Janina Ramirez’s expertise in art history allows her to shed light on how visual culture shaped and reflected the personal images of saints.

Medieval art was a powerful tool for communicating saints’ stories to largely illiterate populations. Icons, frescoes, and manuscripts portrayed saints with specific symbols—like St. Peter’s keys or St. Catherine’s wheel—that conveyed their identity and virtues.

“Artistic depictions often idealized saints,” Janina explains, “but they also included subtle details about personality, status, or relationships. For example, the way a saint is depicted holding a book can indicate their scholarly nature or spiritual wisdom.”

Literary works, including poetry and drama, also explored saints’ inner lives, sometimes dramatizing their spiritual struggles and human emotions.

Saints and Modern Scholarship: Revisiting Their Stories

Recent scholarship, including the work of Janina Ramirez, aims to reclaim the personal humanity of saints by critically examining historical sources and separating myth from reality.

This approach involves interdisciplinary research—combining theology, history, archaeology, art, and literature—to build richer, more nuanced portraits.

Janina emphasizes the importance of this work:

“Revisiting saints’ stories with modern methods helps us see them as complex individuals. This humanization is not to diminish their spiritual significance, but to appreciate their courage and humanity.” shutdown123