Description
St. Maximilian Kolbe, Franciscan priest and martyr
St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe (1894-1941) was a Polish Conventual Franciscan priest whose ministry included religious publishing and missionary work. He founded the Militia of the Immaculata in 1917 and established Niepokalanów in 1927. His work also took him to Japan, where he developed a publishing apostolate in Nagasaki. Devotion to the Immaculate Virgin Mary was central to his religious life.
At Auschwitz, Kolbe volunteered to replace Franciszek Gajowniczek among prisoners condemned to death by starvation. He died on August 14, 1941, and was canonized by John Paul II in 1982. His witness is remembered as a deliberate act of charity toward another prisoner, not merely as an abstract symbol of courage.
This portrait shows Kolbe wearing glasses and a black Franciscan habit, holding an open book against a gold-tone background. The book can recall his work of teaching and publishing; the image does not identify it as a particular text. There is no prison scene in this composition. The icon offers a focus for prayer and remembrance in a home, Franciscan community or setting concerned with Christian communication and service.
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.