H A N D BOOK

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as

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in a r t

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BY

CL A R A

E R S KI N E

E D IT E D
KA T H E R I N E

CL E M E N T

BY

CO N WA Y

F I FT H E D I T I O N

OST ON

AN D

N E W Y OR K

H O U G H T O N , M I FF L I N A N D C O M PA N Y
E b: m aca w: 18 1 m ,
ra m m ing:
1 895

E ch i cate n
BY
AND

PE R M I S S I O N

WI T H

R O F OU N D RE S P E CT
T O

TH E

M OST

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GR

R E VE R E N D
A R C HB I S H O P

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OF

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ON
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P R E F A CE

TH E
s

c op e

t i t l e o f t h e pr e s e n t w o r k s uf c i e n t l y i n d i c a t e s i t s ge n e ra l
I t h a s b e e n u n d e r t a k e n t o s a t i s fy a wa n t
a n d p u rp o s e
.

ft e n fe l t p e r s o n a ll y by t h e w r i t e r a n d o f t e n e x p r e ss e d t o h e r by
o th e r s T h o s e w h o go a b r o a d a n d t ra v e l i n C h r i sti a n l a n d sm e e t

o u n t ry i n t h e b r o a d l i g h t o f
da y a n d i n t h e m yst e ri o u s gl oo m o f s a c r e d p l a c e s sy m b oli c
f o r m s w h i c h a r e k n o w n i n a ge n e r a l w a y t o r e p r e s e n t t h e m ys
t e r i e s a n d fa c ts o f t h e C h r i st i a n fa i th b u t w h i c h f a i l t o r e c a ll
th e m t o t h e u n i n i t i a t e d b e h o l d e r i n a n y th i n g l i k e a d i st i n c t a n d
C h u r c h e s a r e d e d i c a t e d t o s a i n ts h i th e r t o u n
a c c u r a t e m a nn e r
h e a r d o f ; a n d st r e e ts s o m e ti m e s l a rge c i t i e s b e a r th e i r n a m e s
Pi ct u re s e ve n o f s a i n ts b e st k n o wn a r e s e e n i n c h u r ch e s a n d
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Th e v e ry p i ctu r e s a n d p r i n ts c o p i e d fr o m t h e G re a t M a s t e r s
w h i c h a d o r n ou r o w n h o m e s a ff e ct u s s i m i l a rl y
I n t h e b ook s
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on e

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o u r n e w s p a p e r s a n d m a ga z i n e s w e a r e c o n st a n t l
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T h e y c o m e t o u s i n v e st e d w i th a h a l o o f s a n ct i ty a n d
e dge
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c ce s s i bl e

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b ook d o e s n o t p r o fe ss t o b e i n a ll r e s p e cts a t r u e hi s t o r y o f
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T h e a r t i st s i n d i
H i s t o r y a n d l e ge n d u n it e i n t h i s c o n c e p ti o n
I t w o ul d b e e x tre m e l y
v i d u a l fa n c y m u s t a l s o b e a l l o w e d fo r
I t i s th u s i n a ll
di fc u l t t o i s o l a t e w h a t i s p u r e l y h i s t o r i c a l
r e c o r ds o f t h e p a s t T h e d i f c u l ty i s st i l l gre a t e r i n a ll r e l i gi o u s
n a rr a t i v e s s a v e o n l y t h e I n s p i re d Wr i ti ngs o n a c c o u n t o f t h e
o f th e m a n d w h i c h c a n b e
m a r ve ll o u s w h i c h fo r m s a p a r t
n e i th e r w h o ll y a c c e p t e d n o r w h o ll y re j e ct e d Wo n d e r s r e l a t e d
i n t h e li v e s o f t h e s a i n ts w h i c h h a v e u n d o u b t e dl y a b a s i s i n
h i s t o r i c a l fa ct h a v e o ft e n c o m e d o w n t h e ye a r s e x a gge ra t e d
s h o wy h u m a n c o l o r s a s C a r d i n a l
d i st o rt e d o r i n v e s t e d i n
T h e I n t e rn a l C h a r
N e wm a n w a rn s u s i n h i s c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f
a c t e r o f E c c l e s i as ti c a l M i ra c l e s
e i th e r t h r o u gh t h e i n r m i ty
o f c re d ul o u s o r o v e r z e a l o u s c h r o ni c l e rs o r th r o ugh t h e m a li c e o f
t h e e ne m i e s o f t h e C h u rch
T h a t s o m e o f t h e m i ra c l e s a tt r i b u t e d t o t h e s a i n ts s h o u l d
h a v e be e n m e r e l y fa b l e d n e e d n o t s t a r t l e n or s c a n d a l i z e e v e n
t h e C a th o l i c r e a d e r n o r e x c i t e p r e j u di c e a ga i n s t t h e gre a t m a s s
w h i ch r e st o n e v i d e n c e a t l e a s t a s r m a s th a t o n w h i c h w e a o
c e p t t h r e c o r d s o f p r o fa n e h i st o r y ; fo r
t o q u o t e a ga i n fr o m
t h e a b o v e n a m e d e m i n e n t a u th o ri ty
i t a s l i tt l e d e r oga te s fr o m
t h e s u p e r n a tu ra l gi ft r e s i d i n g i n t h e C h u rc h th a t m i ra c l e s s h o u l d
h a v e be e n fa b r i c a t e d o r e x a gge ra te d as i t p r e j u d i c e s h e r h o li n e ss
th a t w i th i n h e r p a l e goo d m e n a r e m i x e d w i th ba d
A n a d d i ti o n a l d i f c u l ty a ris e s fr o m t h e fa c t th a t t h e o ri gi n a
s uc h fo r e x a m pl e a s t h o s e w h i c h
to rs o f m a n y st ra n ge st o r i e s
c

P R E F A CE

ix

a re

r e l a t e d o f S t Ch ri st op h e r S t H i l a r i o n S t N i c h o l a s o f M y ra

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o f n a rra t i o n
c h o s e l i k e t h e G r e e k s o f o l d th a t m yth i c a l f o rm

w h i ch

s i m p ly t o i n d i c a t e m o r e st r o n gl y s o m e m o ra l l e ss o n
H e nc e
th e y n e v e r a pp e a l e d t o t h e fa i t h o f t h e i r h e a re r s ; n o r d i d a n y
.

o f th e s e s a v e o n l y
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onc e rn o f
o u r s We t e ll i n w o r d s t h e st o ry t ol d i n a r t a d d i n g o n l y a s
m u c h o f r e a l fa c t a s t h e m i n d n a t u r a l l
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d i s c i pl e s
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x t ra o r d i n a ry r e c o m p e n s e s

TABL E

CON T E N T S

OF

P A GE

L E GE N D S A N D

S T OR I E S

I L L US T R A T E D

IN

AR T

O O

37

S Y M B OL I S M

ST

AR T

IN

A U GU S T I N E

c a ll s

the

re

r e se n

of a r t l i br i i d i ota r u m ( the
a n d there is no
b o ok s of t h e
doubt t h a t t h e rst obj e ct o f Chris t i a n
of t h e
a r t wa s to t e a ch ; a n d t h e a i m
a rtist wa s t o r e nd e r t h e truth b e d e
si r e d to p r e s e nt without r e g a rd to t h e
b e a uty o f t h e r e p r e s e nt a ti o n : b e a d
h er e d t o t h e a ctu a l a n d ga v e n o p l a y
t o i m a gin a tion or ae sth e ti cs
B ut l a t e r
i n its h istory th is a r t h a s b e e n i n u
n c e d by l e g e nds a n d doctrin e s i n t h e
e
r q
ch oic e o f subj e cts a n d th e s e h a v e b e e n
v a riously r e nd e re d i n a ccord a nc e w ith
t h e ch a r a ct e r t h e ae sth e ti c cultiv a tion
X
)
a n d t h e r e n e m e nt o f t h e a rtist
Bu t
fro m i t s i nfa ncy to th e p res e nt tim e
t h e r e h a v e b e e n c e rt a in ch a r a ct e ristic gur e s a ttribut e s o r symbo l s
wh ich h a v e m a de a p a rt o f t h e l a ngu a g e o f w h a t m a y b e c a ll e d
C hris t i a n A r t T h e s e a r e m e a n ingless o r wors e p e rh a ps a de

formity
to t h e e ye o f on e wh o und e rst a nds t h e m not ; b ut th e y
a d d mu ch to t h e p o we r o f a r e pr e s e nt a tion to t h e d e pth of s e nti m e nt
a n d e x p r e ssion w h e n righ t ly a ppr e hend e d
T h e s e symbo l s a r e u s e d
in t wo wa ys to e x pr e ss a g e n e ra l fa ct o r s e nti m e nt or a s the
e s p e ci a l a ttrib ut e or ch a r a ct e risti c of t h e p e rson r e p r e s e nt e d
My
p re s e nt l im its a ll o w b ut a n i m p e rfe ct a n d sup e r ci a l c onsid e ra tion
of this subj e ct
t a t i on

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r

G EN E R A L

T H E GL O R Y , A U R E O LE ,

AND

AR T

S Y M B OL S

r e p re s e nt l ight o r brigh t
n e ss a n d a r e t h e symbols of sa nctity T h e n i mb us surro unds t h e
h e a d ; t h e a ure ol e e ncirc l e s t h e who l e body a n d the gl o ry is t h e
un ion of t h e n imbus a n d a ur e o l e T h e n i mb us b e l o ngs to a l l holy
p ersons a n d s a ints as we l l a s to t h e r e p res e nt a tions o f d ivin ity T h e
a u reole strict l y sp e a k ing b e l ongs only to t h e p e rsons o f th e G odh e a d ;
b ut t h e Virgin M a ry i s i nv e st e d wit h i t ( 1 ) w h e n s h e ho l ds the
S a viou r in h e r a rms ( 2) i n p i ctur e s o f t h e A ssum p tion ( 3) w h e n
s h e i s r e pr e sent e d a s t he int e rc e ssor for h um a nity a t t h e l a s t j udg
ment
w h e n r e p r e s e nt e d a s th e W om a n o f t h e A p oc a lyps e
T h e a ure ol e h a s a lso b e e n used a s a symbo l o f t h e a p oth e osis of holy
p ersons ; b ut this i s a d e gen e ra t ion from its origin a l d e sign a n d t h e
The glory a lso belongs e sp e
u s e a ssign e d it in a n ci e nt tr a d ition s
T h e obl o ng a ure ol e is c a ll e d i n L a ti n
c i a l l y to Go d a n d t h e Virgin
t h e m a n d o r l a (a l m o nd )
T h e cruciform or
ve si c a p i s c i s ; in It a l i a n
tri a ngul a r n imb us or t h e gu r e of a cross i n t h e n i mbus b e l ongs
p ro p erl y to t h e p e rsons o f th e T rin ity ; t h e n i mbu s of s a ints a n d
l e ss e r b e ings should b e circ u l a r A squ a r e n i mbu s i s u sed for
p ersons still l i ving wh e n t h e r e p re s e nta tion wa s m a de ; th e h e x
p e rson a g e s T h e s e symbo l s did not
a gon a l n i mb u s for a ll e gori c a l
a pp e a r in Christi a n a r t u ntil t h e fth c e nt ury
a n d d uring t h e f
t e e n t h a n d sixt e e nth c e nturi e s th e y d is a p p e a re d
T h e y a r e h o wever
e mploy e d i n th e pres e nt d a y a lthough not w i th th e c a reful d istin o
tion i n th e e mp l oym e n t o f t h e v a riou s forms w h ich ch a ra cteri zed
th e ir e a rl i e st u s e T h e color o f th e s e symbo l s in pa in t ing i s go l d e n
o r th a t w h ich r e p r e s e nts l ight ; i n som e inst a nces i n m ini a t ur e s or
on gl a ss th e y a r e o f v a rious co l ors D id r o n bel iev e s th e s e t o b e
symbol ic a l b ut is not sur e o f t h e sign i c a tion of t h e col ors
T H E FISH
A sh most fre qu e ntly a do l p h in w a s t h e e a rl iest
I t h a s sev e ra l sigui
a n d most u ni v e rs a l of t h e C hristi a n symbo l s
T h e G r e e k word for sh I X O Y E i s com p osed of t h e
c a t i o n s
i ni ti a l l e tters of t h e G re e k I no o c Xp w r o c @ 6 0 53 W69 S um jp t h e

L a ti n tra nsl a tion of wh ich i s J e su s Christu s D e i l i u s S a l v a tor

- th us fo r m ing t h e in iti a l a n a gr a m of th is title of J esus
; a n d th e s e
ch a ra ct e rs a r e found i n m a ny a ncient inscri ptions a n d u p on works o f
a rt
T h e sh is a n e mb l e m of wa t e r a n d t h e s a c ra m e nt o f b a p tism
N

an

a ll

'

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

o f t h e voc a tion o f t h e Christi a n a postl e or sh e r o f m

sp e ci a lly
t e r an d
e m in e n t ly
s ucce ssf u l
i n th e h a nds of M
i
is
th
ey
t
e mb l e m a ti c of Christi a ns g e n e r a lly
in W
m e
b e i n g l ik e n e d to sh i n t h e c a ll of t h e A postl e s (M a tt i v
an d
But
a lso t ypi e d by t h e m ir a culous dra ugh t of sh e s (John
it i s not tru e th a t t h e sh i s a l wa ys a Christi a n emble m 3 a ccord ing
to D i dr on it is n e v e r m e t a s su ch i n G re e k a r t a n d h e b e l iev e s th a t
th is e mbl e m on t h e tombs i n t h e c a t a combs a t R om e signi e d t h e
o ccup a tion of t h e p e rson b uri e d i n th e m
T H E 0 3 0 8 8 h a s a d e e p e r m e a ning t h a n t h a t of oth e r symbo l s ;
i t i s i n a c e rt a in s e ns e not m e r e l y t h e instrum e nt o f t h e su ffe rings
but h i ms e l f su ff e rin g 24 6i c r u x e st m a r tyr
In
o f Christ
C hristi a n i con o gr a p hy t h e cross holds a most i mport a nt pl a c e
A ccord ing t o t h e t ra dition o r l eg e n d of t h e T ru e Cross i t w a s c c
a n d w ill a pp e a r at t h e
l a st j u dgment
e xist e nt w ith th e worl d
Ch os r oe s b e l i e v e d th a t in p oss e ssin gth e cross of Christ h e possesse d
T h us i n
t h e S a viour a n d s o i t wa s e nthron e d a t h is right h a nd
e a rly r e pr e s e nt a tion s o f t h e thre e p e rson s of th e G odh e a d the cross
without t h e gur e wa s consi d e r e d not only to r e c a ll Christ to t h e
b ut a ctu a l ly to sh o w h i m T h e re a r e fo ur di ff e re nt l y fo rm e d
m ind
cross e s : T h e L a t in or R om a n C ross
is
b
l
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v
e
d
to
b
e
l
ik
e
th
a
t
o
n
1
e
e
( )
w hi ch Chri st su ff e r e d a n d i s t h e
o n e pl a c e d in t h e h a nd of a s a int
T his cross i s i n t h e form of a m a n
w ith th e a rm s e xtend e d 3 t h e d i s
t a nc e from t h e h e a d to t h e shou l d e rs
b e i n g l e ss th a n from t h e shou l d e rs
t o t h e feet a n d t h e l e ngth o f t h e
a rms l e ss th a n th a t of t h e w ho l e
3
4
(
(
gur e
T h e Gr e e k Cross (2) h a s
f our equ a l br a nch e s
T h e C ross o f
S t A ndre w (3) i s a cross s a l ti e r o r a n X 3 a n d t h e E gyp ti a n or

C ross ( 4 ) h a s b ut t hre e bra nch e s l ike th e l e tt e r T T hi s

Tau
l a st is a l so c a ll e d S t A ntho n y s Cross b e c a us e th is s a int i s r e pr e

s e nted with a crutch i n the sh a p e of the T a n a n d i t i s e m b r o i

d e red on his v e stm e nts It i s a lso a ssign e d a s t h e cross o f the Ol d
T e st a m e nt a n d t h e bra z e n s e rp e nt is r e p r e s e nt e d o n a po l e with thi s
,

en

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

I N

form T h e Pa tri a rch a l Cross is of t h e sa m e sh a p e a s t h e La tin Cro ss

b ut h a s two hori zont a l b a rs T h e r e a r e n um ero us v a rieti e s of t h e
G r e e k a n d L a tin cross e s such a s the M a lt e s e Cross t h e Cross o f
Dor a t a n d v a rio us others w h ich p e rt a i n i n som e c a s e s to c e rt a in 10
T h e cross i s often i nt e rl a c e d or combin e d w ith t h e rst two
ca l it ie s
l e tters of th e n a m e o f Christ in G r e e k T his m onogr a m i ts e l f i s c a ll e d
t h e L a b a ru m o r t h e Cr o ss of Const a ntin e th i s being t h e form of t h e
l e g e nd a ry cross w h ich h e s a w i n the sky a n d w h ich wa s inscrib e d a c

cording t o E u s e bi us E N T O Y T Q N I KA ( Conqu er by
F re
qu e ntly wh e n t h e cross wa s m a d e o f gold or si l v e r t h e ve wounds
of Christ we re re p re s e nt e d by ins e rting in it a s m a ny c a rbuncl e s or
rubi es th e r e b e ing o n e in t h e c e ntr e a n d o n e at e a ch e xtr e m ity
T H E L AM B h as b e e n a n e mbl e m of t h e S a v iour from the e a rl i e st
p e riod of C hristi a n a rt It w a s th e t ype of h i m i n th e O ld T est a
m ent a n d t h e n a m e giv e n h i m by S t Joh n t h e B a pti st ( J oh u i
7 W h e n st a nding b e a ring t h e cross o r a b a nn e r w ith a n imbus a bout
i th e h e a d it i s t h e L a mb of Go d a n d i s fre qu e nt l y inscri b e d E cce
A gn u s D e i
T h e T wel v e A p ost l es a r e r e p r e s e nt e d by a s m a ny l a mbs ;
w h il e t h e t h irt e e n th t h e symbo l o f C hri st b e a rs t h e cross o r h a s a
a n d is fre qu e nt l y l a rg e r th a n t h e o th e rs
, n imbu s a bo ut the h e a d
h
e
a
A
a
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l
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t
h
l
mb
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ll
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lypti c L a mb h a s s e v e n horn s a n d s e v e n
)
e yes ( R e v v
T h e l a m b i s a l so a g e n e r a l symbo l o f mod e sty
\
i t y a n d innoc e n ce a s w h e n m a de t h e a ttrib ut e of S t A gnes
T H E L I O N i s a noth e r symbo l of Christ t h e
Lion of J ud a h an d
i s som e ti m e s r e pre s e nt e d w ith a cruciform n i mb us
A ccording t o
a n E a st e rn tr a d ition t h e cu b of t h e l ion is born d e a d a n d i s l ick e d
by its sire u ntil i t com e s t o l ife on t h e t h
s sym
b ol i c a l o f th e r e s urr e ction
I t is giv e n
other
h e rm i ts a s t h e e mblem o f s ol itud e ; to thos e
t he
a m ph ith e a tre a s th e symbo l o f th e ir d e a th 3 a n d is p l a ced a t t h e feet
o f som e to d e not e th e ir coura ge a n d fo rt itud e u nder t h e su ff e rings
o f m a rt r d o m
T H E P EL IC A N wh o t e a rs o p e n h e r bre a st to fe e d h e r young with
h e r b l ood i s t h e e mb l e m of o u r redem ption through t h e su ff erings
i s a lso a s ym bo l o f t h e E u ch a rist
O N i s the symbol o f S a ta n a n d sin I t is re p re se nt e d
by C hri sti a n ity a s in t h e l e gends o f S t M a rga r e t S t
r ge
a n d S t S y l v e st e r
I n t h e l e g e nd o f S t M a rth a
.

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

IN

it r e p re s e nts a oo d a n d p e sti l e nc e T h e j a ws o f h e ll a r e r e pr e
s e nt e d by t h e o p e n mouth of a dra gon e m itting a m e s
T H E S E RP EN T a noth e r e mb l e m of sin i s som e ti m e s pl a c e d b e n e a th
t h e fe et of t h e Virgin ; som e ti m e s t win e d a r o u nd a glob e to i ndi
c a t e th e po we r of sin ov e r the e ntir e world
In som e symbolic
p icture s of t h e Cru ci xion t h e s e rp e nt l i e s d e a d a t t h e foot of th e
cross or i f a l i v e l ook ing im p ot e ntly u p a t the s e cond A d a m upon
t h e tree of our s a lv a tion a s befor e a ccording to a r t he look e d tri

u m ph a n t l y do wn u pon o ur rst p a r e nts from t h e tr e e of our fa ll

h
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t : H u b e i t It w a s m a d e t h e symbol

ion
e
s ing e r of Isra e l (Ps a l m
a n d i s a l so an e mbl e m o f sol itud e a n d h e rmit l ife
T his fa b ulous cre a tur e w a s s a i d t o b e a bl e to
T H E U N I C OR N
e v a d e a l l p ursuers e xc e p t a v irgin of p e rf e ct purity i n h e a rt m ind
It i s giv e n a s a n a ttrib ut e only t o t h e Virgin a n d S t J u s
a n d life
t i n a a n d is t h e e mb l e m of fe m a l e ch a stity
T H E P E A C O C K i s s e e n on tombs s a rc op h a gi a n d a m o ng fun e r e a l
It sym b o l iz e s t h e ch a ng e from l ife to immo rt a l ity I t
e mb l e ms
wa s borr o we d from p a ga n a r t w h e re it r e pr e s e nt e d the a p otheosis o f
It w a s t h e b ird of Jun o b u t wa s not the symbo l o f
a n e m p r e ss
p rid e until mod e rn ti m e s
T H E D OV E i s t h e e mb l e m o f t h e s o u l w h e n r e p r e s e n t ed a s i ssu ing
from t h e m outh of t h e dying ; a n e mb l em of p uri ty when given to
t h e V i r gi n a n d c e rt a i n fe m a l e s a i nts ; a lso th e symbo l of t h e Holy
It symbol iz e s t he d ivine S pirit
Ghost a n d of spiritu a l ins p ir a t i on
wh e n it h ov e rs o v e r holy m e n a s t h e e mb l e m of their h e a v e n sent
inspir a tion ; a n d i s s e e n in p ictur e s o f th e B a p tism o f C hrist t h e
P e nt e cost , a n d t h e A nn u nci a t io n
T H E O L I V E a s t h e e mbl e m of pe a c e
i s gi v e n to t h e A r ch a n ge l Ga bri e l a n d
I t i s s e e n upon th e
t o som e s a ints
tombs of m a rtyrs a n d i s someti m e s
born e by t h e a nge l s wh o a nn o unc e t h e
n a tivity
T h e u s e of t h e p a l m
T H E P ALM
a s th e
symbol of m a rtyrdo m is a u
vi i
t h or i z e d by S criptur e
R
v
e
(

'

S Y M B OL I S M I N

AR T

I t is p l a c e d in
It b e longs to a l l t h e nobl e a rm y o f m a r tyrs
their h a nds a n d c a rved on their to mbs I t is som e tim e s brough t t o
them by a ngels a s if from h e a v e n i t s e lf I t i s v e r y m uc h v a ried
i n form a n d siz e
T H E L I L Y w h e r e v e r s e e n h a s b u t o n e sign ic a ti o n w h ich i s
ch a stity a n d p urity I t b e l ongs e s pe
p ictur e s o f t h e A nn unci a tion
c i a lly to
a n d to S t
J os e p h w hos e rod wa s sa id
t o h a v e p u t forth l i l i e s
F RU IT 0 R F L O W E R S a lthough f r a
qu e nt l y e m p l oy e d m e r e l y a s o r n a men ts
h a v e und e r c e rt a i n circumst a nc e s d if
f e r e n t s ign i c a t i o n s
A s t h e a p pl e i s
i n m a ny p i ctur e s so wh e n p r e
a n e m b l e m o f t h e fa ll i n P a r a d is e
sent e d to t h e infa nt S a v iour o r i n h i s h a nd i t sign i e s r e d e m p
R os e s a r e il l ustr a ti v e o f t h e l e g e nds of S t
t ion
E liz a beth o f
H u n g a ry S t C e cil i a a n d S t D oroth e a a n d a typ e o f t h e Virgin

R os e o f S h a ron
as t h e
A b ursting pom e gr a n a t e i s t h e symbol
o f a h o p e fu l futur e
A n y fruit in t h e h a n d o f S t C a th e rin e i s a

sym bo l o f t h e fruit o f th e S p iri t

T H E L A M P LA N T E R N O R T A P E R is most fr e qu e nt l y t h e symb o l of
p i e ty B ut t h e l a m p a s t h e a ttribut e of S t Lu ci a sign i e s h e a v e n l y
w isdom or S piri tu a l l igh t
F I R E A N D F L AM E S a r e e mb l e ms o f z e a l a n d fe r vo r o f s o u l o r o f
t h e su fferings of m a rtydom
T H E F L AM I N G H E A R T i s symb o l ic a l o f fe r v e n t p i e ty a n d s p iritu a l
love
T H E C R O W N wh e n on t h e h e a d o f t h e M a donn a m a k e s h e r t h e
Q u e e n of H e a v e n a n d R egin a A n ge l o r u m
W h e n th e a ttribut e o f a m a rtyr i t signi e s
th e vi ctory ov e r sin a n d d e a th o r d e notes
th a t t h e s a in t wa s of roy a l b l ood 3 i n t h e l a t
t e r c a s e i t i s u su a ll y p l a ced a t t h e fe e t
A m ong
t h e Jews th e crown wa s t h e orn a m en t o f a
bHde a n d to t h e pres e nt ti m e i t is p l a ced on
th e h e a d of a n u n w h en con s e cra t e d a s t h e Bri de
of Christ F or th is re a son i t i s m ore frequ ently
se e n on t h e h e a ds of fe m al e sa ints w h i l e th ose

S Y M B OL I S M

of

o l d it i n t h e h a n d It i s s om e ti m e s a m e re circ l e t
o we rs 3 a n d a ga i n it is m a gn i c e nt w ith go l d a n d

the

oft e n
pr e ci

AR T

IN

S WORD , A XE ,

L A N C E A N D C L U B a r e a l l sym b o l s o f m a rtyr
a n d a r e t h e a ttrib ut e s o f c e rt a i n s a ints a n d signify th e m a nn e r
of d e a th th e y s u ff e r e d T h e s word i s a lso a n a ttrib ut e of the wa rrior
s a ints a n d s o m e ti m e s is a n e m b l e m o f a v i o l e nt d e a th W ith o ut b e ing
t h e instru m e nt e m p l oy e d
T H E S K U LL A N D S C OUR GE sy m b o l iz e p e n a nc e
T H E S HELL p ilgr i m a g e
T H E B ELL sign i e s t h e e xorcism o f e v i l s p irits
T H E A e L i s t h e a ttrib ut e o f S t A dri a n a n d i s t h e sy m b o l o f h i s
d e a th
T H E A R R O W i s t h e a ttribut e o f S t S e b a sti a n S t U r su l a a n d
S t Christin a
T H E P O N I A RD o f S t Lu ci a
T H E C A L DRO N of S t C ecil i a a n d S t J o h n t h e E v a nge l ist
T H E S H E A R s A N D P I N CE R s of S t A g a th a a n d S t A po l l o ni a
T H E W HEEL S of S t C a th e rin e
It b e
T H E S T A N D AR D 0 R B A NNE R i s t h e symbo l o f vict o ry
l ongs to th e m il it a ry s a in t s a n d to thos e Wh o c a rri e d t h e gos p e l
t o h e a th e n l a nds
It i s h om e by C hrist a ft e r the r e surr e ction
S t R e p a r a t a a n d S t U rsu l a a r e t h e o n l y fe m a l e s a ints to w ho m it
i s giv e n
T H E CH A L I OE is t h e e mb l e m o f fa ith a n d is a n a ttribut e of
S t B a rb a r a
W ith a s e rp e nt i t i s th a t of S t John t h e E v a ngelist
T H E B OOK i n th e h a n d of S t S t e p h e n is th e Old T e st a ment 3 i n
t h e h a nds o f t h e E v a ng e l ists i t r e p r e s e nts their o wn writings
In
oth e r ca s e s i t i s t h e S cri p ture s o r t h e symbo l o f the l e a rning a n d
wr itings o f t h e s a int wh o h e a r s i t
T H E C H U R C H i n t h e h a nd o f S t J e rom e i s t h e symbol of h is l ov e
a n d c a r e for t h e who l e Christi a n C h urch
In oth e r c a s e s i t is ge n
e r all
t
h
m od e l o f som e p a rt icul a r ch urch a n d t h e s a int wh o h e a r s
e
y
i t wa s its fo un d e r o r rst bisho p
T H E S HIP
I n e a rly t im e s t h e a r k wa s t h e symbo l o f t h e Chris
t i a n Ch urch b ut l a t e r a n y sh i p h a s h a d th is signi c a nc e
T h e bo a t
of S t P e t e r tem p e st toss e d a n d guid e d by C h r ist is sym b ol i c a l o f
h is wa tch fu l c a r e o f h is Ch urch
HE

S Y M B OL I S M

T H E A N CHOR

is

of

IN

AR T

r l i e st Chri st i a n sym bo l s It i s s e e n
i n the c a t a combs a n d o n v e ry a nci e n t ge m s It is t h e e mbl e m o f
i mmov a bl e ho p e a n d untiring p a tienc e
It is a n a ttribut e of som e
s a ints in ill ustra tion of th e ir l e g e nds a s i n t h e c as e o f S t C l e m e nt
T H E S Y M B O LS O F T HE P A SS I O N A N D C R U C I F I X I O N a r e n u m e rous 3
a n d a lthough r a r e ly s e e n i n t h e c a t a combs a n d i n e a r l y sc ul p tur e
th ey a re const a ntly foun d i n ch urch e s T h e y a r e th e t wo swords of
the A p ostl e s t h e e a r o f M a l ch u s S t P e ter s sword t h e p ill a r a n d
cord t h e scourge t h e cro wn of th o rns t h e thre e d i c e t h e s p e a r t h e
spong e t h e n a i l s t h e cross t h e th irt y p i e c e s of si l v e r t h e h a m m e r
a n d pincers t h e l a dd e r t h e l a nt e rn t h e box e s o f s p ic e for e mb a l m
i n g t h e s e a m l e ss g a rm e nt , t h e p urs e a n d t h e c ook T h e ve wo unds
a r e r e p r e s e nt e d by t h e h a nds a n d fe e t w ith a h e a rt i n t h e c e ntre
e a ch p ierc e d with o n e wound 3 or by a h e a rt a l on e
W ith ve wo unds
E A RS O F C OR N A N D B U N C HE S O F G RAP E S were symbo l s o f t h e b r e a d
a n d w in e o f t h e H o l y E u ch a rist ; w h i l e t h e r e p r e s e nta tions of th e
l a bors o f t h e v i n t a g e we re ty p ic a l o f thos e o f C hristi a ns in t h e v ine
T h e v i n e o r v in e l e a f wa s a n e mb l e m o f t h e
y a rd o f t h e L o rd
S a vi ou r t h e t ru e vi n e
T H E C A N DE L AB R UM wa s a n e mb l e m o f C hri st a n d h is C h urch t h e
l igh t o f t h e wo rl d W i th s e v e n bra nch e s i t r e fe rs t o t h e s e v e n gi fts
o f th e S pirit or to t h e s e v e n ch u rch e s
i
R
e
v
(
L ITT LE N A KE D B OD I E S a r e t h e symbo l s of t h e so u l s o f m e n a n d
a r e s e e n i n pi c t ur e s of S t M ich a e l wh e n h e i s r e presented a s the I ntro
d uctor of sou l s T h e y a r e a l so p l a c e d i n t h e h a nd wh ich symboliz e s
G o d t h e F a th e r
on e

the

ea

II

S Y MB OL I S M OF CO L OR S

In a n ci e nt a r t e a ch co l or h a d a mysti c se n s e or symbo l ism ; a n d

its p roper use wa s a n i mport a n t consid e ra tion a n d c a re ful ly s t u d ied
W H IT E i s worn by t h e S a v iour a ft e r h i s r e s u rr e ction by the V irgi n
in represen t a tion s o f t h e A ssum p tion by wom e n a s the e m bl e m o f
ch a stity by rich
i ndic a t e h u m i l ity a n d by the j udg e a s t h e
s y mbol of integri
re pr e s e nted s ometim e s by si l v e r or t h e
d i a mon d ; a n d i ts s e ntim e nt i s p urity vi r gi n i t i n oc e n c e fa ith j oy
,

col or of t h e ruby s p e a k s o f roy a l ty

Hol y S p ir it cre a ti v e po we r a n d h e a t I n a n
,

t he

r e ,

d ivin e l o v e
O p o s it e s e ns e i t
p
,

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

R e d a n d bl a c k combin e d we re t h e
symbolized blpq d wa r a n d
colors of S a t a n purga tory a n d evil spirits R e d a n d w h it e roses a r e
emblems of lov e a n d innoc e nc e or lov e a n d wisdo m a s i n t h e ga rl a nd
of S t Ceci l i a
B L U E th a t o f t h e s a p ph ire sign i e d h e a v e n h e a v e n l y l ov e a n d
truth const a ncy a n d delity C hris
bl u e m a ntle 3 S t J ohn a bl u e tun ic
G R EEN t h e e m e r a l d t h e c o lor o f s p ring e x p r e ss e d ho p e a nd l
,

the

o f Go d
y e llo w
d ingy h u e
th e n sign i e s j e a lo usy i n c on

rri a ge a n d f r u i t f u l n e s
Y e llo w h a s a ls o a
such a s the u su a l dr e ss o f J ud a s a n d
st a n c y a n d d e c e it
V I O LE T O R A M E T H Y S T signi e d p a ss ion
P e n it e nts a s t h e I M a gdal hE m
t ruth
m

'

R AY

Is

the

co l o r o f p e n a nc e

su ff e ring o r lov e a n d
h
tl
M
a
donn
a
e
a
rs
w
5i
T

an

mourn i n g h u mil ity o r

,

ccus e d

innoc e nc e
B L A C K w i th wh it e sign i e d h u mility mo urn ing a n d p urity of l ife
A l on e i t s p o k e o f d a rk n e ss w ick e dn e ss a n d de a th a n d b e longed to
In p ictur e s o f t h e T e m p t a tio n J e sus som e tim e s we a rs bl a ck
S a ta n
.

