Albertus Magnus (b. c. 1200), is called the Great because of his tremendous intellect. He was one of the greatest minds and most universal thinkers of the Middle Ages. He is perhaps best known today as the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, but during his day he was a leading expert on most of the areas of knowledge known to man at the time. He was the person who did the most to incorporate Aristotle (whose books had been brought back by the Crusades) into Christian philosophy. He established the study of nature as a legitimate branch of knowledge within the Christian tradition, and thus was an early forerunner of the kind of Christian thinking which would create modern science.

The title "the Great" has only been added to a handful of Saints, including St. Gregory and St. Gertrude, and two other Popes, Leo and Nicolas. Recently there has been a push to add "the Great" to St. Pope John Paul II. The Church has never officially granted the title "Great" to any of these saints; they have been designated such by popular acclaim.

St. Albert was called "the Great" even during his lifetime, and it can be argued that his great mind is the pivot between the Middle Ages and Modernity. By papal decree in 1941, Albert was declared the patron Saint of all who cultivate the natural sciences. Feast Day November 15. (sources: britannica.com, plato.stanford.edu)

You might have noticed he is in a Dominican habit, and note also there is a rosary above him. According to Dominican tradition, in 1208 the rosary was given to St. Dominic by the Blessed Mother in a vision he had of her.

** IMPORTANT ** There is about an inch-and-a-third of white space around the picture in the 8.5x11 size, so the IMAGE IS SMALLEER THAN THE PAPER! For 11x14, the border is about 1.6 inches, and for 5x7, the border is about .5 inch. This is because the rectangle of the painting has a different ratio than than rectangles of the various paper sizes.

- Acid-free paper
- Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.
- Cardboard backer
- Above story of the art
- Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.

Thanks for your interest!
Sue & John

"In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art." ~ St. Pope John Paul II

Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson - Classic Catholic Art.