (Paris), c. 1325-1350 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 185, fol. 259v |
Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon
Italian, c. 1330-1335
Asciano, Museo d'Arte Sacra
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| Giovanni di Benedetto and collaborators, Saint Micheal Overcoming the Dragon From a Missal Italian (Milan), c.1385-1390 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 757, fol. 357v |
,%20c.%201410-1420_New%20%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan_MS%20M%20133,%20fol.%2037v.jpg) |
| Master of the Berry Apocalypse, Michael Fighting Demons From the Berry Apocalypse French (Paris), c. 1410-1420 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 133, fol. 37v |
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| Alabaster carving. Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon English, c.1430-1470 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
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| Master of Marguerite of Orleans, Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From the Hours of Marguerite d'Orleans French (Rennes), c.1430 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1156 B, fol. 165 |
,%20c.%201435_Paris,%20BNF_MS%201156,%20fol.%2077r.jpg) |
| Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From the Hours of Rene of Anjou French (Paris), c. 1435 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 1156A, fol. 77r |
,%20c.%201435-1445_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan%20Library_MS%20W%203,%20fol.%20163v.jpg) |
| Gold Scrolls Group, Michael Fighting Demons From a Book of Hours Flemish (Bruges), c. 1435-1445 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS W 3, fol. 163v |
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| Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From the Hours of Louis of Savoy French (Savoy), c. 1445-1460 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9473, fol. 166 |
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| Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon German, c. 1450 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
,%20c.%201455-1465_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan%20Library_MS%20M%20430,%20fol.%20208v.jpg) |
| Follower of Jean Colombe, Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From a Book of Hours French (Bourges), c. 1455-1465 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 430, fol. 208v |
,%20c.%201455-1465_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan_MS%20M%201067,%20fol.%202r.jpg) |
| Master of Adelaide of Savoy, Saint Michael Overcoming the Demon From a Book of Hours French (Loire Valley), c. 1455-1465 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 1067, fol. 2r This page is a veritable feast of angels. They appear amid the decorative elements in the borders. Also, in addition to the primary scene of Michael overcoming the Devil, there is a secondary picture of Michael performing the same feat, but this time with the scales of Judgment instead of with the sword. |
,%20c%201455-1465_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan%20Llibrary_MS%20M%20194,%20fol.%20130v.jpg) |
| The Rambures Master, Michael Overcoming Demons From a Book of Hours French (Amiens), c 1455-1465 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 194, fol. 130v |
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| Chief Associate of Master Francois, Michael Overcoming the Dragon From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1480-1495 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 231, fol. 198r |
,%201490_New%20York,%20Pierpont%20Morgan%20Library_MS%20M%2020,%20fol.%2041r.jpg) |
| Michael Overcoming the Dragon From the Statutes of the Order of Saint Michel French (Paris), 1490 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 20, fol. 41r |
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| Michael Overcoming the Dragon Flemish, c. 1500 Bruges, Museum Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Potterie |
,%20c.%201500_The%20Hague,%20KB_MS%20KB%2074%20G%2022,%20fol.%20195r.jpg) |
| Follower of Jean Pichore, Michael Overcoming a Demon From a Book of Hours French (Paris), c. 1500 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 74 G 22, fol. 195r |
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| Jean Bourdichon, Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon From the Hours of Frederic of Aragon French (Tours), 1501-1504 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 10532, fol. 358r |
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Hieronymus Wierix, Quis Sicut Deus Flemish, c. 1619 London, Trustees of the British Museum "Quis Sicut Deus?" translates the same as "Quis Ut Deus?" or "Mich-a-el?" which is "Who Is Like God?". This is Michael's challenge and also where he gets the name that humans know him by. |
Two of the most famous images of this single combat type are two paintings by Raphael (himself named after another of the archangels) dated fifteen years apart.
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Raphael, Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon Italian, 1503 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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Raphael, Saint Micheal Overcoming the Demon Italian, 1518 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
This second Raphael painting (above) is such a perfect representation of the battle, full of great energy and twisting motion, that it became the model for reverberations in many other pictures in various media right up to the twentieth century.
