The face of the man

We know the faces of very few saints.

The images we have of the saints of old are often generic: the generic image of a young girl, the generic image of a monk, the generic image of a man with a beard, etc.

"True likenesses" exist for a few saints prior to the modern era, but most of these images were made by artists of average skill (at best).

Even in the age of photography, there are few high-quality portraits of canonized saints.

St. Thomas More is thus something of a rarity: a canonized saint who happened to have had his portrait done by a first class artist: indeed, one of the most famous portraitists of all time - Hans Holbein the younger.

And so we know the face of St. Thomas More.
It is the face of a man in the full bloom of middle age: possessing both wisdom and vigor.

It is the face of a man with firm will and keen intellect. His was one of the great minds of his century and his works are still read today.

It is the face of a man who is looking at a great future. Within two years he would become chancellor of England.

It is the face of a man who would give it all up for God.

St. Thomas More was beheaded by the order of King Henry VIII 471 years ago because he would not agree to the King's divorce nor to the King's takeover of the Church in England.

The memory of St. Thomas More is celebrated on this day.