PRAYING THE ROSARY THROUGH ART: Crisis has posted the entire series. Really, really nice choices. The joyful mysteries; sorrowful; glorious.

In no well-regulated community, under a proper system of police, could the Virgin feel at home, and the same thing may be said of most other saints as well as sinners.
--Henry Adams, according to this guy

SINCE IT'S THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION (for two more hours), here's Peggy Fleming, "Ave Maria." (And Nicole Bobek's lovely program from the same event.)

THERE'S A SERIES ON PRAYING THE ROSARY THROUGH ART at Crisis. The Joyful Mysteries are here; I especially liked the choices for the Sorrowful Mysteries.

REALLY FANTASTIC INTERVIEW WITH ROCCO PALMO. Via WAWIV. I initially skipped this but went back to it on his recommendation and it was completely worth it.

HOLY SNAKES.

The phenomenon of the Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary has been occurring for centuries during the festivities to the Theotokos between August 5 and August 15 in the village of Markopoulo on the island of Kefalonia, Greece. The small black snakes appear at the church of Panagia of Langouvarda on the site of a monastery, established as a nunnery and dedicated to Our Lady of Langouvarda.

The myth about these snakes is attached to the year the monastery was attacked by pirates in 1705. The nuns prayed fervently to the Virgin Mary for protection and were subsequently transformed into the snakes to avoid being taken as prisoners.

The snakes have a small cross on their head and their tongues are also in the shape of a cross. They are known to belong to the Telescopus fallax species, also known as the European Cat Snake, and they appear in and around the courtyard of the church, on the walls and on the bell tower. The snakes show no fear while the services are held and are harmless during the festivities. As soon as the Liturgy concludes on the 15th of August, they become hostile and aggressive and disappear back into the wilderness of the area. The snakes cannot be found until the following year.

more (via TKB)

THE SILHOUETTES OF CANA. A lovely picture; and the point Sullivan is making in this post, while I disagree with it, proves once again that he is basically an aesthetic thinker rather than a rationalist. Good for him!

"AGNI PARTHENE"/"O PURE VIRGIN"/"REJOICE, O UNWEDDED BRIDE" in Arabic, Slavonic, Romanian, French, and English you can hear! Amazing stuff, via IP.

"AVE MARIA."

"AVE MARIA."

"REJOICE, O UNWEDDED BRIDE" in Greek, Ukrainian, and English. (Unfortunately the last link is probably the hardest to hear. If you hear the English in person it's amazing.)

"MARY, IN THE GLASS COFFIN OF THE MUSEUM." My column at Inside Catholic.

ICONICITY: Yesterday I went to the Meridian International Center's "Glory of Ukraine" exhibit, which focuses on icons but includes altar crosses, Bibles, and Ukrainian arts and crafts dating back to many millennia before the birth of Christ. It's a terrific exhibit, completely free, and if you're in the District area I highly recommend it. I may be writing about it a bit more for my Inside Catholic column.

Be sure to check out the directions before you go! The center is basically across the street from Malcolm X Park, but it's on a weird horseshoe-shaped street which turns into another street, so you have to operate on trust for a little while. Your religious metaphor: right there!

The center is open 2-5 pm Wed-Sun, and the exhibit will run through January 16.

"THE GLORY AND THE GRIME": My Commonweal review of the National Gallery of Art's exhibit of Spanish painting and painted sculpture (through May 31). The review is subscribers-only for now. I'll let you know if that changes. I will say that if you have any interest in e.g. Zurbaran, or the bloody-mindedness of Spanish Catholic art, you need to see this. It is shockingly emotional--I had to talk myself into moving around the sculptures so I could see the Virgin's face--and, as I argue in the CW piece, intensely stylized.

Every Christian in Washington, DC and its surroundings should go see this exhibit. I note that it features statues from "working churches"--I mean, last year some of these statues were paraded through the local streets during Lent. This is Christ as alarm clock, or cell-phone alarm: Wake up. There is something more than work which you need to do.

The exhibit is free. (Are you?)

"MOTHERING GOD."

HEY, AUGUST 15--A.K.A. FRIDAY--is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's a Holy Day of Obligation. Go to church!

If you're Christian but not Catholic... take some time on Friday to think about Our Lady as Ark of the Covenant; or her lifting-up after such great sorrow as a parallel to Christ's lifting on the Cross; or her Heaven, with her Son.