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A few years back, I was 'blessed' with the opportunity to sit in quiet for about an hour in the small "Paolina"(chapel) that is diagonally across from the Sistine Chapel. On facing walls, alongside the pews were two very large Michelangelo murals - one of St. Paul being thrown from the horse on the way to Damacus, and the other of the Crucifixion of Peter in Rome. Both works were absolute mesmerizing, probably more so because of the intimacy of the narrow chapel - probably 30 feet from wall to wall. Chris, skirts or not, homosexuality may have been a social fact of the situation, but hardly, in my opinion, a contributing element to the transformational power of each work - though I preferred the anguish, anger and terror in Peter's face as he lies strapped onto the upturned Cross, the foot of which is angled up into the air while his head points towards the ground & uplifted in protest. In light of the tortures practiced in this world towards the infidel, the work is so much more grounded and contemporary than the light/Christ struck figure of St. Paul. I have rarely ever walked out of a "Gallery" with the immeasurable impact of this experience. Stephen Vincent http://stephenvincent.net/blog/ --- On Mon, 1/25/10, Gerald Schwartz <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Gerald Schwartz <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Conversion on the Way to Damascus To: [log in to unmask] Date: Monday, January 25, 2010, 3:27 AM the raiment of persecution... btw... happy Conversion of St. Paul Day Gerald S. > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_on_the_Way_to_Damascus > > I have been reading some of the social background to this painting and > it does appear the client and circles attached were homosexuals. They > held parties in which compliant street youth attended wearing short > skirts and nothing underneath. > Now, what is St Paul wearing in this painting... >