III

S Y M B OL S OF GOD T H E F A T H E R

B e for e t h e t we lft h c e nt ury th e re we re no p o rt ra its o f Go d t h e

F a th er a n d t h e symbo l u s e d t o ind ic a t e h is p res e nc e wa s a h a nd
issu ing fro m th e c l ouds T his h a n d wh e n e ntire l y open i s in t h e a c t
o f best o w ing a n d h a s ra ys from e a ch n ge r I t wa s g e n e ra lly r e pr e
\
sented i n th e a c t of b e nediction 3 a n d t h e position show e d w hether i t

r
t
a
belonged to E a st e rn or W estern or to G re e k or L a tin
for t h e

bene d ictory gesture d i ff ers i n th e t wo ch urch e s

In t h e G re e k
C hurch it is p e rform e d w ith t h e forenger e ntire ly o p e n t h e middle
ng e r slightly b e nt t h e th u mb cross e d u pon t h e th ird ng e r a n d t h e
little nge r bent T h is mov e ment a n d position of th e ve nge rs
form more or less p e rfect l y th e monogra m of t h e S o n of Go d
T he
L a tin benediction i s gi ven w ith th e th ird a n d l ittle ng e rs c l os e d t h e
th u m b a n d t h e o th e r t wo ng e rs r e m a ining op e n an d stra i gh t T h is
,

10

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

i s s a id to symbol iz e th e thr e e person s of t h e T rin ity by t h e op e n

n ge r s a n d the tw o n a t ures of C hrist by th e clos e d T h e h a nd i s
frequently s urrounded by th e cr u ciform n i mbus w hich i n th e e a rly
cent uries wa s gi ven to G o d a lon e T h e h a nd i s most fr equently s e en
i n pictures of th e B a ptis m o f Ch r is t 3 t h e A gony i n t h e G a rd e n ; i n
th e Crucixion w h e re i t is p l a c e d on the s um m it of t h e cross in th e
a c t of benedi ction ; a n d w h e n J esus is represented a s re a sc e nding to
h e a ven a fter h is de a th b e a ring t h e cross i n h is h a n d t h e righ t h a n d

of th e F a th e r i s e xt e nd e d t o h i m a s i f in a m a nn e r to a ssist h i m t o
rise
I n a noth e r repr e s e nt a tion o f the h a nd of G o d it i s ll e d w ith
l ittle n a ked gures w hos e h a nds a r e j oin e d a s if i n pra yer T h e s e
a r e t h e soul s of th e righ t e o us w ho h a v e r e turned to G o d
T h e n e xt symbo l o f t h e F a th e r w a s a fa c e i n the clouds th e n a
bust ; a n d gr a d u a l ly by th e end o f th e fou rt e e nth c e ntury a gur e
a n d distin ct ch a r a ct e ristics r e p res e nt e d t h e rs t person of t h e Go d
h e a d I n t h e b e gi nn ing there wa s l ittl e o r no d istin ction bet w e e n
th e r e pr e sent a t ions of t h e F a th er a n d S on 3 b ut gra d u a l ly t h e F a th e r
w a s m a d e old e r W h ile the pl a ce of honor t h e roy a l cro wn o n h is h e a d
a n d th e glob e i n
h is h a n d indi c a ted a su perior d ignity a n d consid e r
1
a t ion
F ro m th is tim e to th a t of t h e R en a iss a nce h o we ver t h e
repr e s e nt a tion s of G o d w e re b ut l itt l e more than thos e of a p o pe or
ki ng ; t he tri pl e ti a ra wa s inde e d incr e a s e d by t h e a ddition of t w o
m ore cro wn s a n d w h e n i n t h e g a rm e nts o f a k ing a n i mbus e ncircl e d
t he cro wn W ith t he ae sth e ti c g e n i u s a n d progr e ss of t h e R e n a is
s a n ce w ith M ich a el A ng e lo P e rugino a n d R a ph a el c a m e r e pre s e nt a
tions of G o d th a t m or e s a tisfa ctorily e mbody th a t m ent a l concep t ion
w h ich c a n n e ver b e e mbod i e d
t h e con cept ion o f G o d of J eho va h
th e Cre a tor a n d A nci e nt of d a ys B ut a t l e ngth i t c a m e t o be re me m
bered th at n o p e rson a l r e present a tion of t h e F a ther should e ver be
m a de N o mort a l m a n h a th s een or c a n s e e h i m ; a n d Jesus being
t h e Word w a s t h e s p e e ch of G o d a n d wa s t h e tting r e present a tio n
of t h e F a th e r W hen e v e r h e h a d s p o k e n S inc e t h e sixteenth cent ury
the F a th er h a s b e e n symbol ized by th e tri a ngl e w h ich i s h i s l ine a r
e mblem or som e other g e om e tric a l g u re inscribed w ith h is n a m e
T h is r a d i a ting c ircl e i s i tsel f a n
a n d su r rounded w ith r a ys of l ight
e mb l e m of eternit y
S ometi mes a ood or bl a ze o f l igh t a lone is

of brightness wh i ch the pro p h e t

a ppe a ra nc e
t h e symbol of th e
.

'

Ch ris t

as

G od ,

e qua

t r

t o t h e Fa he

as m a n ,

i n f e r i or t o t h e F a th e r

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

I N

11

d e scrib e s (E ze k v ii i 2 ) 3 but th e tri a ngle bec a m e extrem e ly popul a r

on a cco unt of t h e i de a s or t e a ch ing w hich i t embodied Here th e
F a th e r represented by h i s n a me i n H e bre w occupi e d t he centre of
t h e tri a ngle w hi ch symbol iz e d t h e T rin ity a n d a ll wa s cont a ined i n
t h e circle of E ternity
T h is a bstrus e symbo l i s oft e n s e e n i n t h e decor a tions of th e
ch urch e s o f t h e p re s e nt da y a n d u p on t h e v e stm e nts of bish op s
.

IV

S Y M B OL S

O F GO D T H E S ON

u su a l symbol s of C hrist h a ve b e e n m e ntioned u n d e r th e h e a d

of gen e ra l symbols 3 for th e y a r e c a p a bl e of v a rious s ign ic a t i on s a n d
a r e e mploy e d a s a ttrib utes of s a ints or t o d e not e th e ir ch a r a cteristi cs
T h e y a r e t h e glory a ur e ol e or n i mbu s th e sh cross l a m b a n d
l ion T h e tr a dition s of th e e a rl iest p ortra i ts of C hrist w ill b e foun d
by r e ferring t o the leg e nds of K ing A h ga r u s a n d S t Veron i c a F rom
t h e beginning of Christi a n a r t C hrist h a s been re p resented by por
t r a its r a th e r t h a n sy m bols a n d i n such a m a nn e r a s to r e nd e r them
qu i t e unmist a k a bl e I n t h e e a rl i e st repr e s e nt a tions of t h e Cruci xion
it w a s s urround e d with v a rious symbols 3 a n d t h e a i m of t h e a rtists
w ho p a inted th e m wa s to p ortr a y the myst e rio us de a th w h ich convulsed
N a ture r a ised t h e d e a d
T he

s e nt e d by th e cl a ssi c gur e s of S o l a n d Lu n a w ith t h e ra ys a n d

e I n 1 e 1 r or s s ur r o u n e wi t h clo uds w ith th eir
right b a n 8 r a ised to t h e ch e e a n a n cient si n of sorro w A ga in
t e y ore torc es re v e rs e d F igures a r e s e e n r i s i n from tombs a n d
rom the w a ter S ho wing th a t th e d e a d sh a ll ris e from s e a a n d l a nd
E a rth a n d Oce a n a r e a l so symboliz e d
In o n e a ncient i vory E a rt h
is h a lf nude a n d sits beside a tr e e ; in o n e h a nd she holds a corn u
copi a t h e symbol of a b und a n c e w h ile a s e rp e nt n urses at her bre a st
th e e mbl e m of l ife nourish e d by th e e a rt h T he oc e a n is a s a ri ver
god rid i n g on a dol ph in or hold ing a s u b ve r t e m
f m
w a ter po urs forth
T h e ch urch a n d th e syn a gog u e a r e t y pi ed by
fem a les ; t h e o n e on the right or pl a c e of honor th e ch urch holds a
b a nn er a n d g a zes u p a t t h e S a viour w hile on th e left t h e syn a gogu e
t u rn s h e r b a c k a s if r e b e ll ious
T h e Virgin a n d S t J ohn a r e e v e r
,

12

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

pres e n t a t t h e cruci xion from e a rl iest to l a t est tim e T h e ir h a nds

often ra i sed to th e cheek i n t ok e n of a f iction a n d th e d isci pl e
a re
be a rs th e G ospel i n h is h a nd A ngels someti mes h ol d a crown a bove
th e he a d of Christ or h a ng fro m the cross i n a tti tudes of a n gu ish
T h e presenc e of the F a ther i s sho wn by t h e h a nd be for e desc r ibed
w h ich hold s the crow n or i s i n t h e a c t of b l essing Oth er sy mbol s
a r e th e s e rpent twined a bout th e foot of th e cross ; t h e p el ic a n te a r
ing her br e a st t o feed h e r young a n e mble m of r e dem ption a l so of
th e s a cr a ment of t h e E u ch a rist ; a fem a l e gure crown e d with towers
su pposed to r e p resent J erus a l e m ; a sk u l l symbo l iz e s A d a m ; t h e
s a cri ce of a h eifer ty p i e s th e J e wish ri tes ; a n d som etimes t h e
E v a ngelists a r e represented wri ting th e ir G ospels w h il e thei r w ing e d
sym bols wh i sper in t heir e a rs T hes e a r e t h e m ost im port a n t a cces
s o r i e s of the symbol i c a l repr e s e nt a tion s of th e C ruci x ion ; th e h i s t o r
i c a l e a sil y exp l a i n the msel v e s
I n m a ny a n ci ent c r u c i xi o n s t h e
gure of C hri s t is c l othed i n a rob e
S om e h a d a dr a pery from t h e
T h e dra p e d gures a r e mostly i f n o t a l l of
h ips to th e k n e e s
Byz a ntin e origin 3 a n d th e re is a legend w h ich i s gi ven a s a re a son

for th is mod e of r e pres e n t a tion :

A p ri e st w ho h a d exh ibited to
t h e p eop l e a gur e o f C hrist only cinctured w ith a c l oth w a s v isited
by a n a pp a rition wh i ch s a id A l l y e go co vered w ith v a ri ous r a i ment
a n d me ye S ho w n a ked
Go forth with a n d cov e r m e w i t h cloth ing
T h e priest n o t u nderst a n ding wh a t wa s m e n t too k no n otice ; a n d
on t h e th ird d a y th e vision a ppe a red a g a in a n d h a ving scourg e d
h i m sever e ly w ith rods s a i d
H a v e I not tol d yo u to cover th e
w i th g a rments ? Go n o w a n d c o v e r w ith c l oth ing t h e p ic t ur e i n
wh ich I a p p e a r cruci e d
.

S Y M B OL S

OF

TH E

H O L Y G HO S T

F rom t h e s ixth century to t h e pres e nt ti m e t h e d o v e h a s b e e n

I t a ppe a rs i n
t h e cons t a nt a n d u n i v e rs a l symbo l of t h e H oly G host
ill ustra tions of th e S cri pture sc e n es in wh i ch th e Ho l y S pirit i s m e n

moving u pon t h e fa c e of t h e w a ters to t h e D a y o f

t i o n e d from the
Pentecost T here a r e a lso m a ny repres e nt a tions of h i s a ppe a r a nc e i n
h istori c a l scenes a n d i n oth ers wh ic h a r e p a rtly or w holly l egend a r y
T h e dove is oft e n present a t the N a tivi t y a n d t h e A nn unci a t ion : it
i ss u e s fro m t h e rod of J os e p h th u s design a ting h i m to h e t h e spo us e
,

S YIV
I B OL I S M

of

IN

AR T

13

Vi rgin ; i t h o v e rs a bov e t h e h e a ds of hol y m e n a n d s a ints

sho wing th a t th e ir inspira tion i s he a v e n sent a mong these a r e
D a vid S t John th e E v a ngel ist S t J e rom e S t T e r e s a a n d oth e rs
A noth er r e pr e se nt a tion i n tensely symboli c a l i s th a t of t h e S a viour
s urrounded by s e v e n dov e s 3 th e y a r e of sno wy w h it e ness a n d h a ve
th e crucifor m n i mbus ; th ey a r e e mbl e ms of t h e s e v e n gifts of t h e
w isdom u nd e rst a nding
S pirit w it h wh ich C hrist w a s e ndo we d
counsel strength kno wl e dg e pi e ty a n d fe a r ( I s a
T hese dov e s
a r e frequ ently pl a ced w ith thr e e on e a ch sid e a n d one a t t h e top
th u s form ing a k in d of a ur e ol e
I t m a y not be out of p l a c e to
obs e rv e th a t during th e M iddle A g e s s e v e n wa s e ste e m e d a mystic
n u mber T h e re w e re seven gifts of t h e Holy G host 3 s e v e n s a cra
ments ; s e v e n pl a nets ; s e v e n d a ys i n th e w eek ; seven bra nch e s
on the c a ndlesti c k of M oses ; s e v e n l ibera l a rts ; sev e n ch urch e s o f
A si a ; se v e n mysterio u s se a ls ; s e v e n st a rs a n d s e ven symbo l ic tru m
p e ts ; s e ven h e a ds of th e Dra gon ; s e v e n j oys a n d s e v e n sorro ws
of th e Virgi n ; s e ven pen it e nti a l ps a l ms ; sev e n de a d l y sins 3 s e v e n

c a noni c a l hours E v e n M oh a m med s a ys i n t h e Kor a n th at G o d

an ii
Kor
v isit e d th e skies a n d form ed th e r e s e v e n h e a v e ns
(
S om e c a th e dra ls h a v e seven ch a p e ls a s th os e a t R h e i ms a n d Ch a rtr e s
D uring t h e ten t h century th e Holy G host w a s som e tim e s r e pr e
s e nted a s a m a n ; b ut thi s r e pr e s e nt a tion wa s n e v e r rec e i v e d w ith a s
m u ch fa vor a s th e oth er
H e w a s m a de of e v e ry a g e from t h e
e a rl i e st to t h e l a t e st y e a rs of l ife A s a litt l e ch ild h e o a t e d on t h e
wa ters ; a s a young child h e w a s i n t h e a rm s o f the F a th e r ; h is a ge
i s a ccording to the fa ncy o f t h e a rtist o r t h e suppos e d r e qu ir e m e nts
A mo n g t h e l e ge nd a ry p ictures in wh ich h e
of the r e p res e nt a tion
wa s th us r e pr e s e nt e d i s th a t o f th e r e c e pt ion of C hrist in h e a v e n
a ft e r h is
e a rthly m issio n wa s e nd e d ;
t h e Ho l y G host i s s e a t e d
by t h e F a th e r a n d h a s a h oo k symb o l i zing w isdom He bl e ss e s
J e sus a s do e s t h e F a th e r ; h e a l so a ssists a t the coron a tion of th e
V irgin
I n som e in st a n c e s th e t wo r e pre s e nt a tion s of th e H oly
G h o st we r e co m bin e d by t h e gure of a m a n w ith a cl ov e on h is h e a d
or h a nd S til l a nother symbo l i s th a t o f a dov e from wh ich e m a
n a t e ra ys o f l ight S pr e a ding o ut in e v e ry dire ction forming a ra d i
a ting a ur e ol e a bo ut it
T h e dov e is a lso o n e of t h e g e n e r a l symbo l s
of a r t a n d a s such is e mbl e m a tic a l of p urity a n d innoc e nc e w h ich
sign i c a tion wa s m a de m ost e mph a t i c by its u se a s t h e s a cri c e
the

14

S Y M B OL I S M

p uric a tion und e r

f or

is t h e
p urity

ttri b ut e

I N

AR T

Je wi sh l a w A s be fore m e ntion e d it
of c e r t a i n fe m a l e s a ints d e noting ch a stity a n d
the

VI

S Y M B OL S

i n O n e w e re e m p l oy e d i n
I t w a s symbo l iz e d by t h e combin a tion o f
a r t from its e a rl i e st a ges
thre e tri a ngl e s thre e circl e s thr e e sh e s a n d m a ny oth e r re p re s e nt a
tions mor e obscure in th e ir m e a n ings I n l a t e r a r t th e thre e pe rson s
o f t h e T rinity h a v e b e en r e pr e s e nt e d by t hr e e h um a n gur e s e a ch
w ith its s p e ci a l a ttribut e th a t of t h e H oly G h o st b e ing t h e dov e
A noth e r mod e r e pres e nts t h e F a th e r a n d S on w ith the dov e b e tw e e n
th e m 3 i n t h e th irt e e nth a n d fourt e e nth c e nturi e s t h e dov e wa s oft e n
s e en hovering b e tw e e n the rst a n d s e cond p e rsons of t h e T rin ity
w ith t h e t ips of t h e wings touch ing t h e l i ps of e a ch T h is r e p re se n
t a t i on i s c a l l e d t h e d o uble p roc e ss i on of t h e S pirit ; il l us t r a tive of th e

proc e e di n g fro m t h e F a th er a n d th e
w ords of t h e N ic e n e Cr e e d
T h is r e p r e sent a ti o n b e l ongs to t h e L a tin Ch urch
I n th ese
S on
r e pr e s e nt a t ions wh e n t h e l oc a l ity i s h e a v e n t h e gur e s a r e a l wa ys
s e a t e d T h e r e is a d e vi c e c a ll e d t h e It a l i a n T rin ity wh ich wa s p o p
u l a r from t h e t we l fth t o t h e s e v e nt e e nth c e ntury I n th i s t h e F a th e r
h o l ds a cru ci x by t h e e nds o f t h e tra nsv e rs e b e a m t h e fi gure of
Christ h a nging b e t we en h i s kn e e s ; th e d o v e p roc e e ds dow nw a rd s
from t h e l i p s o f t h e F a th er a n d t o uch e s t h e h e a d of t h e S o n or is
S om e a tt e m pts h a v e b e e n m a de to
m e re ly sitting on t h e cross
by t h e r e pres e n t a tion of a body w ith th re e
e mbody th is mystery
h e a ds or a h e a d with thr e e fa c e s ; bu t th e y a r e only fri ght fu l a n d
monstrous
R

p re s e nt a tions o f

OF T H E T R I N I T Y

D i vin e

t he

T hr e e

VI I

S Y M B O L S O F A N GE L S

to D i o n ysi us t h e A r e o p a gite th e re a r e t hre e di visions

of a ngels a n d th e s e e a c h d ivid e d into thr e e cl a ss e s o r choi rs m a k ing
n in e i n a l l
I
C O U N CI LL O RS o r G o n consi st ing o f
1 T H E S E RAP H I M represented a s covered with ey e s
2 T H E C HE R U B I M represented w ith six w ings a n d u su a l ly st a n d
i ng on wh e e l s a cc o rding to t h e d escription of E z e k i e l S om e ti m e s
A ccording

S Y AI B OL I S M

IN

AR T

15

h a v e a n op e n boo k T h e s e t wo ord e rs st a nd a l wa ys b e fo re G o d
p ra ising a n d a doring hi m
3 T H RO NE S a r e r e pr e s e nt e d c a rrying a thron e o r t o we r a n d th e ir
d uty is to support t h e t hrone of Go d
I I G OV E R N OR S T h e s e rul e t h e st a rs a n d r e gu l a te t h e un i vers e
4 D OM I N A TI O N S repres e nted w ith a s word a trip l e cro wn a n d
sc e ptr e or a n orb a n d cross
5 V I R T U E s T hes e c a rry a b a ttl e a xe a n d p e n non or a cr o wn
a n d c e nser a n d a r e i n compl e te a rmor
6 P O W E RS
T
a b a ton or a r e i n t h e a c t o f scou rging
ho
l
d
hese
or ch a in ing e vil s p irits
I I I M E S S E N GE R S O F GO D
7 P R I N C E D O M S OR P R I N CI P A L I T I E s T h e s e a r e i n a rm or w ith
e
nnons
or
holding
l
i
l
y
a
p
8 A R C H A N G EL S
Of th e se three a r e un i v e rs a lly k nown b y n a m e
e s p e ci a l ly vener a ted a n d depicted i n C hristi a n A r t

a
M IC H A EL ( lik e unto
c a pt a in gen er a l of t h e host of
he a v e n pro t ector o f th e Hebre w n a tion conqueror of th e h osts
of he l l 3 lord a n d gu a rdi a n of souls p a tron s a int a n d princ e of the
Ch urch M ilit a nt

b GA B R I EL ( G o d is my
gu a rdi a n of t h e Bl e ss e d
Virgin th e b e a r e r of import a n t mess a g e s th e a ngel of t h e A nn u m
th e preceptor of t h e p a tri a rch Joseph
c i a t ion

the ch i e f o f gu a rd i a n a ngels
0
R AP H A EL ( t h e m ed icin e of
t h e con ductor of t h e young T obi a s
T r a dition n a m e s four o t h er a rch a n gel s

t h e strong com p a n i o n t h e reg e nt

d U R I EL ( t h e light of G o d
1
of th e sun th e t e a ch e r of E sdra s

C H AM U EL ( o n e wh o s e e s G od ) is b e l i e v e d by som e to b e
e
t he y

te d i n Ch r i sti a n A r t a s h ol d i n g i n h i s r i gh t h a n d a d r a w n
A n ot h e r t r a d it i on n a m e s t h e
sw or d a c r o s s h i s br e a st w ith a m e s o n h i s l e ft
th r e e l st m e n ti o n e d a r c h a n ge l s a s f oll o ws S e a l t i e l t h e P ra yi n g S pi ri t sa i d t o
h e t h e a n ge l w h o a p p e a r e d t o A ga r i n t h e wi l d e r n e s s w h o m A r t d e pi c ts w i t h f c e
a n d e ye s c a s t d o w n
a n d h i s h a d s c l a s p e d u p o n h i s b r e a st a s i f h e w e r e a p e n i
t e n t ; J e h u d i e l t h e R e m u n r a to r su pp o s e d t o b e t h e a n ge l w h o m G o d s e n t b fo e
t h e c h i l d re n f I sr a e l a n d wh o i n p i c t r e s h o l d s a g o l d n c r o wn i n h i s r i gh t h a n d
a n d a s c o u r e o f t h r e e b l a c k c o r d s i n h i s l e ft ; B a r a c h i e l t h e H e l e r s a i d t o b e
p
g
t h e a n g e l wh o s p o k e t o A b r a h a m
a n d wh o r e b u k e d S a r w h e n sh e l a u h e d a n d
g
wh o i s p a i n t e d w i th t h e l a p o f h i s c l o a k l l e d w i th w h i t e r os e s
1

Ur i e l i s

r e pr e s e n

16

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

IN

wh o wr e st l e d w ith J a cob a n d a pp e a r e d to C hrist d uring h i s

a gony in th e g a rd en ; b ut others bel ieve th a t th is w a s G a brie l

a rd i a n of t h e tr e e
a uty of G o d
J
O
P
H
I
EL
the
be
th
e
gu
of
(
f
knowledge a n d t h e one w ho drov e A d a m a n d E ve fro m the G a rden
o f E den th e prot e ctor of thos e wh o se e k truth the pr e c e ptor of the
sons of N o a h t h e en emy of a l l wh o p urs ue v a in knowledge

e ss of
A
h
Z
ADK
I
EL
t
righteou
sn
ccord
ing
to
som
e
e
9
(
from s a cri cing Is a a c ;
a uthorities h e st a y e d the h a n d of A br a h a m
b ut oth ers bel i e v e th a t this w a s done by M ich a el
Th e a ttributes of M i ch a e l a r e t h e s word a n d sc a les ; of G a bri e l
t h e l ily ; of R a ph a e l t h e st a ff a n d gou rd of the pilgri m ; of U riel
a rol l a n d book ; of C h a m uel a cu p a n d st a ff ; of Joph iel a a ming
sword 3 a n d of Z a dk iel t h e s a cri ci a l kn ife W hen r e presented merely
ch a r a cters they a r e i n
a s a rch a ngels a n d n ot i n their distin cti v e
com plet e a rmor h old ing their swords w it h p oints u p w a rds a n d
som e tim e s w ith trum p e ts
9 A N G E L s V a rio usly r e p r e s e nted a ccord ing to t h e p ur p os e for
wh ich th ey a r e sen t forth
T h e G ree k word for a ng e l sign i e s l it e ra lly a bring e r of tidings 3
th e refor e t h is t e rm though a ppl i e d to a ll h e a v e nly beings b e lo w t h e
Godh e a d belongs most prop e rly to a rch a ngels a n d a ngel s w ho a r e
brough t into com m uni c a tion w ith m a n k ind W h e n C hrist i s r e p

resen t ed w ith w ings i n G re e k a r t i t i s a s the gr e a t a ngel of t h e

John the B a ptist a n d th e E v a ngelists a r e a ngels a l so
w ill of Go d
i n a sm u ch a s th ey w er e G od s m ess e nge rs a n d they a r e som e ti mes
l
A glory of a ng e ls i s a repre sent a t i on i n
r e presented w ith w ings
wh i ch t h e T rin ity C hrist or t h e Virgi n is surrou nded by circl e s of
T h e interior circl es t h e
a ngels r e presenting t h e di ffer e n t choirs
S e r a ph i m a n d Ch e rub im a r e symbolized by he a d s w ith two four
or si x w ings a n d a r e u su a lly of a brigh t r e d or bl ue color P roperly

the S er a ph w hose n a m e sign i es to l ove sh ould b e r e d ; a n d t he

A ngel s
C heru b w h os e n a m e sign ies to kno w shou l d be bl u e
should a l w a ys b e young b e a utiful perfe ct b ut so repre s e nted a s to
s e e m im mort a l r a th er th a n et e rn a l S inc e they a r e cre a ted beings
I n e a rly a r t th ey were a l w a ys d ra ped ; a n d a lth ough a l l colors a r e
employed in th e dr a pery w h ite sh ould b e the pre v a iling one Win gs
the

on e

S e e t h e A n g e l s , o r B i sh o p s ,
R e v e l a ti o n s , o f S t J o h n
1

of

th e S e

ve n

Ch u rc h e s , i n t h e A po c a l y ps e ,

or

S Y M B OL I S M

IN

AR T

17

seldom wa nti n g a n d t h e re pr e s e nt a tio n of th e m a s t h e a ttribut e

of c e les t i a l beings d id not origin a t e i n Christi a n a r t T hi s symbol
of might m aj esty a n d d i vi n e be a uty i s found i n the r e m a ins o f
E gypt B a bylon a n d N i n e v e h a s we ll a s i n E tr u sc a n a r t
are

VI I I

S Y M B OL S O F

VI R

TH E

GI N

A mong t h e

symbols of t h e Bless e d Virgin th e tit l e s by wh ich

S h e is known a n d fro m wh ich cert a in pictur e s a n d e fg i e s a r e n a med
a r e by no m e a ns th e l e a s t int e resting show i n g a s th e y do t h e e sti
m a tion in wh i ch s h e is h e ld a n d th e t e nd e rn e ss a s we l l a s s a cred
n e ss of the lov e S h e e ng e nders in t h e h e a rts of her fa ithful cli e nts
A s t h e protector of t h e a ffli ct e d sh e i s repr e sent e d w ith h e r r o b e so
s p re a d o ut a s to cov e r the vot a ries w ho p ra y for h e r gr a cious a i d
In t h is ch a ra ct e r sh e h a s s e v e r a l ti tles s uch a s
S a nt a M a ri a d i M isericordi a O ur L a dy of M e rcy ; a n d by th is
title N u e s t r a S e or a d e l a M erc e d sh e is known a s t h e p a troness
of t h e S p a nish Order of M e rcy Wh e n p a inted for th e ir inst it utions
sh e fr e quently holds a b a dg e of th e order on a t a bl e t
S a nt a M a ri a d e l b uon Consil io O ur L a dy o f Good C o uns e l
S M dell a Gr a zi a O ur L a dy of Gr a c e
H e l p of th e A f i ct e d
S M A ux il i u m A ffl i c t o r u m
S M del Pi a nto d e l D olor e O ur L a dy of L a men t a tion o r S o rro w
S M d e l S occorro Our L a dy o f S uccor or of t h e F ors a k e n
S M de buon C uor e O ur L a dy of G ood H e a rt
S M C ons o l a tric e d e l l a Consol a zione or d e l C onfort o O ur L a dy
C
S M R efugi u m P e cc a torum R efug e of S inn e rs
S M . dell a S p era nz a O ur L a dy of Hop e
S h e i s invoked by women in t r a v a il a s
S M del P a rto O ur L a dy of Good D e l i v e ry
A ga i n by th e p e o ple a s
S M dell a P a ce O ur L a d y of P e a ce
S M d e l Popolo O ur L a dy of th e Peopl e
S M dell a Vittori a O ur L a dy of Victory
By students s h e i s i n voked a s
S M dell a S a pienz a Our L a dy of W isdom
S M d e ll a P e rs e v e r a nz a O ur L a dy of P e rs e v e r an c e
,

