Saint Joseph was a 1st-century Jewish man of
Nazareth, who, according to the canonical
gospels, was married to
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of
Jesus. He is venerated as a saint in the
Catholic Church, the
Eastern Orthodox Church, the
Oriental Orthodox Churches, and
Anglicanism; his
feast day is observed by some
Lutherans. In Catholic traditions, he is regarded as the
patron saint of workers and is associated with various feast days, including
Saint Joseph's Day on March 19. This oil-on-canvas painting of Saint Joseph holding the
Christ Child was painted by the Italian artist
Guido Reni in 1640, and is in the collection of the
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Painting credit: Guido Reni