January 25 - The Conversion of Saint Paul

 

Today we contemplate the conversion of St. Paul.

The painter is Caravaggio, considered at one time to be "the most famous painter in Rome." He was a trouble maker - after being inducted into the Knights of Malta, he was eventually thrown out for being "a foul and rotten member." He did two paintings of beheadings - David with Goliath's head, and St. John the Baptist's head on a platter. In both cases, he used his own image as the head. Pretty weird...