18

S I ZI I B OL I S M

AR T

I N

When p a int e d for coll e g e s a n d institutions o f l e a rn ing sh e fr e

qu e ntly holds a book
By prison e rs s h e i s c a l led
S M dell a L ibert a or Liber a tri c e O ur L a dy o f Lib e rty
S M de l l a C a ten a O ur L a dy of F ett e rs
T her e a r e a lso m a ny titl e s d e ri ved from t h e circu m st a nc e s o f h e r
l ife or fro m cert a in a cc e ssori e s of t h e repr e s e nt a tion a s
S M dell a C intol a O ur L a dy of t h e G irdl e w h e n sh e giv e s h e r
gird l e t o S t T hom a s
S M d e l Libro wh en sh e h olds t h e boo k of Wisdom
S M d e l Presepio O ur L a dy of the C ra dle wh en in a N a tivity
S M d e ll a Lett e ra t h e M a don n a o f t h e L e tt e r w h ich illu stra t e s
t h e l e gen d th a t s h e w rot e a l e tt e r A D 4 2 fro m J eru s a l e m to th e
p e opl e of M essin a T h is is h er titl e a s p rotectre ss of th a t c ity
S M dell a S cod e ll a w h e n w i th a cu p sh e d ips w a t e r from a
fount a in
S M d e ll a R os a O ur L a dy o f th e R os e , w hen sh e h o l d s a ros e
T h is is h e r title a s prot e ctre ss of P is a w h e n
S M dell a S pi n a
s h e holds th e crow n of thorns
S M d e B e lem O ur L a dy of B e th l e h e m
W ith th is titl e sh e i s
t h e p a troness of th e J eronym it e s
S M d i Lor e tto O ur L a dy of Lor e tto
S e e l e g e nd o f th e S a nt a
C a sa
T h is i s h e r titl e a s prot e ctr e ss of S a r a goss a
S M d e l Pi ll a r
A ccord i n g to th e tr a di tion s h e desc e nded from h e a ven st a nding on
a m a rble p ill a r a n d a pp e a r e d to S t J a m e s w h e n h e w a s pre a ch ing
i n S p a i n T h is l egend i s oft e n seen i n S p a nish p icture s a n d t h e
pill a r is preserv e d i n the c a th ed ra l of S a ra goss a
S M del C a rm ine O ur L a dy of M ount C a rm e l u nd e r w hi ch tit l e
she i s th e p r otectr e ss of th e C a rm e lit e s
M d ell a N e v e O ur L a dy of t h e S no w S e e l e g e nd o f S a nt a
M a ri a M a ggiore
S M d e l R os a rio O ur L a dy of t h e R os a ry
S e e t h e R os a ry
S M dell a S tell a O ur L a dy of t h e S t a r when t h e st a r is e m b r o i
dered on her m a ntl e a s a n a ttribute
S M del F iore O ur L a dy of t h e F lo we r
T h is i s h e r titl e a s
p rotectress of F lorence
C e rt a i n p ro p h e ts a r e som e ti mes re pre s e nt e d a s a tt e nd in g o n M a ry

S Y M B OL I S M

IN

19

AR T

infa nt J e sus T h e y a r e th o s e wh o h a v e r e fe rr e d e s p e ci a ll y t o
th e Inc a rn a tion T h e y a r e
M oses b e c a us e h e beh e ld t h e burn i n g bush
A a ron whos e rod blossom e d m ir a culou sly
G id e on w hos e e e c e wa s we t with d e w wh e n i t wa s dr y a ll a r o und
D a ni e l (D a n i i
D a vid both proph e t a n d a nc e stor
Is a i a h wh o proph e si e d th a t a v irgi n sh o u l d c on c e iv e a n d b e a r a s o n
E z e ki e l (E z e k x l i v
F r e qu e ntly t h e gur e s of th e s e p roph e ts a r e o mitt e d a n d symbols
o f th e m i ntroduced a s t h e burn ing bush for M os e s t h e d e wy e e c e
for G ideon t h e rod for A a ron e t c
C e rta in wom e n too a r e r e ga rd e d a s typ e s of M a ry a n d a r e o ft e n
s e a t e d a t h e r feet or oth e r wis e re p r e sent e d n e a r h e r a s
J udith a n d E sth e r wh o we r e e mbl e m s of t h e Virgin i n h a ving
brough t d e l i v e ra n ce to Isr a el
R uth bec a us e sh e wa s th e a nc e stre ss o f D a vid
B a thsh e b a b e c a us e sh e s a t on t h e right h a nd of h e r s o n

A b ish a g wh o w a s t h e v irgi n wh o w a s bro ught to t h e k ing

T h e r e a r e c e rt a in g e n e r a l symb o l s w hi ch a r e a ls o gi v e n t o M a ry
w ith p e culi a r s ign i c a t i o n s
T H E A PP LE w h e n i n t h e h a nd of t h e in f a nt S a viour sign i e s t h e
sin in P a ra dis e w h ic h m a d e h is com ing n e c e ss a ry ; b u t in t h e h a nd
o f th e V irgin it design a t e s h e r a s t h e s e cond E ve
T H E S E RP EN T t h e g e n e r a l e mbl e m of S a t a n a n d sin h a s a p e c u
l i a r m e a n ing wh e n p l a c e d b e n e a th t h e fe e t of t h e V irgin a n d is ill us

t r a t i ve of t h e p roph e cy I p sa c on t e r e t cap u t t u u m ( S h e sh a l l bruis e

thy h e a d
T H E G L O BE b e n e a th t h e Virgin a n d e nt w in e d by a s e rp e nt i s t h e
symbol of h e r tri umph ov e r a w orld fa ll e n t h rough sin
T H E P OM E G RA N A T E t h e e mb l e m of hop e is fr e qu e ntly gi v e n to
t h e V irgin by t h e ch i l d J e sus
B I RD S in a nci e n t p icture s gur e d t h e soul o r th e spiritu a l
T h us t h e dov e i s th e H oly S pirit
a s t h e o pp osit e of t h e m a teri a l
hov e ring a bov e h er ; w h il e th e s e ven doves w h i ch typify t h e gifts
of t h e S p irit w h e n surround ing t h e V irgin m a k e h e r t h e M a t e r S a
i
e
n
e
r
or
the
M
oth
r
of
Wisdom
W
h
n
dov
s
a
t
i
ae
e
e
e n e a r h e r whi l e
p
sh e r e a ds o r wo rk s th e y e x p r e ss h e r g e nt l e n e ss a n d t e nd e r n e ss
an

d the

'

20

S Y AI B OL I S M

AR T

I N

B OOK i n t h e h a n d of M a ry i f O pen r e p re s e nts t h e boo k o f

Wi sdom ; i f closed or se a l e d it is a mysti c a l symbo l o f t h e V irgi n
w h ich w ill be furth e r ex pl a in e d

F L O W E RS were consecr a ted t o t h e V irgin 3 a n d F R U IT S sign i fy t h e

fru its of the S pirit
j oy p e a c e a n d l ov e
L a stly there a r e m a ny symbols of th e Virgin d e ri v e d fro m t h e Ca n
t i c l e s a n d t h e Li t a n ies of t h e Virgin a n d w hi ch b e long e s p e ci a l ly to h e r

I a m t h e ros e of S h a ron a n d t h e l i l y o f t h e v a ll ey
T H E LILY
C
a nt i i
(
T H E R O S E i s o n e e mb l e m o f l ov e a n d b e a uty a n d e s p e ci a ll y d e d i
A pl a nt a tion or ga rd e n of ros e s is o ft e n r e p re s e nt e d
c a t e d to M a ry
T H E E N C L O S E D G ARD EN (C a nt i v
W h e n sh e
T H E S T A R i s often e mbroi d e r e d on h er v e i l or m a nt l e
h a s a cro wn o f t we l v e st a rs i t i s illu stra ti v e o f th e descript ion in
t h e R e vel a tion
S h e i s a lso c a lled S tell a
M a ris th e S ta r of the S e a 3 S tell a J a cobi
t h e S t a r of J a cob ; S tell a non E r r a tic a
th e F ix e d S t a r 3 a n d S t e l l a M a t utin a t h e
M orn ing S t a r
T H E S U N A N D M OO N r e fer to h e r a s
t h e wom a n o f t h e
A poc a lyps e
A
wom a n cloth e d w ith t h e s un h a ving th e
m oon und e r h e r fe e t a n d on h e r h e a d

a crown of t we l v e st a rs
T H E S T E M O F J E S S E i s r e p resented a s a
gr e e n bra n ch t win e d wi th o we r s (I s a
xi
T H E P OR T A C L AU S A o r C l os e d G a t e
zek
xl
i
v
E
(
T H E W ELL F OU N T A I N C IT Y o r D A
V I D T E MP LE O F S O L OMO N A N D T O W E R
O F D AV I D a r e a l l sy mbols borro we d
from t h e C a ntic l e s
T H E O L I V E T HE C Y PR E SS A N D T H E
P A L M a r e a ll embl ems of t h e Virgin T h e
rst sign ies p e a c e h o pe a n d a bun
d a nce 3 t h e s e con d p oin ts to h e a v e n a n d
t h e th i r d s p e a k s o f vict o ry
T e t a m or ph
TH E

I N

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

C E D A R 0 F L EB A N O N by its h e ight its p e r fum e its h e a ling

qu a liti e s a n d its incorru p t ible subst a nc e symboliz e s t h e gre a tn e ss
goodn ess a n d b e a uty of the Virgin
T H E S E A LE D B OOK i n t h e h a nds of the Virgin a llud e s to the t ext
In th a t book we r e a ll my m e mb e rs writt e n a n d a lso to t h e s e a led
b ook d e scribed by Is a i a h (xx ix l l
T H E M I RROR i s borro we d a s an e mb l e m fro m t h e b o o k o f Wi s
dom (vi i 25 ) Sp e c ul ar si n e m a c ul d
The e xpl a n a tion of t h e s e v e n j oys a n d t h e s e v e n sorrow s of t h e
Virgin a s we l l a s th a t of t h e mysteri e s of t h e R os a ry w ill be found
by refe re nc e to th e m i n th e ir a l p h a b e tic a l o rd e r i n t h e n e xt di visio n
o f th is b oo k
TH E

IX

S Y M B OL S

OF T H E E VA N GE L I S T S

W h e n t h e E v a ng e lists a r e r e p r e s e nt e d tog e th e r it is i n th e ir ch a r
u pon wh os e t e st i mony the t r u th of C hristi a nity
a cter of w itnesses
rests 3 w hen th e y a r e singl e th e y a r e usu a lly pre s e nt e d a s t e a ch e rs o r
p a trons The e a rl iest sym
bol of the E v a nge l ists wa s
a Gre e k cross w ith a scroll
or book i n e a ch a ngl e
e mblems o f th e writers o f
T he s e c
t h e four G osp e ls
ond symbo l wa s th at of t h e
four ri vers w hich ris e i n
(M i ) S t M k
P a r a dise
S om etimes th e
S a viour w ith a l a mb or th e symbol i c A gnu s D e i wa s repr e s e nt e d on
an e m in ence w it h t h e fo ur stre a m s symbol izing t h e E v a ngeli s t s
owing from b e n e a th hi m T h e ir next
Symbol wa s th e fo u r e ry cr e a t u res o f
E zek i el s vis ion (E zek i
T h e se
w e r e interpre t ed by t h e Jews a s r e p
r e senting th e a rch a n gels 3 a lso th e
prophets Is a i a h J e remi a h E zek iel
a n d D a ni e l ; b ut t h e e a rly Christi a ns
expl a ined th e m a s e mbl e ms of t h e
St M k
E v a ngelists
T h e fou r be a st s of t h e A p oc a l yps e r e ce i v e d t h e sa m e e xpl a n a
,

osa c

ar

ar

22

S YM B OL I S M

IN

t ion a n d in t h e s e v e nth c e ntury th ey

sy mbo l s o f th e s e insp ir e d w itn e sses
,

AR T

had

the

b e co m e

distincti v e

J e rome ex p l a ins t h e i n di vi
d u a l a p p l ic a tion o f th e s e symbols
th us
I T h e C h e r ub wh ich most r e
e mbl e s a h u m a n b e in g wa s gi ven
s
>
2
to S t M a tth e w b e ca us e he spe a ks
m ore o f the h u m a n than o f t h e
d i vin e n a tur e o f o u r S a vio ur
2 T h e Lion sym bol iz e s S t M a rk
(M s i 5 t h C t y ) S t L k
for thre e re a son s
a
H e comm e nc e s h is e p i stl e w ith the m ission of S t J ohn t h e

T h e voi c e of o n e crying i n t h e w ild e rn e ss

B a ptist
b T h e k ing o f b e a sts
i s a typ e o f the roy a l dig
t
of
Christ
hich
n it
w
S
y
M a rk m a k es so a pp a r e n t
A ccord ing to a n
0
Ori e nt a l tra dition t h e
young l ion s a r e born d e a d
a n d a ft e r th r e e d a ys a r e
m a d e a l i v e by t h e bre a th
(M i 1 1 th C t y ) S t J h
sir e ;
o r t h e ro a r of t h e
th us th e y a r e a n e mbl e m of t h e R e surre ction o f wh ich S t M a r k is
c a lled th e h i stori a n
3 T h e O x w a s gi v e n to S t Luk e b e c a us e b e esp e ci a lly s e ts forth
th e priesth ood of C hrist a n d t h e ox is
symbo l i c a l of s a cri c e
4 T h e E a gl e w a s gi v e n to S t J oh n
lofty ights o f h is
e mb l e m o f t h e
as an
ins p ir a tion

O thers re g a rd e d th e s e b e a sts a s sh a d
o wing forth t h e Inc a rn a tion P a ssion R e s u r
r e ction a n d A scension o f J esus ; a n d th e y
a r e a l so bel ie ved to repr e s e nt th e fo urfo l d
ch
king
h
igh
a r a cter of Christ
a s m an
St L k
(M i A D
p riest a n d God
T h e se sy m bo li c c re a t ur e s w er e a l wa y s r e p re s e nt e d a s win ge d Th e
St

en

o a c,

ur

e.

osa c ,

en

ur

osa c ,

u e

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

IN

23

u nion of a ll four b e a sts forms that myst e rio us e mbl e m c a ll e d t h e

h
t
e
n
e
w
L
a
w
e
a
e
w
etr
morph
noth
r
symbol
a
om
n
r
p
res
nts
e
a
n
I
a
T
or the Ch urch S h e i s cro wn e d a n d s e a t e d on a cre a ture w h o h a s
t h e fo ur he a ds of these symboli c b e a s t s t h e body of a horse a n d
four feet e mbra cin g one of e a ch of th e fou r cre a tures A g a i n the
Ch urch is in a t riumph a l ch a riot driv e n by a ch e rub or a n ge l
ox a n d e a gl e Th e n e xt a dv a nc e wa s th e
a n d dra w n by t h e lion
combin a tion of t h e h u m a n form with th e he a ds of th e se mysti c be a sts
F igures form e d i n th i s wa y we r e sometim e s r e pres e nt e d a lt e rn a t ely
T hes e i de a s
w i th t h e gures of th e prophets a l l form ing a circl e
se e m to h a v e b e e n borro we d fro m th e w ing e d bu ll s w ith h u m a n
h e a ds found a t N ineveh
A t l e ngth t h e only symbo l r e t a ined i n th e r e p r e s e nt a tions of t h e
E v a ng e lists wa s t h e w ings T hes e w er e a tt a ched to t h e h um a n for m 3
th ey be a r their books a n d th e
symbol i c cre a t ur e s wer e r e pr e
s e nted n e a r th e m or at th e ir feet
T h e E v a nge l ists w ere oft e n
r e present e d toge t h e r w ith four
p rophets thu s sym bo l izing th e
old a n d n e w l a w ; or wi th fo ur
doctors of the Ch urch a s wi t
nesses t o a n d int e rp r e t e rs o f
t h e truth
I n l a ter a r t t h e E v a n g e
l ists a p p e a r w ithou t e mblems
o r a ttrib ut e s ; som e tim e s w ith
th e ir n a mes inscrib e d a bov e or
bene a th their r e pre s e nt a tions
In sp e a k ing of the d i ff e re n t
st a ges of th is symbol ism M rs
F
A
)
g li
(
(Fr A g li )

J a m e son s a ys : I t w ill b e i n
t e r e s t i n g to p a us e for a moment a n d t a k e a r a p id re t ros p ectiv e
v ie w of t h e progress from rst to l a st i n the e xpression of a n id e a
through form F irs t w e h a v e t h e m e re fa ct t h e fou r scrolls o r
t h e four boo k s
N e xt th e id e a
t h e four ri v e rs of s a l v a tion ow ing
f ro m on high to fe rtiliz e t h e w hol e e a rth
T h irdly t h e pro p h e ti c
t h e winged ch e ru b o f fo urfo l d a s p e ct
symbol
N e xt t h e Christi a n

c o.

ra

co

24

S Y M B OL I S M

IN

AR T

symbol t h e four b e a sts i n th e A p oc a ly p s e w ith o r w ithou t t h e

T h e n th e comb in a tion of the e mblem a ti ca l a n i m a l w it h
a ng e l w ings
T hen t h e h u m a n p e rson a g e s e a ch o f vener a bl e
t h e h um a n form
or inspired a sp e ct a s b e com e s t h e t e a ch e r a n d w i tn e ss ; a n d e a c h
no longer a n e mb l e m bu t a n
a ttended by t h e S cri pt u ra l e mbl e m
A n d l a stly
a ttribute m a rking h i s indiv idu a l voc a tion a n d ch a r a ct e r
the e mbl e m a n d a ttribut e b o th d isc a rded we h a v e t h e h um a n being
only ho l d ing h is go sp e l th a t i s h is v e rsion o f t h e doctrin e o f
1
C hrist
,

S Y M B O L S O F T H E A P O S T L ES

rl i e st p ure l y symbo l i c re p re s e nt a tion o f t h e T w e l v e

A po st l e s wa s th a t of t we l v e sh e e p surrou nding C hrist t he good
h
e p h e rd w h il e h e bor e a l a m b i n h i s a rm s ;
S
a N N O E g.
or a g a in Jesu s a s t h e L a mb of G o d i s on a n
e m i n e nce from w h ich ow t h e four ri vers o f
P a ra di se wh il e on o n e sid e six sh e e p l e a v e
J e ru s a l e m a n d on th e oth e r sid e th e s a m e
n umb e r l e a v e B e thl e h e m
T h e y were v e ry
r a r e l y r e pre s e nt e d by dov e s T h e n e x t a d
v a n c e wa s to r e p res e nt them a s m e n a n d a l l
b e a ring sh e e p ; o r i n
pl a c e of shee p scrolls
a n d d is t ingu ish e d fro m
in
e a ch oth e r by t h e
scri pt ion of th e ir n a m e s
a bov e them
A ccording to tr a d i
tion t h e A postl e s b e
fore sep a r a ting co m
pos e d t h e A postles
Cre e d of wh ich e a ch
furn ish e d a s e n
on e
St J h
t e n c e or a rti cl e T h e se
a r e inscribed on th e ir scrolls a s follow s
Cre do i n D e u m
S t P e te r
P a t r e m omni p ot e nt e m c r e a t o r e m c m l i e t t e rrae 3 S t A ndre w E t i n
J e s u m Ch r i s t um F i l i um e j u s un i cu m D om in u m n o stru m ; S t J a m e s
The

ea

S a c re d

and

L e ge n d a ry A rt

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

25

Maj or Q u i concept us est de S pirit u S a n oto n a tu s ex M a ri a Vir

gine ; S t John P a ss us sub Pon tio P i l a t e c r uc i xu s mort u us e t
Descend it a d inferos t e rti a di e r e s u r r e xi t
P h ilip
se p u l t u s 3 S t
A sc e n d i t a d c oe l o s se d e t a d d e xt e r a m
a m or t u i s ; S t J a mes M inor
Inde v e n t u r u s est j udi c a re
De i P a tris o m n i p o t e n t i s 3 S t T hom a s
B a rtholomew Credo i n S pi r i t u m S a n ctu m ;
v i vc s e t m o r t u o s 3 S t
S t M a tth e w
S a n c t a m E c c l e s i a m Ca t h o l i c a m s a nctorum c o m m u
a
t
a
e
M
tth i a s
n i on e m
t
imon
e
m
i
s
i
o
n
e
m
p
cc
toru
m
S
S
R
s
S
3
;
C a rn is r e s u r r e c t i o n e m 3 S t T h a ddeus E t V it a m ae ter n a m F rom
t h e sixth century ev e ry one of the A postles h a d h is es p e ci a l a t t ribut e
w h ich wa s t a ken fro m some circumst a nc e o f h is l ife or d e a th a n d
wh ich w ill b e foun d i n th eir r e sp e ct iv e l e g e n d s
The se a ttribut e s a r e
a s follow
S t Peter th e keys or a sh
S t A ndre w t h e tr a nsverse cross wh i ch b e a rs h is n a m e
S t J a m e s M aj or th e pilgri m s st a ff
S t John : th e ch a l ic e w ith t h e serpent is t h e p rop e r a ttri but e of
th is A p ostl e 3 but th e e a gle wh ich is h is a ttrib ut e a s an E v a nge list
is sometim e s seen w h en h e is w ith th e A postl e s
S t T hom a s gen e r a lly a bui l d e r s ru l e 3 r a r e l y
a Sp e a r
S t J a m e s M inor a c l ub
S t Ph ilip a sm a l l cross on a st a ff or cr o si e r
s urmounted by a cross
S t B a rtholom e w a kn i fe
S t M a tthe w a p urs e
S t S imon a s a w
S t T h a ddeus a h a lb e rd o r l a n c e
S t M a tthi a s a l a n c e
S ometi mes S t P a ul S t M a rk a n d S t Lu k e
a r e r e presented w ith t h e A postles a n d some oth ers
a r e l e ft o ut a s t h e n u mber is a lw a ys t we lv e
In
such c a ses S t P a ul b e a rs either o n e or t wo swords
Th e A postles h a ve a lso b e e n r e pres e nted se a ted
(F A g li )
on clouds s urrounding th e S a viour a s th e y a r e
suppos e d to be in h e a ven L a ter a r t h a s not only distingu ish e d e a ch
o f the A postl e s by h is own a ttribute
it h a s a lso a ttempted t o rep
resent t h e ch a ra cter o f e a ch in t h e fa c e a n d b e a ring ; a n d t h e ill us
,

ra

c o.

26

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

o f t h e l e ge nds w hich d e velop t h e ch a ra cteri stics dra wn fr o m

th e S cri pt ure history en a bles th e a rtist to a ccomplish th is obj ect
som e times with wonderful e ffect

t r a t i on

XI

S Y M B OL S

OF

T H E M O N A S TI C O R D E R S

To a stud e n t or l ov e r of a r t th e re i s a w orl d of int e re st co nn e cted

w ith t h e mon a sti c ord e rs w i th thei r found e rs th e ir a rtists th e ir
pictures W h i l e they institut e d sch ools b uilt c a th edr a ls a n d fou nded
lib sp i t a l s th e y w e r e th e most m u n i c e n t p a trons of a r t t h e world
h a s e ve r s e e n
To th e m we a r e indebted for m a ny of the r a r e st
gem s of p a inting I nt e nd e d for the seclusion of ch urch a n d Cl ois t er
t h e y n o w be l o n g t o a l l t h e w or l d ; for w ho th a t h a s g a zed on the
M a donn a d i S a n S isto o n t h e S piri t mov ing p ictures of A ngelico
t h e Blessed a n d m a ny m a ny oth ers does n ot feel that h e h a s a
p ossession in th em ; th a t they h a ve i mp a rted som eth ing to h i m th a t
w a s I l i a som eth ing i nte n d ed for h i m a n d h eld in trust until h e
c a m e to cl a i m h is o w n I T h e re a r e cert a i n pecul i a riti es in w h a t m a y
be c a lled mon a stic pictures w h ic h were most tting w hen th ese were
in their proper pl a c e s bu t w h ich s e e m in congruo us w hen these pi c
tures a ppe a r i n t h e g a lleri es of a r t or on t h e w a lls of p a l a ces
I
refer e sp e ci a lly to the r e p r e s e nt a tion of t h e p e rson a ges a n d t h e
pecul i a r h a bi ts a n d symbol s of t h e d i ff er e nt orders for w h ich t h e pi c
t ures w e re p a inted F or inst a n ce i n p ictures of the A nn unci a tion
a n d oth er sc e nes from t h e l ife of t h e V irgin or the S a v io ur w e s e e
t h e found e rs of ord e rs a n d institutions i n their distincti ve dress 3 a n d
u nti l w e consid e r th a t t h e
pi ctures w er e p a inted for these orders
a n d i n h onor of th e s e v e ry fo und e rs a n d s a ints w e wonder a t a n d a r e
d isturbed by th e s e eming in a ppro p ri a t e n e ss of the re p resent a tions
Th at th e se th ings a r e so m a kes i t a n e c e ssity that som e a tten tion
sh ou l d b e giv e n to th e s e symbols a n d h a b its A knowl edge of th em
e n a bles o n e to d e cide for w h a t ord e r a p icture wa s
intend e d a n d
e xpl a ins m u ch of i ts i mport a n d p urpos e
T her e a r e cert a in gen e r a l symbo l s wh i ch h a v e a pe c u l i a r s ig n i
ca nc e i n mon a stic pictures
T H E N I M B U S is gi v e n on l y to a c a non ized s a int n ev e r to a be a t o
som e tim e s t h e p icture is p a in t e d b e for e c a n o n iz a tion a n d t h e n imb us
a dd e d a ft e rwa rd s
,

'

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

27

I N F A N T C H R I S T is oft e n pl a ced in th e a rms of a s a int ; or i n

som e picture s of the Virgin sh e bends down a n d pl a ces th e ch ild i n
the a rms of holy m e n a n d w om e n T hese a r e genera lly repres e nt a
tion s of v ision s w h ich these s a ints h a ve h a d or have a risen fro m
legends l ike th a t of S t A n thony of P a du a w h ich rel a t e s th a t th e
S a v iour c a m e in th is form a n d stood on h is boo k while h e p r e a che d
the G ospel
T H E S T A N DARD surmounted by t h e cross b e lo n gs esp e ci a lly to
such a s w ere m ission a ri e s a n d a post l e s a n d c a rried t h e Gosp e l to
h e a then n a tion s It i s a lso a n a ttrib ut e of t h e wa rrior s a ints con
n e c t e d w ith th e mon a stic orders
T H E C R OW N at th e feet of s a in t s indic a tes that t h ey w ere of roy a l
birth or resign ed their k ingdoms for th e mon a st e ry If th ey r e
t a i n e d their r a nk until d e a th they w e a r the crown ; a n d fem a l e
s a ints of roy a l blood frequ e ntly we a r the d i a dem outside t h e veil
1
A S E RAP H d isting u ishes th e s a ints of th e S er a ph i c Order
T H E S TI G MA T A or S im il itud e of the W o unds of C hrist b e long
properly to S t C a th erin e of S ien a a n d S t F r a nci s a lone but a r e
sometimes gi ven to S t M a ri a M a dd a len a de P a zzi
T H E B OO K i n th e h a n d h a s the gen e ra l sign ic a t ion of t h e Gospel ;
but a ccomp a nied by the pen or ink horn it ind ic a t es th a t th e s a int
w a s an a uthor a n d t h e book i s someti mes lettered w i th th e proper
t itles of h is w orks T h e open book in th e h a nd of a founder is t h e
s y mbol of the rule of h is order a n d i s oft e n inscri b e d w ith t h e rst
sente n c e o f t h e r u le
T H E CR U CI E I K i n t h e h a nd sign i e s a p r e a ch e r ; i t i s a l so a n
e mblem of pen a n c e a n d fa ith
T H E F L AM I NG H E AR T is an e mblem of d ivine l ov e
It i s given
to S t A ugusti n e T h e he a rt crowned w ith thorns b e lo n gs to S t
F r a ncis d e S a les
Th e he a rt inscribed w ith I H S is given t o
Jesu it s a in t s to S t T e re s a S t Bridget of S w e de n a n d S t M a ri a
M a dd a len a d e P a zzi
T H E C RO W N o r T H O R N S on the h e a d or in t h e h a nds i s t h e
symbol of su ff ering for C hrist s s a k e
T H E P A L M i s not a genera l sy mbo l for t he m on a sti c s a ints but i s
giv e n to S t Pl a cid a s S t Bon ifa ce a n d S t Thomas a B e ck e t of t h e
TH E

Th e O r d e r

of

S t F ra n c i s
.

28

S Y AI B OL I S M

I N

AR T

B e n e dictin e s ; to S t A ngel us a n d S t A l bert of t h e C a r m e l it e s,

to S t P eter M a rtyr, of th e D ominic a ns a n d bu t fe w others
.

T H E S CO U R GE

an

is the sym bol of self i n i c t e d pen a n c e

W A L K I NG O N T HE S E A r e pr e s e nts a m ir a cl e a ttri b uted to t h e s a int
wh o is so p a inted
T H E C ARD I N A L S H A T is gi ven to S t Bon a v e n tur e
H e is dis
t i n gu i s h e d fro m S t J erom e by th e F r a n ci sc a n girdl e
T H E M IT R E A N D P AS T ORA L S T A F F b e long to a bbots a n d b is ho p s
T h e st a ff w ithou t t h e m i tr e i s pro p e r only to a bbesses
S L A V E s WIT H B ROK EN C H A I N S a s w e ll a s begg a rs ch i l dr e n a n d
l epers a t th e fe e t of a s a int sign i fy b e n e c e n c e
R O S E S a r e sign i c a n t of t h e n a m e of t h e s a int o r a r e conn e ct e d
w ith some circu mst a n c e in th e ir l iv e s a s w ith S t E l iz a bet h of
H ung a ry a n d S t Doro t h e a
T H E L I L Y i s a n e mbl e m of p urity a n d ch a stity a n d of v e ry g e n e ra l
u se ; b ut i t belongs e speci a lly to S t
Cl a r a S t A nthony of P a du a
S t C a th erin e of S ien a a s w ell a s to thos e w h o m a de vows of celi
b a cy l ike S t C a sim ir a n d others T h e cruci x tw in e d w ith l ili e s
b e longs to S t N i chol a s of T ol enti n o T h e l ily a lso belongs to s uc h
a s de voted themsel ves especi a lly t o the Blessed Virgin
T H E S T AR o v e r th e h e a d or br e a st e xpre ss e s th e d iv in e a tt e sta
t ion to t h e s a nct ity of t h e s a i n t
T H E S U N on th e bre a st is t h e symbo l of t h e l igh t of w isdom
T H E D OV E is th e e mbl e m o f t h e d ir e ct i nsp ira tion o f t h e Ho l y
G host
T H E F I S H a s t h e e mbl e m of b a p tism b e longs to some e a rly
m ission a ries a n d to such a s con verted t h e h e a th en
T H E L AM B is prop e r t o S t F ra ncis a s th e sym bo l of m e e k n ess
W I LD B EAS T S a t t h e fe et of a s a in t signi fy t h a t h e cle a re d a
w ilderness or founded a con ven t in a sol itud e
T H E H I N D O R S T A G is the e mbl em of sol itud e
T H E D RA G O N a t th e fe e t i s sin conq uere d ; b ut ch a in e d to a rock
or l e d b y a ch a in i t is h e resy v a nqu ished
T h e h a bits a n d speci a l symbols of d i ff eren t or d ers a r e i m port a nt
F irst th e B e n e d i c t i n e s w ith S t Bened i ct a s t he ir gen e ra l p a tri a rch
e mbr a ce
T H E C AMA L D O LE S I founded by S t R om u a ldo ;
T H E V A L L O M B R O S I A N S fo und e d by S t Joh n G u a l b e r to ;
-

S Y M B OL I S M

I N

AR T

29

C A RT H U S I A N S found e d by S t Bru n o ;
T H E C I S T E R CI A N S founded by S t Bern a rd of C l a irv a ux ;
T H E O L I V E T A N I found e d by S t B e rn a rdo P t o l o m e i 3
T H E C L U N I A CS found e d by S t Peter of Clu gny ;
a n d some oth e r l e ss i m p ort a nt br a nch e s w h i ch are gov e rn e d by t h e
R ul e of S t B e ned ict
T h e color of the h a bit i s n o t e sp e ci a lly d e t e rm in e d in t h e B e n e
d ietine R ul e
In th e e a rly picture s of S t B e n e dict h e we a rs bl a ck ;
b ut i n som e p ictures p a int e d for t h e refor m e d Ben e dictin e s h e is i n
a w h it e h a bit
T h e bl a ck h a b it i s gi v e n to S t S chol a stic a a n d t h e
p upils o f S t Ben e di ct S t M a urus a n d S t Pl a cid a s a n d to S t
F l a vi a ; a lso to S t Bonifa c e the A post l e of Ge rm a ny ; S t B e nn e tt
Bishop of D urh a m 3 S t B en e dict of A n i a n ; S t D unst a n of C a nt e r
b ury 3 S t Wa lpurg i s of E ichst a dt ; S t G iles of L a ngu e doc ; S t Ild e
fo u s e of T ol e do ; S t B a von of G h e nt ; a n d to ne a rly a l l B e n e di ctin e s
wh o l iv e d b e for e t h e y e a r 1 020
T H E C AMA L DO LE S I a n d th e ir fo und e r w e a r wh it e
T H E V A L L O M B R OS I A N S gra y or a sh color
T H E CL UN I A c s bl a ck
T H E C I S T E R CI A N S w h it e
T h e ir h a bit is l ong a n d l oo s e w ith v e ry
wid e s l e ev e s
T H E C AR T H U S I A N S w h i t e
T H E O L I V E T A N I w h it e
These ord e rs furnished t h e e a r l i e st a rtists a n d a rch it e cts of E ur op e
T h e monastery of M ont e C a ssino wa s found e d by S t B e n e dict
Its
ch urch a n d cloist e rs cont a in m a ny works of a r t a n d a mong the m
th e st a tu e s i n m a rbl e of t h e m ost note d m emb e rs a n d b e n e fa ctors
of t h e comm u n ity Th e c a v e a t S ub i a co t h e S a cro S p e co i s of gr e a t
int e r e st a n d p a i nted w ith v e ry a n ci e nt frescos T h ey w ere don e
i n 1 2 1 9 a n d a r e i mport a nt in t h e h istory of a r t A mong th e n e st
ed ices of the B e n e dictin e s m a y be m e ntioned t h e B a silic a of S a n
P a ol o (fuori l e m ura ) at R om e S a n S everino at N a pl e s S a n G iustin a
a t Pa d ua
t h e mon a stery of B a mb e rg i n G e rm a ny S t M a u r M a r
moutier a n d F o n t e vr a u l d i n F ra n c e F or t h e ir con vent a t Pi a c e n z a
t h e M a donn a d i S a n S isto wa s p a i n t e d ; for th a t a t Gr e t t a F err a t a
t h e l ife of S t N ilu s by Domen ich ino ; at S a n S everin o the l ife of
F o r t h e Va l l o m h r o si a n s
S t Benedi ct by A nton i o 10 Z ing a ro
P erugino p a inted the A ssum p tion
T a dd e o G a ddi p a int e d m a n y
TH E

30

S Y M B OL I S M

p ictur e s for

IN

AR T

the

'

C a m a ldo l e si ; a n d for d i e r e n t B e n e dictin e o r d e rs,

G h irl a nd aj o a n d A ndre a d e l S a rto p a inted some of th e ir nest
pi ctures T he C e rtosa d i P a vi a i s u n e qu a ll e d i n m a ny po ints a n d
h a s w orks of Lu in i Borgognon e a n d m a ny other fa mo us m a sters
T h is i s a C a rth usi a n m on a stery a s i s a lso t h e C e rtosa a t R om e
b u ilt by M ich a e l A ng e lo Z urb a r a n a n d Ca r d u c h o p a int e d for t h e
S p a n ish C a rth usi a ns a n d L e S u e ur t h e l ife o f S t Bruno for t ho se
a t P a ris
Th e C isterci a ns h a v e m a ny p icture s o f t h e Bl e ss e d Virgin a s
they e s p e ci a ll y h o n o r h e r a n d d e d ic a t e th e ir ch urch e s u nd e r h e r
p a tron a ge
T h e b e a utif u l ch urch o f S a n L o r e nzo i n Cr e mon a a n d th at o f
S a nt a M a ri a i n Orga no a t V e ron a b e long to t he O l i ve t a n i w h ose
i n T a rsi a or Int a rsi a t ura a b e a u tiful sty l e of i n
a rti sts e xc e ll e d
l a id work I n E n gl a nd m a ny of t h e ne st c a th e dra ls we r e B e n e

d ietin e found a tions a n d t h e wo rd

a bb e y
b e longs e s p e ci a l ly t o
th is o rd e r
.

