St. Henry II, Emperor (BBS 10; Style 4) Poster

In this image done in the Beuron style of Benedictine art, St. Henry II (972-1024), Holy Roman Emperor, wears Imperial regalia—a crown, an ermine-lined vermillion red cloak over a teal robe, and carries a sceptre and orb symbolic of his temporal power. His crown, the Reichskrone, or Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire, is a distinctive one comprised of eight hinged arch-shaped metal plates surmounted by a cross in the front with a high hoop connecting the front of the crown to its back. A layman and not a consecrated religious, nevertheless, St. Henry was known for his personal holiness practicing Benedictine values as an Oblate (hence, the letters OSB after his name and rank in the lower nameplate). Today, St. Henry is venerated as patron saint of Benedictine Oblates as well as people rejected by religious orders, the physically challenged, and childless couples. + Feast: July 13 + Image Credit (BBS 10): Antique image of St. Henry II, Emperor, OSB [Order of St. Benedict], originally published in chromolithography by B. Kühlen, Mönchengladbach, Germany (Series Benedictina, Schola art. Beuron., unnumbered), late 19th-early 20th century, from the designer’s private collection of religious ephemera.