Introduction What is sacred Christian art? Illuminated Manuscripts in Christian Art What are the foundations of Christian art? Sacred buildings The Sanctuary The Sacred Image The Function of the Icon The Decadence of Christian Art The Renewal of Christian Art

slide 10 of 10 Can Christian art be reborn? "The character of Christian painting is essentially, and not accidentally, figurative. This means that it can never dispense with the traditional prototypes that safeguard it from arbitrariness. These prototypes always leave a fairly wide margin for the exercise of creative genius, as well as for the special needs of times and places, in so far as these may be legitimate...The success of any such enterprise is dependent above all on intuitive wisdom; as for originality, charm, and freshness, these will come of their own accord. "Christian art will not be reborn unless it completely frees itself from individualistic relativism, and returns to the sources of its inspiration, which by definition are situated in the 'timeless.'"