TH E A

o rd e rs re v e r e nc e

T h e se

p a tri a rch

U G U S T IN E S

of H i ppo

S t A ug usti n e
.

as

t h e ir

ge n e ra l

fo und e r T h e y e mbr a c e
T H E S E RV I fo und e d by S t Ph ilip B e n i z i 3
T H E O RD E R O F M E R C Y foun d e d by S t P e t e r N ol a s c o ;
1
T H E B R I G ITTI N E S fo unded by S t Bridget o f S weden
T h e A ugustin i a ns r e v e r e nc e S t Joseph th e h usb a n d of t h e Virgin
M a ry a s th e ir p a tri a rch a n d p a tron s a int T h e h a bit of t h e A ngus
t i n i a n s is bl a c k
S t A ugu stin e a n d h i s moth e r S t M on ic a a r e t h e
p rin cip a l person a ges i n t h e picture s of t h e ord e r S t Joseph a n d a l l
t h e e v e nts of h is life a r e a lso fa vorit e subj ects ; a n d th e e a rliest m a r
tyrs a n d bishops th ough common to a l l orders a r e e speci a lly h onore d
by t h e A u gustini a ns T h e pri miti v e h e rm its S t A nthony a n d S t
P a ul a l so re ceiv e m u ch v e n e ra tion ; b ut th e ir ch i e f s a i nt is N ich o l a s
o f T olentino
T h e most i m p o r t a nt ch urch e s of t h e A gostin i in I t a l y
a r e t h e S a nt A gostino a t P a vi a w h i ch con t a ins t h e m a gn i c e nt shrin e
o f th e ir found e r wh ich h a s i n a l l t wo h undr e d a n d n in e ty gur e s
work e d in m a rbl e
T h e prin ci p a l e vents of t h e l ife o f S t A u gustin e
an

1
of

S om

th e R

th e r

u e , of

o r d e rs

of m

S t A ug usti n e
.

en
.

an

w om

en

fo ll o w t h e R

u e , or a

m od

i ca ti o n

AR T

IN

S Y M B OL I S M

31

r e pre s e nt e d a n d th e r e a r e a lso st a tu e s of t h e E v a nge l ists A po stl e s

t
R
a
m
ny
s
ints
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gostino
ome i s th e ch urch for
A
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Lor
nzo
of
F
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rich
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of
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sbo
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d
M
y
nc
be
l
ong
to
gu s
a
a
S
e
a
t
t h e dr a l s
t i n i a n s ; a n d th e r e a r e m a n y ch urch e s d e di c a t e d to S t L a wr e n ce
A
a
e
A
n
S
t
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a
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M
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a
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S
e
St
t e r e d to by p ri e sts o f th i s o rd e r
are

TH E F R

A N oI se A N s .

F ra ncis a t th e ir h e a d th is o r d e r e mb ra c e s
T H E C APU C H I N S 3
T H E O B S E RVA N T S 3
T H E C O N V EN T UA L S a n d
T H E M I N I M ES

T h e s e m onks a s we l l a s t h e Dom in ic a ns a r e c a ll e d fr a t i o r bro t h

inst e a d of p a dr e, or fa thers 3 a n d t h e h u mility of S t F ra nci s

e rs

c a u s e d h i m to a d d t h e word m i n or i or l e ss e r, to h is com mun ity

T h e h a bit of th e F r a ncisc a n s was rst gr a y a n d r e m a ined so for two
c e nturi e s when it wa s ch a ng e d to d a r k bro wn I t is a p l a in t uni c
w ith long full sl e ev e s b ut not a s a m pl e a s those of t h e Ben e dictines
T h is tuni c i s bound a bou t t h e w a ist w ith a knott e d cord w h ich i s
th e e mbl e m of a b e a st subd u e d 3 a n d th is wa s th e l igh t in wh i ch S t
F r a n ci s consid e r e d t h e b ody wh e n s ubj e c t ed to th e s p irit A sc a nty
c a p e h a ngs a bo ut t h e S hould e rs to w h ich i s a tt a ch e d a h ood to b e
d r a w n ov e r the h e a d i n cold w e a th e r The n uns w e a r t h e s a me dress
w ith a v e il i n p l a c e of t h e h ood T h e th ird order of S t F ra ncis i s
d istinguished by the cord w orn a s a girdl e T h e F ra ncisc a ns a r e b a r e
footed or w ith a s a nd a l kno wn in I t a ly as th e z oc c ol o ; h enc e th e
n a m e Z occol a nti by wh i c h t h e se fri a rs are som e ti m e s c a ll e d T h e
M inim e s a r e d istinguished by a sc a pu l a ry wh ich h a n gs a l ittl e belo w
the girdl e i n front a n d is round e d a t t h e e nds 3 to th is i s a tt a ch e d a
sm a ll roun d hood w h il e th a t of th e C a puch ins i s point e d T h e
F ra ncisc a ns R spir e d to e xtr e m e s a nctity a n d we re gr e a t l y b e lov e d by
t h e peo p l e
They h a v e s e v e r a l roy a l s a ints ; but rst a r e their e igh t

prin cip a l s a ints c a lled I Ca r d i n i d e l l Or di n e S e r aco ( t h e ch i e f s

of t h e S e ra ph ic

W ith

St

'

32

S YM B OL I S M

IN

AR T

F ra n cis P a dre S e ra c o p a tri a rch a n d found e r

2 S t Cl a ra M a dre S e r a c a rs t F r a ncisc a n n u n a n d fo undr e ss
o f t h e P ov e r e Donne or Poor Cl a r e s
3 S t Bon a v e nt u ra i 1 D ottor e S e r a c o t h e gr e a t p r e l a t e o f t h e
ord er
4 S t A ntony o f P a du a wh o i s n e xt to S t F ra ncis t h e s a int
most renown e d in t h e ord e r for m ira cl e s
5 S t Be r n a rd ino of S i e n a th e ir gr e a t p r e a ch e r a n d r e form e r
6 S t Lou is K ing of F ra n ce
7 S t Louis Bishop of T ou l ou s e
8 S t E liz a b e th of Hung a ry
T hen follo w S t M a rg a ret of Co r t o n a S t R o s a d i Vit e rb o S t F e l ix
d e Ca n t a l i c i o a n d a h ost of oth e rs
T he ch urch e s of th e F ra n cisc a ns h a v e b e e n m a g ni c e nt l y a dorn e d
T h e p a r e nt con v e nt a n d ch urch at A ssisi w a s th ree h u ndred y e a rs i n
th e h a nds of t h e gr e a t e st a rtists of I t a ly R a ph a el Pint uricch io
G iotto T a ddeo a n d A ng e lo G a ddi G i o t t i n o L uc a dell a R obbi a a n d
Benedetto d a M a i a no a l l contrib ut e d to the d e cora tion of F ra ncisc a n
edi c e s T h e S t A nton io d i P a dov a is ll e d w ith a r t tre a s ure s I t
h a s bronzes of Don a tel lo a n d A ndre a R iccio ; pictur e s by m a ny o f
the gre a t p a inters of U p p e r I t a ly a n d m a rbl e s of Lomb a rdi S a n
sovino a n d S a m mich e l e M urillo p a int e d m a ny o f h is wo nd e rfu l
p icture s for th is ord e r i n S p a in
1

St

TH E
T he se

D OM I N IC A N S

c a l l e d t h e Pr e a ch i n g F ri a rs a n d h a v e S t Domin ic k a t
t h eir h e a d
T hey w e a r a w h it e wooll e n h a bit fa st e n e d w ith a w hit e
girdle ; ov e r th is a w h it e sc a pul a r w h i ch h a ngs to t h e feet from t h e
n eck both before a n d b e h ind l ik e a long a pron ; over a l l a bl a c k
clo a k w ith a h ood T h e sc a p ul a r of t h e l a y brothers i s bl a ck
T h e D om in ic a ns a l w a ys w e a r shoes
T h e ir tra dition s t e a ch th a t
th i s h a bi t w a s a dop t e d i n a ccord a nce with t h e d ire ction s o f t h e
Bless e d Virgin T h e w h ite symbol iz e s puri ty ; the bl a c k m o r t i c a
tion a n d pen a nce
T h ei r four prin ci p a l s a ints a r e S t D om in ick
S t Peter M a rtyr ; S t T hom a s A qu in a s t h e A ng e l ic Doctor ; a n d
S t C a therin e of S ien a
T he Dom in ic a ns h a v e e mbra c e d som e of t h e
m ost s p l endid a rtists a n d p a tr o ns of a r t
T h e shrin e o f S t D o m in ic k
a re

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

I N

33

church of h is order a t Bo l ogn a It i s c a l l e d i n I t a ly t h e

N i ccolo P is a no b uil t the ch urch a n d e xe
A r e a d i S a n Domen ico
o ut e d t h e shri ne b ut th e ch urch h a s be e n r e built i n modern style
A t R om e t h e S a nt a M a ri a S opra M inerv a is t heir most i mport a n t
ch urch 3 a n d h e r e sl e eps A ngelico d a F iesol e I l Be a t o a n d Leo X
w it h C a rdin a l Ho w a rd C a rd in a l Bembo a n d D u r a n d u s Th is ch urch
is lled w ith b e a utiful p i ctures a n d h e re is M ich a el A ngelo s statu e
of Chri st
A t F loren c e th e D om ini c a ns h a ve the S a nt a M a ri a
N ovell a ; i n t h is ch urc h i s t h e Ch a p e l D e i S p a gn uol i p a inted by
t h e S trozzi Ch a pel by A ndr e a
T a dd e o G a ddi a n d S i mon e M e m m i 3
Or c a gn a 3 a n d h e r e is the M a donn a a n d Ch i l d by Ci m a b u e
I n F lorence is the con vent of S t M a rk in w h ich l i v e d a n d p a inted
F r a A ngel ico a n d F r a B a rtolomeo T h e rst of th ese entered thi s
conv e nt w hen tw e nty y e a rs old a n d p a ss e d t h e r e m a inder of h is long
l i fe i n p a inting th e spiri t u a l conceptions of h i s devo u t a n d gen t l e
m ind H e bel i e ved t h a t G o d gra nted h i m h is ben e dic t ion on h is
l a bors 3 a n d so i mpr e ss e d wa s h e w it h th e r e l igious i mport a nc e o f
th em th a t h e i s s a id to h a ve p a int e d m u ch u p on h is bended kne e s
as if perform ing an a c t of d e votion H is princi p a l w orks a r e i n h is
o w n con vent i n th e ch urch of S a nt a M a ri a N ovell a a n d in t h e
Ch a pel of N i cho l a s V i n t h e V a tic a n
F r a B a rtolomeo i s a lso
c a lled B a ccio dell a Port a a n d I l F ra te
A t S ien a the Domi ni c a ns h a v e t h e M a donn a by G u ido d a S i e n a
a n d th e frescos of R a zzi
F o r th is order Leon a rdo d a Vinci p a inted
h is L a st S upper a n d T iti a n h is S a n P i e tro M a rtir e
T heir ch urch e s w ere bu ilt w ithou t a isl e s h a ving a n a v e only i n
order that th e pre a ch ing w h ich w a s th eir esp e ci a l duty m ight b e
h e a rd in e very p a rt ; th i s form of edi ce w a s ve ry a dv a n t a geou s a lso
for t h e setting forth of t h e ir p i ctur e s
is i n t h e

TH E

C ARM EL IT E S

This ord e r cl a i ms th e prophet E lij a h a s its fo u n der a n d a l so that

M t C a rmel h a s bee n inh a bited by a direct su ccession of h ermits
ever since t h e t im e of th a t proph et T h e m embers w e a r a brown
t un i c w it h a wh ite m a ntle a n d a r e a lso c a lled Wh ite F ri a rs
T h eir
most i nteresting church is the C a rmin i a t F lorence in w h ich i s th e
B r a n c a c c i Ch a pel w h i ch wa s p a in t ed by M a s a ccio F il ippino Lippi
a n d M a so l in o
A s a n ord e r th e C a rm e l it e s a r e not i mport a nt i n
,

34

S Y AI B OL I S M

TH E
T hes e

IN

AR T

J E R O N Y M I T ES

monk s c l a i m S t J erome a s th eir found e r a n d a dorn th e ir

e di ces l a rgely wi th pict u res of th a t s a int a n d sc e n e s from h is li fe
T h e E scuri a l a n d the mon a stery of S t J ust i n S p a i n ; the mon a s tery
o f Belem i n Portug a l ; a n d th a t of S t S igismond n e a r Cremon a in

a
a l l belong to t h is ord e r w hich is r e m a r k a b l e for the m a
It ly
g
n i c e n c e of its e dic e s
.

TH E
T he

J ES UI T S

mb e rs of th i s order a r e n ot e a si l y di st ingu i sh ed i n a r t
T hey we a r the bl a ck frock b utton ed to t h e ch in w h ich is so u nfa vor
a bl e for a p ictur e th a t th e y a r e oft e n re p resent e d in the pri estly vest
m e n ts a s i n t h e c a se o f S t Ign a ti u s Loyol a a n d S t F ra ncis Xa vi er ;
or in c a ssoc k a n d surpl i ce a s i n t he c a se of S t A loysi us a n d S t
S t a n is l a u s Ko s tk a
I f the h e a d i s cover e d it is by a sq u a re bl a c k
ca
T
h e Jesuits d id n ot a ppe a r to v a l ue a r t a s h i g hly a s m a ny o f
p
th e o ld e r orders T hey l a v ish ed l a rg e su ms of m oney on their
ch urches ; b u t i t w a s spent i n brill i a n t d ecor a tions of gold a n d
S il ver r a re m a rbl es a n d even j e wels ra ther th an i n pictures a n d
st a tu es ; a n d yet th ey w ere ( a fter som e roy a l p e rson a ges ) th e ch ief
p a tron s of R ubens a n d V a n Dyc k w h o decora t e d t h e splend id ch urch
of their order a t A ntw e rp
m

XI I

VOT I V E

P I CT UR E S , A N A CH R O N I S M S ,

ETC

l a rge n umbers of w h a t a r e known a s voti v e p i ctures

w h ich a r e p a i n t ed i n full m e n t of a vow i n g r a titude for som e sign a l
bl essing or to a vert som e a n ticip a t e d d a nger M a ny com memor a t e
a
recovery or esc a p e from sickness or a ccident T h e donor a n d
so m etimes h is en tire fa mily a r e seen i n t h e picture a n d a r e f r e
quently represented a s grou ped a bou t t h e M a donn a a n d C h ild In
e a rly a r t the donor or vot a ry wa s represent e d a s v ery d im inuti v e
to express hu mil ity ; bu t i n l a ter times th ey a pp e a r of a n a tur a l si ze
T h e gure of a bish o p kneel ing w h ile a l l oth ers st a nd s ign ies th a t
h e i s th e person who presents the pi cture ; wh en h e st a n d s it i s
d i fcul t t o determ ine w ho h e m a y be for there a r e h undreds o f
bishop m a r tyrs a n d p a trons wh o a r e th u s represented
I n m a ny works of a r t there is a n a ppa rent a n a ch ron ism i n t h e
cho ic e of t h e person s repr e s e nted ; a s for inst a nce wh en t h e Vi rgin
T her e

a re

AR T

IN

S Y M B OL I S I I I

35

t
e
e
a
e
e
e
surround
d
by
thos
who
l
ived
ith
r
c
nturi
s
b
for
or
f
er h er
e
e
e
is
self I t m ust be borne in m ind th a t s uch pi ctur e s were not i ntended
to represent physic a l fa cts b ut a r e d e votion a l i n their ch a r a cter a n d
m e a n ing A n d if t h e person s represented a r e not l iving they kno w
no more of ti me 3 for th e m i t no l ong e r e x ists a n d th a t w hi ch a t a
c a reless gl a n ce a pp e a rs to b e th e result of ignor a nce or b a d t a ste i s

i n fa ct a spiritu a l conc e p tion of t h e com m un ion of s a ints w ho

belong no mor e to e a rth When thus considered there a ppe a rs no
i ncongruity i n these re pre sent a tions of w h ic h th e Correggio a t P a rm a
is a good ill ustra tion In it S t Jerom e pr e sents h is tra nsl a tion of
t h e S criptures to th e in f a nt Chri st w hil e an a ngel turns t h e le a ves
N either is the group
a n d M a ry M a gd a l e n e k iss e s t h e fe e t of Jesus
ing i n many pictur e s strictly i n a ccord a n ce w ith w h a t m igh t b e
termed propriety T h e S ibyls d a ncing a ro un d t h e cra dle of J e sus
a n d t h e represent a tions of Greek poe t s a n d ph ilosoph ers i n e c c l e s i
a s t i c a l a r t a r e expl a ined by t h e fa ct th at every th ing w a s reg a rded

but
a
singl
e
spect
th a t is in its rel a tion to Chri st a n d h is
n
a
i
Ch urch A l l thos e w ho preceded h i m foresh a do wed h i m a n d pr o p h e
sied of hi s com ing T herefore these G reeks som etim e s be a r scrolls
inscribed w ith senten ces from t h e ir writings w h ich a r e interpreted
I n th e ex a min a tion of l a rge n umbers of
a s rel a ting to th e S a vio ur
rel igio us pi ctures ch ronology shoul d be e ntirel y fo rg ott en for tim e
wa s not though t of in their a rr a ngem e nt a n d m a ny other c o n s i d
C ert a i n
e r a t i o n s d e term ined th e a rtist i n h i s a ssoci a tion of persons
s a ints a r e brought together bec a us e th e y a r e j oint p a tron s of t h e
pl a ce for w h i c h they w ere p a inted a s i n t h e V en e ti a n picture s of
A ga in th ey a r e con
S t M a rk S t G eorg e a n d S t C a th e rin e
n e c t e d by the s a m e a t t ributes or si mil a r ev e nts i n their li v e s a s is
t h e c a se wi th S t R och a n d S t S e b a s t i a n
th e rst h a ving tended
the sick wh o su ff ered fro m th e pl a gue a n d t h e l a st being a pro
t ector a g a inst it
Or th ey w e re fri e nds on e a rth a s S t Cypri a n
a n d S t Cornel ius ; or they rest tog e th er i n de a th a s S t
S tephen a n d
S t L a u rence
S ome of th ese or other like re a sons w h ich were good
a n d su fcient to th e m inds of a rtists a n d their p a trons a l wa ys ex
pl a ined t h e a pp a r e nt i nconsistencies of these pictures a n d w ere per
f e c t l y understood i n t h e a g e to wh ich th e y b e longed
A ga in som e
s a ints a r e so m uch more frequ e ntly represented th a n others as to
T h is m a y b e e x p l a in e d in p a rt by
occ a sion surpris e a n d r e m a rk
.

36

S Y M B OL I S M

AR T

I N

the fa ct th a t som e sa ints w ere un i v e rs a l p a trons h onore d t h ro ugh out

Chri stendom w h ile t h e venera tion for others w a s conn ed to S peci a l
l oc a lities or to cert a in orders S t Joseph S t G eorge S t S eb a s ti a n
Christoph e r S t Cosmo S t D a m i a n S t R och S t N ichol a s
St
S t C a therine S t Cecili a S t B a rb a r a S t M a rga r e t a n d S t U rs u l a
a r e of the former cl a ss
I n p a rti cul a r schools of art th is frequ e n t re pre s e nt a t ion of c e r t a in
person a ges is gov e rned by th e loc a l ity i n wh i ch th ey w e re p a inted
or that for wh ic h they w er e intended A F lore nt ine a rt ist w ould
introduc e S t D on a to a n d S t R o m ulo ; a N e a pol it a n S t J a n u a r i u s 3
D e n is etc 3 or a s in a n ex isting p icture S t Peter
a F renchm a n S t
S t L e on a rd S t M a rth a a n d S t M a ry M a gd a l e n e a r e un ited t o
i nd ic a te that the soci e ty for w h i ch i t was p a in ted red e e m e d prison ers
ra nsomed sl a ves l a bor e d for t h e p oor a n d convert e d t h e fa llen a n d
S inful
T h u s it is a p p a r e nt th at it i s for t h e a dv a n t a g e of t h e c a reful
observer to consid e r th a t how e v e r biz a rre a picture m a y a ppe a r
th e re is some r e a son for its a rra nge men t w h ich if understood a n d
a ppreci a ted a dds me a n ing to it
helps to d iscern its int e n tion a n d
sentiment a n d show s that w h a t seem s a t rst to b e t h e result of
ch a nc e or a n ignora nc e of th e tn e ss of th ings is i n truth th a t of
deep a n d e a rn e st thought o f del ic a t e a n d poetic conc e ptions a n d
a lofty d esire to t e a ch gr a nd a n d
ho l y truth s a s we ll a s to gi v e
ple a sure a n d d e light the e ye
,

B a d ge

of

th e

Od

r e r of

Me rc y

L E GE N D S

S T OR I E S

AND

W H I C H H A V E B E E N I LL U S T R

St

A bb o n d i o wa s

ATED I N

AR T

born a t T h e ss a l on i c a H e wa s t h e fourt h
tim e of L e e I H e is r e pre s e nted in th e
is th e a postl e a n d p a tron s a int of th a t p or
.

Bish op of Como in t h e
c a th e dr a l of Como a n d
t ion of It a ly
The a pocryph a l gosp e l s p o k e n of by E n s e
A h ga r u s K i n g

Christ a n d A h ga r us b e gins w ith A Copy of

b i u s a n d c a lled
a n d s e nt to H i m by
a L e tter written by K ing A h g a r u s to J e s us

T hi s
A n a n i a s h is F ootm a n to J e rus a lem inv iting H i m to E d e ss a
lett e r op e n s w ith gr e etings to the S a v io ur a n d goes on to urge h i m
to go to E dess a to cur e th e k ing of a s e rious dis e a s e
I t a dds :

M y city i s inde e d sm a ll b ut n e a t a n d l a rg e e nough for u s both

J e sus returned a n a n s we r th a t h e could not go a s h e m ust ful l h i s
m ission at J e rus a l e m b ut p ro m i s e d th at a ft e r h is a sc e nsion he w ou l d
sen d a d iscipl e wh o would cur e t h e king a n d gi ve life to h i m a n d
to a l l wh o were w ith h i m T his a cco u n t end s h e r e 3 b u t u p to th e
tent h c e ntury ther e w e r e a v a ri e ty of a dd itions m a de to it u nt i l

t hen i t h a d a ssum ed the follo w ing form

A h ga r u s K ing of E dess a
su ffe ring from t h e t wofol d iniction of gout a n d le p rosy w i thdre w
from the sight of m en A n a n i a s on e of his serv a nts r e turn ing fro m
a j ourn e y to E gypt
t e ll s h i m o f t h e wonderful cur e s by Christ o f
w h ic h h e h a s h e a rd i n P a l estin e
I n t h e h op e of obt a in ing r e l i e f
A h ga r u s w rit e s to C hrist a n d ch a rges A n a n i a s wh o wa s not on l y a
good tra ve l l e r b ut a s k ilfu l p a int e r t h a t i f Christ shou l d not b e a b l e
t o co m e h e shou l d at a l l e v e nts s e nd h i m hi s p ortr a it
A na n ia s
.

38

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DS

S T OR I E S

AND

nds Christ a s h e i s i n t h e a c t of p e rform ing m ira c l e s a n d t e a ch ing

A s h e i s not a ble t o a ppro a ch h i m
t h e m ulti tude in t h e o pe n a i r
for the crowd he m oun ts a roc k n e t fa r o ff T h e nc e h e x e s h is
Jesus wh o s e es
e y e s u pon C hrist a n d b e gins to t a k e h i s l ikeness
h im a n d a lso kno ws i n spirit t h e cont e nts of t h e l e tt e r sends
T hom a s to bring h im to h im writ e s h is a nsw e r to A h ga r u s a n d gi ves
i t to h im B ut seeing th at A n a ni a s still l inge rs J e sus c a lls for
w a ter a n d h a ving w a sh e d h is fa ce h e w ip e s i t on a cloth on w h ich
by h is d i vin e power th e re re m a in s a perf ect portra i t of h i s fe a t ures ;
th is h e gi ves to A n a n i a s ch a rging h i m to tak e it to A h ga r u s so th a t
h is longing m a y be s a ti s ed a n d h is d ise a s e c ured On the w a y
A n a n i a s p a sses by t he city o f H iera pol is b ut re m a ins outside t h e
g a tes a n d h ides th e h oly cloth i n a h e a p of fre shly m a de bri cks
A t m idnight t h e inh a bit a nts of H i e ra polis percei v e that th is he a p
o f bricks is surrounded w ith re
T hey d iscover A n a ni a s a n d h e
o wns t h e supern a tura l ch a r a ct e r of th e obj ect h idden a mo n g t h e
bri cks T hey nd n ot only t h e m ira culou s cloth but more still ;
for by a m y sterio us v irtu e a bric k th a t l a y n e a r th e cloth h a s
recei ved a secon d i m p re ss of the di vine i m a ge A n d a s no re i s
d iscovera ble ex cept th e light that proceeds from th e p icture t h e
inh a bit a nts ke e p t h e bri ck a s a s a cr e d tre a s ure a n d l et A n a n i a s go
r u s t h e l e tt e r a n d th e cloth
o n h is w a
He
gi
v
e
s
K
ing
A
h
w
ho
a
g
y
T h is l a st l e g e nd w a s e dit e d by t h e E m
i s i m med i a t e ly h e a led
e r o r Const a nti n e Porph rog e n i tu s a n d in h is time th e origin a l n a
y
p
p
k in w a s a t C onst a ntinople 3 two oth e rs a t R om e a n d G e no a w h ile a
fa ls e copy h a d b e en sent to t h e K ing of Persi a T h e bri ck too h a d
rem a in e d in its rst city but h a d furn ish e d i m a ges to other c it ies In
fa ct t h e R om a n o n e sti ll exists in th e ch u rch of S a n S ilvestro B ut
Const a ntine h a s gi v e n a th ird versi on w h i ch i s th a t Christ on t h e
w a y to C a l v a ry w i ped h is fa ce o n a p iec e of l in e n on wh ich t h e i mpre ss
o f h is co unten a n ce w a s l e ft a n d g a v e it to T hom a s comm a ndi ng th a t
a ft e r h is a scen sion T h a dd e us should t a k e i t to A h ga r u s in order to fu l
l t h e prom is e wh ich J e sus h a d m a d e
T h is wa s done ; b ut T h a dd e us
rst goes to t h e hous e of a J e w i n E dess a d e term ined to d o som e
m ira cles w h ich sh a ll a ttr a ct t h e a ttention of t h e k ing A n d h e h e a l s
t h e sick un til A h ga r u s h e a r s o f h im a n d s e nds for h im h o p ing th a t
h e i s th e d isciple wh om C hrist h a d p romis e d h i m sho ul d com e A s
T h a dd e us e nt e rs t h e room h e l i fts u p t h e p icture ; a n d so gre a t a
,

I L L US TR A TE

IN

AR T

39

l ight p roc e e ds from it that A h ga r us springs from h is b e d forg e tting

He tou ches w it h
a l l h is l a men e ss and go e s to rece iv e the p icture
i t h is h e a d a n d li m bs a n d re ce ives strength T h e l e prosy dis a ppe a rs
H e i s conv e rted 3 a n d w h en h e is b a ptized
e xcept from h is forehe a d
T h is l e gen d h a s b e e n
e ven the l a st m a rks of t h e leprosy dis a pp e a r
often re presented i n p a int ing
T hes e a r e R om a n sa ints a n d
S t A c h i l l e u s a n d S t N e re u s
T he y
t h e church ded ic a t e d to th em i s ne a r t h e B a ths of C a r a c a ll a
were ch a mberl a ins of F l a vi a D o m itill a T hey p e rs ua ded h e r not to
m a rry A u rel i a n th e so n of t he c ons ul t o whom she w as b e trothed
b e c a us e h e w as a n idol a t e r F or th is they were behe a d e d F l a v i a
Dom itill a w a s th e gra nd n i e c e of the E m peror Dom iti a n H e r p a r
ents h a d be e n m a rtyred b e ca us e th ey were C hri sti a ns S h e a l so
su ff e red dea t h for the s a m e c a use a t T e rra cin a N e r e u s a n d A ch i l
l eu s a r e r e pr e sented i n s e cul a r h a bits st a nd ing on e a ch sid e of
Dom itill a S h e i s dress e d a s a prin c e ss T h e y a ll b e a r p a l ms
,

M ay 1 2

d e l a i d e or A l i c e o f G e r m a n y wa s t h e d a ught e r o f
H e r fa ther d ied wh en s h e w a s si x y e a rs o l d
R a lp h I I of B urgundy
H e r h usb a nd
a n d a t sixt e e n sh e m a rri e d Loth a ire K ing of I t a ly
d id not l i ve l ong ; a n d a ft e r h is d e a t h A d e l a id e wa s im prison e d a t
S h e a t l e ngth e sc a p e d a n d e d to wa rds
P a vi a by B e r e n ga r i u s I I I
S h e was m e t by t h e E m p e ror Otho I wh o w as m a rch ing
Germ a ny
w ith h is a rmy to rel e a s e h er Oth o m a d e a tr e a ty w ith B e r e n ga r i u s
a n d m a rried A l ice
But t h e tre a ty wa s soon bro k e n wh en Otho s e nt
B e r e n ga r i u s a prisoner t o Ge rm a ny a n d h e h i mself wa s cro wn e d
emp e ror a t R om e A d e l a id e m a d e u se of h e r r a nk an d pow e r to do
good a n d e d uca t e d h er son Otho I I w ith c a re fuln e ss T h e e mperor
d ied a fter a r e ign of th irt y six y e a rs ; a n d h is son suff er e d h i mself t o
b e inuenc e d by evi l a dvis e rs a n d e speci a lly by h is s e cond w ife
T h e oph a ni a so th a t h e b a nishe d hi s good mother from th e court
B u t being ov e rt a ken by m isfortun e h e rec a lled h er a n d a ttempt e d
to a ton e for his w icked cruelty H e died a ft e r a reig n of n ine y e a rs
a n d h is w i fe
so long a s sh e l iv e d i n sulted S t A del a ide by t h e most
disres pe ctful tre a t m e nt 3 b u t she soon d i e d a lso a n d A del a id e bec a me
regent F rom thi s ti m e s h e d e voted h e rself to good work s a n d bu ilt
m any r e l igiou s e dic e s
T h e p e ople wh o l ov e d h e r w ere gu ided by
h e r into v irtu e a n d p i e ty
S h e d i e d a t S a l o is wh e n on a j ourn e y
St

