'Santa Librada'
Brandon Maldonado
oil + acrylic on panel
47 x 40"
 
Santa Librada
Santa Librada is a traditional folk saint whose legend tells of her miraculously sprouting a beard after notification of an arranged marriage to a non-Christian. Due to her Christian devotion, she was deeply offended that her father would arrange for her to marry a non-believer. This saint was popular among the Classical santeros, which is somewhat strange being that she isn’t a common Catholic saint and is seen as more of a folk saint. Some believe the ornately clothed statues of a Crucified Christ in European churches inspired people to develop a story highlighting a woman’s suffering who, ironically, looked similar to Christ. I like that the image is free for interpretation in many different ways, and as a result, this devotion has found popularity amongst LGBTQ communities in contemporary times.