St. Benedict
Wood, gesso, paint; cloth cap; painted eyes, no visible hair
Approximately 3 feet tall (91 cm.)
Church of San Juan Teitipac, Oaxaca, Mexico
This santo was identified as "San Benito" by Sr. Hilario Lopez at the church in 1991. Considering the name and the black habit it seems likely that this is St. Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine order. Two other Benedictine saints bore the name Benedict (Benedict of Cagliari, in 12th-century Sardinia and Benedict of Aniane in 8th-century France), but neither of them seems a likely candidate. Even Benedict of Nursia seems an unlikely choice for a Mexican santo. The Benedictines were not among the orders that evangelized and founded parish churches in New Spain.
The red nightcap and buckled shoes of course have no relationship to Benedict of Nursia's inconography.
The santo has a naïve quality in the roughness of the carving and the simplicity of the facial expression. The left hand has broken off. The habit has been repainted. The statue is of one piece with the base. A large aluminum Christmas star hangs from the right hand.
Read more about images of St. Benedict.
Photographed at the church by Claire and Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.