In 1760, Batoni created the Sacred Heart of Jesus painting, placed in a chapel in the Jesuit Church of the Gesù in Rome. This became the official image for the Sacred Heart devotion.The painting was inspired by Jesus' apparition to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) in 1673. During prayer, she saw Jesus' Sacred Heart, which she described as “a throne of flames, more resplendent than a sun, transparent as crystal, with an adorable wound, surrounded by a crown of thorns and a cross above.” Bat