This painting depicts the patroness of the California missions, Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners. The Latin text at the bottom is from the Litany of the Virgin Mary, invoking her 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 image of the Virgin as the patroness of both Baja (Lower) and Alta (Upper) California.