Art

Before the rise of Islam, Sasanian Persia sheltered a remarkable Christian world whose memory still lingers in poetry, legend and cinema

Andrew Cusack

From haunting crucifixions to the quiet intensity of the Agnus Dei, Zurbarán’s work invites a deeply devotional response

Melanie McDonagh

Grünewald’s wounded Christ was made to console those ravaged by illness and to direct them towards the promise of resurrection

Fr Gavan Jennings

With more than 200 works and a deeply scholarly catalogue, the Metropolitan Museum’s Raphael exhibition reveals an artist whose genius continues to shape the story of European civilisation

Michael Sanfey