Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Images of Martyred Saints


I really love the weird nature of images like this. When I was in Italy I was obsessed with them, every time I entered a church I looked everywhere for them. Saints with Arabian swords still embedded in their heads, holding the instruments of their own torture and demise. So modern looking really. We all know about Saint Sebastien with his arrows, or St. Lawrence holding the rack he was burnt on, St. Bartholomew holding his flayed skin (but never depicted with no skin on, how does this work? I want to see a muscle only St. Bart!) but buddy with the rock stuck in his head? There are so many good ones!


By the way, St. John Martyr is the one with the rock in the head.
St. Peter Martyr is the one with either the schimtar in the head or just his head split open and bleeding, not too profusely.