40

L E GE N

p a rt of

b e r 1 6,

re l ics

he r

9 99

DS

A ND

S T OR I E S

p re s e rv e d in

a re

shrin e i n H a nov e r

D e ce m

d e l a i d e w a s t h e w ife of S t L u po a n d t h e m oth e r of S t
G r a t a w ho together w ith S t A l e x a nder the m a rtyr a r e s a ints b e
l onging e s p e ci a lly to Berg a mo t h e l a st two b e ing the p a tron sa ints
of t h a t city S t G ra t a a ft e r t h e d e a th of h e r h u sb a n d beca m e a
C hristi a n a n d convert e d h e r fa th e r wh o w a s D u k e of B e rga mo a n d
T hrough th e in u e n ce
h e r moth e r S t A del a id e to t h e s a m e fa ith
o f S t Gra t a S t
L u p o fo und e d th e c a th edra l at B e rg a mo A f ter t h e
d e a th of h er p a r e nts G ra t a govern e d Berg a mo a n d found e d t hre e
ch urch e s a n d a hospit a l w h e re s h e h e rself m in istered to the si ck
S t A l e x a nd e r wa s a so l di e r of t h e T heb a n L e gion a n d wa s beh e a d ed
outsid e B e rga mo Gra t a wra pp e d th e h e a d i n a n a pk in a n d g a v e
honora bl e b uri a l to t h e r e m a ins S t A del a id e is repres e nt e d w ith a
cro wn a n d a long v e il S t L upo w ith a roy a l crown S t A l e x a nd e r
a s a R oman wa rrior w ith a p a l m a n d S t G ra t a a s c a rrying t h e h e a d
o f A l e x a nd e r
Ay
A Sp t a vo s 3 L a t S A dri a nn e ; F r
S t A d r i a n ( Gr
St
A dri e n 3 I t a l S a nt A dri a no) w a s a m il it a ry s a int a n d for a g e s wa s
consid e r e d n e xt to S t G eorg e in N orthern E urop e I n the N orth
o f F r a nc e
F l a nd e rs a n d Ge rm a ny h e wa s the p a tron s a int of sol
d i e rs a n d p r o t e ctor a g a in st the pl a u e H e is a l so th e p a tron o f
F l e mish br e we rs H e w a s a nobl e R om a n son o f P rob us A t t h e
ti m e of th e tent h p e rs e cution of t h e C hri sti a ns a t N i c o m e d i a a city
of B ithyni a (A D
h e s e rv e d i n t h e gu a rd s of th e E m peror
G a l e r i u s M a xi m i a n
H e wa s l e ss th a n th i rty y e a rs old a n d w a s
m a rri e d to N a t a li a wh o w a s a C hristi a n s e cre tly S h e w as e xce e d
i n gly v irt uous a n d b e a utiful
T h e i mp e ri a l ed ict wa s torn down by
S t G e orge w h ich so infu ri a ted t h e e m p eror th a t th irt y four C hri s
ti a ns w e re s e ntenc e d to t h e torture at o n e time I t fel l by lot to
A dri a n to sup e ri ntend t h e e x e cu tion of t h e s e nt e nc e
W h e n h e sa w
t h e m a nn e r in w h ich t h e C hristi a ns su ff er e d for th e ir fa ith h e wa s
suddenly converte d a n d s e a ting h i msel f i n th e ir m idst e xcl a im e d

He
Consid e r m e a lso a s o n e of ye 3 for I too w il l b e a C hristi a n
wa s i mm e di a t e ly im prison e d
N a t a l i a h e a ring th is wa s fu l l of j oy
a n d going to h i m encou ra ged h i m to su ff er for C hrist
A dri an wa s
soon condemned to d ie ; a n d t h e n igh t before h is execu tion b e bri be d
h is j a i l e r to pe rm it h i m t o visit N a t a l i a S h e h e a ring th a t h e r
St A

'

I L L US T R A T E

I N

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41

h usb a nd h a d l e ft h is p rison wa s i n gre a t sorrow a n d t e a ring h e r g a r

ments thr e w h e rs e lf down s a y ing A l a s ! m isera b l e th a t I a m ! I

h a v e not d e s e rv e d to be t h e w ife of a m a rtyr
N ow w il l m e n point
at m e a n d sa y B e h old t h e w ife of t h e cow a rd a n d a p ost a t e w ho for
fe a r of de a th hath den ied h is G o d
B ut A dri a n w ho h a d now come
he a ring these words s a id O tho u nobl e a n d strong hearted wom a n
Oh bless Go d that I a m not un wort hy of th e e ! Op e n th e door that
I m a y bid thee fa r e w e l l b e fo re I d i e
J oyf u l l y sh e opened t h e door
a n d e mbr a c e d h im a n d r e turn e d to p rison w ith h i m
T h e n e xt d a y
A dri a n wa s sco u rg e d a n d tortur e d a n d sent b a ck to prison
Th e
t yr a nts h e a ring o f t h e devotion of N a t a l i a ordered tha t n o wom a n
should b e adm itted to t h e prison S h e th en cut o ff h e r b e a u t ifu l
h a ir and dress e d a s a m a n a n d so g a in e d a dmission to A dri a n S h e
found h i m torn a n d b l e e ding S h e too k h i m in her a rm s a n d s a i d

0 light of m ine e y e s and h usb a nd o f m in e h e a rt !

Bl e ssed a rt

thou w ho a r t c a l l ed t o su ff e r for Christ s s a k e !

T h us she s o
strength e n e d h is h e a rt that h e wa s a b l e to e nd ur e to t h e e n d Th e
n e xt da y h is l i mbs wer e stru ck o ff on an a nvil a n d h e wa s b e h e a ded
N a t a li a s u p p ort e d h i m i n h is su ff e rings a n d he e xpi re d in h e r a rms
b e for e the l a st blo w K issing h i m sh e took on e of h is b a n ds w h ich
s h e wr a pp e d i n l in e n w ith spic e s a n d p e rfum e s a n d pl a c e d it at th e
h ead of h e r b e d Hi s body wa s t a k e n by Christi a ns to Byz a nti um
since Const a ntinople There is a tra dition th a t in the n inth c e ntu ry
i t wa s removed t o t h e conv e nt w h ich b e a rs h is n a m e a t Gra mmont
i n F l a nders
A fter this t h e e mperor thre a t e n e d to m a rry N a t a l i a to
a tribune of t h e a rmy
S h e e d to A r ge p oli s ne a r Byz a nti u m a n d
p a ss e d h e r l ife n e a r t h e tomb of A dr i a n H e often a pp e a re d to h e r
i n visions a n d a sk e d h e r to f ollo w h im w h ich s h e soon d id 3 a n d
wh en she di e d A drian w ith rej oicing a ng e ls m et h e r a n d t og e th e r
they e nt e r e d t h e pre s e nc e of Go d A n a nvil is t h e a ttribute of
A dri a n a n d i s re p r e s e nt e d at h is fe e t or in hi s h a nd
H i s sword
was l ong kept a s a rel i c a t Wa lb e ck i n S a xony 3 but t h e E mp e ror
Henry I I (S t H e nry ) girded i t on h ims e lf w h e n p re p a ring to go
a g a inst t h e T urks a n d Hung a ri a ns
A D 29 0
S t A f r a wa s t h e d a ught e r of S t H il a ri a a n d i s t h e p a tro n e ss
of A ugsburg S h e wa s for a long ti m e a co urt e s a n i n th a t city a n d
h a d thr e e m a id e n s a s d issol ut e a s h e r se l Dign a E unom i a a n d
E n trop i a
A t l ength N a rcissus a holy m a n e e ing from p e rs e cution
,

42

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AN D

h ou s e not know ing h e r ch a ra cter When sh e found h e

w a s a priest sh e w a s ov e rcome w ith fe a r a n d for th e rst t i me w a s
He told h e r of C hrist a n d a t len gth sh e
a sh a med of her li fe of sin
beso ught h i m to a llow her to be b a ptized He kno w ing th a t Christ
d id not rej e ct e ven th e gre a test sinners b a p tized h er a n d a ss ured her
of forgiveness By h e r a i d N a rcissu s esc a ped to h is n a ti v e S p a in
T hrough h er inuence her moth e r a n d the th re e m a id e ns w e re a lso
conv e r ted A fra w a s s e ized a n d a ccu sed of h a ving a ssisted N a rcissu s
to esc a pe a n d o f b e ing h e rself a C hristi a n T h e j udge G a i n s wh o
h a d known o f h er former l ife w a s a m a zed a t h er m odesty a n d t h e
rmn e ss w ith w h ich s h e a cknowl e dg e d h er n e w fa ith a n d a sk e d h er
h o w o n e so v i l e co ul d ex pect t o b e r e c e i ved by J e sus
T o w h ich she

r e pl i e d
It i s tru e I a m u n worth y to be a r th e n a m e of Christi a n ;
n e verth e l e ss H e w ho di d not rej ect M a ry M a gd a l ene w hen sh e
w a sh ed h is feet w ith h e r t e a rs w ill not rej ect me
S h e wa s b urn ed
a li ve ; a n d a s sh e pr a y e d i n th e m idst of t h e re a ngel s bore h er
spirit to h e a v e n S hortly a ft e r h e r moth e r a n d the thre e m a idens
w e r e e x e cuted for th e ir fa ith a n d s u ffe red w it h const a ncy A ugust 5
A D 3 04
S t A f r a p a tron e ss o f Br e sci a is su p po sed to h a v e be e n o f
n oble fa mily
S h e w a s con verte d by th e work s of S a n F a usti no
a n d S a n G iov it a
a n d su ff ered m a r t yrdom
F
ustin
us
a n d Jo vit a
a
(
)
w ith Ca l o c e r u s
T h e ch urch ded ic a t e d to h e r is o n e of t h e n e st
orn a ments of Bre sci a
A
a th e 3 I t a l S a nt a
g
S t A ga th a
L
a t S a nct a A ga th a 3 F r
t
e
S
(
A g a t a 3 Ge r D i e Heilige A ga th a ) v i rgin a n d m a rtyr 3 p a tron ess of
M a lt a a n d C a t a ni a a lso protectress a ga i n st re a n d a l l d ise a ses of
t h e br e a st
Th e E mperor Deci us stra ngled h is predecessor Ph ili p 3
a n d desiri n g to m a k e
i t a ppe a r th a t h e d id th is b e c a u se Ph il ip
w a s a Christi a n a n d n o t for h is own a d v a ncement b e instituted
gre a t pers e cutions of th e C hristi a ns through out h i s em pire
He
m a d e Qu i n t ia n u s k ing of S icily H ere a t C a t a n i a d wel t A ga th a
a m a id e n of gre a t be a uty w h o m
Qu i n t i a n u s tem pted w ith p resents
a ttery a n d prom is e s w ith out success H e th en g a ve h er to F ron
d i s i a w ho w a s a cou rtes a n w i th n ine d a ught e r s a l l a s w icked a s
po ssibl e a n d promised h er gre a t rich es i f s h e wo uld s ubd u e A ga th a
to h i s w ishes F r o n d is i a a ttempted t o inu e nc e A ga th a by e very
m e a ns i n h e r p o we r fo r th irty thre e d a ys ; b ut s h e r e m a ined xed
ca me

to he r

I L L US T R A T E

p urity

her

I N

AR T

43

fa ith i n J e sus A t t h e e n d o f th a t tim e

F r on d i s i a s a id to Qu i n t i a n u s
S o on e r sh a ll that sword a t thy side
b e com e l ike liqu i d le a d a n d th e rocks d issol ve a n d o w l ik e w a ter
th a n the h e a rt of th is d a msel be subdued to thy w ill
T he n Q uin
t i a n u s i n fury com m a nd e d h er to b e brought a n d a tt e mpt e d t o

m ove h e r by thre a ts ;
but she s a id
I f tho u shouldst thro w me
to th e w ild be a sts th e po wer of Christ would r e nder th em we a k
a s l a mbs ; i f tho u sho uldst k in dl e a r e to consu me m e
the a n gels
would qu e nch i t w ith th eir d e ws from h e a ven ; i f t ho u shou ldst
te a r me w ith scourges th e Holy S pirit w ith in m e w ould render
Th en t h e tyra nt ord e red her to be b e a ten
t h y t ortures h a rmless
A fter th a t sh e w a s thrown
a n d h e r bosom to b e torn w i th she a rs
into a d a rk dungeon A t m idnight there c a m e a n aged m a n be a ring
a v a s e of ointment a n d a yo uth w it h a torch
I t wa s S t Pet e r
and a n a nge l b ut A gath a d id not k no w th e m 3 a n d t h e l ight w hic h
lled t h e d unge on so frightened th e gu a rds tha t they e d l e a v ing

th e door op e n T h e n o n e said to t h e m a iden

A ris e a n d y

B ut s h e replied
G o d forbid th a t I sh ould y from my crown o f
m a rtyrdom a n d b e th e occ a s ion that my k e e p e rs sho uld su ff er

for my ight tortur e s and de a th ; I w il l not y

T he n S t
Pe t er h e a l e d a l l h e r w o u nds w ith celesti a l oi nt m e nt a n d v a n ish e d
from h er sight T h e r a ge of Qu i n t i a n u s not being s a t ised h e sent
for her a ga in a n d w a s a ston ished a t t h e wonderfu l cure of her

wound s
Wh o h a t h h e a l ed th e e ? a sked h e ; sh e r epl ied He
w hom I confess a n d adore w ith m y h eart a n d w ith m y lips h a t h
sent hi s a postle a n d he a led m e a n d deli vere d m e
T hen Q ui n
t i a n u s ordered h er to be b urned ; and a s sh e w a s thrown i n t h e
re a gre a t e a rt hqu a k e shook t h e city a n d th e people r a n to t h e

p a l a ce crying
T hi s has f a ll e n u pon us b e c a use of t h e su ff erings

of thi s C hristi a n d a ms e l 3 a n d they threatened to b urn Qu i n t i a n u s

i f h e d id not desist S o h e ordered her to be t a ken fro m t h e a mes
scorched a n d in gre a t a gony
a n d sh e wa s born e a g a i n to prison
H ere she entre a ted G o d to rele a se h er a n d t a k e h er to h e a ven ;
w h ich pr a yer w a s he a rd for i mmedi a tely s h e di ed T h e Christi a ns
N ea r
emb a l med h e r body a n d pl a ced i t i n a tomb of p orphyry
to C a t a ni a is a volc a no w hich the peopl e c a ll M ongibello ( M t E tn a )
a n d a bout a ye a r a fter the de a th of A g a th a thi s m o unt a in O pe n ed
W h e n t h e r e h a d a lmost r e a ch e d
a n d s e nt forth str e a ms of r e
in

an

d he r

44

DS

L E GE N

AN D

S T OR I E S

city t h e p e opl e to o k t h e ve il o f A ga th a fro m h e r tomb a n d

pl a cing it on a l a nce bore i t in p rocession tow a r ds the r e a n d
w hen they came to i t th e r e wa s st a y e d a n d t h e ci ty s a ved Wh e n
th e h e a then sa w th is m ira cle th e y w er e a l l converted a n d b a ptiz e d
T h e re i s i n M a lt a a s ubt e rr a n e a n ch a pe l d e dic a ted to S t A g a th a
I t i s cu t o u t o f t h e rock a n d t h e w a lls a r e fr e sco e d T ra dition
a ss e rts th a t t h e ground onc e be l o n ged to t h e fa m ily of t h e s a int
S t A g a th a is u su a lly repr e s e nt e d w ith a p a l m i n o n e h an d a n d a
s a l ver i n the other o n wh ich i s t h e fe m a l e br e a st S ometimes t h e
she a rs a r e b e side h e r S h e we a rs a long v e il F ebru a ry 5 A D 25 1
A y A o us ) wa s a G r e ek by b irth a n d l i ved w ith
S t A gl e e
I n th e tim e
h e r lover Bon ifa ce i n sin a n d l u x ury for m a ny y e a rs
o f t h e l a st p e rsec ution of th e C hristi a n s th e y w e re both con v e rt e d
from their sins a n d b e c a m e fo ll o we rs o f C h rist A gl a e s e nt Bon i fa c e
w ith gre a t t re a sure s to a ssist t h e m a rtyrs a n d to b ury th e ir r e m a ins
I n h is ze a l b e expos e d h i ms e lf a n d s u ff e r e d m a rtyrdom H is body
w a s brough t to A gl a e
S h e bu ilt o n t h e we st e rn side of t h e A ven
tin e a n ora tory w h e re in s h e pl a ced t h e rem a ins of Bon ifa c e a n d s h e
S pent th e rem a inder o f h e r l i fe i n pr a yers a n d p e n iten ce M a y 1 4
Bon i fa ce died a bo ut 3 07 3 A gl a e fte e n ye a rs l a t e r
S t A g n e s (L a t S a n ct a A gn us ; I t a l S a n t A gn e s e ; Sp S a nt a
In ez ; F r S t e A gn s) S t A gnes wa s a R om a n m a id e n o f gre a t
b e a uty a n d a C hristi a n fro m h er i nfa ncy S h e w a s not mor e th a n
th irteen ye a rs old wh e n the son of the pre fect S e mpron i us s a w h e r
B ut s h e refused
a n d so l oved h e r th a t h e sought h er for h is w ife
h is request s a ying th a t s h e wa s a lre a dy a ffi a nced to a h usb a nd w ho m
sh e loved m e a n ing J esus T h e young m a n kn e w not to w hom s h e
referred ; a n d h is j e a lousy a n d d is a ppo int e d lov e m a de h i m sick

T h is youth i s sic k
a l most u nto d e a th
T h e n t h e physic i a ns s a id
of unre qu ited love a n d ou r a r t c a n a v a il noth ing
W hen th e pre
fe e t qu estioned h i s son h e told h is fa th e r of h is l ov e for A gn e s a n d
that u nl e ss sh e would b e h is w i fe h e m u st d ie T h e n S e m proni u s
b egged o f A gnes a n d h er p a re nts th a t s h e should m a rry h is son ; b ut
sh e replied a s before th a t s h e p referr e d h e r b e troth e d to th e son of
the pre fect W hen h e h a d i nq uired h e r me a n ing a n d found th a t s h e
w a s a Christi a n h e w a s gl a d 3 for there wa s a n ed ict a g a inst the Chris
ti a ns a n d he fel t she wa s i n his power H e th e n told her th a t s i n c e
s h e wo uld h a v e no e a rt hly h u sb a nd s h e m ust becom e a V e sta l V i r gi n
the

'

IL L US T R A

T ED I N

AR T

45

sh e re fused w ith scorn the worsh ip o f v ai n imag es a n d declared

that sh e would serve n one b ut Jesus S emproni us then threatened
h er with th e m ost horri d death and p ut h er in chains and dragged
h er to th e al t ars of the gods B ut she remained rm T hen h e
ordered her to be taken to a house of infamy to s u ff er th e m ost fear
ful o utrages The soldiers stripped o ff her garmen t s 3 b ut when sh e
prayed her h air was length en ed till it was as a cloak abou t h er
co v ering her whole person and those wh o s a w her were seized w ith
fear S o they sh u t her i n a room 3 and when sh e prayed to C hrist
that she m igh t not be dish onored she saw before her a sh ining white
garment w h ich she p u t on w ith j oy an d the room was lled w i th
great light The son of th e prefect thinking she m ust be subdued
n o w came to h er
B u t h e was struck blind an d fell i n convulsions
Agnes m o v ed by h is su ff erings and the tears of h is friends praye d
for h is reco v ery a n d h e w as h ealed When S empron i us saw this h e
w ished to sa v e her 3 b u t the peopl e said S h e is a sorceress 3 let her

S o sh e was condem ned to be burned 3 b u t th e ames harmed

d ie
h er not wh ile her executi oners were cons umed by them T hen they

cried out the m ore S h e i s a sorceress : she m ust die

Th en a n
executioner was com manded to ascend the pile a n d kill h er w ith th e
sword Th i s h e d id 3 and gazing steadfastly towards hea v en sh e fell
dead u p on th e pile S h e was b uried on the V ia N o m e n t a n a an d t he
Christians were accustomed to v isit her tomb to weep
B u t sh e a p
e a r e d to th em and forbade that th ey sho uld sorro w for one wh o was
p
happy i n heaven S t Agnes is a fa v orite saint of th e R oman and
i n gener a l of young Ca t hol i c wom en There is one ch urch dedi ca t ed
t o h er o n the Piazz a N avona o n th e spot where stood th e house of
infamy to wh ich sh e was carried 3 and another of great i nterest b e
yond the Porta Pia said to have been b uilt by Constantin e a t th e
request of hi s daughter C onstan t ina to comm emora t e th e b urial
place of S t Agn es N ext to the E vangel ists and A p os t les th ere is
n o saint w hose i m ages are older than t h ose of S t Agnes
She is
m ost freq uently represen ted with a lamb
January 21 A D 3 04
S h e is one of the fou r grea t v irgin martyrs of th e L a t in C hurch
T h i s saint was remarkable
S t A gn e s o f M o n t e P u l c i a n o
for her pie t y from h er very infancy At n ine years of age sh e was
placed i n a n unnery and at ft een was m ade pri oress of a new con
v ent at P r o c i n o of t h e D om in ican O rder S h e slept on th e gro und
B ut

46

EGEND S

S TOR IE S

AN D

w i t h a ston e pillo w and l i ved o n bread a n d wate r for ft een years

u n t il sh e was obliged t o d im inish her au s t eri t ies on accoun t of h er
h eal t h A t lengt h t h e people of M onte P ulcian o being desirous t hat
sh e should re t urn to her na t i ve town bu ilt a con vent on a spot w here
t hey had destroyed a lewd h ou se 3 of whi ch con v ent S t Agnes becam e
the superior S h e ha d the gifts o f m iracles and prophecy an d was
grea t ly belo v ed S t Cath erine of S i ena m ade a pilgri mage to the
t omb of S t Agn es w ith t wo o f h e r n ieces wh o took th e veil on t h at
occasio n S h e i s grea t ly v e n erated i n T uscany April 20 A D 1 3 1 7
S t A l b a n wa s th e rst saint and martyr i n E ngland on wh ich
account th e Abbot of S t Alban s had precedence over all others
Th is saint was a n ati v e of V erulam H e li ved i n t h e ti me o f Aure
l ia n and wen t to Ro m e Wh i l e s t ill a n idolater h e was n oted for h is
h ospitali ty charity an d m a n y v i rtu es as well as for h i s great learn
ing Wh e n the persec u tion o f D iocletia n in v aded Britain S t Alban
gave sh elter to a priest w h o was th e m eans of h i s con version an d
baptized h im Whe n th e priest was pu rs ued to h i s ho use S t A lba n
p ut on h is long robe an d ga v e h imse l f to th e sold iers to save h is
guest H e was condemned to death as h e wo u l d n either worshi p idols
n or surrender t he priest He w as rst tort ured and t hen led out
for execu tio n
I t was n ecessary to cross th e river Col n to reach t h e
place wh ere h e was to s u ff er Th e crowd was great and the bridge
so n arrow that th ey coul d n ot pass 3 b ut w hen the saint said a short
prayer th e waters were d i vided and a l l went over dry sh od W he n
on t h e h ill of execution h e prayed for water to q uench h is t h irst an d
a spring gush ed out a t h is fee t H e was beheaded H is burial place
was forgo tt en b ut d iscl osed i n 7 9 3 by a m i racle A n angel com
m a n d e d K ing O ffa i n a v ision that he sh ould nd t h e rem ains o f t h is
saint an d secure to them th e v enerat ion of t h e people H e foun d
the m at V erulam and b uilt a ch urch for t h em near wh ich a rose a
great Ben edi ctine monastery and th e town of S t Al ban s in Her t ford
sh ire H i s at t ributes are the sword and a fountai n springing at h is
feet J une 2 2 A D 3 05
S t A l b e rt ( L a t S Al bertus 3 I t a l S an t Alberto ) was Bish op o f
V ercell i and Patriarch o f Jerusal em He i s reverenced as th e found er
of t he O rder of t he C armel ites He was m urdered at Ac re wh e n
e mbark ing to at t end a council at R om e A t t h e cath ed ral at Cr e
m ona is a v esse l i n w h ich tradition says S t Albert kneaded bre a d
,

the poor H e is represe n te d i n h is ep i scopal robes a n d carries

th e p al m
A l b e r t u s M a g n u s sometim es called S ant Albe r to M agno was
a teach er of S t T h omas Aquinas an d i s represented i n ar t i n com
pany w i t h that saint
St
A l e xa n d e r (I t a l S an t Alessandro ; F r S t Alexandre )
M arch 1 8 A D 25 1 S e e S t Adelaide
S t A l e xi s (L a t S A l e t i u s ; I t a l S ant Aless i 0 3 F r S t Alexis 3
Ge r D er Heilige Alexi us )
I n t h e t i me of Pope I nnocent I and t he
E m p eror Honori us there l i v ed on th e Coelian H ill a man of great
rank an d weal t h named E uphem i a n H is w ife was called A gl ae
F o r many years they h ad n o child and on th is account prayed ear
G
od
h
m
to
u
ntil
at
length
they
a d a son
who
t
hey
called
n e st l
y
Alex is F ro m h is ch ildhood h e de v oted h imself to the servi ce of G od
an d wore beneath h is rich clothing a sh irt of hai r and wh en i n h i s
own chamber bewailed h i s sins and those of the w hol e world a n d
mad e a v ow to ser v e G o d alone At l ength E u p h em ia n selected a
beautiful maiden of noble rank to be th e wife of Alex is When h e
s a w th e loveliness of h is bride an d rem embered h is v ow h e trembled
H e d id not dare to disobey h i s fa t h er an d th e wedding was cele
T hen Alex is went t o the ch amber of h is
b r a t e d w it h great pomp
bride and ga v e h er a gold ring a girdle of precio u s stones an d a
purple v e il an d bade her farewell and was seen n o m ore H i s
m o t h er and h i s w ife passed their tim e i n the dee p est grief wh ile h is
fa t h er sent through all t h e w o rld to nd h i m Alexis disguised as a
pilgri m reached th e mouth of th e Tiber in a smal l boat a n d sailed
from O stia for L aodi ce a T hence he went to E dessa in M e s o po t a
m ia whe re h e d welt m i ni steri n g to the poor and sick until th e p eo
p le called h i m a saint F earing p op ular favor h e sail ed for T arsus
t o pay h i s d evotions to S t Paul But th e vessel i n a storm was
dri ven to O stia S o th en Alexis went to h is fa t her s house an d
begged t hat h e m i gh t li v e u pon h is charity E u p h emian not recog
n i z i n g h i m th ough t u pon h is son that h e too m igh t be poor and i n
need and ga v e orders t hat h e should be p rov ided for B ut th e ser
v an t s ill t reated h im and gave h i m n o lodging but a hol e u nder th e
m arble steps of the house But t he h ardes t th ing h e had to endure
was to h ear h is W ife an d m o t her constan t ly lamenting for hi m and
com p laining of his absence
By t h is was h e sorely temp t ed b ut h e
y ielded not Th us passed m any years t ill a t lengt h he kne w that h e
fo r

48

EGEND S

S T OR IES

A N D

m ust die The n h e aske d for pe n and ink a n d wrote a n acco u nt o f

all h is li fe and pu t i t i n h is bosom N o w on a feas t day a s Pope
I nnocen t was singing h igh mass t he E mperor Honori us presen t an d

E uphemian was stand ing by t he la tt er a v oice cried out S eek t he

servan t of Go d w ho i s abou t to depart from th is l ife an d wh o shall
pray for R ome
And th e people fell on the ir faces and another v oice

said
Wh ere shall we seek hi m ?
A nd the an swer was
I n th e
h ouse of E uph em ian the patrician
S o th ey all went instan t l y an d
E uphem ian led t h e wa y ; and as h e cam e n ear h om e t h ey told h i m
t hat the beggar h ad d ied an d th ey ha d laid h i m on th e s t eps before
the door Wh en he un co v ered the face it was as the face of an angel
and a great glory o f l igh t sh o n e from i t Then h e said Th is i s t h e
ser v a n t o f Go d of w h om th e v o ice spok e j ust
An d the pope
took th e letter fro m t h e d ea d han d of Alex is an d read i t alo ud
The father was o v erwhel med w ith grief T h e w ife and th e m oth er
rushed o u t and thre w themsel v es on the dead body S even d ays th ey
watched beside i t and many sick and i nrm were h ealed b y to uch ing
the h oly remains of Alex is He is th e patron of p ilgri m s and beg
gars an d on th e spot where stood h is fa t her s h o use is n o w th e
ch urch of S t Alexis Th e marble steps beneath wh ich h e l ived and
d ied are preserved i n th e ch urch ; and a statue of t h e saint i n th e
dress of a pilgri m w i t h a staff beside h im an d a letter i n h is hand
is ex t ended beneat h t hem C ard inal Wiseman wrote a charm ing

drama on th e story of S t Alex is en ti t led

Th e H idden G em
J uly 2 4 A D 4 00
He was a m ost h oly
S t A l p h e ge was an E ngl ish n obleman
man and was made Archbish op of Can terb u ry in 1 006 S ix years
later th e D anes took th e c ity an d cathedral of Canterbury T h ey
put the p eople to death and burn ed th e city S t A l p h e g e was ke p t
seven months i n prison an d th en stoned to death because h e refused
to pay a large ransom for h is l ife T h e place w here h e m e t h is dea t h
w as at G reenwich and th e sam e as t hat on w h i ch th e parish ch urch
n ow stan d s I t is said th at ten years aft er death h i s body was fo und
entire and incorrupt I t was re moved fro m S t Paul s to t he C anter
b ury C a t hedral and enshrined near t h e h i g h al t ar H e i s represented
w i t h h is c h a s u b l o full o f stones April 1 9 A D 1 01 2
S t A m b r o s e ( L a t S Am brosi us ; I l a l S ant A m brogio ; F r
S t Am b rose ; Ge r D er Heilige Ambrosi us)
S t Am brose is one
of th e F athers of t h e Ch u rch H e was bor n at Tre v es A D 3 4 0
,

IL L US T R A T E D IN

AR T

49

and was a s on o f a prefect of Gaul of th e sam e n am e H e st udie d

at R ome and being at length appoi nted prefect of [E m il ia and L igu
ria (Piedmont an d G enoa) h e resided at M ilan H e was very elo
quent 3 and the sam e story that is tol d of Plato an d Archiloch us i s
told of h im
namely that w hen an infant i n h is cradle a swar m of
bees alighted on h is m o n t h w itho ut inj uring h i m T h is was th ought
to ind icate h is futu re eloq uen ce
S h ortly aft er h is going to M ilan
th e bishop d ied 3 and a great d is p ute arose b etween th e C athol ics and
Arians concern ing th e s uccession wh en A mbrose by h i s eloquence
qu ieted t hem I n th e m idst of i t a v oi ce l ike that of a child cried

o ut Ambrose shall be b ishop

To th is h e greatly obj ected es p e
c i a l l y as h e was only a catech u me n
B ut th e people wo uld no t lis t e n
to th is refu sal 3 an d being bap t ized i n d ue ti me h e was consecrated
H e rst gav e all h is property to th e poor and the n
B ishop of M ilan
devoted h i mself to such stud ies as wo uld t h i m for h i s o fce S t
Ambrose was an eloquent ad vocate of t he ad v antages of cel ibacy for
bo t h sexes a n d of th e supre m acy of the Ch u rch abo v e all other po w
ers He h ad n o fear of man forbidding eve n t h e E mperor T heodosi u s
to enter th e Chu rch u ntil h e had atoned for h is sin i n perm i t ting the
m assacre of se v en thousan d m e n at Thessalonica by p u bli c penance
He founded th e Basil ica of S ant Ambrogio M a ggiore at M ilan i n 3 8 7
H e i s the patro n sai n t of M ilan
a n d dedicated it to all the saints
T here are m any wonderful and m irac u lous circu msta n ces rel a t ed i n
h is l ife 3 and at h is death it was sai d that Chri st v i site d h im and that
h e ascended to h eaven i n th e arms of angels H e is represen t ed as
a m itred bishop w ith th e cros ier ; someti m es w ith a beeh ive a t h is
feet 3 b ut h is usual a t trib u te is a k n ot t ed scou rge w i th three thongs
April 4 A D 3 9 7
J ust
S t A n a s t a s i a (F r S t e An astasi e 3 G7 A y A va a r a a fn)
u n der the Palatin e H ill i s th e ch urch dedi cated to th is saint who
w h ile she has great fam e among G reek Christians was a R oma n lady
S h e was condemned to th e ames i n the persecution of D iocletian
S h e s u ffered greatly at the hands of h er h usband and family because
sh e o p enly professed C hristian ity S t Ch r ys o go n u s (Gr i sogo n o ) i s
ch i ey celebrated for h is inuence over Anas t asi a and for th e courage
w i t h w hi ch he inspire d her H e was slai n by t he s word and t h row n
i nto th e sea They are said to have su ffered at I llyria ; but Anastasia
w as b u ried by A p ol l i n a i n her garden near th e C ircus M axim us wh ere
.

