Sacred art

Sacred art is imagery intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. It can be an object to be venerated not for what it is but for what it represents, though venerated objects are more properly called sacramentals. Idols which are worshipped in and of themselves are not considered sacred art.

Christian European sacred art

Sacred art was common in the Middle Ages, but many of the greatest masters, commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church, lived during the Renaissance. It was during this time that Michelangelo Buonarotti painted the Sistine Chapel and carved the Pietá, Gianlorenzo Bernini created the massive columns in the St. Peter's Basilica, and Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last Supper.

Most Christian sacred art is allusive, or built around themes familiar to the intended observer. One of the most common Christian themes is that of a woman (the Virgin Mary) holding a child (the infant Jesus). Another is that of Jesus on the cross.

The genre of sacred art has lost much of its vigor since the Renaissance, but a 20th century example is Salvador Dali's The Crucifixion.