Pope John Paul II beatified Fra Angelico on October 3, 1982 and in 1984 declared him patron of Catholic artists.

Angelico was reported to say “He who does Christ’s work must stay with Christ always”. This motto earned him the epithet “Blessed Angelico”, because of the perfect integrity of his life and the almost divine beauty of the images he painted, to a superlative extent those of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

—Pope John Paul II

Fra Angelico (c. 1395 – February 18, 1455), born Guido di Pietro, was an Early Italian Renaissance painter described by Vasari in his Lives of the Artists as having “a rare and perfect talent”.   He was known to his contemporaries as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John from Fiesole) and by Vasari as Fra Giovanni Angelico (Brother John the Angelic One).

Fra Angelico is known in Italy as il Beato Angelico, the term “Il Beato” (“Blessed One”) being already in use during his lifetime or shortly thereafter, in reference to his skills in painting religious subjects. Fiesole is sometimes misinterpreted as being part of his formal name, but it was merely the name of the town where he took his vows as a Dominican friar, and was used by contemporaries to separate him from other Fra Giovannis. He is listed in the Roman Martyrology as Beatus Ioannes Faesulanus, cognomento Angelicus—”Blessed Giovanni of Fiesole, nicknamed Angelico”.

Vasari wrote of Fra Angelico:

Fra Angelico, Patron Saint of Artists, is buried in the medieval church Santa Maria sopra Minerva, in Rome

But it is impossible to bestow too much praise on this holy father, who was so humble and modest in all that he did and said and whose pictures were painted with such facility and piety.

[powerpress]Vatican Radio:

In churches and piazzas and in homes all across Italy, nativity scenes or presepe as they’re called here have been set up to recall the humble birth of the Saviour in Bethlehem.

Naples has for centuries been one of the capitals of nativity scene-making here in Italy, with craftsmen creating elaborate figures, animals and entire villages out of clay and paper mache’. Pictures and paintings of the Nativity have been around since the very first Christians used them to record Christ’s birth. But the tradition of making a three dimensional presepe or creche dates back to the time of St. Francis of Assisi who is credited with making the first live nativity scene on a hillside in Umbria, Italy around the year 1220.

Tracey McClure sat down with Elizabeth Lev, Professor of Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University, for a fireside chat about the origins of nativity scenes and where some of the most interesting can be found here in Rome.

Music: St. Hildegard von Bingen – Veni Creator Spiritus – Performers: Anonymous 4

He’s Monsignor Timothy Verdon, Professor of Sacred Art at the Theological University of Central Italy who explains to Veronica Scarisbrick how we can preach the word of God through sacred art .

[powerpress = “Vatican_Radio”]

In an effort to mark a year since the concluding document from the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the ‘The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church’ was published here in the Vatican . A document referred to as a post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation in a deliberate reference of the key Vatican II documents ‘Dei Verbum’ which sheds light on the past 40 years or so of theological , pastoral and practical reflection on the centrality of the Scriptures in the life, the liturgy and the witness of all Christian Churches we join one of the relators at this Synod . – Vatican Radio

The Crux Vaticana referenced in the discussion