"

'

50

E GE ND S

S T OR IES

AN D

ch urch n o w stands I t i s sai d th at S t J erome once celebrate d

ma s s i n t h is ch urch T here is also a b eau t i ful ch urch a t V erona
ded ica t ed t o S t Anas t asia The ch urch of Ch r y s o g o n u s i n t he T ras
t evere b u il t i n 5 9 9 was rebuil t i n 1 6 2 3 by S cip i o Borgh ese C ard in al
of S a n G r is o go n o D e cember 2 5 A D 3 04
H e was of th e Co r
S t A n d r e a o f Co r s i n i was born in 1 3 02
sin i fam ily of F lorence H e was ex t remely w ild un t il h e was s i x t ee n
years old w hen h is m other i n despair t old h i m of a d ream w h i ch
sh e had before h i s bir t h in w h ich sh e dream ed of gi ving b ir t h to
a wol f ; b u t t h is wolf on entering a ch urch was changed to a l a mb
T hi s grea t ly a ff ec t ed Andrea and he went t o a C armeli t e ch urch to
pray where such a ch ange was begun in h i m th a t a t seven t een h e
becam e a friar H e w as B ish op of F iesole T h e F lorentines a tt r i b
u t e d t o t h e protecti on of th is saint th ei r v i ctory of the bat t l e of
Angh iari F ebruary 4 A D 1 3 73
S t A n d r e w (L a t S Andreas ; I t a l S an t Andrea ; F r S t And r ;
Gr A y
S t Andre w was th e rst called to be an A p os t l e
H e was th e bro t h er of S i mon Pe t er V ery l i tt le i s s aid of h i m
i n S crip t ure L egends tell t hat h e travelled i n t o S cy t h ia C a pp a
docia an d Bi t hynia a n d con verted m ul t i t udes b y h i s preach ing
T h e R ussians bel ie v e th at h e preached to t h e M u scovi t es i n S arma t ia
H e re t ur ned to Jerusal em and aft er v i siting G reece cam e to Pa t ra s
a ci ty of Achai a Here am ong many o t h ers b e conv erted M a xi m i l l a
w ife of I E g e u s t h e proco n s ul
H e also persuaded her to m ak e a
pu b l ic con fession wh ich so enra ged h er h usband tha t b e condem ned
Th ere i s a varie t y of o p in
S t Andre w to be sco u rged and cruci ed
ions as to t h e form of th e cross on wh ich h e s u ffered ; bu t t h e on e
called by h is n am e i s ge n er a lly bel i eved to be l ik e t h a t on wh ich h e
d ied I t i s said t hat he was fastened wi th cords ra t h er t han n ails
W h en h e a pproach ed h is cross he v enerated i t as h a v ing b een san c
t i e d by J esus
He was gl oriou sly tri u mph ant i n h i s d eath I n th e
four t h cen t ury a par t of th e rel ics of S t Andre w w ere t aken to S cot
lan d since w hi ch t i me h e h as bee n the patron s a in t of t hat coun t ry
and of i t s rs t order of kn i g h t h ood H e i s t h e patron of th e O rder
of t h e G olden F leece of Bur g undy as well a s of R ussia and o f i t s
great order of th e C ross of S t Andre w
H e i s re p resen t ed le a n in g
on h is cross t h e G os p el i n h is h a n d 3 h is h ai r and h e a r d are si l v ery
w h i t e a n d h is beard d i v ided N ovember 30 A D 70
her

"

IL L US T R A

IN

TE D

A R T

51

m e fro m th e E ast an d preach ed

i n Palermo and M essina T here was a cer t ai n Cou nt Beren g er wh o
led an o p enly shameful l ife w i t h h is own sis t er Being rebuked b y
Angelo h e com manded h i m to be h ung u p on a tree and shot wi t h
arrows The l egend a n d in fact the v ery ex istence of this sain t have
been d isp uted 3 but p ict u res said to represent h i m are seen at Bologna
St

ge

l u s , th e Carmel ite

Ga

M a y 5 , A D 1 2 25
.

St

or A n n i a n u s
I n th e Acts of S t M ark we are
told that thi s saint was a shoemaker whom S t M ark healed whe n
h e rst entered the city of Alexandria H e becam e so zealous a
convert an d learned so ra p i dly tha t S t M ark m ade h i m bish op
during h is absence He go v erned t he ch urch at Alexandria fo ur
years wi t h S t M ark and eighteen years aft er h is dea t h There was
a church i n that ci t y ded icate d to hi m April 2 5 A D 8 6
S t A n n a th e m other of th e Blessed V irgin wh ose name sigu i

es gracio us i s m u ch honored in the C h urch and n umerou s m iracles

have b een attribu t ed to h er in t ercessio n
About 5 5 0 J ustin ian I
bu ilt a ch urch at C onstan t inople and dedicated it to S t Anna Her
body was rem o v e d from Palesti n e t o Constanti n ople i n 7 1 0 J uly 26
S e e S t Joach i m
Th is saint was a R om an A n s a n u s Tran
S t A n sa n o o f S ie n a
l
i
l
i
n us
u
His
n
u
rse
a
C
hristian
w
oman
n
am
ed
M
ax
i
ma
h
ad
h
i
m
q
secretly ba p tized His faith was not disclose d until h e was nineteen
years old when he began to p reach w i t h great success He s u ffered
m uc h during t he p ersecution of D iocletian and was at last beheaded
on the banks of t h e ri v er Arbia
S t An sano was u n t i l the end o f
th e t h irteen t h cent u ry th e great patron of S iena ; and there i s i n the
D uom o of that ci t y a ne stat ue represen t ing h i m as ba p tizing the
S ienese converts

S t A n t h o n y (I t a l S a n t Anton i o Abbate or 1 E rem i ta 3 F r

St
S t Antoin e l A b b ; Ge r D er Heil ige A n ton or Anton i us )
A nt h ony
an E gyp t ian was born at Alexandria
At eighteen
years of age h e was left an or p han , w ith one sister H e had great
ran k and weal t h Thoughtful from childhood , h e feared th e t e m p t a
ti ons of the worl d E n tering a ch urch one day , he heard these

words :
E very one that hath forsaken ho uses or bre t hren or
sisters or fa t h er, or m oth er or w ife or ch ildren or lands for my
name s sak e shall recei v e a h undred fold , a n d shall inh eri t e ver
A

ia n us,

52

E GE ND S

S T OR IES

AND

l asting l ife ; a n d at ano t her ti me, I f th o u wilt be pe rfect go

sell all tho u h a st and give it t o the poor an d th ou shal t h ave
treasure i n h eaven
He was so impressed by these th ings t hat
h e t ook them as a warning fro m G o d H e d i v ided h is wealt h
w ith h is s ister gave a l l h is share to th e poor and j oined a
company of herm i t s in the desert H ere h e li ved so pure a l ife
as t o arouse t he h atred of S atan wh o sent demons to tempt and
T hey wh ispered to h i m o f all h e h ad le f t h e
t orment h im
h ind an d p ictured before h is m in d the at t rac t ions of th e world
But he prayed u ntil great drops stood o n h is brow and the
dem ons despair ed They th en p laced del icio us food before h im
an d assu m ing th e forms of lo v ely w om en t empted hi m to si n
Aga in b e resisted all th eir arts w ith prayer ; b ut h e su ff ered so
determ ined to go yet farther into th e deser t an d
m uch that b e
h e fo und a ca v e w here h e thought S atan co uld not discover h im
But h ere th e demons cam e and tort ured h i m w ith all k inds of
h o rr ible pains and tore h i m w ith th eir claws till a h erm i t wh o
carri ed h i m food found h i m lying as i f dead He bore h i m to h i s
cell ; b ut as soon as An t hony rev i v ed h e insisted u pon return ing
t o h is cave and when there h e cried o ut
Ha ! t h ou arch temp t er !
d idst thou thi nk I had ed ? L o here I a m agai n 3 I Anth ony !

I hav e strengt h to combat still !

Then was S atan fu rious an d
h e set h is dem ons to try all th eir powers to overco me h i m They
surro und ed h i m w ith l ions tigers serpents scor p i ons an d all t h e
h orri b le sha p es th ey co uld conce i ve , and th ey were roaring and h iss
ing all aro und h i m B u t i n th e m idst of all th is came a great l igh t
from h eaven and t he beasts van ished ; wh ile An t h ony l ook ing u p

cried o ut
O L ord J esus Christ ! w h ere wert th o u i n th ose m o

m en t s of ang u ish ?
An d Christ sai d gently Anthony I wa s h ere
b eside t h ee and rej oiced to see thee contend and overcom e B e of

good heart 3 for I will m ake thy nam e famous t hrough all the world
Then h e resol ved to go even farther i nto the desert As h e trav
c l l e d h e saw h ea p s of gold an d sil ver but h e knew they were t h e
tem p t ati ons of S atan ; an d wh en h e looked away t h ey disap p e a red
i n t he air H e was n ow th ir ty ve years old , w h en h e sh ut hi msel f
i n a cav ern for twenty years and s a w n o one neith er w as h e seen
of any ; b ut wh en h e cam e forth all could see th at he h ad bee n
m iraculo usly s u stained for h e wa s n o t waste d or changed ex cept
,

IL L US T R A T E D IN

AR T

53

th a t h is h air was wh i te an d hi s beard long An d no w h e preach ed

the love of Go d to all m en ; comforted th e sick and a l ic t e d and
expelled dem ons o v er whom he h ad gained great po wer M ul t itudes
were con v erted and cam e to the deser t u ntil there were v e tho u
sa n d herm its i n the caves and ancient tombs and S t Anthony di d
A t length , when he had l i ved i n the desert seventy
m any m iracles
ve years he began to be proud of h i s life of self den ial and a v oice

sai d to h i m i n a v is ion
There is one holier than tho u art, for Paul

the herm it has served Go d i n sol itude and penance for nine ty years
S o he resol ved to seek Paul ; an d as he j ourneyed he m et a centa ur
w h o poi nted t h e way to h i m 3 and agai n a satyr wh o besought h i m
to pray for h i m and h is people T h e th ird day h e came to t he ca v e
of P aul At rst Paul woul d not receive h i m 3 b ut at leng t h m o v ed
by h is p rayers and tears h e adm i t ted h im Then t h ey held com
m union together 3 and as th ey sat a rave n brought them a loaf of

bread when Paul blessed G o d an d said

F o r sixty years every
day hat h th is raven brough t m e half a loaf ; but because thou art
come my brother 10 ! th e port ion i s do u bled and we are fed as

A n d they ate and returne d

E l ij ah was fed i n the w ilderness

thanks The n Paul said

M y bro t h er ! G o d hat h sen t thee here
that tho u m ightest rece i v e my last breath an d b ury m e
Go
return to thy dwell ing ; bring here th e cloak wh ich was gi v en to
thee by th at h oly Bishop Athanasi us wrap me i n it an d lay m e i n

the earth
T hen Anthony wond ered for the gift of the cloak w a s
unknown to all B u t h e ki ssed Paul an d hastened to bring th e
c l oak 3 for h e feare d h e sh ould not reach h i m agai n before h is death
R eturning when h e was about three hours from h is ca v e h e heard
heavenly m usi c an d looking u p s a w th e s p irit of Paul , as a star
borne b y pro p h ets apostles an d angels to hea v en Then Anthony
lamented an d went w ith haste to th e cave where Paul was dead
i n th e a tt itude of p rayer T hen h e we p t o ver h i m and recited the
o fce for th e dead and h e though t how h e could bury h im for h e
h ad not s t rengt h to dig a grave T hen cam e two l ions across th e
d esert roaring as if i n sym p athy an d w ith their paws they dug a
grave i n wh ich A nthony laid Paul wrapped in th e cloak of A t ha
n a siu s
When h e had return ed to th e con vent he told all these
thi ngs whi ch w ere belie v ed by th e w hole Church an d Paul was
ca n on ize d F ourteen years after A n t hony being one h u n dred and
.

54

E GEND S

S T OR IE S

AND

four years old fel t tha t h e m ust soo n d ie ; and a ft er going t o a

lonely p lace wi t h a fe w bre t h ren h e charged t he m t h a t t hey should
kee p secre t t he place of h is b urial G en t ly h i s sp irit passed away
and angels conveyed i t to h eaven S t An t hony is represen t ed
wi t h various a t t ri b utes H e wears a m onk s h abit as t h e found er
of M onach ism I n G reek p ictures th e letter O i s o n th e cope on
the left shoulder and al ways i n bl ue I t i s the rst letter of
The crutch is a symbol o f h is age and feebleness The b ell
God
sign i es h is p o wer to exorcise ev il spiri t s as a bell wh ich has been
blessed is used i n exorcisms T h e asperges or rod for sprinkl ing
h oly wa t er i s a sym b ol of t he sam e id ea The hog represen t s t h e
sensuali ty and a pp eti t es wh ich b e conquered F lames of re under
h is fee t or a ci t y or h ouse burn ing signi fy th a t h e i s a pro t ec t or
against re i n th is world an d t he nex t also Paul i s represented as

i
old m eagre half clo t hed n pal m leaves h is hair long and w h i te
sea t ed o n a rock i n m ed itation an d a pal m tree n ear h im S t
An thony Jan uary 1 7 A D 3 5 7
S t A n t o n i o Archbishop of F lorence was a native o f F l orence
H e was born about 1 38 4
H is though t fuln ess and stud io usn ess
caused h is frie n ds to regard h i m as tted for a rel igio us l ife H e
wen t to F iesole a n d ask ed ad m iss i on t o t he D om in ican C on vent at
ft een Th e prior aft er talking w i t h h im told h i m that wh en h e
h ad learned perfectly t h e Book of D ecrees h e would recei ve h i m
T h i s h e d id i n on e year and then was sen t to C orton a to pass h is
n ovi t iate i n study
He took h is v ows at F iesole an d t h ere formed a
tender at t achm e n t to th e wonderful pain ter m onk F r a G iovanni
called 1 1 Beato a n d Angel ico I t i s bel ieve d that t h e great l earning
of An t onio was of ad vantage to the h eavenly m in d of Angel i co a n d
tha t their com m un ion was n ot w i t hout i t s effects u pon th e la tt er s
pic t ures
The Archbisho p of F lorence dying the p ope w ish ed t o
give th e o f ce to Angel ico ; b ut h e begged that An t on io sh ould
h ave i t i ns t ead wh ich t h e p o p e granted Thi s grea t ly pl eas ed t h e
F loren t ines as h e was n ot only m uch belo v ed but a nati ve of t h ei r
city
He died at t h e age of se v en ty th i rteen years aft er h e wa s
m ade arch b isho p d uring wh i ch t i me h e wa s d is t inguish ed for h is
w isdo m and h ol iness
He is al ways represented as an archbish op
and wears the palli u m o v er the habit of th e D o m i n ica n s M ay 1 0
,

l 4 61

IL L US T R A T E D IN
St

of

L
at
(

P a dua

AR T

55

Anton i us Thaumaturgus ;
I t a l S an t An t onio d i Padova I l S anto ; Sp S a n A n ton io de Pad u a
S o l brillan t e de la I glesia Gloria de Portugal
T h is sain t was
a Portuguese by bir t h H e became a F ranc iscan and stands i n
t hat order n ext to i t s founder
Aft er the martyrdom of th e rst
m issionaries i n M orocco A ntony determ ined to h e h i mself a m is
si on a r
and
martyr
and
w
ent
to
con
v
ert
t
he
M
oors
B
ut
h
e
was
y
seized w i t h an illness that compelled h im to return to E urope He
w as drive n by th e winds to I taly and came to A ssisi where S t F rancis
was holdi n g th e rst chapter of h i s order S t F ra n cis fou n d h i m a
v aluable assis t ant and h e preached at th e uni versi t ies of Pad ua B o
logn a Paris and T o u louse b ut at length he preach ed to th e people
H e did m uch good in I taly as a preacher H is i magination was vivid
and h is language e ffecti v e Hi s sim iles were v ery beautiful H e
died at t h ir t ys i x aft er a m in istry of ten years G reat ho n ors hav e
bee n pai d hi s mem ory and th e ch urch of S ant Anton i o at Padua i s
w onderfully rich in adorn ments of both an cient and modern art He
performed many m iracles wh i ch are represented in p ictures i n v ariou s
ch urches and convents especially i n It aly and S p ain O ne of t h ese i s
th us related When preaching at the fu n eral of a very ri ch man h e

denounced h is l ov e of m oney and exclai med His h eart is b uri ed i n

The
h is t reasure ch est 3 go seek i t there and you w ill n d i t
friends of t h e man broke o p en th e chest and to t heir surprise foun d
the heart 3 they then exam ined h is body a n d found tha t h is heart was
indeed wanting H is attribu t es are the l ily an d cruci x He i s young
and wears t h e hab it and cord of S t F rancis J une 1 3 A D 1 23 1
S t A p o l l i n a r i s o f R a v e n n a (I t a l S ant A p olli nare 3 F r S t
A p ollinaire ) This saint came w i t h t he A p ostle Peter from Antioch
t o R ome ; and Peter hav ing l ai d hands on h im sent h i m to p r each i n
the east o f I taly He becam e th e rst Bishop of R avenna and per
formed su ch m iracles and so preach ed as t o con vert m ul t i t udes At
l eng t h h e was seize d an d i m p risoned His j ailer allo wed h i m to e s
ca p e ; b u t h is enem ies p urs ued h im beat h i m and wounded h i m so
tha t h e d ied The Basilica of Apolli naris i h Classe is on the spot
where h e was m artyred J uly 2 3 A D 7 9
S t A p o l l o n i a o f A l e xa n d r i a (F r S t e A p olline ) Th e paren t s
of A p ollon i a were hea t hens and h ad n o ch ildren t hou g h they con
as a
w
a ch ild
pray
Her
father
st a n t l
e d t h e gods t o gra n t t h e m
y
.

ton y

L E G E ND S

56

S TOR I E S

AND

agistrate At leng t h t h ere cam e three p il grim s to Alexan d ria

b e gg ing i n the name of Jes us and th e Blessed V i rgi n The w ife of
t he ma g is t ra t e h earin g t hem asked if t h e V i rgin co uld g ran t h er
prayer for a ch ild Being t old of h er grea t power sh e gave t h e pil
g rims food an d money and full of fai t h i nvoked M ary s i n t ercessi o n
w ho answered t h e prayer by t he bi rt h of Apollonia S h e was v ery
beau t iful 3 and as h er m o t her constantly told h er the s t ory of her b ir t h
she gre w up a Chris t ian and sought S t L eontine that h e m igh t bap t ize
h er As soon as h e did so an angel appeared w i t h a garm en t d az

z l i n gl
wh
i
t
e
wh
ich
h
e
th
re
w
o
ver
her
say
ing
Thi
s
i
s
Apollon
ia
,
y
the ser v ant of G o d ! Go n ow to Alex andria and announce t h e fai t h
of Chris t
S h e obeyed and converted m any ; b u t oth ers accused her
to her fa t her wh o gave h er to th e hea t h en governor He com manded
h er to worsh i p t h e idol of t he c ity B u t s h e made the sign of the
cross before th e idol and com m anded its demon to d e p art T h e de

m on
broke th e statue and ed crying Th e h oly v irgi n Apollonia
drives m e for t h
T hen t h ey bound h er to a col u mn an d dre w h er
t ee t h o ut one by on e w i t h p in cers and t hen kindling a re t h ey
bu rn ed h er S h e is th e pro t ec t or a gain st too t hache and a ll d iseases
of t he tee t h Her a t tribu t es are a pair of pin cers w i t h a too t h and
th e p al m ; som eti mes a golden tooth suspended on h er neck chai n
F ebruary 9 A D 25 0
L a t S A th anasi us Pater
S t A t h a n a s i u s ( Gr A y A a va m o ;
O r t h o d o xi ae ; I t a l S an t Atanasio ; F r S t A t hanase )
Th is sain t
b es t kno wn by th e creed wh ich bears h is nam e was an Alexan d rian
and a p u p il of S t An t hony He rst s t ud ied science and l i t era
t ure ; and being con v er t ed h e was ordained d eacon
H is o pp o
s i t i o n t o Arius at th e C oun cil of N ice gain ed for h i m th e t i t le of t h e

F a t h er of O rth odoxy
H e becam e Bish op of Alexandria and d ur
ing the great h eresy of his a ge m aterially aided by his perse veran ce
i n t he v i ctory of the Cath oli c C h urch
H e was bi sh o p fort y six
years but h e was i n ex ile d uring twenty years of t hat t ime M ay
m

"

2, A D 3 73
.

St A

or S t A u s t i n (L a t S A ugustinus ; I t a l S ant
A g ostino ; F r S t A u g ustin )
T h e fa t h er of S t A u g us t i ne wa s a
h ea t h en ; h is m o t her M on ica was a C hris t ian
He was born i n
T a g a s t e N u m idia
I n h is you t h h e was so devo t ed t o p leasure t hat
h is mother feared the destruction o f h is character, and in her s orro w
.

u gu s

tin e

IL L US T R A T E D

IN

AR T

57

so u ght ad v i ce o f the B ishop of Carthage He com f ort e d her w ith

t h e ass u rance that h er prayers would be answered at last
At length
Augustine wen t to R ome an d becam e famou s as a lawyer B ut h e
was res t less and u nhap p y He went to M ilan and was there con
v erted by th e preach ing of S t Ambrose who bapt ized h im i n th e

presence of h is m other The T e D eum i t is thought was com

posed for th is occasion S t Augustin e and S t Ambrose recited it
as they approached th e altar H e was B ishop o f H ippo ; an d after
thirty ve years H ippo w as besieged by th e V andals and S t Augustine
e r fs h e d at th e age of se v enty ve
I t is said tha t h is remains were
p
remo v ed to Pav ia He was the th ird doctor of the C h urch and h is
w ritings are celebrated
O n e of th e scenes i n h is life most f r e
quen t ly illustrated i n art is that of a v ision related by h imself an d
wh ich h e saw wh ile wri t ing h is D iscourse on th e T rinity H e was
walking on the sea sh ore lost i n med itation on h is great theme w he n
h e saw a l ittle ch ild bringing w ater and endea v oring to ll a hole
whi ch he had d ug i n the sand Aug u stin e asked h i m t h e m oti v e o f
h is labors The ch ild sai d h e intended to empty all the water o f th e

sea i nto th is cavi t y

I m p ossi b le exclaim ed S t Augustine
Not

m ore i m p ossi b le answered th e ch ild

than for thee, O Augustine

to ex p lain th e mystery on wh i ch thou a r t n o w m editating

He i s
the pa t ron of theologians and learned m en August 2 8 A D 4 3 0
S t A u g u s t i n e o f Ca n t e r b u r y i s beli e v ed to have i ntrod uced th e
Benedic t ine O rder i nto E ngland He was sent from R om e as m ission
ary to Britain by S t G regory F earin g th e dangers represented to
exist in E nglan d at t hat t im e h e and h is com p an ions were seized wit h
dread and Augustin e went to beg th e pope to recall h is comma n d
Th is G regory refused to do He m ade Augu stine bisho p over t hose
wh o should be con v erted They lan ded i n K ent where t h ere was
great h atred of Christian ity ; b ut Quee n B erth a was a Chris t ian and
for her sake K ing E t hel b ert perm it t ed the m to enter C an t erbury
wh ich they did singing p rai ses and carrying th e image of C hrist
E t helbert a n d h is peo p l e becam e Christians and were ba pt ized i n a
l it t le cha p el wh ic h Berth a had built n ear C anterbury and being a
S t Augus t ine
F rench princess had dedi cated t o M ar t i n of T ours
desired greatly to see th e ancient Britons C hr i s t ians wh om th e E ng
lish had dri v en into the m ou ntai n region s of Wales re clai med from
certai n abu s es w h ich h ad crept i n a mo n g t h em H e al so w anted the i r
.

58

S T OR I ES

L E GE ND S A N D

B u t th e B ri t
as sistan ce i n h is m issionary w ork am on g th e E ngl i sh
ons ha t red of t heir oppressors sadly obs t ructed S t A u gustin e s p iou s
and paci c w ishes
I n v i rt ue of h is a uthori ty as Papal L egat e h e
v isi t ed all th e British bish ops 3 and these w ill ingly responded to h is
inv i t a t ion to a conference at A u s r i c on th e edge o f Worcestersh ire
a place later called A ugu stine s O ak
A ugus
n ear Herefordsh ire
t ine requ ired o f them aid i n con v e rt i ng th e pagan E ngl ish ; con
form i ty to th e c usto m of th e U n i v ersal C h u rch as to th e t i me o f
celebrating E aster and as to th e man ner of adm inistering bap t ism
Th ese th ings they refused because of their h atred of the ir n ational

enemies Whereu pon S t Augusti ne proph esied that i f th ey w o u l d

n o t preach to th e E ngl ish the w ay of l ife
th ey w oul d fall by th eir

h a nds u nder the j udgment of death

T h is prediction w as ful
lled aft er the deat h of S t A u gusti ne w h e n E t h il fr i d king of th e
pagan N orth ern E ngl ish m ightily o v erth re w the Britons at C hes t er
an d slew twenty two h undred of th e B ritish monks of B angor wh o
prayed i n sight of the battle e l d for th e v ictory of th eir coun t rymen
Those w h o account S t Augustine i nstigator of th i s m ass a cre wh ich
took place years after h is d ea t h kno w not h is t ender chari t y w hose
only weapon s against sinners were prayers for their conversion H e
s ho u ld be represented in th e Ben ed ictine h abit w ith th e s t a and th e
A D 604
G ospel or as b ishop w ith p a l li um cope and m itre
S t B a l b i n a was th e da ugh ter of the prefect Qu iri nu s an d d is
co v ered th e lost ch ains of S t Peter Th e church dedica t ed to h er
at R ome is v ery ancient S h e is represented v eiled wi t h chai ns i n
h er h an d or n ear h er
Th i s
S t B a r b a r a ( I t a l S anta Barbara 3 F r S t e Barbe )
saint was of t h e E as t an d daugh ter of D i o s c o r u s wh o d wel t i n Hel i
He was rich and n o b l e and lo v ed h is only daugh t er so fondly
O p ol is
that b e sh ut h er u p i n a h igh t ower lest sh e shou l d a tt ra c t s ui t ors
by h er beauty Here sh e p assed h er tim e in study and wh il e wa t ch
ing the wonders and beau t ies of th e h eavens fel t th a t t h e id ols coul d
n o t be gods or th e creators of th e world
B u t sh e h ad h eard of n o
o t h er G od A t l engt h th e fam e of O rigen reach ed h er fro m Alexa n
dria and sh e sen t h i m a l etter by a tru s ty servant a sking th a t h e
s h oul d teach h e r
H e s e n t a d i sciple d is g uised as a physi cian who
instruc t ed h er and aft er h er con versi on bapti zed h e r Her father
h a d set w orkm e n to m ake a bathr o om i n h er to wer ; a n d w h e n t h ey
.

IL L US T R A

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59

T hey
had made two wi ndows sh e desired the m to add another
were afraid to do th is b u t she insis t ed ; and whe n h er fa t her asked

the cause sh e said

K no w my father tha t t hrough t hree w indows
doth th e soul recei v e l ight t h e F a t her the S o n and t he Holy
T h en h er father would have k illed
G host 3 an d t h e three are one
h er with h i s sword 3 b ut she ed to the t Op of the to wer and an gels
concealed h e r and bore her away to a place of safety A she p herd
be t rayed where sh e was h idden and h er fa t her dragged her by t he
hair and p ut h er i n a d ungeon He then deli vered her t o the pro
consul M arcian wh o scourged and t ort ured her b ut she d id not
yield 3 and at last h er father carried her to a mountain near th e city
an d h i mself beheaded her I mm ediately a great te m pest arose and
S t Barbara is t h e
th e lightn ing entirely consu med the father
patroness of F errara M an t ua and G u a st a l a 3 also of for t i ca t ions
and r e arm s as well as of arm orers and gunsm iths S h e is also
i n v oked as a protector against lightn i n g a n d the explosion s of
gun p owder A tower wi t h three w i ndows i s her p ec u liar at t rib u te
S h e also has t h e book palm and sword
S h e is fur t her in v oke d by
all w ho desire th e sacra m ents o f the Ch urch i n their dy ing hours
D ecember 4 A D 303
S t B a r n a b a s ( I t a l S a n Barnab a 3 F r S t
The
n ame of A p os t le is also gi v en th is saint ; and if n ot fully enti t led
to it h e is at least next i n holin ess to the Apostles wi t h wh om h e
labored
He was a nat i v e of Cy p rus a L e vite and a cousin of
S t M ark
He labored wi t h Paul at Antioch and L ystra ; and t h e
legends t ell us t h a t he was of so noble a p resence t hat he was called
J u p iter w h ile Paul was s tyled M ercuri us At le n g t h on account of
a d i e r e n c e concerning M ark th ey se p arated 3 an d Ba rnabas p reach ed
i n It aly as well as i n Asia M inor and Greece and i t i s said h e was
the rs t Bisho p of M ilan
T rad ition says h e preach ed from t h e
G os p el of S t M at t h e w written by the E vangel is t h im self wh ich h e
carried always wi t h h i m and that it had p ower t o heal t h e si ck
when laid upon their bosoms He was a t las t se ized by t h e Jews
and cruelly m artyred wh ile p reach ing i n J u d ae a M ark a n d o t h er
Chris t ians buri e d h im and i n th e t i m e of t h e E mperor Z eno h is
resting p lace was rev ealed in a vision to A n t e m i u s He was foun d
w i t h the G ospel in h is bosom T h is was t aken to C ons t antino p le
and a ch u rch w as b u ilt u n der the i n v ocation of the saint J une 1 1
.

