Annunciation
The scene in which the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive Christ; one of the most enduring subjects of Catholic sacred art.
Sculpture
Corpus
The sculpted body of Christ affixed to a crucifix; a distinct object that may be carved, cast, modeled, or assembled separately from the cross.
Virgin of Mercy
A Marian type in which the Virgin spreads her mantle protectively over kneeling groups of the faithful, clergy, confraternities, or patrons.
Stations of the Cross
A devotional cycle, traditionally of fourteen scenes, tracing Christ's journey from condemnation to burial; often realized as reliefs or sculptural groups along church walls.
Sacred Heart
A Catholic devotional image of the heart of Christ, commonly shown flaming, radiant, wounded, crowned with thorns, and surmounted by a cross.
Processional Cross
A cross mounted on a staff and carried in liturgical procession, often richly carved, cast, gilded, or ornamented.
Altarpiece
A work or ensemble placed on, above, or behind an altar, frequently combining sculpture, painting, architecture, gilding, and narrative imagery.
PietÃ
A devotional image of the Virgin Mary mourning and supporting the dead body of Christ after the Crucifixion.
Predella
The low horizontal base or lower register of an altarpiece, often filled with small narrative scenes, reliefs, saints, or symbols.
Lamentation
A Passion subject showing the mourning over Christ's body after it has been taken down from the cross, usually with the Virgin, Saint John, Mary Magdalene, and other followers.