Watercolor portrait of Saint Martin de Porres
Available Sizes:
8x10, 5x7, 4x6
This is a print of an original painting by Saint Script and is printed on archival fine art paper.
Please allow 3-5 business days for this item to ship.
St. Martin de Porres is the patron saint of mixed race people, healthcare workers, & race relations. His mother was a freed slave & his father was a Spanish nobleman who abandoned him due to the darkness of his skin which he inherited from his mother.
At the age of 12, Martin took the role of a barber-surgeon apprentice to provide for his family. He learned to cut hair & do simple medical procedures.
Martin felt the call to religious life, but was met with much opposition. In Peru, it was illegal for descendants of slaves to enter religious communities. He was instead accepted as a volunteer & was allowed to wear the Dominican habit & live within the community without taking official vows.
He eventually won over several of the brothers who chose to disregard the law restricting his acceptance into the Dominicans.
During his life St. Martin opened an orphanage, cared for sick animals, raised dowries for young women, housed the homeless, & cared for the sick.
St. Martin was a rule breaker in the best way. During an epidemic, the friars were instructed not to come in contact with anyone outside the convent walls. On more than one occasion Martin was caught disobeying & was reprimanded. His reply, "Forgive my error, & please instruct me, for I did not know that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity.".
St. Martin is depicted with a broom because he considered all work to be sacred no matter how menial. He is joined by a cat & mouse drinking out of the same bowl to show his love for animals & his desire for peace among all creatures.