The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and Saint Joseph. The subject became popular in art from the 1490s on, but veneration of the Holy Family was formally begun in the 17th century by Saint François de Laval, the first bishop of

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

, who founded a confraternity. The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

, as well as in many

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

churches, in honour of Jesus, His mother, and his legal father, Saint Joseph, as a family; it has been observed since 1921 when it was inserted by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his deat ...

. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families. There are many churches dedicated to the Holy Family. The Feast of the Holy Family falls within the season of Christmastide and in the

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These cel ...

since 1969, it is held on the Sunday between

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

and January 1; if both are Sundays, the Feast of the Holy Family is celebrated on December 30th. For those communities keeping the General Roman Calendar of 1960 or the

General Roman Calendar of 1954 This article lists the feast days of the General Roman Calendar as they were at the end of 1954. It is essentially the same calendar established by Pope Pius X (1903–1914) following his liturgical reforms, but it also incorporates changes that we ...

, the Feast is kept on the Sunday after Epiphany Day, which occurs on January 6th. Those two traditional calendars only differ in years when the Sunday after January 6th is January 13th. In such a case the General Roman Calendar of 1960 keeps the Holy Family on the 13th whereas the

moves the feast up to January 12th. La Sainte Famille, Paris, Musée de Cluny

The

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

s speak little of the life of the Holy Family in the years before Jesus’ public ministry.

Matthew Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

and Luke narrate the episodes from this period of Christ's life, namely his

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. Top ...

and later Presentation, the flight to Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the Finding in the Temple. Joseph and Mary were apparently observant Jews, as Luke narrates that they brought Jesus with them on the annual pilgrimage to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

with other Jewish families.

Veneration

The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the

, as well as in many

and

churches, in honour of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his legal father, Saint Joseph, as a family. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families. From the 17th century, the feast has been celebrated at a local and regional level and at that level was promoted by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

. In 1921,

made it part of the

and set on the Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany (cf. '' Epiphanytide''); that is to say, on the Sunday between January 7 through January 13, all inclusive (see

). In the

, the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas was in fact celebrated on the Sunday only if it fell on 29, 30 or 31 December, since it gave way to the higher-ranked feasts of

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

, Saint

John the Apostle John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebede ...

and the Holy Innocents; otherwise, it was transferred to December 30, and if the feast of

Saint Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

, one of the most popular additions to the calendar in the Middle Ages, was celebrated in double rite (as it was universally after 1907), then it too took precedence over this Sunday, until the 1911 reforms where double feasts no longer did so automatically. The 1962

Roman Missal The Roman Missal ( la, Missale Romanum) is the title of several missals used in the celebration of the Roman Rite. Along with other liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the Roman Missal contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of th ...

, whose use is still authorized per the 2007 motu proprio '' Summorum Pontificum'', follows the General Roman Calendar of 1960, which ranks the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas as higher than these saints and keeps the Feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday after Epiphany. The 1969 revision of the

moved the celebration of the Holy Family to the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, that is, the Sunday between

and New Year's Day (both exclusive), or if both Christmas Day and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God are Sundays, on 30 December, which is always a Friday in such years. When not celebrated on a Sunday, it is not a holy day of obligation. In the General Roman Calendar of 1969 the Feast of the Holy Family outranks the various saints whose feastdays fall during the Octave of Christmas, namely

, Saint

and the Holy Innocents, in a departure from the

In art

The Holy Family became a subject popular in art in the early 16th century, in both Italian Renaissance painting and Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting. The popularity of the subject was associated with an increased interest in, and devotion to, Saint Joseph. In the later Middle Ages he had become something of a comic figure, whose age was emphasized, and was often shown asleep in Nativity scenes. In the 15th century

confraternities A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most ...

dedicated to Joseph were part of revived devotional interest, who is now at least awake, and often shown taking an active role in parenting. Many early ''Holy Family'' compositions are either Nativity scenes or the Rest on the Flight into Egypt with the removal of other event-specific elements, such as the ox and ass of the Nativity, to concentrate on the three main figures for devotional images, mostly intended for wealthy homes. Alternatively many compositions clearly derive from a '' Madonna and Child'', with a Saint Joseph added. Often the figures were shown close-up, filling much of the picture space. Related variants add Jesus's slightly older cousin, Saint John the Baptist, and often his mother Saint Elizabeth; but Joseph is often absent in these, removing them from the usual definition of a ''Holy Family''. It was thought that the Holy Family stayed with Elizabeth on their return from Egypt, and these pictures tend to show the children older than newborns. The extended family of Jesus, already popular as a subject in art, is called the

Holy Kinship The Holy Kinship was the extended family of Jesus descended from his maternal grandmother Saint Anne from her ''trinubium'' or three marriages. The group were a popular subject in religious art throughout Germany and the Low Countries, especially ...

; this might include up to twenty figures.

