Investigating "The Shadow of the Cross"

Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell visits a church in New Mexico to examine a mysterious painting rumored to have magical properties. Through a combination of firsthand observation and scholarly research, he uncovers the truth about "The Shadow of the Cross."

Amherst, NY (PRWEB) December 26, 2004 -- In the church of San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi) in New Mexico, there hangs a picture of Jesus long rumored to have mystifying, even magical, properties. In his column, "Mystery Painting: 'The Shadow of the Cross,'" published in the January/February 2005 issue of Skeptical Inquirer, CSICOP Senior Research Fellow Joe Nickell uses a combination of historical research and firsthand observation to explore the claims surrounding this enigmatic artwork.

The Shadow of the Cross, a life-sized portrayal of Jesus by the Sea of Galilee, was painted in 1896 by French-Canadian artist Henri Ault and donated to the church in 1948. It is alleged to have many strange abilities: Jesus' eyes will follow the onlooker, the picture grows sharper and more intense the longer it is viewed, and the image even seems to vibrate. But its most famous characteristic is its most obvious: when the lights are turned out, the background of the painting glows as if illuminated by moonlight, and the silhouette of a cross appears behind Jesus.

The painting has reputedly been tested with "'Geiger counters, light tests, and scrapings-all to no avail.'" However, these tests "appear to be apocryphal, representing attempts to convince the credulous that science is trumped by supernatural mystery."

Some of the picture's "purported mysteries," such as the eyes that follow the onlooker, can be attributed to optical illusions. But Nickell hypothesizes that the glowing background, with the cross appearing behind Jesus' profile, is the result of clever artistry.

Nickell's research reveals that luminous paints were sold as early as 1870. Upon visiting the church, he found that "the painting's background-in contrast to the other areas-is badly cracked and flaking, consistent with its having a different composition." Furthermore, "the glowing of the paint begins to diminish after a few minutes-just like phosphorescent paint-and must be re-exposed to light for the effect to continue."

"Evidence suggests that despite his reported protestations to the contrary, artist Henri Ault deliberately and cleverly created 'The Shadow of the Cross' effects," Nickell concludes. The painting, though clever, "is no longer much of a mystery and certainly no miracle."

Joe Nickell is Senior Research Fellow for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) and the author of many investigative books, including Looking for a Miracle (Prometheus Books 1999) and Inquest on the Shroud of Turin (Prometheus 1987).

Skeptical Inquirer is the official journal of CSICOP, a nonprofit scientific and educational organization founded in 1976 by Paul Kurtz, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, and other prominent academics, scientists, and writers. CSICOP encourages the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view.

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