"De Arte Sacra," or what a cathedral and Starbucks have in common

On the Romanesque façade of Lucca Cathedral, carved in stone almost a thousand years ago, there is a surprising figure: a double-tailed mermaid. It is not a whimsical ornament. In biblical and medieval tradition—inspired by St. Jerome and his reading of the prophet Isaiah—the mermaid symbolizes the seduction that leads to sin: the voice that turns people away from God and draws them toward a superficial, vain, “Babylonian” life.

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That same image, the double-tailed mermaid, is what millions of people see every morning on their Starbucks cups. This is no coincidence. The founders chose this figure because it expresses exactly what they wanted to convey: the irresistible call of coffee, a gentle but powerful seduction that invites—or draws—you in.

One siren, two opposing messages. Lucca's warns: “Be careful, this can lead you astray.” Starbucks“ whispers: ”Give in, you can't resist." The first liberates. The second hooks you. And both, separated by centuries, tell us the same thing: the eternal battle between temptation and freedom.

These types of connections—between art, theology, and popular culture—are precisely what illuminate Sacred Art, a small website created in their spare time by four friends: two lay people and two priests who enjoy showing how Christian art continues to speak to today's world.

Origin, objectives, and funding

Enrique Sañoso explains that “the project arose a few years ago in a completely natural way, as the result of a concern shared by several friends. We each have a different way of perceiving the world and writing. David tends to engage more with the contemporary world, Ferran has a more direct and pastoral approach, Marcel is concise and goes into detail, and perhaps in my case I have a certain weakness for making texts speak by taking advantage of current events... In short, we complement each other quite well.”.

One of its objectives is to “offer a space of silence.” In such a frenetic world, marked by digital trepidation, the website aims to be “a contemplative online space. That would already be a miracle,” says David. “Very interesting things can be generated in silence. Well, actually, I think that all interesting things are generated in silence. If we achieve silence, we have managed to open the doors of the soul.”.

Marcel, for his part, believes that content makes it easier to delve a little deeper into reality and Mystery. “Sometimes this understanding comes to me through a deeper knowledge of an artist, Sacred Scripture, or a saint; other times, I simply recognize that I am able to look at things with a new perspective, like someone who seeks a loved one in all things,” he adds.

As for financing the website, the project currently has minimal expenses. “We pay for the domain costs ourselves,” explains Ferrán, “although we would like to be able to invest something, mainly to be able to offer more languages and make the site more international. We are looking for a donor who shares this concern.”.