Italy

The

Parte Guelfa Holy Family The Parte Guelfa Holy Family (Italian - ''Sacra Famiglia di Parte Guelfa'') is a tempera on panel painting by Luca Signorelli, created ''c.'' 1490, now in the Uffizi in Florence. It is named after the Palazzo di Parte Guelfa in Florence, for wh ...

by Luca Signorelli dates from about 1490. Mantegna appears to have invented the very tightly focused group in the late 1490s, painting several variants with John the Baptist and his mother, such as one now in Dresden. Some of these have standing or vertical infants, mostly toddlers rather than new-borns. By the High Renaissance many Italian paintings had a horizontal format. The subject was popular with Antonio da Correggio (examples are in

Pavia Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the ...

, Orléans,

the Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

and

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

), and Domenico Beccafumi (examples in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

, Galleria Palatina, Florence and also the Uffizi there). Michelangelo's tempera rendition (c. 1506) hangs in the Uffizi in Florence, Italy. A Holy Family by Giulio Romano is in the Prado, with another at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California. Sainte Famille Musée Städel Francfort SG0449

Sainte Famille Musée Städel Francfort SG0449

Lorenzo Lotto also painted the subject several times, tending to add angels and saints from later periods, to produce versions of a sacra conversazione. Examples are '' Holy Family with Saint Catherine of Alexandria'', '' Holy Family with St Jerome and St Anne'', as well as one in the Louvre with the families of Jesus and John the Baptist.

Northern Europe

North of the Alps, prints from the 1490s by Albrecht Dürer probably preceded any paintings. An early northern painting is by the

Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece The Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altarpiece (sometimes called the Master of the Saint Bartholomew Altar,) was an Early Netherlandish painter active in Germany, mostly Cologne, between 1475/1480 and 1510. Despite his anonymity, he is one of the ...

around 1500, where the composition has clearly been freshly imagined. By contrast, the ''Holy Family'' by the Dutch artist Joos van Cleve of c.1512 in the

New York Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, essentially reduces Jan van Eyck's ''

Lucca Madonna The ''Lucca Madonna'' is an oil painting by the Early Netherlandish master Jan van Eyck, painted in approximately 1437. It shows Mary seated on a wooden throne and crowned by a canopy, breastfeeding the infant Christ. Its carpentry suggests it ...

'' to a close-up with still life details, and adds Saint Joseph over the Virgin's shoulder.

Gallery

File:Albrecht Dürer - The Holy Family with the Butterfly - 1925.73 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, ''

The Holy Family with the Dragonfly ''The Holy Family with the Dragonfly'', also known as ''The Holy Family with the Mayfly'', ''The Holy Family with the Locust'', and ''The Holy Family with the Butterfly'' is an engraving by the German artist Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) from ...

'', Albrecht Dürer, 1495,

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

; Joseph is asleep. File:Joos van Cleve - The Holy Family (Metropolitan Museum of Art).jpg, Joos van Cleve,

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

, c. 1512, adapting a van Eyck Madonna with Joseph added. File:The Holy Family - Rafael.jpg, ''The Holy Family of Francis I'', by

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual ...

(and assistants), 1518 File:Lotto, sacra famiglia, angeli e santi louvre.jpg, '' Holy Family with the Family of St John the Baptist'', c. 1536, Lorenzo Lotto,

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...

File:El Greco 028.jpg, El Greco, 1595, one of a number of versions File:Holy Family 2.jpg, French

holy card In the Christian tradition, holy cards or prayer cards are small, devotional pictures for the use of the faithful that usually depict a religious scene or a saint in an image about the size of a playing card. The reverse typically contains a ...

, 1890.

Patronages and customs

The members of the Holy Family are the patrons of the Congregation of Holy Cross. The Holy Cross Sisters are dedicated to the

Immaculate Heart of Mary The Immaculate Heart of Mary () is a Roman Catholic devotional name used to refer to the Catholic view of the interior life of Mary, mother of Jesus, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her virginal love ...

, the Holy Cross Brothers to Saint Joseph, and the Priests of Holy Cross to the Sacred Heart. The

Sons of the Holy Family The Congregation of the Sons of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph ( la, Congregatio Filiorum Sacrae Familiae, Iesu, Mariae et Ioseph; abbreviated ''S.F.'') is a Latin Institute of Consecrated Life for priests in the Catholic Church (a typ ...

is another religious congregation devoted to the Holy Family. The Cathedral of the Holy Family of Nazareth is the see of the

Diocese of Tulsa The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa ( la, Dioecesis Tulsensis) is a particular church of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in the Ecclesiastical province of Oklahoma City covering the eastern region of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It ...

in Oklahoma. A pious practice among Christians, especially Catholics, is to write "✝ J.M.J. ✝" often flanked by two Christian crosses at the top of letters, cards, documents and personal notes as a reference to Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the Holy Family. Where it is written, "✝ J.M.J. ✝" is an "appeal for the blessing of the Holy Family."

Notes

References

* Ainsworth, Maryan Wynn (ed), ''Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan Gossart's Renaissance : the Complete Works'', 2010, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 9781588393982
fully online
*Hall, James, ''Hall's Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art'', 1996 (2nd edn.), John Murray,

External links

Pope Francis. "Homily on the Feast of the Holy Family", Vatican Radio, December 27, 2015
{{Authority control Family of Jesus Articles about multiple people in the Bible Brothers of Jesus Catholic holy days Christian terminology Mary, mother of Jesus Groups of Roman Catholic saints December observances Saint Joseph (husband of Mary)