Plea to St. Moritz: Give them strength

He stands there in the painting, a soldier among colleagues. But something sets him apart -- his regal bearing draws the observer's eye.

Pausing in a workshop at the Museum of Fine Arts, Mario Valdes stares at the painting, then smiles.

'It's just wonderful to see him," he says.

The soldier is wearing a red coat, and a red piece of cloth wrapped around his head like a crown. He appears to be carrying a spear. And he is a man of color.

The painting, acquired recently by the MFA, is about 500 years old, but to Valdes, the imagery is unmistakable: It holds the promise of sorely needed inspiration for youths of the 21st century to rise above negative stereotypes.

The figure that has captivated Valdes's attention is St. Moritz, a third-century soldier of African heritage whose name appears in historical records as "Maurice." A leader of the Roman Theban Legion, he was said to have been martyred for defying orders from the emperor to denounce his faith.

If you Google St. Moritz these days, you'll come up with scads of information about the chic Swiss ski resort. But Valdes -- a Cambridge-based freelance researcher, historian, and producer whose work has included public television documentaries -- hopes to reclaim the name as a symbol of strength and will.

The MFA is working on restoring and interpreting the artwork, a process that could take several years, according to Ronni Baer, the museum's senior curator of European paintings. The 16th-century German triptych known as "The Calenberg Altarpiece" is not currently on public display during the work, but the museum allowed Valdes and a reporter to view the pane l depicting St. Moritz.

Baer, who has heard some of Valdes's theories regarding other figures in the paintings, is not yet willing to say much about the altarpiece, which she describes as a very rare find. But she does confirm that the figure in the panel is St. Moritz.

Valdes's interest in black iconography stems largely from his own racially mixed heritage: He grew up in Belize believing himself to be white, but then learned of his own black ancestry, a topic that he recalls being forbidden to talk about.

His work often encompasses genealogy, history, and theology. Though not formally schooled in art history, he says he picked up an interest in art at an early age from his father, a teacher, and from fashion magazines, which, he said, represented "a sort of art lesson."

A Catholic who says he attends Mass every day, Valdes, 65, came to the US in 1967 and immersed himself in tracing various African references in art and history. He has earned international attention by exploring the possible African ancestry of Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

His pursuits have also run to the more unusual: In 2000, the Globe described a Valdes for ay into creating an edible hair gel. It's a project he said he undertook to make money to support his research and related work.

Calvin Lindsay Jr., a friend and former colleague of Valdes's who is currently director of cable TV in Cambridge, believes Valdes's research could have a particular impact in Boston, with its sizable Catholic population and turbulent racial history.

"In this town especially, his work is vitally important," Lindsay said.

By spreading the word about the little-known St. Moritz as far and wide as possible, Valdes is winning the interest of people in both academic and civic circles. Larry Mayes, chief of human services for the city of Boston, believes it is worthwhile to explore the role of Africans in Catholicism, and that it could lead to discussions among people of all faiths.

For people of color, and especially for children, Mayes said, "it's important that there's a larger and longer religious context.

Others are more hesitant. Max McCoy, a journalist and writer who's written four novels featuring the Indiana Jones character, said Valdes contacted him "out of the blue," and tried to persuade him to incorporate St. Moritz into his work.

He calls Valdes's pursuit "laudable," but wonders how popular his ideas will be. "It's going to be a hard sell, I think, because most people just aren't that in tune with art history," McCoy said.

Nor are they familiar with the lives of saints, said Virginia Raguin, a professor of art history at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Saints were once the source of local pride, she says, and people were once more familiar with images in artwork.

Still, Raguin, who said she's unfamiliar with Valdes's work, sees St. Moritz as a "model for a just life."

"He fought well," she said. "He was also not blind and obedient."