Christian art is art produced in an attempt to illustrate, supplement and portray in tangible form the principles of Christianity. Virtually all Christian groupings use or have used art to some extent. The prominence of art and the media, style, and representations change; however, the unifying theme is ultimately the representation of the life and times of Jesus and in some cases the Old Testament. Depictions of saints are also common, especially in Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy.

History

Beginnings

Virgin and Child. Wall painting from the early catacombs, Rome, 4th century.

Christian art is nearly as old as Christianity, and the first preserved Christian images emerge from about 70 AD, as recorded in the archaeological findings at the church in Megiddo. This early proliferation of images, although not fully preserved, leaves us with archaeological records regarding early Christianity and its evolution. The oldest still-existent Christian paintings are from the site at Megiddo, dated to around the year 70, and the oldest Christian sculptures are from sarcophagi, dating to the beginning of the 2nd century.