The cross has a large Sacred Heart at the center, painted gold and red, and it has a whole lot of milagros nailed to the arms. There is not another quite like it. The image of the Sacred Heart is very important in Mexico. It was orignally seen by Santa Gertrudis in the Middle Ages, and since then its adoration has become an important part of Roman Catholicism.

Milagros are small religious charms that people usually nail onto sacred objects, pin on the clothing of saint statues, or hang with little red ribbons or threads from altars and shrines. The word "milagro" means "miracle". Typically, a believer will make a vow to a saint or to a sacred object, and later on she will make a pilgrimage to the site of the shrine or church and take a milagro there and leave it as a sign of gratitude and devotion. People also carry milagros for protection and good luck. Different milagros have different meanings and uses, and are often interpreted differently by different people, or for different occasions. For example, a milagro of a body part, such as a leg, might be used as part of a prayer or vow for the improvement for some condition associated with a leg - such as arthritis. Or, it might refer to a concept such a travel, the leg implying walking, which implies any form of travel. Similarly, a heart might represent a heart condition that one is praying for a cure: or a romance, or the Sacred Heart of Jesus or of Mary, and a prayer that the power of those spiritual forces might come into ones life. Often, a retablo or some other sacred image in a home will have milagros nailed to the frame, in such a way that the saint represented in the picture might bless the persons represented by the milagros, or the cares of these persons. Fausto’s Art Gallery sells such items - saint pictures with milagros attached to the frames. Send us an e-mail for more information on that, or just check our current auctions.