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Lot Essay
St. Basil the Great or Basil of Caesarea, a city in the province of Cappadocia in Asia Minor (330-379) is considered one of the great doctors or theologians of the early Christian Church. In this monumental Andean painting, St. Basil’s distinguished genealogy is illustrated all around the saintly man who, ascends to his righteous place in the Heavens. A holy man, Basil was born into a distinguished and large pious family which included a martyred grandfather, his mother Emmelia, sister Macrina, brothers, Gregory and Peter, and his virtuous uncles. While preparing for a life in law, the young Basil met the holy man and bishop, Saint Eustace and was spiritually transformed by his charismatic countenance. In finding God, as his copious writings reveal, he “…awoke from a deep sleep,” realizing that wealth and power were meaningless. Basil immediately gave up his ambitious pursuit of a worldly life and began to follow a righteous path devoted to God, prayer and service to humanity. Basil’s great humility led him to renounce his wealth and aid the poor and needy everywhere he travelled including Antioch, Nicaea, Constantinople, and other cities in the East throughout his brief lifetime. On his family’s estate he founded a monastic house where all those who sought a life of prayer and good deeds could commune.
A remarkable spiritual leader, Basil was ordained Bishop of Caesarea, the city of his birth in 370.(1) Basil also possessed numerous skills as an administrator; these talents he employed to benefit those in need by founding food commissaries to feed the poor and needy, especially during stressful times. In his extensive writings he is known to have advocated for the reform of thieves, prostitutes, criminals and other lost souls worthy of redemption. He generously set up a hospice, hospital, and alms house in land his family donated. This large composition celebrates the life of a saintly man who relinquished the vanities and frivolities of a life of comfort and wealth on earth and those closest to him who likewise, sought the Eternal.
A remarkable spiritual leader, Basil was ordained Bishop of Caesarea, the city of his birth in 370.(1) Basil also possessed numerous skills as an administrator; these talents he employed to benefit those in need by founding food commissaries to feed the poor and needy, especially during stressful times. In his extensive writings he is known to have advocated for the reform of thieves, prostitutes, criminals and other lost souls worthy of redemption. He generously set up a hospice, hospital, and alms house in land his family donated. This large composition celebrates the life of a saintly man who relinquished the vanities and frivolities of a life of comfort and wealth on earth and those closest to him who likewise, sought the Eternal.