Saint Sulpitius's Intercession for the Sick and Handicapped
Painted relief
Church of Saint-Sulpice-de-Favières, Île de France
Accompanied by an assistant with a book, St. Sulpitius stands before a multitude of sick and crippled people. The reference is not to an actual sermon but to the crowd of people cured through the saint's intercession who assembled to mourn his passing (Krusch, IV, 378-79).
The idea that Sulpitius was only an intecessor, not the one effecting their cures, is noted by the vita and emphasized by the artist. The saint's right hand does not form in the blessing configuration but points up to Heaven, and instead of the crozier that would symbolize his own authority his arms cradle a long cross.
Read more about images of St. Sulpitius.
Source: G. Freihalter via Wikimedia Commons
