Description
Saint Angela Merici (about 1474-1540) founded the Company of Saint Ursula in Brescia in 1535. She offered women a way to dedicate their lives to Christ while remaining in their homes and daily work. This beginning differs from the later convents and schools of the Ursuline tradition.
A founder's counsel for community life
Angela left a Rule, Counsels and a Testament to guide her companions. Her concern for personal guidance and relationships helped shape a spiritual inheritance that Ursuline communities later carried into education. The first Company was not a cloistered teaching order: its members lived their consecration within ordinary society.
The scroll and the teaching gesture
In this image Angela wears a pale head covering over a dark blue robe with a cord at the waist. One hand is raised; the other holds an open scroll bearing Italian words of counsel about unity. The scroll makes her role as a spiritual guide central to the composition, while the halo and gold-toned background identify the scene as a saint's devotional portrait.
Made in Poland on linden wood
Art Christiana makes this icon to order on a linden-wood board with two coats of primer. The image is printed directly onto the prepared surface and finished with decorative gold-tone metal leaf (schlagmetal). A certificate bearing the production year and a hanging fixture are attached to the back.
The icon is particularly relevant to an Ursuline school or community, a teacher's prayer space, or a gift marking an educational vocation. It offers a visual point of reference for discussing accompaniment, mutual respect and Christian formation.