Bereskin Print

Patricia Bereskin (whose husband Greg is an Economics professor at St. Ambrose University ) is a well known local artist. She created this image to capture several facets of Ambrose. The honeycomb in the halo and the bees remind us of SAU and, of course, the story of his infancy. Together with the single raised finger they also symbolize the Trinity (One God, Three Persons) about which Ambrose wrote. The quill and book remind us that Ambrose was a scholar--the first Father of the Church. The straw weave around the halo and simple garment remind us that, while Ambrose was a patrician, he lived and served humbly and simply. The portrait is based on a former art student (and now an artist in his own right) in whom Patricia saw a striking resemblance to Ambrose of Milan. This is very much what we think Ambrose would have looked like. If you have any questions please contact assam@sau.edu.