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| Jacques Callot, September 29, Saint Michael the Archangel From the print series: Les Images de tous les saints et saintes de l'annee French, c, 1632-1635 London, Trustees of the British Museum While not as dynamic as the Raphael paintings, this little engraving by Jacques Callot hints at the energy of battle more than the works of his northern predecessors. The way in which the demon grasps the shaft of the spear that has pierced him suggests a fierce energy coiled to spring and continue the fight. |
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| Guido Reni, Saint Michael Overcoming Satan Italian, 1635 Rome, Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione |
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| Ignacio de Ries, Saint Michael Overcoming Satan Spanish, 1640s New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Juan de Valdes Leal, Saint Michael Overcoming Satan Spanish, c. 1656 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| Luca Giordano, Saint Michael Overcoming Satan Italian, 1666 Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum |
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Domenico Corvi, Saint Michael Overcoming Satan Italian, 1758 Rome, Church of Santissima Trinita dei Monti |
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| Eugene Delacroix, Saint Michael Overcoming Satan French, c. 1854-1861 Paris, Church of Saint-Sulpice |
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Emmanuel Fremiet, Saint Michael Overcoming the Dragon French, 1895 Paris, Musée d'Orsay |
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| Eric Gill, Christmas Card English, 1918 London, Trustees of the British Museum |
The 1918 and 1924 dates of these two images by the English artist, Eric Gill, suggest that they likely reflect some of the ethos of the period just following the end of the First World War. There was an atmosphere of triumphant exhaustion on the part of the victors of that war, especially in France and England. Gill may easily have seen the end of the war as an analogy for the defeat of the fallen angels by Michael and the heavenly hosts.
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| Eric Gill, Saint Michael and the Dragon English, 1924 London, Trustees of the British Museum |
The second type of combat image is that of Michael as the general of the whole Host of Heaven. These images are frequently known as "The Fall of the Rebel Angels". These pictures tend to begin appearing at a later period than the images of Michael as courtier or as solo warrior.
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| Fall of the Rebel Angels From the Psalter-Hours of Yolande de Soissons French, c. 1280-1290 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 729, fol. 404v |
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| Boucicaut Master, Fall of the Rebel Angels From De Proprietatibus rerum by Barthelemy l'Anglais French (Paris), c. 1400-1425 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 9141, fol. 17v |
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| Spinello Aretino, Saint Michael and the Heavenly Host Italian, c. 1408-1410 London, National Gallery |
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| Albrecht Durer, Saint Michael and the Angelic Host Fighting the Dragon From the Apocalypse Series German, 1498 London, Trustees of the British Museum |
Like Raphael, Domenico Beccafumi did two different versions of the Fall of the Rebel Angels in the 1520s.
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| Domeico Baccafumi, Fall of the Rebel Angels Italian, c. 1520s Siena, Pinacoteca Nazionale |
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| Domenico Beccafumi, Fall of the Rebel Angels Italian, c.1528 Siena, Church of San Niccolo al Carmine |
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Peter Paul Rubens also did two paintings of the same subject matter.
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Michael as Prover of Souls
“At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince,
guardian of your people;
It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since the nation began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
Many of those who sleep
in the dust of the earth shall awake;
Some to everlasting life,
others to reproach and everlasting disgrace. “
(Daniel 12:1-2)
It is through his position of warrior and defender of heaven that Michael is the angel who examines the souls of the dead, weighing them in balance scales to determine their ultimate destination. This action is usually, although not always, shown as taking place in the context of the Last Judgment.
For me, this magnificent angel has a personal side. September 29th is my birthday. And, had I been a boy, I would have been named Michael in his honor and in memory of my mother’s baby brother who died at age 2. As it was, I was named, Margaret, in honor of both my grandmothers. However, I have not forgotten Michael; he is one of my own patrons and the source of my confirmation name of Michelle.
We would do well to honor Michael with the prayer that used to be recited by everyone at the end of every Mass:
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who roam about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
© M. Duffy, 2011. 2016. Revised and republished 2022. Selected pictures refreshed and new images added, 2024.
guardian of your people;
It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress
since the nation began until that time.
At that time your people shall escape,
everyone who is found written in the book.
Many of those who sleep
in the dust of the earth shall awake;
Some to everlasting life,
others to reproach and everlasting disgrace. “
(Daniel 12:1-2)
It is through his position of warrior and defender of heaven that Michael is the angel who examines the souls of the dead, weighing them in balance scales to determine their ultimate destination. This action is usually, although not always, shown as taking place in the context of the Last Judgment.
Last Judgment and Michael Weighing Souls
From the Psaltar of St. Louis and of Blanche of Castille
French (Paris), c.1225
Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
MS Arsenal 1186, fol. 169v
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Saint Michael Weighing Souls From the Shaftesbury Psalter English, c. 1225-1250 London, British Library MS Lansdowne 383, fol.168v |
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The Syon Cope English, c. 1300-1320 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
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Detail from the Syon Cope English, c. 1300-1320 London, Victoria and Albert Museum |
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| Saint Michael Judging Souls (Evil Souls) From the Pelerinage de l'ame by Guillaume de Degulleville French (Rennes), c. 1425-1450 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 376, fol. 90v One can almost hear the snarling of the demons as they await the moment when they can take the souls of the evildoers to their punishment. |
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Michael as Patron of France
Saint Michael is a patron of both France and Germany. As patron of France the images of Michael center around the apparitions to Saint Joan of Arc. Saint Joan reported that her task of freeing France from the English was announced to her through several apparitions of three saints, Michael, Margaret (of Antioch) and Catherine (of Alexandria). The subject has been most frequent in the last 200 or so years. The earliest example I uncovered dates to 1843. At this point in time Joan was not yet a canonized saint. She was canonized in 1920.
