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Finely engraved view of Little Loretto, the first order of Nuns established in America for the purpose of providing a Catholic education to Children.
The Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross was founded by Charles Nerinckx, a Belgian Missionary Priest, approximately 60 miles south of Louisville at the present site of Loretto Motherhouse. Nerinckx's activities in Belgium had previously run afoul of the French Directory, which ordered his arrest in 1804, leading to his escape to America. Nerinckx traveled to Kentucky in 1805, where he assisted Father Theodore Badin, the first priest ordained in the United States, in the organization of new congregations and the building of churches in a vast spread of land on the Kentucky frontier.
In 1812, Nerinckx established an order of Catholic nuns, the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross, and returned to Europe twice in order to garner support for the settlement. It is probable that this engraving was made as an adjunct to his fundraising campaign, and published in Mechlen, where Nerinckx and attended seminary.
There are conflicting opinions as to the purpose of the engraving, with explanations suggesting that it may have been "an iconic image for religious contemplation . . ." (New York Public Library Catalog Entry) or as "an adjunct to [Nerinckx's] fundraising campaign" (William Reese Company, Catalog 263, Item 102 - $3,500).
While it is possible Nerinckx provided a sketch of the mission to A. Courtois, the engraver and artist, Courtois took considerable artistic license in his depiction of the buildings and landscape, which includes mountains and palm trees not native to Kentucky. The image shows a group of log cabins, with the sisters gathered in the main square, surrounding the vision of Mary with the Holy Crucifix directly above her, with 2 banners held aloft by angels reading, "O Suffering Jesus...O Sorrowful Mary."
Beneath the image there are three key columns in Dutch, French, and English, identifying points of interest in the image. The Order is still in existence, as is a portion of Nerinckx's original settlement.
