Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Finding Christ in the kitchen

Valley resident sees portrait of Christ in floor tiles

Jesus tiles

Richard Brian

Antonia Baker holds up one of the tiles in her home that she says has an image of Jesus ingrained in it.

A holy image in an unexpected place

Antonia Baker says the image of Jesus is visible in tiles in her home. Launch slideshow »

It's been claimed that images of Jesus Christ have appeared on everything from water stains to potato chips.

Often those images fade. But one West Valley woman says she has had the likeness of Jesus in every one of her kitchen tiles for eight years.

Antonia Baker saw the image in the floor of her Lakes home for the first time three years ago during the Christmas season while she was recovering from surgery for an eye injury. Doctors said she had to keep her head down to allow her retina to heal. She wasn't allowed to read or use the computer, so she had to stare at the floor for three weeks.

That much concentration led her to see an image that had always been in the 13-by-13-inch ceramic tiles, but had never been recognized.

"I never noticed for five years. I never even looked," she said. "It didn't manufacture itself. It was just always there."

The image of Jesus from the waist up and facing to the left is the same in every tile, so it likely was made during manufacturing, she said. Baker bought the tiles about eight years ago from a shop that is no longer in business. However, it's possible others purchased the same tile and could be walking on Jesus too.

"You could find him and he might be right there under your feet," she said.

Some of Baker's friends told her they see the image, but not everyone can, she said.

Baker said she doesn't want to make a big deal out of the image or turn her house into a shrine. She believes the depiction is meant to be inspirational and said this is the time of year for religious reflection.

"My brother said, 'The reason that your eye popped (referring to her eye injury) is that you're walking on Jesus all the time.' I said, 'No, he's holding me up,'" she said.

She attempted to sell a couple of spare tiles on eBay, but pulled them off after one man, who offered $100 for one, made too many demands to complete the deal.

"I thought if someone needs a gift for someone that is really, really down, they might see this," she said.

Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or [email protected].

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