St. Charles Borromeo Aiding the Poor
20th century
Stained glass
Church of St. Charles Borromeo, Brooklyn, New York
St. Charles Borromeo is famous in part for his tireless work bringing food to the poor during a famine that was ravaging Milan. Rather than make a historical snapshot of the actual work, however, the artist presents a spiritualized image in which the people of Milan watch as the saint brings spiritual food, the Eucharist, to one representative sufferer. The otherworldliness of the image is heightened by the inclusion of a kneeling angel, who holds the paten from which the saint has taken the host.
The poor man's dignity emphasized by yellow arc on the arm of the woman behind him, which forms a partial halo above the his head.
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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.