"The Burial of Count Orgaz" by El Greco

This painting is full of symbols that reflect Catholic beliefs. There is heaven full of angels and other important figures and the Earth where people surroung the Saints who descended from heaven. On Earth, Saints Augustine and Stephen lower the Count into the sepulcher. The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist are interceding for the Count's soul. Jesus is at that the top.

The presence of the Saints demonstrate the Catholics' tendency to worship or revere saints; St. Augustine and Stephen seem to be like gaurdians. Likewise, the Virgin Mary stresses that idea even more because she seems to be interceding for the Count's soul. Therefore, people pray to her and the saints because she acts kind of like a mediator trying to save people's souls. The men dressed as Spanish conquistadores symbolizes Catholic Spain's battle against Protestant England; it helps to reinforce the Catholic beliefs expressed in the painting among the audience. Overall, this alterpiece is typical of those found in Catholic churches. Inspiring religious fervor, they are enormous and elaborate and are placed in the front of the church so that during mass people can worship the Saints or Christ or whomever who are depicted in the paintings. At the top, Christ, I'm assuming, symbolizes that he is the one that ultimately chooses to accept souls into heaven; he even has open arms, which represents that he's welcoming. This alterpiece emphasizes the importance of Saints and the Virgin Mary to the Catholics; they are just as important as Christ because they are depicted as larger than him. It shows the results of praying to them because they play an intercessory role in receiving souls in heaven, which motivates people to pray. They're beliefs influenced the artist to depict saints, the virgin, and Christ, and the saints reinforced their beliefs.