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Anima Sola Male 7" x 5" 19th Century Mexican Retablo on Tin #150
$ 1,200.00
- Anima Sola Male 7" x 5" 19th Century Mexican Retablo on Tin
- The Anima Sola represents a Soul/ Souls Suffering in Purgatory. While many Anima Sola Paintings portray a Female Soul, many other Figures such as Popes and other Men are commonly depicted in chromolithographs, sculptures and paintings. In the most commonly known image of the Anima Sola, a Woman is depicted as breaking free from her chains in a Dungeon setting surrounded by Flames, representing Purgatory. She appears Penitent and Reverent, and her chains have been broken; an indication that, after her Temporary Suffering, she is destined for Heaven.
- Praying to the Anima Sola is a Tradition in many ways unlike that of the more widespread Cult of Saints. In lieu of praying to a Saint who then appeals to God, the Anima Sola represents Souls in Purgatory who require the Assistance both of the Living and the Divine to Ameliorate their Sufferings in the Afterlife.
- The Anima Sola Image is common throughout much of the Catholic world, though is perhaps strongest in Naples, Italy where it is referred to as "the Cult of the Souls in Purgatory."
- In Latin America, one source reports, the Anima Sola is "a Belief still deeply rooted in the Mass of the Campesinos. The Devotion dates from the First Colonizers, who probably brought the image in which the Soul is represented as a Woman Suffering Torments in Purgatory with Chains Binding her Hands.
- Celestina Abdenago
- The Female Anima Sola depicted is sometimes called Celestina, however the Anima Sola is usually Anonymous. According to Legend, at the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday, there were many people present: among them, a woman by the name of Celestina Abdenago. Her task was to give the Three Condemned Men a drink of water. Celestina gave Dismas and Gestas a drink from her jar, but she refused to give one to Jesus (Who was also direly thirsty) as she despised Him or feared Retaliation from the Enemies of Jesus. For this reason she was condemned to suffer thirst and the Constant Heat of Purgatory in the Afterlife.
- The Male Anima Sola
- Sometimes an Anonymous Male Figure is depicted as an Anima Sola, however the Female Soul was generally more common. Usually the Male Souls are shown as Popes, Priests or Monks. In the Cathedral of Guadalajara in Mexico, there is a Painting of a Young Monk or Friar with a Tonsure surrounded by Flames and with a Sad, Pained or Reverent Facial Expression. According to Tradition this Young Man was a Priest who ended up in Purgatory because of his Sinful Life or because he absolved so many people at his last Rite of Mass that he had to go to Purgatory in their Places. In any case, the Image of a Male Soul Suffering in Purgatory became popular in Mexico and diverse places with reproductions being created and distributed among the Faithful.
- Magical Traditions
- As with many Catholic Symbols, the Image also appears in Spiritist Traditions. As described in : "The "Anima Sola" translates as the "Lone Soul" or "Lonely Spirit" and refers to a very specific Votive Image. Based on Roman Catholic Votive Statues (but now a standardized chromolithograph), this Image is particularly popular in Latin American Magical Traditions. It depicts a Woman Standing Amidst Flames, Eternally Burning yet never Consumed. She gazes upwards, holding her chained hands towards Heaven. Is her Soul burning in the Fire of Hell, or does her heart burn with the Fire of Love? Allegedly, Unrequited Love is what drew this poor Soul into her Predicament: the Anima Sola traded Eternal Salvation for the Joys of Temporal Love. She is invoked in only the most desperate Love Spells, in which in Return for Obtaining the Sought-after Love, the Appellant agrees to replace Anima Sola in Purgatory when they die.
- Another Interpretation is that the Sacred Figures most frequently invoked include the "Lonely Soul" (Anima Sola), who requires Prayers because of her Predicament; San Silvestre, Magical because of the date of his Feast Day; and Santa Elena and San Onofre.
- Santería and Lukumi Traditions and Beliefs
- In Santería or Lukumi Traditions, the Afro-Caribbean Religion of Cuba, there is a Syncretization of the Anima Sola with the Eshu Alleguana. The Eshus are the Divine Messengers, the Tricksters, The Masters of the Roads and the Doors that are necessary for all Prayers to Reach their Intended Point. Eshu Allegwanna, one Eshu among hundreds, is thought to be the Oldest of the Eshus, and to have existed on the Earth since a Primordial Time long before not only People, but before many of the Gods of the Religion existed in the World. Therefore, He is synchronized with The Lonely Spirit, as many of the African Gods were syncretized with Catholic Saints, or hidden behind them, in the First Centuries of Slavery, when the Practice of the African Religions were oppressed. The Anima Sola is grouped in a Triad in some Traditions with The Intranquil Spirit and the Dominant Spirit.
- Retablo Dimensions are 7 x 5". Original and unrestored. Minor paint loss at the borders.
- Condition: in overall excellent, original condition with some minor paint loss, surface rusting and Religious candle burns acquired over more than a Century of Ritual Use and Devotional Prayer.
- Origin is 19th Century Mexico