their divine prowess, and their high behests to mortal man, have furnished some of the most important and most poetical subjects which appear in Christian art.

The earliest instance I have met of the Archangels intro- A.D. 545, duced by name into a work of art is in the old church of San Michele at Ravenna. The mosaic in the apse exhibits Christ in the centre, bearing in one hand the cross as a trophy or sceptre, and in the other an open book on which are the words "Qui videt me videt et Patrem meum," &c. On each side stand Michael and Gabriel, with vast wings and long sceptres; their names are inscribed above, but without the Sanctus, and without the Glory. It appears, therefore, that at this time, the middle of the sixth century, the title of Saint, though in use, had not been given to the Archangels.

When, in the ancient churches, the figure of Christ or of the Lamb appears in a circle or glory in the centre of the roof; and around, or at the four corners, four angels who sustain the circle with outspread arms, or stand as watchers, with sceptres or lances in their hands, these I presume to be the four Archangels "who sustain the throne of God." Examples may be seen in San Vitale at Ravenna; in the chapel of San Zeno, in Santa Prassede at Rome; and on the roof Ilus. 27. of the choir of San Francesco d'Assisi.

Greek

So the four Archangels, stately, colossal figures, winged Palermo, and armed and sceptred, stand over the arch of the choir in Mosaics the Cathedral of Monreale.

A.D. 1174.

Gallery.

Cluny,

But I have never seen Uriel represented by name or alone, in any sacred edifice. In the picture of Uriel, painted by Sutherland Allston, he is the "Regent of the Sun," as described by Milton, not a sacred or scriptural personage. On a shrine of carved ivory I have seen the four Archangels as keeping Hotel de guard, two at each end: the three first are named as usual, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael; the fourth is styled St. Cherubin; and I have seen the same name inscribed over the head of the angel who expels Adam and Eve from Paradisc. There is no authority for such an appellation applied

No. 399.

individually; but I find, in a famous legend of the middle ages, "La Penitence d'Adam," that the angel who guards the gates of Paradise is thus designated: -"Lorsque l'Ange Cherubin vit arriver Seth aux portes de Paradis," &c. The four Archangels, however, seldom occur together, except in architectural decoration. On the other hand, devotional pictures of the three Archangels named in the canonical scriptures are of frequent occurrence. They are often grouped together as patron saints or protecting spirits; or they stand round the throne of Christ, or below the glorified Virgin and Child in an attitude of adoration. According to the Greek formula, the three in combination represent the triple power, military, civil, and religious, of the celestial hierarchy: St. Michael being habited as a warrior, Gabriel as a prince, and Raphael as a priest. In a Greek picture, of which I give an outline, the three Archangels sustain as a kind of throne the figure of the youthful Christ, here winged, as being Himself the supreme Angel (ayyeλos), and with both hands blessing the universe. The Archangel Raphael has here the place of dignity as representing the Priesthood; but in western art Michael takes precedence of the two others, and is usually placed in the centre as Prince or Chief: with him then, as considered individually, we begin.

ST. MICHAEL.

(Lat. Sanctus Michael Angelus. Ital. San Michele, Sammichele.

Monseigneur Saint Michel. Sep. 29.)

Michael, the Great Prince that standeth for the children of thy people.
DAN. xii. 1.

Fr.

It is difficult to clothe in adequate language the divine attributes with which painting and poetry have invested this illustrious archangel. Jews and Christians are agreed in

7

giving him the pre-eminence over all created spirits. All the
might, the majesty, the radiance, of Thrones, Dominations,
Princedoms, Virtues, Powers are centred in him. In him
God put forth his strength, when He exalted him chief over
the celestial host, when angels warred with angels in heaven;
and in him God showed forth His glory when He made him
conqueror over the power of sin, and “
that deceived the world."

over the great dragon Rev. xii. 9.

To the origin of the worship paid to this great archangel I dare not do more than allude, lest I stray wide from my subject, and lose myself and my readers too, in labyrinths of Orientalism. But in considering the artistic representations, it is interesting to call to mind that the glorification of St. Michael may be traced back to that primitive Eastern dogma, the perpetual antagonism between the Spirit of Good and the Spirit of Evil, mixed up with the Chaldaic belief in angels, and their influence over the destinies of man. It was subsequent to the Captivity that the active Spirit of Good, under the name of Michael, came to be regarded as the especial protector of the Hebrew nation: the veneration paid to him by the Jews was adopted, or rather retained by the oriental Christians, and, though suppressed for a time, was revived and spread over the West, where we find it popular and almost universal from the eighth century.

The legends which have grown out of a few mystical texts of Scripture, amplified by the fanciful disquisitions of the theological writers, place St. Michael before us in three great characters:-1. As captain of the heavenly host, and conqueror of the powers of hell. 2. As lord of souls, conductor and guardian of the spirits of the dead. 3. As patron saint and prince of the Church Militant.

When Lucifer, possessed by the spirit of pride and ingratitude, refused to fall down and worship the Son of man, Michael was deputed to punish his insolence, and to cast him

st. Dionysius.

St. Thomas

Aquinas.