60

St

rt h o l o m

E GE ND S

AND

S T OR IES

Bar t holo me us ; I t a l S a n Bartolomeo ;

F T S t B a r t h t l e m i)
T h e origi n of t his sain t is do u b t ful i t being
d is p u t ed w he t her h e were t he son of a pri nce P t o l o m e u s or of a
h us bandman Aft er t he ascens ion of our L ord h e t ravelled t hro ugh
I nd ia carry ing t he G os p el of S t M a tt he w H e preach ed in A rm en i a
and Cilicia He su ff ered a h orri b le dea t h a t A l b a n o p o l i s bein g rs t
ayed and t h en crucied H i s a tt ribu t e is a large k nife S om e
t imes he has h is o wn sk in hanging over h i s arm A ugus t 2 4
S t B a s i l t h e G r e a t (Gr A 7 B a o fAe t o s 3 L a t S Basil i us M agn us ;
I t a l S a n Bas ilio M a g no ; F r S t Basile )
T h is sain t i s t h e second
i n h onor i n t he G reek Ch urch as we l l as t h e founder of t he Bas ilians
alm os t t h e only mon as t ic order k nown in t h a t ch urch 3 for the O rder
of S t A n t hony h as b ut a fe w h ouses a t S in ai an d L e b anon and b y
t he shores of th e R ed S e a H e was born at C aesarea in C ap p adocia
i n 3 2 8 a n d was of a fam ily of great sanc t ity
h is grand mo t her
father mo t h er two bro t hers and a sis t er all being sain t s H e w rote
m any t heological works
He at t ribu t es h is early ed ucation t o h i s
grand mo t h er S t M acrina
H e studied at C ons t an t ino p l e and at
A t hens w h ere h e was associated wi t h both S t G regory of N a z i a n z e n
and w i t h J uli an aft erwards th e A p os t ate H is great t al ents a t one
t i me so arou sed h i s pride tha t bu t for th e i n uence of S t M acrina
h is sis t er h e w ould h ave perilled h is sal va t ion H e was t hen a b out
twent y eigh t an d aft er th i s gave h i m self en t irely t o rel igion
pass
ing som e years in th e desert as a herm i t where he lost h is h eal t h
from t h e austeri ty of h i s li vi ng H e was m ade a p riest i n 3 62 and
ei ght years after Bish o p of Caesarea T h e 1 4 t h of J un e t h e day o f
h i s ord ina t i on i s a grea t feast in th e Gr e e k C h urch H e l i ved wi t h
the sam e a b s t in e n ce on t h e th ron e as i n t h e d esert H e vigoro u sly
o pp osed t h e Arian heresy 3 and when t h e E m p eror V alens req ui red
h i m to comm u n ica t e rel i g iously w i t h th e Arians h e refused T h e
em p eror t h re a t ened h i m e ven w i t h death w i t h ou t effec t A t len g t h
h e t h ou gh t t o awe Basil by com i ng t o ch urch in g reat s t ate wi t h a l l
h i s cour t and sold iers I t was on th e day of th e E p i p hany I ns t e a d
of overawing t h e sai n t h e was h i msel f ov erawed by t he pie t y of t h e
con gre g a t i on a n d t he an g el ic d evo t ion of the grea t b ish o p T h e c m
e r o r aft erwards conferred w i t h B a sil
u
n
and
t
hou
g
h
h
e
remain
ed
p
;
con ver t ed h e m ade some concessions t o t h e C a t hol ics I t i s rela t ed
of Basil as of two o t h er saints that w h ile h e preached t h e H oly
.

(L a t

"

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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61

i n th e form of a wh ite do v e reste d on h is sho u l d er to inspire

h is words J une 1 4 A D 38 0
S t Ba v o or S t B a f 3 I t a l S a n B a von e )
He
S t B a v o n (E l e m
w as born a nobl e man 3 som e authorities claim D uke of Braban t He
was converted fro m idola t ry by S t Amand of Belgium rst Bish op
of M aestricht Ba v on was then n early ft y years old a wido wer an d
H e ga v e all h i s ri ches i n chari t y and was
h a d led a d i ssipated life
placed by S t A mand i n a m onastery i n G hent 3 b ut h e left that an d
l i ved a h erm it i n th e forest of M a l m e d un
H is shelter was a h ollo w
tree an d he subsi sted on h erbs I t is rela t ed of h i m that aft er
becom ing a Christian h e m et on e wh o had b een h is sla v e and cruelly
trea t ed Bavon besough t h i m to bin d and beat h im an d cast h i m
i n p rison as h e h ad formerly done to h i m Th is w as of co urse r e
f used 3 b ut th e saint so i nsiste d that nally i t was done an d while
i n prison h e p assed h i s ti m e i n doing penance for h is form er sins
H e is the patron of G hent and H a e r l e m
H is attribute i s a fal con ;
he is someti mes represen t ed as a h ermit and som eti mes i n h is d u cal
robes O ctober 1 A D 65 7
S t B e d e t h e V e n e r a b l e was born at J arro w i n N o r t h u m b e r
land i n 6 7 3 H e was em inent for h is lear ning and piety and som e
even thought h i m s u p erior i n eloquence to S t G regory He d ied
d ic t ating th e last words of a translation of the G ospel of S t John

He was called t h e V enerable an d was known by thi s nam e at a

C ouncil a t Aix la Cha p elle Th ere i s a legendary account of t he way
i n wh i ch h e received th is titl e I t says tha t h is sch olars wish ing t o
put an inscriptio n on h is tombstone one of them wrote
Ghost ,

a c su n

B e d ae

t in

f os sa
o ssa ,

leav ing th e blank as abo v e becau se no s u itable word occurred to hi m

H e fell aslee p th inking of it 3 an d wh en h e awoke v enerabili s had
been inserted by an angel s hand There are other ways of a ccoun t
ing for the title b ut th is i s the favorite one Bede s works are ex t an t

and h is E c c l e si a s t i a l History i s th e only auth entic record we ha v e

of t h e early E ngl i sh C h urch M ay 2 7 A D 73 5
W hen Cyrus was K ing of B abylon an d
B e l a n d t h e D r a go n
D an iel was hi s friend and greatly honored by him th e Babylon ians

had an idol called Bel to whom were gi v en every day twel ve great
measures of n e our and forty sheep and six v essels of wine
And
,

62

S T OR IE S

L E GE ND S A N D

th e number of th e p riests wh o attended h i m were th ree s core and ten

and t hey had w i v es an d ch ildren N o w Cyrus worsh ip pe d Bel b ut
D an iel worsh ip p ed h is own Go d ; and wh en Cyrus demanded th e
reason of t h is D an iel replied t hat he could not worsh i p ido l s m a d e
w i t h hands b ut the li ving Go d w ho had created all m e n and th e
world i n wh ich they li ved T hen Cyrus ask ed D an iel if Bel were not
l iv ing and reminded h i m of ho w m uch he ate and drank e very day

Then sa id D an iel
0 king be not decei ved ; for th is i s but clay
w ith in and brass wi t ho ut and d i d ne v er eat nor drink a n ything
So

th e k ing was wroth and said to th e priests I f ye tell m e not who

th is i s t hat de voureth th ese expe n ses ye sh all d ie B u t if ye can
cer t ify m e that Bel devoureth them th e n D an iel sh all d ie : for he

h ath S poken blasph emy against B e l

A n d D an iel re p lie d L e t it

be according to thy word

Then t h e priests said to the k ing L o
w e go ou t b ut thou 0 king set on th e m eat and make ready the
w ine an d sh ut th e door fast and seal i t w ith th ine o wn signe t ; an d
to morro w wh en th o u comest in if tho u n d e s t n ot that B e l hat h
eaten u p all we w ill suffer death ; or else D ani el that s p eake t h

falsely against us
N o w they d id thi s because t hey h ad an entrance
whi ch w as h idden u n d er th e table an d by th at they could go o ut
and i n as th ey liked Then th e king set th e food before Bel as t h e
priests had sai d 3 and D an iel com manded th e servan ts to bring ashes
an d h e stre wed th em upon th e oor 3 an d when all was ready they
closed the temple and the k ing sealed i t w i t h h is own seal T hen i n
th e n igh t the priests cam e w ith th eir w ives and ch ildren as th ey
were accustom ed to do and consu med all th a t h ad been p rovided
N o w i n th e m orn i n g t h e king cam e w i t h D an iel and th ey foun d t he
seal s wh ole and th ey broke the m an d went in And w h en t h e king

saw t h at th e food was gone h e cri ed out G reat ar t thou O Bel and
w i t h thee is n o d eceit at al l !
Then D a n iel lau gh ed and said t o t he

Behold n o w t h e p ave ment an d mark w ell w hose foo t s t e p s are

k in g

th ese
S o whe n th e k ing s a w th e foo t ste p s of men w om en and
ch ildren h e was angry and took th e priests wi t h their w i ves an d
c h ild ren and th ese showed h i m th e door wh ere t h ey had gone in an d
Then t he k in g sle w th em an d gave th e idol Bel t o D an iel an d
ou t
h e d es t royed b o t h the g od and h is t em pl e N o w i n t he sam e place
was a g rea t dra g on wh ich was also worsh i pp ed b y the Ba bylon ians ;

and the king sa i d to D anie l W i l t tho u al so say t hat thi s i s of bras s ?

,

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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63

h e l i v eth h e eateth and drinketh thou canst n ot say th at h e i s

no l ivi n g G o d ; therefore worsh i p h i m
B ut D aniel declared t ha t h e
would not worsh i p h im and that he could slay h i m w itho ut sword or
T h e n D an iel took p itch an d
stave An d th e king gave h i m leave
fat and hair a n d m ade lum p s of it and p ut the m i n the dragon s
T hen the people were lled wi t h
u n t il h e b urst asunder
m on t h
indignatio n and they cam e to the king and demanded that he should
del iver D an iel to them or they w ould destroy h i m an d h is h ouse
T hen the ki n g being sore pressed gave up D an iel and they thre w
h i m into th e lions den where h e remai n ed six days N o w t h ere
were se v en li on s i n th e den an d each day th ey had gi v en th em two
carcasses an d two shee p but no w th ey ga v e them n o t h ing so t hat
they m ight de v our D aniel There was i n Jud aea a prophet whose
name was Habakkuk ; an d h e had made h im a m ess of pottage and
had p ut bread i n a bowl and was about to give it to th e rea p ers i n
th e eld 3 but the angel of the L ord cam e to h im and com manded
tha t h e should carry it to Babylon and give i t to D an iel wh o was i n
the lions den Then Habakkuk said L ord I ne v er saw Babyl on 3

T hen the angel of the L ord

neither do I kno w where the den i s
took H ab akku k by th e hair of h is head an d set hi m i n Babyl on ove r

the lions den 3 an d Habakku k cried saying

0 D aniel D aniel

take th e d inner wh ich G od hath sent thee

T h en D aniel thanked
G o d that h e had n ot left h im to p erish a n d arose and ate th e food
w h ic h th e prophet had brought and t he angel set Habakkuk again i n
h i s own p lace N o w upon th e seventh day th e king cam e to th e d e n
to b ewail D aniel and he foun d h i m al i v e T h e n cried th e king G reat
art thou O L ord Go d of D an iel and there is none other beside thee
T hen h e took D an i el o ut of th e den an d cast i n those wh o h ad
acc u sed h im and they were devoured in a m omen t before h is face
S t B e n e d i c t ( I t a l S a n Benede t to ; F r S t Benoi t ; S p S a n
T hi s saint was t he founder th e p atriarch an d the rst
Ben ito )
ab b ot of t h e great ord er of t h e Bened ic t ines He was of n oble bir t h
and a na t iv e of N orcia i n t h e d uchy of S p oleto
H e studied at
R om e b ut soon wearied of t h e pr o i ga c y of those a b out h i m 3 an d
i mbibing th e ideas of S t Jerome and S t Augus t ine in favor of sol i
H is n urse wh o loved h i m
t u d e a t ftee n h e becam e a hermit
extremely followed h im i nto h i s re t irement an d m inis t ered as m uch
as possible t o h is com fort B ut he regard ing t h is as a drawback to
L o,

64

E GEND S

S T OR IES

A N D

p erfect hol iness ed fro m h e r to S ubiaco a wilderness forty m iles

from R ome Here he l i ved for three years entirely u nkno wn ex c e pt
t o R omano ano t her herm i t who shared w i t h h i m h is brea d and
wa t er
H ere h e was grea t ly t em pt ed b y t he recoll ec t ions of t h e
world he had left a n d es p ecially a t on e t im e by the remem b rance of
a beau t ifu l woma n h e h ad seen at R ome w hen to o vercome h is great
desire to re t urn t o h er h e ung h imself into a th icket of brie r s and
t horns and rolled h imself t here in u ntil h e w a s t orn and bleed ing
A t t he monas t ery of S ubiaco th ey sho w roses said to h ave been pro
a a t e d from these briers
T
h
e
fame
of
h
is
san
c
t
i
t
y
a
t
last
brought
p g
grea t crowds to h im w ho begged h i s p rayers and t hat h e wo uld h eal
t heir d iseases ; and a com pany of hermits n ear by reques t ed that h e
w ould be their h ead B ut wh en th ey saw th e severi t y of his l ife
t h ey attem pt ed to poison h i m W he n h e m ade the sign of the cross
before t h e p oisoned cu p it fell to th e ground in fragments He t hen
returned t o h is cave a n d a gai n d welt al one B u t so many h erm i t s
came to S ub i aco an d l i ved i n h u ts and ca v es that a t leng t h for th e
sake of order Bened ict com manded the m to build twel ve m onas t eries
and h e placed t wel ve monks i n each T wo senators of R om e brought
to h i m the ir sons M aurus and Pl a c i d u s to be ed uca t ed as C hristian s
They w ere but t wel ve and ve years of age an d th ey becam e th e
s p ecial charge of B enedi ct B u t S atan m uc h tro ubled at all th is
put it i n t o th e h eart of a priest F lorentins to trad uce the character
of S t Bened ict and t o poison h i m wi t h a loaf of bread T hese plans
failing h e at last brough t seven young wom en i nto on e of t he m onas
Then Benedi c t left S u b iaco
t e r i e s to try t he ch as t i t y of t h e monks
an d i mm ediately F lorenti n s was cr u sh ed to death ben eat h a falling
gallery in h is ow n h o use B enedict even w e pt for h is fa t e and i m
posed a p enance on M aurus when h e rej oiced a t i t T h ere s t ill r e
m ained at t h is time on M onte C assino a tem p le of Apollo T hi t her
Benedi ct w en t and b y h is m iracles an d p reach in g conver t ed t he
i dola t ers so th at t h ey broke th e statu e and al t ar and burn t the
grove T h e saint then b uil t u p two ch a p el s and d ed ica t ed t he m to
O n t h e sum m it of t h is
S t Joh n t h e Bap t is t an d S t M ar t i n of To urs
m oun t ain h e founded t he m onas t ery wh ich has al ways b een regarded
as t h e p aren t of all o t hers o f t he Bened ic t ine O rder
H en c e b e
p rom ul g a t ed t h e rules of his ord er H is sis t er S ch olas t ica followed
h i m to M onte C assi no an d h e v isi t e d her o n ce a year d uring th e last
,

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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65

years o f h is life I n 5 4 0 Totila K ing of th e G oth s v isited Benedict

and entrea t ed h is b lessing T h e saint reproved h im for h is p ast life
and i t was thought that aft er t his the G oth wa s less ferocious B e
fore h is death m onasteri es o f h is order were i ns t i t u ted i n all p ar t s of
E urope H e was a t las t seized w i t h fever and on the sixth day h e
ordered h i s gra v e to be dug and after standing upon th e edge of it
s upported by h is di sciples an d i n silent contem p l ation h e was born e
to the altar of the church and recei v ing the last sacramen t s there
died
M a rch 2 1 A D 5 4 3
Th is saint
S t B e n e d i c t o f A n i a n (F r S t Benoi t d A n i a n e )
was p age an d c u p bearer at t he court of Pepin l e
Bref an d a d istin
u
i
h
d
com
mander
i
n
th
e
army
of
C
harlemagne
H
e
was
b
orn
at
s
e
g
M aguel onne i n L anguedoc and h i s original nam e i s unknown H e
h ad an ex t rem ely narro w esca p e from dro wning aft er wh ich h e e n
H e went rst to the abbey of S t S eine ; but
t e r e d on a religi o us l ife
d isa p prov ing of th e habits of th e m onks h e d welt a h erm it on the
banks of th e A h ian At length a n u mber of h erm its h aving j oi ned
h im h e fou nded a B en ed ictine m onastery w ith great severi ty of rule
H e was called to A ix la C hapell e b y L o uis l e D ebonnaire
Here h e
fou nded an oth er monastery He presided at a coun cil for the r e fo r
m ation of t h e monasti c orders
William D u k e of Aquitain e w as a
great warrior an d had vanqu ish ed th e S aracen s in th e south of
F ran ce
H e was con verted by S t Ben edict and b uilt a monastery
i n wh ich h e l i ved and died a monk
S t B en ed ict conferred u pon
William the m onk s habi t F ebruary 1 2 A D 8 2 1
B e n e d i c t B e n n e t B i s c o p or S t B e n n e t o f W e a r m o u t h
d id mu ch for art as well as for piety i n E ngland He was of a noble
N o r t h u m br i a n fam ily H e foun ded th e m onasterie s of S t Pe t er s a t
We a r m o u t h an d S t Paul s at Jarrow He had a cul t ivated tas t e
an d went ve ti mes to F rance and I taly He brough t to E nglan d
s tone w o rk ers and glaziers to i ntrod uce a new style of b uild ing
He
brough t too m any books and p ictures a n d also a certai n John
Abbot of S a n M artino w h o was a teacher of m usic and wh o in t ro
d u c e d ch anting into E ngl is h cath edrals
S t Bennet wrote many
books of instruction for m onks and died at an advanced age cele
J a n u a r y 1 2 A D 703
b r a t e d for p iety and m u n i c e n c e
S t B e n n o is noted es p ecially for h is co n nection w ith th e E m
r o r Henry I V
e
He
was
a
G
erman
B
enedictine
and
B
ishop
o
f
p
,

66

E GE ND S

S T OR IES

AND

M e is se n ; and whe n Hen ry after being excom m un i cated at t em pted

t o en t er t he ca t hedral Benno locked t h e doors an d t hre w t h e k ey
into t he river E lbe H e t hen wen t to R om e O n h is re t urn t o M e is
sen he ordered a sherman to cas t h is n et into th e ri ver an d a
sh was t aken i n wh ich was fo und the key H is proper a t trib ute i s
a sh wi t h a key i n i t s m outh
S t B e r n a r d o f Cl a i r v a u x (L a t S Bernard us D octor m ell i
u u s ; I t a l S a n Bernardo d i C h iara v alle Abbate 3 Ge r D er H eil ige
Bernhard ; F r S t Bernard ) was a m an of great power an d im p or
tance H e was born i n 1 1 9 0 at F ontaine near D ij o n H e w as t h e
son of a n oble ; and h is m oth er Al ice was a remarkable woman
S h e h ad a large n umber of ch ildren a l l of whom sh e n urse d at h er
own breas t as she bel ieved that i nfants i mbibe w i t h th e m ilk t h e
tem p erament of the n urse
According to all au t h ori t ies sh e gave
h er son h is early ed ucation F rom the age of ft een h e prac t ised
great self deni al an d from it h is heal t h su ffered H e had grea t p er
sonal beau t y Aft er studying at the U n i vers ity of Paris he en t ered
a t twenty th e Benedi ctin e m onas t ery of Citeaux H e resi s t ed a l l
temp t a t ions ; and i t i s related of h i m that nding h imsel f gaz ing o n
a beau t iful woman w i t h a feel ing of p l easure h e rush ed in t o a h al f
frozen pool an d remained there u n t il nearly frozen h i mself T h e
abbey of C i t eaux becam e so crowded that Bernard was sent at
twen ty ve t o foun d an o t h er m onas t ery H e w ent wi t h twelve com

pan ions to wh a t was then called th e V alley of Worm wood and

t h ere founded t h e abbey of Clair v aux
I n a few years Bernard
b ecame fam o us and h is ab b ey very m uch crowded H e was con
He
s id e r e d an au t h ori t y i n m at t ers of law as well as of rel i g ion
was j u d g e b e t ween Anacletus and I nn ocen t I I decid in g i n favor of
t h e la tt er to t he sa t isfac t ion of the whole C h urch He also reconciled
t he d is p u t es b e t ween the clergy of M ilan and R om e
He preached
a second C rusade succee d ed i n rousing th e peo p l e to grea t e n t h u
s ia s m
and was i n vited to assum e th e comm and H e was also t h e
a d versary of A b elard an d Arnold de Brescia S t Be rn ard i s one of
t he F a t h ers of t h e C h urch I n h is writings he sets forth w ith great
p ower t he p erfections of th e Blessed V irg in es pe c ially i n the M issu s
E s t 3 and i t was b el ieved that sh e a pp eared to h i m t w ice : once w h e n
ill an d unabl e t o wri t e sh e restored h im b y h er p resen ce ; and agai n
she m oiste n ed h is lips w ith the m ilk of h er bosom s o that h i s
,

IL L US T R A T E D

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67

loquence w as irresistible H is h ealth suffered greatly from h is labors

and fas t s and h e d ied at six ty three H i s at t ri butes are the demon
fettered beh ind h im 3 three m i t res on h is book or at h is feet emble m s
o f three bish o p rics w h i ch h e refused 3 the beeh i ve a symbol of elo
ue n ce
C
n
The
m
itre
an
d
crosier
as
Abbot
of
lair
v
aux
are
gi
v
e
h
im
q
but rarely A u gust 2 0 A D 1 1 5 3
In
S t B e r n a r d o f M e n t h o n was by birth a noble S a v oyard
h is youth he was serio us and st ud ious showing s u ch traits o f charac
ter as indicated a religious v ocation H is fa t her wi shed h i m to marry ;
but h e p referred to study a n d p ut h i mself under th e teach ing of
Peter Archdeaco n o f A o u s t
I n 9 6 6 B ernard was made archdeacon
w hich was at that t i me a responsible and laborious o i c e as its d u ties
comprised the w hole go v ernm ent o f th e d iocese B y great devotio n
and constant preach ing for forty t wo years h e di d mu ch good i n t h e
dioceses o f A c a st S ion G en e v a T a r a n t a i s e M ilan and N ovara He
destroyed an i dol o n a m ountai n i n th e Wa l a i s and exposed th e
deception of the heathen p riests He founded t wo roads and two
m onastic hospitals the G reat and L i t tle S t Bern ard th e form er of
w h ich was n ear the site of the hea t hen idol before spoken of At t hese
hos p i t als the m onks assisted b y their dogs searc h out an d care for
travellers wh o are l ost i n t h e passes of t he m ou ntains where th e
storm s are se v ere and the cold intense S t Bernard d ied at N o v ara
at eighty ve years of age His body i s i n the m onastery at N ovara
and his h ead i s sh own i n a rich case at t h e mo n astery o f M on t e J oye
i n th e diocese of A o u s t M ay 2 8 A D 1 008
S t B e r n a r d i n o d a F e l t r i shares th e honor of ha v ing founded

th e M on t s de Pi t
H e was a most eloquent man and p reache d
at the church of S anta C roce i n F lorence against Jews and usurers
an d on t he n ecessi ty that th e poor shoul d be protected from them
I t is certai n t hat th e t wo Bernardi nos labored i n this m atter b ut no t
easy to decide to wh i ch b elongs the greater h onor
S t B e r n a r d P t o l o m e i (I t a l S a n Bernardo dei T olome i )
He
w a s of an illus t rio us fam ily of S iena ; born i n 1 2 72 He d istinguished
h i mself as a la wyer 3 bu t at length seized with th e religiou s p assion
of the age h e went i nto a m ountain called th e M ount of O l ives
abo u t ten m iles from S iena Here he formed the order called O l i

ve t a n i
T hey followed th e R u le of S t Benedict and w ore a w h ite
h abit
Augu st 2 1 A D 1 3 4 8
e

68

St

EGEND S

S T OR IES

AN D

rn a rd in o o f S ie n a
Th is saint w as of the fam ily o f
A l b i z e sc h i
H e w as born a t M assa a S ienese town i n 1 3 8 0 H is
m o t her dying h e was ed uca t ed b y a n aun t whose i n uence devel
o p ed n o t only h is t alen t s bu t grea t p urity of charac t er also A t
seven t ee n h e j oined a bro t h erhood whose m em bers were devo t ed to
t he service of th e hospi t als
A pestile nce soon broke o ut w h ich
d es t roy ed great n umbers and among t he m physicians and pries t s
F o r four m onths B ernardino w ith t wel v e others cared for t h e inma t es
of the plagu e h ospital H is health su ff ered greatly from h i s labor
H e became a F rancisca n at t wenty t hree
He was a celebra t ed
preacher and went all o ver I taly He end eavored to reconc ile the
G uelphs and G h ibell ines
H e was o ffered three bishoprics w h ich
h e refu sed
Th e D uke o f M ilan o ffended at h i s preachi ng threat
ened h i m i n v ain ; he then sent h i m m oney w i t h wh i ch h e went to
the prisons and l ibera t ed poor d eb t ors H e founded the order called
i n It aly O sservan t i and i n F ra n ce F r eres d e l Ob se r v a n c e b e
cause they obser v e strictly th e R ule of S t F ran cis goi ng barefoot an d
k eeping stri ctly the v o w of p over t y
W hen p reach ing h e h eld i n
h is hand a tablet o n wh ich was t h e nam e of Jesus in a circle of golden
rays A m a n w ho had li ved by m aking cards and dice complai ned to
th e saint that on accou nt of th e reform s i n religion h i s occupation
Bern ardin o advised h im to carve table t s l ike h is to sell
w a s gone
to th e people He d id so 3 and a peculiar blessing be ing at t ache d
t o th em h e sold large n umbers an d m ade a fortune i n th is way
S t Bernardino i s said to h a v e founded t h ose i nsti t ution s called still

i n F rance M onts de P i t wh ere m oney is loan ed o n pledges I n

th e com m encem ent th ey were e n tirely charitable an d for th e bene t
of the poor He died at Aquila i n th e Abruzzi wh ere h is remains
are preserved i n a sil v er shrin e i n th e ch urch o f S a n F rancisco
B

M a y 20, A D 1 4 4 4
.

was a R om a n lady wh o togeth er w ith h er fa t h er

m other and sister su ff ered m artyrdom i n the reign of J ul ian t h e
Th e
A posta t e
S h e was scourged an d then pi erced w i t h a d a gger
ch urch dedicated to h er i s be t ween t h e S anta C roce and t h e Porte
M a ggiore T h e col u mn t o wh i ch she was bo un d i s sh own wi th i n the
ch urch D ecem b er 2 A D 3 6 2
S t B l a i s e o f S e b a s t e (Gr A y B Aa t a 69 3 I t a l S a n B i a gio ;
F r S t B l aise ; Ge r D er He i lige B la s i u s : s i gn i cation
St

B ib i a n

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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69

Th i s holy man was b ishop o v er th e C h r istians at S ebaste i n Cappa

docia and i n the ti me w hen A gr i c ol a u s was governor was o b li ged to
ee to th e m oun t ains to escape persecu t ion T here were grea t n um
bers of w ild beas t s there but instead of harm ing the saint they came
to h i m i n n u mbers every m orn ing to recei ve h is blessing 3 and wh en
A gr i c ol a u s sent to ob t ai n beasts for th e am p h itheatres the h un t ers
fou n d S t Blaise surrounded with them H e n ursed th e sick ones
reproved the ferocious and ga v e h is benediction to all The h u nters
amazed at th is seized h i m an d took h i m to t h e go v ern or As they
w en t th ey m et a woman whose ch il d was choking from a bo n e stuck
i n its t h r e a t Th e m oth er cried o ut O ser v ant of Christ have m ercy
on m e
H e laid h is han d on the throat of the ch ild and prayed and
it was heal ed Again they m e t a woman whose p ig h ad been carried
o ff by a wolf 3 and as it was all sh e had of worldly goods she was i n
m u ch distress S t B laise com manded the wolf to bring back th e
pig unharm ed w h ic h was don e T h e go v ernor sentenced h im to be
scourged an d i mprisone d w ith ou t food 3 b ut th e poor w oman had
killed h er p ig and brought a part w i th bread and fr u it to th e holy
man A secon d ti me th e g ov e r n dr tortured h i m by tearing h is esh
w ith iron combs such as are used to card wool ; w hen as h e still
remaine d rm i n h is faith h e was beheaded H e is the p atro n o f
B agusa also th e p atron of wool combers of those w h o su ffer from
throat d iseases and of wild an i mals H e is a po p ular sai nt i n F rance
and E ngland an d es p ecially i n Y orksh ire w h ere once i n seven years
a festival i s held in h is h onor The iron wool comb is hi s proper
attrib ute F ebruary 3 A D 3 1 6
S t B o n a v e n t u r a was the great prelate of th e S eraph i c O rder

and was styled i 1 D ottore S e r a c o

H i s fame is not conned to
h is order as h e i s considered one o f th e brightest lights of the
w hol e Ch urch H is nam e was G io v anni F i d a n ga and h e was born
at B a gn a r e a i n T uscany i n 1 22 1
I n h is infancy h e was so ill
th at h is life was despaired of and h is m oth er took h i m to S t

F ran ci s to be healed
W hen the saint saw h i m h e exclai med
O
b uona v en t ura ! w hereu p on h is m other dedicated h i m to G od by th e
n am e of Bon aventura
H is p rogress i n study was amazing ; an d at
t wenty t wo h e became a F ran ciscan and went to Paris to study
th eology H e soon becam e celebrated 3 but h is h umil ity was so great
that h e fe l t u n wort hy to recei v e th e Holy Comm u n io n a n d l egends
,

7O

E GE ND S

S T OR IE S

A ND

th at th e Host w a s pre sented to h i m by a n gel s L ou is I X

ouis
g
eatly
honored
h
i
m
wh
ile
at
Paris
and
he
was
chos
e n
S
t
L
r
)
(
H e w a s ap po in t ed Ar ch bish op of
G eneral of h is order a t t h i rt y ve
At lengt h h e was m a de C ardinal an d
Y ork but decl ined the h onor
Bish o p of Albano W hen th e pope s n uncios carri ed h i m th e card i
n a l s h a t they foun d h i m i n th e garden of a con v en t near F loren ce
w as h ing th e plate from w h ich h e had j u st eaten 3 an d h e req u e st e d
them to h ang the h at o n a tree until h e co ul d tak e i t I n 1 2 74
w hen a coun cil was h eld a t L yons to reconcile t he Greek and L a t i n
ch urch es h e being one of th e m ost d istingu i shed of preachers rst
addressed the assembly Th e fatigues of h is labo rs h ere brough t o n
a fever of w h ich h e d ied b e ih g f t y three years old H e was buri ed
i n th e ch urch of the F ran cisca n s at L yons 3 b ut th e Cal vinis t s i n
1 5 62 broke O pen h is shr i ne an d thre w h is ash es i nto th e S a li ne
J uly 1 4 A D 1 2 7 4
S t B o n i fa c e m artyr (L a l an d Ger S B onifacius I ta l S a n
B on i fa c c i o )
The h istory of S t Boniface i s one of th e m ost a u t h e n
t ic as well as beau t iful of the legends of h is age J us t ice can b y
n o m eans h e d one t o h is ch aracter i n the space allo tt ed h i m here
H is nam e was Wi nfred and h e was born of a n oble fam ily a t C red i
ton i n D evo n sh ire H e taught l itera t ure and th e H oly S cri pt ures
at t h e B e n e d i c t i n e a b b e y of N u t sa l l or N u s c e ll a n ear Win ch es t er
u ntil h e was th irty si x years old
F o r some years h e h ad n o t been
hap py in h i s qu ie t voca t ion b ut was constan t ly haun t ed b y a desire
to p reach t h e G os pel i n G ermany H e w en t rst to F riesland b ut i t
was in t h e days of Charl es M artel and a t i me w hen h e co u ld h o p e
for no resul t s from h is labors ; so h e re t urned to N u t s a l l b u t soon
l eft E ngl and for the las t t i m e and wen t to R ome to en t rea t t h e
aid of t he pope i n h is German labors I t i s sai d to have been at
t h is t im e t ha t h e changed h is n am e R eceiving a com m i ss ion from
t he p o p e h e n o w t ravelled through Ba v aria Th uringia S axony
and F riesland p reach ing w ith great su ccess I n 73 2 h e wa s m ad e
Arch b isho p and Pri mate of all G ermany ; an d soon aft er K ing P epin
l e Bref whom Boniface had anointed n am ed h i m th e rst Bishop
of M ayence Bu t wh en seventy four years old h e ga v e u p a l l h i s
h onors and g ird in g on t h e p lai n ha b it of a Bened ic t ine m onk de
v o t ed him self a g ai n to m issionary la b ors At lengt h wh il e in h is
te n t on t h e ba n k s of a s m a l l ri v e r i n F rie sl an d w here h e a wa i t e d a
tell

us

'

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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71

ompa n y of proselytes, t o w hom h e was about to adm i n i ster the sac

ramen t of conrmation h e was at t acked by a ban d of p agans wh o
had sworn to m urder h i m He always carrie d i n h is bosom a copy

of the D e B on o M ortis of S t Ambrose T h is was stained w i t h

h i s blood and was preser v ed as a sac red rel i c at F ulda I n 1 8 3 5
K ing L o uis of Bavaria i n h onor of the twenty ft h an ni versary of
h is marriage founded a magni cent basili ca and consecrated it to S t
I n it are ne frescos representing the various scenes i n
B oniface
the life of th is wonderful man J une 5 A D 75 5
S e e S t Agla
S t B o n i fa c e
S t B r i c e ( L a t S B r i t i u s ) was Bishop o f Tours an d s u ccessor
to S t M ar t in He i s represented w i t h coals in h is b a n d s wh ich h e
carries unh urt to pro v e h imself i nnocent of false accusations made
against hi m 3 a n d again h e carries a ch ild i n h is arms N o v ember 1 3
c

A D
.

