This painting depicts the patron saint of the California missions in her role as a protector. The Latin text at the bottom invokes the Virgin Mary's intercession to obtain forgiveness for sins: "Refuge of Sinners, pray for us." In 1719 a Jesuit missionary brought an original image of Our Lady of Refuge from Italy to Mexico, and in 1843 the first Catholic bishop of California, Francisco Diego García, proclaimed this incarnation of the Virgin as the patroness of both Baja (Lower) and Alta (Upper) California.