Read, look, verify

Sources & artwork.

The source trail is part of the experience. Scripture, Church teaching, editorial reflections, and devotional traditions are kept distinct.

Content and links checked on 4 October 2026. Scripture is quoted from the public-domain Douay–Rheims Bible (1899); quotations are brief excerpts, with links to their chapters. Prayer texts use customary traditional English forms, cross-checked against the USCCB guide. Local variations are explained on the prayer page.

The artwork collection

These are artistic interpretations, not documentary images of biblical events. Approximate dates reflect the linked source records. Click a source for its attribution and public-domain record.

The Annunciation

The angel Gabriel kneels before Mary in a garden, holding a lily as she turns from her reading; distant mountains rise beyond the trees. — Annunciation · Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472
Uffizi Gallery, Florence · Source · Public domain

The Visitation

Mary and Elizabeth greet one another beneath a stone arch, accompanied by two women. — Visitation · Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1491
Louvre Museum, Paris · Source · Public domain

The Nativity

Mary kneels in adoration before the newborn Jesus while angels rejoice above the stable and embrace people below. — The Mystical Nativity · Sandro Botticelli, 1500
National Gallery, London · Source · Public domain

The Presentation in the Temple

Mary holds the swaddled infant Jesus toward the elderly Simeon, with Joseph and two attendants close beside them. — The Presentation at the Temple · Andrea Mantegna, c. 1454
Gemäldegalerie, Berlin · Source · Public domain

The Finding in the Temple

The young Jesus discusses scripture with a close circle of elderly teachers holding open books. — Jesus among the Doctors · Albrecht Dürer, 1506
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid · Source · Public domain

The Agony in the Garden

Jesus kneels in prayer on a rocky hill while three disciples sleep below and an angel appears above. — The Agony in the Garden · Giovanni Bellini, c. 1458–1460
National Gallery, London · Source · Public domain

The Scourging at the Pillar

Christ stands bound to a column beneath a classical portico as men scourge him; three figures stand in the foreground. — The Flagellation of Christ · Piero della Francesca, c. 1459–1460
Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino · Source · Public domain

The Crowning with Thorns

Soldiers surround the seated Christ and press a crown of thorns onto his head with long reeds. — The Crowning with Thorns · Titian, 1542–1543
Louvre Museum, Paris · Source · Public domain

The Carrying of the Cross

Jesus falls beneath the cross and turns toward Mary as soldiers and mourners surround him on the road to Calvary. — Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary · Raphael, c. 1516
Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid · Source · Public domain

The Crucifixion

Christ hangs on the cross between two angels, with Mary, Saint John and kneeling saints below. — The Mond Crucifixion · Raphael, 1502–1503
National Gallery, London · Source · Public domain

The Resurrection

The risen Christ stands above his tomb holding a white banner with a red cross while four guards sleep beneath him. — The Resurrection · Piero della Francesca, 1463–1465
Museo Civico, Sansepolcro · Source · Public domain

The Ascension

Christ ascends into the sky above Mary and the apostles, who look upward from a green landscape. — The Ascension of Christ · Benvenuto Tisi, called Garofalo, 1510–1520
Galleria Nazionale di Arte Antica, Palazzo Barberini, Rome · Source · Public domain

The Descent of the Holy Spirit

Mary and the apostles gather beneath the descending Holy Spirit, with tongues of flame above their heads. — Pentecost · Titian, 1546
Santa Maria della Salute, Venice · Source · Public domain

The Assumption of Mary

Mary rises heavenward in red and blue robes, surrounded by angels, while the apostles gesture upward below. — The Assumption of the Virgin · Titian, 1516–1518
Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice · Source · Public domain

The Coronation of Mary

Christ crowns Mary at the top of a stepped heavenly throne, surrounded by angels and saints in luminous robes. — The Coronation of the Virgin · Fra Angelico, 1434–1435
Louvre Museum, Paris · Source · Public domain

The Baptism in the Jordan

John the Baptist pours water over Jesus beneath a white dove, with three angels standing beside a tree. — The Baptism of Christ · Piero della Francesca, c. 1448–1450
National Gallery, London · Source · Public domain

The Wedding at Cana

Jesus and Mary sit among wedding guests at a grand banquet beneath an open sky, with musicians and servants in the foreground. — The Wedding at Cana · Paolo Veronese, 1563
Louvre Museum, Paris · Source · Public domain

The Proclamation of the Kingdom

Jesus sits upon a rocky height and teaches a semicircle of disciples gathered below him. — The Sermon on the Mount · Fra Angelico, c. 1437
Museo di San Marco, Florence · Source · Public domainRelated devotional image. The Sermon on the Mount represents Christ proclaiming the Kingdom and calling people to conversion.

The Transfiguration

Christ appears radiant between Moses and Elijah above three astonished apostles, with a crowd gathered below the mountain. — The Transfiguration · Raphael, 1516–1520
Pinacoteca Vaticana, Vatican City · Source · Public domain

The Institution of the Eucharist

Jesus sits at the center of a long table while the twelve apostles respond with animated gestures during the Last Supper. — The Last Supper · Leonardo da Vinci, 1495–1498
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan · Source · Public domainRelated devotional image. The Last Supper is the setting of the institution of the Eucharist; Leonardo depicts the apostles reacting to the announcement of betrayal.

Books and editions

Exact editions and format distinctions are recorded on each book page. Availability can change. Publisher and library formats are identified separately from the optional YouTube recording. The illustrated reading companion for The Secret of the Rosary uses original paraphrases and AI-created botanical rose illustrations, which are not historical artworks.