Fonseca-Inspired Indian Crucifix

Begin on the fourth floor of the Main Building, in room 416.

Welcome to the University of Notre Dame Crucifix Walk! Thank you for taking the time to view some of the pieces in our collection. We hope you enjoy the tour; please visit campuscrucifixes.nd.edu to learn more and view the entire collection.

This wooden crucifix by Mumbai artist Benzoni Sequeira was inspired by the work of Angelo da Fonseca (1902–1967), a great but often overlooked Indian artist from Goa who was a pioneer of a new Indian Christian artistic style.

Fonseca’s oeuvre incorporated indigenous figures and local symbolism. Through an inclusive pictorial vocabulary, he sought to decolonize Christian art to make Christianity more congenial to the Indian context. Fonseca anticipated by decades the reforms of Vatican II, which strongly endorsed artistic adaptation. Though branded as conservative for his choice of sacred topics, Fonseca was revolutionary in ensuring inclusivity and in blending the best of the Eastern and Western artistic traditions.

The Pinto family, also from Goa, commissioned Sequeira, a prominent religious sculptor in India, to create this minimalist work based on Fonseca’s 1956 watercolor “Untitled (Mary and St. John).”

In this piece, Mary is dressed in a sari and John in a kurta. Also significant is Mary’s hand: in Indian tradition, the open right hand (the abhayamudra) is a symbolic gesture of fearlessness, designed to dispel unease and grant reassurance. The carving integrates the story of St. John collecting the dripping blood of Christ in a chalice, linking it to the many enigmatic tales of the Holy Grail. The figures on the panel are carved from Sevan wood, also known as White Kashmir Teakwood, which is lighter in color and often used in Hindu religious carvings. The darker frame is made of Indian Teakwood. This carving (approximately 21 x 31 inches) was slightly reduced from its original design to accommodate the journey from India.

Vinay Pinto and Rashmi Menezes donated this piece to the Crucifix Initiative in May 2024 to mark the graduation of their son, Ahan, from the University of Notre Dame.

Head down the stairs in front of 416 to the first floor. Turn left at the Laetare Medal display and exit through the double doors to the left. Take the diagonal path toward LaFortune Student Center, and then take the path between Lafortune and Crowley Hall. Walk past the Edna and Leo Riley Hall of Art and Design, then cross South Quad and enter through the double doors of O’Shaughnessy Hall.