California based Art Historian, photographer and writer, Paul Koudounaris, who has been coined as ‘Indiana Bones‘, has recently taken the plunge down the underground Catholic Catacombs to see how some of the world’s leading 16th century saints were holding up down under! His newly published book by Thames and Hudson, ‘Heavenly Bodies Cult Treasures and Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs‘ eloquently reawakens the lives of these supposed heroic gents, shedding light on their inherent impact on the growth of the catholic faith for one of the first times in the history of photographic literature.
Apparantly these valiant vessels who had fought in the name of ‘God!’ were then distributed across Europe (predominantly Germany) as replacements for the countless holy relics which had been smashed, stolen or destroyed during the Protestant Reformation.
Once delivered, each skeleton was then clothed and adorned into a variety of precious jewels, expensive cloth, crowns, armour and even given wigs. They were put on display inside their designated churches as a reminder to all who visited, for the riches and wealth that awaited them post death – providing they swore allegiance to the Christian faith.
To read the rest of the article go: HERE
By no means, do we mean to pick any religious side or faith, but you must admit these quarky pics are pretty enterataining to flip through!
Check out this article from dazed digital about another one of Paul’s books ‘Empire of Death’ @: www.dazeddigital.com
