St. Peter, (d. circa 64)

Peter, who was believed to be a disciple of St. John the Baptist, was witness to the important events of Christ’s life. He was martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero and was buried on Vatican Hill. St. Peter is always depicted, as he is here, with a beard signifying old age. His principle attribute are two keys, which are symbolic of the authority that God conferred to Peter to lead the church. The symbolism comes from Matthew 16: 18-19 in which Jesus said to Peter, “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church…”

St. Paul, (d. circa 66)

St. Paul was originally called Saul and was known for his zeal in persecuting Christians until his conversion while traveling to Damascus. After his conversion he traveled to Jerusalem where he was welcomed by the apostle and in later life he went on missionary trips to Europe and Asia Minor. Like St. Peter, St. Paul is depicted as an elderly man with a beard and mustache. He is holding a scroll of doctrine and a sword of martyrdom, which became his principle attribute in the 13th century.

St. James the Greater, (d. 44)

St. James was an apostle and the brother of St. John the Evangelist. He was the first apostle to be martyred after he was killed in Jerusalem during the persecutions of Herod Agrippa I. In the ninth century his remains were brought to Spain, where tradition says he was once sent to evangelize. His tomb at Santiago de Compostela remains a popular site for pilgrims. St. James is the patron saint of pilgrims and as such, he is shown wearing pilgrim’s garb, holding a staff and a book. Pinned to his cloak is a shell, which is also the emblem of pilgrimage to Santiago. Pilgrims used shells to collect offerings and pinned them to their clothing as a sign that they had been to Santiago.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, (1568-1591)

St. Aloysius was from a prominent family, but he renounced his hereditary title and entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). When the plague hit Rome in 1590, St. Aloysius dedicated himself to caring for the sick, caught the disease and died. His statue shows him clothed as a Jesuit novice, contemplating the crucified Jesus.

St. Dominic, (1170-1221)

In 1216, St. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans. He is depicted wearing a Dominican habit, holding a book. He is also shown holding a rosary, because tradition says that Mary first revealed the rosary devotion to St. Dominic. On St. Dominic’s forehead is a small star. It represents a vision his godmother had of a child with a shining star on his forehead, which shed light on the entire world. Next to him is a small dog holding a torch in its mouth. Before he was born, his mother had a vision that she was carrying a little dog in her womb. The dog emerged with a torch in its mouth and seemed to set the whole world on fire. The dog also represents a play on the word for a Dominican friar, which is similar to the Latin for “dog of the lord” (domini canis).

St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)

St. Anthony, born in Lisbon, originally joined the Augustinians, but became a Franciscan shortly after he was ordained in 1219 or 1220. After serving briefly as a missionary in Morocco, St. Anthony ended up in Italy, where began his career as a preacher against heresy and a wonder-worker. The statue shows St. Anthony, in a Franciscan habit, holding the infant Jesus who is sitting on the Gospels. The book represents his learning.

St. Agnes (d. circa 304)

St. Agnes was martyred at age 12 or 13. According to tradition, Agnes was killed after she rejected an offer of marriage because she had dedicated herself to virginity. She is shown holding a lamb, a symbol of purity. The lamb is also used as her attribute because Agnes is the Greek word for chaste (agne) and the Latin for lamb is agnus.

St. Anne, (1st century)

St. Anne is the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and wife of St. Joachim. The Gospels do not provide the names of Mary’s parents, but tradition gives them as Joachim and Anne, or Hannah, which means “grace.” St. Anne is depicted teaching the Sacred Scriptures to Mary.