Photo courtesy of Jonathan M. McGee Photography and Media

As the stag makes his way to the top of an escarpment, he has spooked a hare that is running beneath him.

This is the scene that French noble Hubert of Aquitaine came across which changed his life. Hubertus, as he came to be known, became the patron saint of hunters and the inhabitants of the forest.

This stag he saw in a vision, turned his head and Hubert could see a golden cross between his antlers.  It inspired him to turn his life around. He understood the majesty of God, His creation and man’s obligation to stewardship.

The vision, he took as a sign from Heaven, led him to realise  his calling.  He changed his life from that of a drunkard to eventually becoming Bishop of Liege and a dedicated advocate for ethical hunting and care of all God’s creatures.

In 743, 16 years after his death, the Roman Catholic Church canonised him as Saint Hubertus.

The artist's original is currently available for sale from Charles Lancaster Gunmakers. Please contact us for further information.

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