SACRED ART SERIES: ST. ROQUE GONZÁLEZ

Banner: The banner over the head of the saint references a phrase written to his brother in a letter. Nosotros trabajamos por la justicia (We work for justice) refers to the work the Jesuits did in the reductions, protecting the native Indian population from the Spanish and Portuguese slave traders.

Angels: The angel on the top right holds a palm branch, a symbol of martyrdom. The two angels below are depicted as indigenous children. One holds an image of Our Lady of the Miracles of Caacupé, patroness of Paraguay, of which Roque González had a great devotion. 

Building Facade: The building located behind the saint represents the many reductions that were founded by him. These “reduced societies” were founded all over South America (Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Bolivia) with the purpose of evangelizing the native indigenous people and protecting them from Spanish and Portuguese slave traders. All of them were laid out in a uniform plan. The buildings were grouped about a central square, the church and store-houses at one end, and the dwellings of the native Indians, in long barracks, forming the other three sides. Each family had its own separate apartment. The priests’ quarters, the commissary, the stables, the armory, the workshop, and the hospital formed an inner square adjoining the church.

Church Bell and Tomahawk: On November 15, 1628, while preparing to oversee the installation of a new bell for the church at the Mission of Todos los Santos de Caaró, González was struck down and killed with a tomahawk.

Heart Pierced by an Arrow: After Roque González was martyred, his body was burnt. The heart was left intact. Legend claims that from his heart the natives heard the voice of the saint. The cacique had his heart pierced with an arrow. Today, his heart and the weapon which killed him are in the Chapel of the Martyrs in his native city of Asunción.