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| Saint Helena and the Blue Cat by Zoe Blue |
When St. Helena (also Empress Helena) came upon Cyprus, it was in the midst of a serious drought. It was 327 AD, and the Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas was being built, but people were fleeing the island and its deadly heat and poisonous snake infestation. She solved the problem by ordering a ship filled with cats from Egypt and Palestine delivered to the island, and the cats went to work, doing their significant part to make Cyprus the beautiful island it is now--full of strays that everyone feeds and who have no problem hopping up to the empty seat at your table in a restaurant to see if they might like some of what you’re eating. The monks kept the cats on at the monastery, using a bell to dispatch them to snake hunting and also to call them in for a house meal. The monastery is now known as the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas of the Cats, but it houses cats and nuns now.
The flower she carries is Sedum Anacampseros, the Evergreen Orpine, which according to Curtis’ botanical magazine “grows spontaneously in rock crevices.” Here, St. Helena brings life back to the island, astride her blue cat. The building in the back is part of a medieval church destroyed when Turkey began its occupation of the northern half of the island in 1974.
This painting was by request, finished as a Christmas present (just in time, pant, pant).
Posts
wonderful...
ReplyDeletethank you! i'm so happy you like it!
Deletedifficile de satisfaire une commande... mais c'est très réussi!... un magnifique présent! bonnes fêtes biz
ReplyDeleteoui, elfi, c'est la première fois que j'ai essayé de satisfaire une commande. only by chance, i think, it was possible :P ... merci pour vos aimables paroles :)
Deletehappy holidays!
This is gorgeous. I love the flowers and all the orange! I am sure that you have made someone very happy with this one!
ReplyDeletethank you :) she did look happy :)
DeleteThis is so beautiful, zoe! The blues contrast beautifully with the color orange. Interestingly, Cyprus is well-known to us for a lot of cats there.
ReplyDeleteI hope your Christmas was splendid!! I wish you a wonderful New Year!!
that's interesting that cyprus is known that way there, almost no one knows it exists, here. the last time i was there, 3 of us were sitting at a sidewalk table at a restaurant, and a cat took over the fourth chair, sitting with his front paws delicately placed around the empty plate, waiting for someone to fill it for him!
DeleteBeautiful colours -- they remind me of art nouveau fairytale books.
ReplyDeleteAlso just looked at Ewa and the Green Lion -- stunning atmosphere and exqusite faces/expressions there + two exceptionally charismatic noses, that somehow partakes actively in the composition, to make a somewhat idiosyncratic observation. : )
ha! i'm happy with charismatic noses :D thank you :)
DeleteWhat a marvellous painting, I didn't know about St. Helena but she looks gorgeous sat astride her blue cat, that hot orange perfectly conjures the heat and drought and the flowers sing out, love it
ReplyDeletethanks, phil, i didn't know about her either until the request, but am really happy to have been introduced :D
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