The Incredulity of St Thomas
Introduction
The photograph on this page of The Incredulity of St Thomas by Anne Burgess as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
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The Incredulity of St Thomas
Image: © Anne Burgess Taken: 18 Jun 2014
When Father Walter Lovi sought donations towards the building of Image], one of those to whom he applied was King Charles X of France. The king had once passed through Keith while exiled at Holyrood after the French revolution, and had been lustily cheered by the citizens, so he not only gave a generous donation, but also commissioned François Dubois to paint an altarpiece as a gift for the new church. The subject is 'The Incredulity of St Thomas', a topic already famously painted in 1602-1603 by Caravaggio. The work was completed in 1828, shortly before Charles X was deposed in 1830, and the painting was lost. However the indefatigable Father Lovi travelled again to Paris, discovered the painting in the Louvre, and brought it to Keith in time for the opening of the church. The back of the painting bears a stamp of Charles X's monogram, and a brass plate on the front reads, "Carolus X, Rex Gallorum Christianissimus dona dedit AD 1828" ("Charles X, most Christian King of the French, made this gift AD 1828"). The painting is highly regarded as a very fine work of art.
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Image Location
Latitude
57.538591
Longitude
-2.954081