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| Hermann Anton Stilke, Apparition of Saints Catherine and Michael to Joan of Arc German, 1843 Saint Petersburg, Hermitage Museum |
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Jules Bastien-Lepage, Joan of Arc French, 1879 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art This has been and remains one of the most popular paintings in the Met. The three saints are presented as vaporous figures in the upper left corner. Only Michael, clad in golden armor, is easily seen. |
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| Pierre-Gustave Dagrant, Saints Michael and Joan of Arc French, c. 1890-1915 Merignac, Church of Saint Pierre |
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Eugene Samuel Grasset, Joan of Arc and Saint Michael Design for pair of windows French, 1893 Paris, Musée d'Orsay |
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Rene Marie Castaing, Joan of Arc Window French, c. 1900-1925 Pau, Musée des Beaux-Arts Here Michael occupies the central position among the three saints in the upper portion of the left side, which depicts Joan's visions. The central panel depicts Joan in her armor as the champion of France. The right side depicts her death at the hands of an ecclesiastical court in Normandy, which at that time was in the possession of the English. |
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| Saints Genevieve, Michael and Joan of Arc French, c. 1900-1925 Trans-la-Foret, Church of Saints Peter and Paul These three saints are among the most prominent of the patron saints of France. |
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Gaston Bussiere, Joan of Arc, the Predestined French, 1909 Macon, Musée des Ursulines |
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| Lionel Royer, Saints Michael, Catherine and Margaret Appearing to Joan of Arc French, c. 1911-1918 Domremy-la-Pucelle, Basilica of Saint Joan of Arc In this rather charming painting from Joan's home village, we see the three saints offering her some of the accoutrements of her mission. Saint Margaret of Antioch offers a sword, Saint Michael offers her the banner under which she campaigned and Saint Catherine of Alexandria offers her a helmet. |
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| L. Barillet and J. Le Chevallier, Saints Joan of Arc and Michael French, c. 1920-1925 Belleme, Church of Saint-Sauveur This patriotic window was designed around the time of Joan's canonization and draws a parallel between the call she received from Saint Michael in 1424 with the call to arms of August 1914. In the bottom panels we see the soldiers of 1914, dressed in the extremely inappropriate uniforms with which they entered the First World War as they march to a fate that was as inevitable as Joan's own. |
Michael As Worshiper
In these images Michael appears, not as a courtier or a warrior or a general, but as a member of the faithful, affirming by his actions that, like us, he too is a created being, acknowledging God as the Supreme Being and source of life for His creations. Michael is sometime depicted alone, but in most instances he is depicted as one of a group. The group may consist of other angels, especially of other archangels, or it may be made up of other saints, indeed it may be the entire court of heaven. However, unlike more generalized pictures depicting the heavenly court, in the pictures I am offering for your attention, Michael is conspicuously positioned and frequently shown in his armor. |
| Jean Colombe and collaborators, Christ and the Virgin Enthroned in Heaven From the Hours of Anne of France French (Bourges), 1473 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 677, fol. 236r Michael can be seen standing at the far left of the heavenly throne. |
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| Saint Michael, Archangels and Seraphim in Prayer From a Prayer Book French (Paris), 1485-1495 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS H 3, fol. 157r |
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| Philippe van Mallery, Saints Michael, Augustine, John Chrysostom and Norbert Adoring the Eucharist in a Monstance Flemish, c. 1608-before 1639 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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| Johann-Heinrich Schoenfeld, Holy Trinity Adored by Angels and Saints German, 1640 Paris, Musée du Louvre |
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| Louis LeNain, Saint Michael Dedicating His Weapons to the Virgin and Child French, c. 1640 Nevers, Church of Saint-Pierre |
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| Carlo Maratti, Saints Michael, Luke, Julian, Peter and Paul Adoring the Holy Face Italian, c. 1670 Monterotondo (Lazio), Cathedral, Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene |
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| Corrado Giacinto, Adoration of the Trinity Italian, 1744 Rome, Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme |
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| Louis Comfort Tiffany, Victory in Heaven Window American, c. 1895-1920 New York, Episcopal Church of St. Michael |
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| Louis Comfort Tiffany, Saint Michael Central Panels of the Victory in Heaven Window American, c. 1895-1920 New York, Episcopal Church of St. Michael |
We would do well to honor Michael with the prayer that used to be recited by everyone at the end of every Mass:
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who roam about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
© M. Duffy, 2011. 2016. Revised and republished 2022. Selected pictures refreshed and new images added, 2024.
+Indicates refreshed picture
*Indicates new image
______________________________________________________
1. Holweck, Frederick. "St. Michael the Archangel." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 26 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10275b.htm>.
______________________________________________________
1. Holweck, Frederick. "St. Michael the Archangel." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 26 Sept. 2016.
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10275b.htm>.
