It is likely that from the twelfth century, not long after the Hospital was founded in Jerusalem, St John the Baptist has been the patron saint of the Order of St John. This theme will explore the visual language of St John that has developed from different religious and historical writings that have influenced the traditions of Christian art.
Much of what we know about St John comes from the Bible, from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and the Book of Acts, each adding to the overall picture of his life and ministry. Details of St John, and other saints’ lives, can also come from texts outside the canon, for example the apocrypha and ancient histories such as Flavius Josephus’s The Antiquities of the Jews from the first century.
This rich and complex body of texts ultimately influenced the Golden Legend, written by Jacobus Voragine in the thirteenth century. This was a book of saints’ lives that was a frequently translated and copied text, and became an authority on the lives of saints that was much used by artists. From the narrative, artists were able to select details that would visually identify figures of saints in their artworks.
In addition to this visual language that would have been widely recognised, St John also has a visual history tied specifically to the Order of St John. In the twelfth century foundation legends for religious orders and houses began to proliferate, as the numbers of these organisations began to grow and there was some competition for support, and a need to demonstrate legitimacy and longevity.
At this time, a foundation legend developed that asserted that the Order was founded in Jerusalem by St John himself in the first century. While at odds with the factual foundation of the Order in the eleventh century, imagery developed to support this legend that was in use by the Order well into the eighteenth century, and can be found on the Order’s seals and coins, as well as in some artworks.
Much of what we know about St John comes from the Bible, from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and the Book of Acts, each adding to the overall picture of his life and ministry. Details of St John, and other saints’ lives, can also come from texts outside the canon, for example the apocrypha and ancient histories such as Flavius Josephus’s The Antiquities of the Jews from the first century.
This rich and complex body of texts ultimately influenced the Golden Legend, written by Jacobus Voragine in the thirteenth century. This was a book of saints’ lives that was a frequently translated and copied text, and became an authority on the lives of saints that was much used by artists. From the narrative, artists were able to select details that would visually identify figures of saints in their artworks.
In addition to this visual language that would have been widely recognised, St John also has a visual history tied specifically to the Order of St John. In the twelfth century foundation legends for religious orders and houses began to proliferate, as the numbers of these organisations began to grow and there was some competition for support, and a need to demonstrate legitimacy and longevity.
At this time, a foundation legend developed that asserted that the Order was founded in Jerusalem by St John himself in the first century. While at odds with the factual foundation of the Order in the eleventh century, imagery developed to support this legend that was in use by the Order well into the eighteenth century, and can be found on the Order’s seals and coins, as well as in some artworks.
