St. Isidore of Seville: Patron of Internet Technology Professionals, Scholars, Scientists; Handmade Statue

Description

"In 1999, some IT professionals petitioned Pope John Paul II to designate a patron saint for them and their profession, proposing St. Isidore of Seville (560-636, a long life) because Isidore had codified all then-available knowledge into a system (a primitive encyclopedia, a database) that would make it possible for others to locate that learning. Isidore not only possessed towering erudition (his "Etymologies," just one of his many works, comprises twenty volumes that cover thousands of subjects) but also rigorously investigated reality himself, studying plants, animals, rocks, road-building, metals, architecture, the heavens..., coming to understand that each thing and creature has meaning and is part of a spiritual and physical “worldwide web of things.” In creating this system, Isidore was one of the scholars who saved classical learning and passed it along to the future. Beyond all this, Isidore was the archbishop of Seville for nearly thirty years, working tirelessly to help his parishioners. In short, Isidore had not only immense learning and technical acumen but a big heart and spirit. In this statue, Isidore is depicted laboring at his great work, a cat (from the 'Etymologies': 'Some say its name is cattus, from capture; others that it is cattat [sees] because it sees so sharply that it overcomes darkness') keeping watch as the saint compiles his great web of knowledge." I designed and carved the original of this sculpture, made a mold, and then cast the pieces in modified gypsum. Once the pieces set, we paint them by hand and then varnish them. The pieces can stand or hang and come with a brief history of Isidore affixed to the back of the statue and with a longer history that comes in the box and that states the text given above.