444

r i d ge t o f I r e l a n d
Although n early e v ery v estige of th is
saint is gone she still l ives as their p atroness i n the h earts of the
I rish p eople Her moth er was very lo v ely and th e capti ve take n i n
war of a powerful ch ieft ain H is w ife being j ealous of her turned
her away before the b irt h of Bridget B ut t wo d isciples of S t Pat
rick took p ity on them and baptized th e m other and ch ild Bridget
gre w up wi t h such beau t y of m ind an d p erson that sh e became
fam o us and h er fa t h er desired to h ave her an d to m arry h er to a
ch ief But Bridge t de v o t ed h erself t o G od s servi ce espec i ally to th e
ins t ruc t ion of women S h e recei ve d the v eil at th e hands of S t

Patrick S h e went to K ildare the cell or place of th e oak an d

n ot only taught b u t p erform ed m iracles Her f am e dre w abo ut h er
m any wom en who l i ved i n h uts and from th is arose th e rs t religi ous
com m un i ty of women i n I reland T h e convent an d city of K ildare
w ere aft erwards both ourishing and famous
Here was preserve d
unextinguished for many cen t uries t he sacred lamp w h ic h burned
before her al t ar
T h e b r i ght l a m p th a t s h on e i n Ki ld a r e s h ol v f a n e
A n d b u r n e d th r o ugh l on g a ge s o f d a r k n e ss a n d s t o rm
F ebruary 1
S t B r i d g e t o f S w e d e n was the founder of th e O rder of th e
Brigi tt ines or Brigi tt a and i s one of the p atron saints of S weden
S h e was of royal blood an d married to t h e Pri nce of N orica , n ame d
St

L E G E ND S

72

S TOR IE S

AND

was v ery de vo ut and i n uenced h e r h us band and t he i r

eigh t ch ildren t o l ive rel igio usly Aft er the d ea t h of U l p h o she built
m onas t eries at Wa s t e i n for monks and n un s respect i v ely and hand
somely endowed bo t h T heir rule was princi p ally t hat of S t Augus t ine
though m odied by d irections Bridge t rece i ved i n v i sions of wh i ch
sh e had many Her order was appro v ed by the pope u nder t h e

S h e m ad e m an y
title of the R ule of the O rder of our S a v io ur
pi l gri mages to Ro m e and Co m po s t e l l a
S t B r u n o was th e fo under and rst abbot o f the Carth usian
O rder H e was of a noble family of C ol ogne and o n account of h is
great talents was sent to Paris to study t heology u nder R ay m ond
H e aft er wards taugh t in th e school at R h ei ms 3 but after long r e e c
t ion de t ermined on a m onasti c l ife W ith six com pan ion s h e w en t t o
G renoble whe n H ugo the bish op ha v ing been warn ed i n a dream of
t heir coming ga v e them som e barren lan d at C hartre u x Here Bruno
founded h is rst m onastery a n d h i s order was conrmed by th e po p e
Th e robes and hoods of the C arth usians are wh ite and their whole
h eads sha v en U rba n I I ha d been a pupil of Bruno at R heim s and
wh en h e became p e pe sent for h i m to aid h im i n h is great cares an d
desired to make h i m Archbishop of R eggio B ut th is B runo refused
and n ot l ik ing t h e li fe at co u rt retired to Calabria wh ere h e fo u nded
another monastery He d ied i n 1 200 Th e order wh ich h e establish ed
is of great interes t I t i s am ong th e m ost severe i n its rule of all
th e m onastic orders a n d adds al most perpet ual silence to th e u sual
v o ws O nly once a week can these m onks talk together They never
taste esh a n d make b ut o n e m eal a day of pul se bread and wa t er
an d th is i s eaten separately They labor too w ith great d iligen ce
an d t h eir d iscipline has been d escribed as m ost fearful i n its se v eri t y
I n spite of all th is th ey h a v e an extrem e love of t h e beautiful an d
have done m u ch for art T heir ch urches and garden s w ere wondrou s
i n their perfec t io n 3 a n d th eir p i ct ures at th e C hartreuse of Paris
i
n th e Chartre use of S anta M aria de las Cu e vas
n o w i n the L o u v re
(
)
near S e v ille at Paular and other places possess a world of i n teres t
J uly 1 8
Ca d m o n t h e P o e t l i v e d i n th e m onastery o f th e Abbess Hilda
as a servan t u ntil past m iddle l ife H e knew n oth ing of l i t erature
or poetry ; and when it cam e h is t urn to sing at ta b le h e went away
O n ce as h e d i d th i s and w e n t to the stable to care for the h orse s
U l ph o

She

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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73

h e f ell asleep, a n d an angel cam e in a dream an d tol d h im to sing

H e answered that he co uld not sing and for that reason had left

th e table But th e angel said Y o u shall sing notwithstand ing 3

and wh en h e ask ed wh at h e sh ould sing the reply was S ing th e

T h en Caedmo n began to sing praises

begin ning of created beings
to G o d ; an d when h e awoke h e rem em bere d al l h e had sung and
was abl e t o add more also When he told this to H ilda sh e believed
h i m to be inspired and recei v ed h i m into a m onastery wh ose m onks
were under her j urisdi ction H e was instructed i n S cri p ture ; and as
h e read he con v erted it i nto v erse H is paraphrase of S cripture i s
still p reserved in the B odleian L ibrary at O xford He d ied peacefully
w h ile making th e sig n of th e cross
S t Ca s i m i r patron saint of Poland wa s the s on of Casi m ir I V o f
Poland and E lizabeth of A u str ia F rom h is ch ildhood h e par t ici p ated
i n n bn e of th e pleasures of h i s fath er s co urt 3 an d as h e gre w u p h e
com p osed many hym ns He refu sed th e crown of H ungary and l i v ed
m ore an d m ore secl ude d d e v oti n g h i mself to religious p u rsu its u ntil
h is death in 1 4 8 3 M arch 4
S t Ca s s i a n (I t a l S a n Cascia n o ) w as a sch oolm aster of I m ola ;
and being deno unced as a Christian th e j udge wh o condemn ed h i m
to death allowed h is scholars to be h is executi oners Th ey hated
h i m on account of h is severe discipl ine an d they tort ured h im m ost
cruelly by pierci ng h i m w ith th e iron styles u sed i n w ri ti ng H e i s
the p atron sai nt of I mola August 1 3
S t Ca t h e r i n e o f A l e xa n d r i a v irgin a n d martyr (L a t S ancta
Catharina ; I t a l S anta Catarina d e i S t u d i e n t i or S anta Catarina
de lle R u ote 3 F r M adam e S t e Catherine 3 Sp S anta Catalina ; Ger
D ie Heilige K atharin a v on Alexandrien ) T his sai nt was th e daughter
of Costis (half brother to Constantine the G reat ) an d S a b i n e l l a
Before th e birth of Cath erine her m other was
Queen of Egypt
prepared by a dream to nd her a remarkable child 3 and at th e
m oment of her birth a h alo of l ight played about h er h ead
Her
acqu irem ents and her w isdom were most wonderful a n d the ph i
l o s o ph y of Plato was h er fa v orite study w hile a ch ild
S h e ha d
se v en learned m asters and chambers tted with e v eryth ing to ai d
h er i n h er studies Her father died when sh e was fourtee n lea v ing
her heiress to th e kingdom
S h e gave herself up to study an d
r etireme n t
wh ich d ispleased her subj ects and they begged her to
.

74

E GENDS

S T OR IE S

AND

m arry They said sh e was possessed of four n otable gifts that

she was of t he m os t no b le blood i n t he world and t ha t she sur p a ssed
a l l o t hers in weal t h knowledge and beau t y ; and t h ey desired t ha t
she should give t he m an h eir S h e repl ied tha t as she h ad fo ur
gift s so he whom she wo uld marry m ust l ike wi se b e of su ch n o b l e
blood that all wo uld worsh ip h i m ; and so great as n ot to be inde b t ed
t o her for being made a k ing ri cher than a n y o t her ; so b eau t iful
tha t angels sh ould desire to see h im ; and so beni gn a s t o forgi ve
all o ff ences S uch an one only could she m arry T hen S a b i n e ll a
B ut
a n d the peopl e were sorrowful for they kne w of no such man
N o w a h erm it who dwel t i n a
Catheri ne would m arry n o oth er
deser t not far from Alexandri a was sent b y th e Blessed V irgin wh o
ap p eared to h im to tell Catherin e th at h er S o n was t h e h usband s h e
desired to have for h e possessed a l l t h e req uirem ents and m ore 3
an d t he herm it ga v e Cath erine a p ict ure of M ary and Jesu s When
sh e gazed on h is face she loved h i m and co uld t hi nk of no t hing el se
and her st udies became d ull to h er That nigh t sh e h ad a dream i n
wh ich she went w i t h the old hermi t to a sanc t uary o n a h igh m ou n
tai n 3 and w hen s h e approach ed i t angels came to m ee t h er and sh e

fell on her face B u t an angel said

S t and u p o ur dear sister

Ca t herine ; for thee h ath the K ing of glory d eligh ted to honor
Then sh e stood up and followed t h em an d t hey led h er t o a chamber
where the queen was surro unded by angels sain t s an d mar tyrs an d
h er beauty n one could descri be The angels p resen t ed C atherine to
h er and besought h er to recei v e her as h er daugh t er Th e q ueen
bad e h er welcome a n d led h er to o ur L ord B ut the L ord t urned

away saying S h e is not fair and beauti ful enough for m e

At
th ese words C atherine awoke and wept till m orn ing S h e called th e
h erm i t and demanded what would make her wor t hy of her celestial
B ridegroom
H e percei v ing th e darkness of her m ind ins t ruc t ed
h er i n t h e true faith 3 an d she and also S a b i n e ll a were ba pt ized
That n ight as C a t herine slept th e V i rgin and her S o n attended b y
m any angels a p peared to her ; an d M ary a gain presented h er t o J esus

L o she h a t h been ba p tized and I mysel f h ave b een h er

say in g

godmo t her
Then Christ sm iled o n h er an d p ligh ted h is tro t h to
h er and p u t a rin g on h er nger An d when she awok e th e rin g was
still t here ; and from t hat ti me sh e des pised all ear t hly t hings and
thought only of the ti me w he n she should go to h e r hea v e n ly Brid e
.

IN

I L L US T R A T E D

AR T

75

gr oom At lengt h th e good S a b i n e l l a died At th is t ime M axi m i n

came to Alexandria and declared a great p ersecu t ion against t hose
w ho d id not worsh i p idols T he n C a t herine cam e forth to t he tem p le
and held an argument w i t h t he tyrant and con founded h im H e
t hen ordered ft y learned m en to com e fro m all parts of t he e mp ire
to d is p ute w ith her ; but sh e pray ing to Go d overcam e them all
so that t h ey too decl ared t hem sel v es Christians Then M ax im i n
enraged com manded the m to be b urned ; and C a t h eri n e com for t ed
them wh en t h ey could n o t be bap t ized saying t ha t their blood should
be t heir ba pt ism an d th e am es glori ous crowns for them T hen t he
em p eror adm iring her beauty tried to o v ercom e h er v irt ue ; and
when h e coul d n o t do t h is and was abo u t to go to war h e com
m a n d e d Por p hyry h is ser v ant to cast her into a dungeon and s t arve
her But angels came to feed h er ; an d when aft er twel ve days
they opened the dungeon a bright l ight a n d a fragrance lled all th e
place T h en the empress an d Porphyry w ith two h undred others
fell at the feet of C ath erin e an d declared th emsel ves C hris t i an s
W hen M axi min returned h e put th e empress and all to death
and adm iring C a t herine s bea u ty still m ore t h an at rst o ffered h er
to be m istress of the worl d if sh e wo uld l isten to h im When sh e
still rej ected h is o ffers h e or d ered th e m os t dreadful tortures for

h er
wheels revol ving i n d i ff erent d irections that sh ould t ear h er
in many p ieces When t h ey h ad bound h er to th ese an angel cam e
and cons umed th e wh eels in re an d th e fragments ew arou nd
and killed th e executioners an d three th ousand p eople B ut agai n
M axim in ordered h er to be sco u rged a n d beh eaded T hen angels
came and bore her body to th e t op of M t S inai and th ere i t res t ed
i n a m a rble sarco p hagus I n t h e eighth century a m onastery w as
b uil t over her burial p lace an d h er re mains are still grea t ly v ener
ated It i s said by som e that M ax im in was cons u med by an i n ward
re 3 by others th a t w ild beasts d evoured him C a t h erin e is p atron
ess of educa t ion science an d p h iloso p hy of all students and of
colleges As p a t roness of eloquence sh e was invoked f or all d is
eases of t h e t o n gue S h e i s al so p a t r o n e s s o f V en ice and a favorite
saint of ladies of royal b ir t h S h e i s re p resen t ed as richly dressed ;
and h er p eculiar a tt ri bu t e is t h e wheel ei t her whol e or broken S h e
has also t h e m artyr s p al m the crown of royal t y the b ook whi ch
expresses her learning 3 an d frequen t ly she t ramples on the head o f
.

76

L E GE NDS

AND

S T OR IES

M axi m in th us symbolizing th e tri umph of h er C hristian fai t h over

pagan ism and cruel t y T h e m arriage of S t C a t herine to th e S avio ur
i s a favori t e and ex t remely bea u t ifu l subj ect of art N ovem b er 2 5
,

A D
.

3 07

Ca t h e r i n e

f B

or S anta C aterin a de V i gr i has

been grea tly ven era t ed i n her own city for abo ut four cent uries S h e
was of noble fam ily and for a ti me a m aid of h onor at t he co u rt
of F errara S h e entered a con vent of Poor Clares and bec a m e d is
There are sai d to be several pic t ures of
t i n g u i s h e d as a painter
hers in Bologna H er remains dressed i n brocade an d j ewels are
to be seen in her con ven t at Bologn a M arch 9 A D 1 4 6 3
S t Ca t h e r i n e o f S i e n a (L a t S an cta C atharina S en ese V irgo
a d m i ra b i l i s
et
gloriosa S ponsa Ch ri sti 3 I t a l S anta C a t erina d i
S iena la S anti ssima V ergine )
S h e was th e da u ghter of a dyer
who d welt n ear th e F onte B randa at S iena ; h is d well ing i s n o w
th e O ra t ory of S t Cath erine S h e dedicated h ersel f to a rel igi o u s
l ife as early as i n her ei g h t h year an d prayed Chr i st to be h er
Bridegroom , as h e was t h at of C atheri ne of Al exandria
Her
fa t her and m oth er were angry at h er refu sal to marry and g rea t ly
persecuted h er putting t h e m ost m en ial labors u pon h er and treat
i ng h er wi t h great h arsh ness But at length h er fath er saw h er at
prayer with a wh ite dove resting upon h er h ead of wh ose presence
sh e seemed u nconscious F rom th i s tim e sh e was allo wed t o ch oose
h er o wn cou rse in l ife S h e ne ver entered a convent as a professed
b u t sh e m ade a vo w of silen ce for th ree years an d led a l ife of
n un
t h e grea t est sel f denial S h e went e v ery day to th e conve n t of S t
D om in ick to p ray and th ere sh e h ad m any wonderful v isions S h e
was grea t ly temp t ed of S atan 3 sh e inicted upon h ersel f the m ost
severe penan ces an d Ch rist cam e to h er i n v i si b le presence to con
sole her S h e n ursed t h e sick e ve n th ose wh o had the mos t loath
som e diseases H er fam e s pread through all Tuscany and to M ilan
a n d N a p les
At leng t h the F loren t ines h a v ing re b elled a gains t the
H oly S e e were ex com m uni ca t ed by th e po p e and th ey sen t C a t h
erine t o h i m as their m ed ia t or The p ope th en a t A vi g non was so
m uch p leased w i t h C a t herin e that h e left her t o d ecide t h e t erms o f
l
pe ace b e t w een h i msel f and t h e F l o r e n t i n e s
C a t h erine fel t i t t o b e a
St

o o gn a

St

Ca th e r i n e

t h e P on t ica te

of

re c o n c

il d
e

Urb a n V I

t he F

l o re n t i n e s

to t h e H

ly

S e e , i n 1 3 78 ,

d u ri n g

ILL US TR A TE D

AR T

IN

77

re
t
cause
of
m
isrule
i
n
the
h
urch
that
th
e
popes
w
ere
absent
C
a
g
from R om e an d sh e used all her p owers to persuade G regory X I to
return to th e L ateran wh i ch h e did I n th e great sch ism wh ich fol
l owed the death o f G regory C atheri ne took the p art of U r b an V I
w ho appointed her ambassadress w ith S t C atherine of S weden , to
the court of J oa n n a I I of S icily w ho had sided wi t h the an t i pope
C lement
But h er failing heal t h p re v ented her from fu lll ing the
m ission C atheri ne died at thirty three after great physical s u ff er
i n g still full of zeal and faith
S h e was one of th e most noted of

T h e facts of her
female saints and is know n at S iena as la S anta
h istory render h er l ife i nteresting in m any ways S h e is represented
i n p ictures i n th e hab it of th e D om ini can O rder w ith th e stigmata
w h ich s h e is said to h a v e recei v ed April 3 0 A D 1 38 0
S h e i s suppose d to ha v e l i v e d
S t Ce c i l i a ( F r S t e C e cile )
i n the t h ird century and th e honor p a id to h er can be traced to
that ti me S h e w as th e daughter of a noble R oma n wh o w ith h is
w ife had secretly becom e Chri stian s
Cecilia was i n ch ildhood r e
m a r ka bl
h
serious
and
p
ious
e early m ade a v o w of chastity and
S
y
devoted hers elf to a rel igious l ife S h e al ways carried a copy of t he
Gos p els i n h er robe
S h e especially excelled i n m usic and compose d
and sung hy m ns so s w eet that angels cam e to l iste n to h er B ut
the instruments employed i n secular m usic were i nsu f cient to ex
press th e m usic o f her soul an d she i nvented th e organ an d couse
crate d it to G od s service Her parents desired her when sixtee n
years old to m arry V alerian a rich yo ung noble S h e did so 3 b ut
beneath her bridal robes sh e wore a garment of penance and rem em
beri n g her v o w prayed G o d to h elp h er to preserve her ch astity
H e so ans wered her prayer that when sh e told V alerian of her faith
h e became con verted an d was ba p ti zed and respected her vow
C ecil ia h ad tol d Valeria n that she had a guard ian angel 3 and w hen
h e returned fro m h is baptism h e h eard sweet m usic and saw th e
angel standing n ear h er w ith t wo cro wns m ade of t he i mmorta l
roses w h ich bloom i n Parad ise C ecilia an d V alerian knelt an d
th e angel crowned them w ith t h e o wers and tol d V alerian th at
because he had listened to Cecilia and respected h er vow w hatever

h e most desired sho uld be granted h i m T hen V alerian said

I
have a broth er n am ed T i b u r t i u s w h o m I love as my own soul ;
gran t that h is eyes also may be opened to the truth
Th is request
,

L E G E ND S

78

S TOR IE S

AND

pleasing to Go d 3 and wh en T i b u r t i u s entered s o o n aft er and pe r

c e i ve d t h e fragrance of t he roses, h e was s urprised for i t was not t h e
t ime of owers T hen C ec i lia t old h i m of t h eir fai t h and h e t oo w as
conve rt ed and baptized T hey t hen gave th em sel ves u p to a religiou s
l i fe and d id m uch good to th e poor and persec uted C h r is t ians B u t
th e p refec t A l m a c h i u s com m anded them to w orsh ip J upi t er ; and
w hen t hey wo ul d not , b e cast th e brothers in t o prison and gave
th e m a keeper called M ax im us an d h e al so becam e a Chris t ian
T his so enraged t he prefect that h e com manded t h e three to be
beheaded Cecilia cared for and b uried thei r rem ains i n the cem e
t e r y of C al ix t u s
D esiri ng to h ave h er great weal t h th e prefect t hen
comm anded Cecil ia to w orsh ip J up iter an d th reatened h er w i t h fear
ful tort ures S h e only sm iled h er scorn H e t h en com m anded h er
to be throw n i nto her bath lled w ith boil ing w ater T h is di d not
h urt her at all ; so h e then sent an executi oner to slay h er w ith th e
s word H i s h and trembled so th at he inic t ed t h ree wo unds on h er
neck and breast and yet d id n ot k ill h er S h e lingered t hree days
S h e ga v e h er money to th e poor an d desired th at her h ouse should
be made a church S h e d ied swee t ly singing and was buri ed beside
h er h u sband I n the n i nth century w h en Paschal r e paire d her
ch urch h e h ad a v ision of S t C ecilia i n w h ich sh e told h im h er
b urial p lace Her body was found an d al so th e bod ies of V al erian
T i b u r t i us an d M axi m us
T hey were placed in h er ch urch n o w
called S t Cecilia i n T raste v ere
Her bath room i s a chapel and
th e stones and p ipes for h ea t ing the bath still re main I n the six
t e e n t h century th e ch urch was agai n repaired and h er co fn o p ened

w hen the cel ebra t ed statue of S t Cecil i a ly ing dead was m ade
wh ich represents her as sh e appeared i n the co f n S h e i s the pa t ron
ess of m usi c and m usicians Her proper attri b ute i s the organ an d
a roll of m usi c S h e also h as the cro wn of roses an d a n a t tendant
angel S h e i s ri chly dressed an d often has j ewels N o v ember 22
wa s

A D 28 0
.

Ce l s u s (I

Th i s was a young d isci ple of S t

N azari us wh o was a conver t ed J e w Togeth er t hey travelled t h rou g h
G aul as m issionary preach ers At G enoa the people threw them into
th e sea ; b ut t h e y were m iraculou sly saved and came at las t to M ilan
w here P r o t a s i u s a n d G c r va s i u s h ad b ecome Chris t ians wh om t hey
s t rengthened Bo t h C elsus and N az a r i us were beh eaded a t M ilan
St

ta l

S a n Cel so )

IL L US T R A T ED IN

AR T

79

w here there is a beau t iful ch urch S a n N azaro M aggi ore There is

also at R avenna t h e remarkable Byzant ine ch urch of S S N azaro e
Celso
T hey are al way s re p resen t ed t oge t her and bear t h e s word s
and palm s of m arty rs N a z a r i u s is ol d an d C elsus quite yo ung
J uly 2 8
T h e veneration of th is saint seem s
S t Ce s a r e o or Cae s a r i u s
to be conned t o R om e H e p erishe d a t T erracina because h e o p posed
th e worsh ip of Apollo H e was fam o us bo t h in t h e E as t and West i n
th e si x t h cent ury T he ch urch of S a n C esareo i n R om e is also called

i n Palati c from its situation near t he ancien t palace an d b a t h s of

C aracalla on the V i a A pp ia n o t far from t h e Por t a S t S ebas t iano
H e was p ut in t o a sack and cas t in t o th e sea together w it h a priest
n amed L ucia n
N ovember 1 A D 3 00
S t Ch a d o f L i c h e l d becam e i n 6 5 9 abbot of the Priory o f
L astingham w hich h ad been founded by h is eldest brother Gedd
He was famous for h is religiou s l ife and being made bisho p of th e
M ercians an d N o r t h u m b r i a n s h e p reach ed as a m issionary t hro u g h

all the cou n try He had h i s e p i sco p al see i n L i c h e l d

the eld

of th e dead ; and there h e b uilt a hab itation wh ere h e l i ved w ith a

fe w breth ren an d a ch urch wh ere h e ba pt ized h i s converts Aft er
l iv ing i n th is way m ore than two years h e had a v ision i n wh ich
h e was warn ed of h is death He saw h is bro t her w ith a t roop of
angels
T hey sang and called h i m to follow th em to G o d an d
s t il l sweetly singing ascended to h eaven H e advised th e bre t hre n
h ow th ey should l ive and soon died His ch urch may be considered
t h e ori g i n of th e ca t h edral of L i c h e ld wh ere th e shrin e of S t
C had was deposited i n 1 1 4 8 an d i s greatly v enerated M arch 2
.

A D
.

6 73

Ch a n t a l , l a M e r e

Ste

Jeanne F ran coise de C hantal was the

grandmother of M adame d e S e vign e S h e was devo t ed to the F ai t h
even i n childhood and would not receive a gift from a C alvi n i st I n
obedience t o her p arents sh e marri ed Baron C hantal b ut m ad e a v o w
to dedi cate herself to a rel igious l ife if sh e sho uld e ver be a widow
Her h usban d d ied wh en she was twenty ni ne an d for ten years sh e
devoted herself to her ch ildren and t o t h e pre p aration f o r th e f u l l
m ent of her vo w S h e assisted S t F rancis de S ales to establish t h e

O rder of th e V isita t ion an d assumed t he d irection of i t as la M e re

C hanta
Her ch ildre n l o v ed her p assionately and sought to kee p
.

80

S T OR IES

L EGE ND S A N D

h er with them ; b ut sh e re mained rm i n her d eterm ination

At t h e
t im e of h er death i n 1 6 4 1 t h ere were seven t y ve houses of h er
order i n F rance and S avoy S h e was canon ized i n 1 76 9 A ugu st
.

Ch a r l e

wh ose h istory as C harlem a gn e th e G reat

E m p eror of F rance It aly and G ermany is so fam il iar to all stands at
th e head of royal saints i n the countries o ver w hic h h e ruled although
if a s t rict ch ronology were observe d S t C lo t ilda and S t S igismon d
would precede h i m H e i s frequently represented w ith a b ook i n
remembrance of h is h a v ing caused the S crip t ures to be correctly
translated and widely prom ulgated January 28 A D 8 1 4
T his saint was of one
S t Ch a r l e s B o r r o m e o (I t a l S a n C arlo )
of t he nobl est fam il ies of L ombardy
Bei ng the s econd son h e w as
early dedicated t o the Ch urch At t wel ve years of age he recei v ed
the reven ues of a rich Benedictine m onastery b ut wo uld only re ser v e
a mere p it t an ce for h imself de v oting t he rem aind er to chari t y A t
twen ty three h e was m ade card inal and Archbish op of M ilan by h i s
u ncle Pi us IV
H is elder brother d i e d wh e n Charl es was t wen t y six
H e went at once to take possession of h is d iocese and esta t e H is
i ncomes h e dedicated to p ubli c u ses only spending for h i mself enoug h
to buy h is b read an d w ater and straw on wh ich to sleep H e sent
an d went al so
m issionaries to preach i n e very p art of h is d iocese
h i m sel f to see th at his p eople were cared for I n p ubl ic b e l i v ed as
becam e h is rank and ga v e feasts of wh ich h e n ever par t ook Hi s
chari t ies were m ost m u n i c e n t At th e tim e of t h e p lague at M ilan
h e went into the city wh en all oth ers ed and tended t he sick an d
p erformed all th e d uties per t ai ning to h is o f ce H is exam pl e i ns p ired
twenty eigh t priests to j oin h im a l l of whom w i t h S t C harl es esca p ed
u nh u rt
H e l ived i n a ti m e wh en th e cl ergy had fallen i nto great
laxi t y of d iscipl ine and h e m ay be regarded as a powerful instru men t
i n res t or i ng the m to zeal for th e d uties of the ir v ocation H e was
h ated by those p riests w h o had been i n th e habi t of using the reve
n ues of t h e C h urc h for t hei r own ind ulgen ce ; and one F r a F arin a
a tt em p ted to k ill h i m b y ring u pon h i m wh ile h e was cele b ra t ing
t he e vening service H e n i sh ed th e prayer al t ho u g h h e bel iev ed
h imself m ortally wounded and t he people considered h im to be m i rac
St

n
g e

is

n ot m e n

ti

on e

i n t h e Ca th o l i c Ca l e n d a r

f e a st, J a n ua ry 28 , h as b e e n k e p t b y t h e Ge rm

of

a n s an

v e a s B l e ss e d
F re n c h o n l y s i n c e 1 4 8 6

Sain

s , sa

H is

IL L US T R A T E D IN

A R T

81

h eale d H e die d N o v ember 4 1 5 8 4 an d w i th h is last breat h

exclai med
E cce v en i c
H is remai n s repose i n a rich shrine at
M ilan H e is represented i n card inal s robes and barefooted a rope
a bout h is neck and one hand raised i n benediction w ith a book i n th e
o t h er N ovember 4 A D 1 5 8 4
S t Ch e r o n was a d isciple of S t D enis an d was Bisho p of
C hartres H e was attacked by robbers and h is head was struck o ff
when on h is way from C h artres to Paris to v isit S t D enis Taking
h is head i n h is hand he contin ued h is j ourn ey O ne of t h e w indow s
i n th e cathedral of C hartres represen t s the h istory of S t C heron
h
S
e is
h
t
e
T
S
r
i
t
i
anta
ristina
C
ristine
F
I
t
a
l
n
C
a
S
h
s
C
St
)
;
(
supposed to hav e been born at T i r e a town on the borders of L ake
Th e legend
B olsena wh i ch h as sin ce been swallowed u p i n th e lake
of th is saint h as been rej ected by the Ch u rch but she is celebra t ed i n
central a n d northern I taly S h e was the ch ild of a R oman patricia n
wh o go v erned th e city S h e called h erself C hristina because sh e had
been converted to th e doctri nes of C hrist
As she stood one day
wa t ch ing t hose wh o begged al m s and had nothi ng to gi ve sh e th ough t
of t h e golden idols of h er father an d she broke the m i n p ieces and
gave the m to th e p oor H er fath er was furious and ordered h i s
servan t s to beat her an d thro w her into a d ungeon
H ere angels
cam e and healed her wounds H er father th en comm anded her t o be
throw n i nto the lak e with a m ill stone t i ed t o h e r n eck But angels
bore h er u p and Go d c l o t hed her w ith a w h ite robe and led h er
safely to land S h e was then thrown into a ery furnace wh erei n sh e
remained unharm ed ve days an d s ung G od s p raises H er f a t her the n
ordere d her head to be shaved an d tha t sh e sh ould b e taken to the
tem p le of Apollo to sacrice 3 b ut w hen she came th ere t h e idol fell
do w n before her w h ic h so frightened h er father that h e di ed B ut
J ulian h earing that she sang i n her p rison sent orders that h er
tongue sh oul d be c ut o ut wh en sh e s t ill contin u ed to sin g to th e
amazement of all S h e was n ext sh ut up w i t h p oisonous re pt iles b u t
sh e was not harm ed At last i n des p ai r h e comm anded her to be
bound t o a p ost and sh ot w ith arrows till sh e d ied T h us was sh e
m artyred
and angel s bore h er soul to h eaven O n an island i n th e
lake of Bolsena wh ich f e w travellers visit i s a chu rch ded icated t o
S t C hri s t ina t h e p ai ntings in wh ich are attrib uted to the C aracci
T h e cathedral o f Bolsena i s consecrated to h er patroness of B olsen a

u o u sl y

82

E GEND S

S T O R IES

A ND

and th e V enetian S t ates

Her proper attrib u t e i s the m ill s t on e ;
b u t sh e som e t imes has arrows alone w hen sh e m igh t be m is t aken for
J uly 24
S h e h as also t he m ar ty r s pal m a n d crown
S t U rs ula
-

A D
.

29 5

Ch r i s t o p h

r (L a t S t C hri sto p horus ; I t a l S a n C ri stofero

or C ris t ofano ; F r S t C hri sto p he or Cr i s t o e ; Ge r D er H eilige
C hris t o p h ) S t C hristopher m igh t well be cal led t h e gian t saint
H e was of the lan d of Canaan and before p erforming th e d eed s
w h ich won h im sai ntly reno w n was called O ff e r o wh ich si g n i es

t he bearer
H e was proud o f h is v ast size and streng t h 3 bu t i n
sp i t e of thi s h i s poverty com pelled h im to become a servan t S o b e
resol ved th at the m ost po werful m onarch of t h e earth alone shoul d
be h is mas t er an d h e went to seek h im At length aft er m any days
of wandering h e cam e to th e co u rt of a k ing sai d to excel all o t hers
i n power an d weal t h an d to h i m h e o ffered h is serv ices T h e king
acce pt ed h im gladly for no o t her m onarch of all th e eart h co uld
boas t of such a servant N o w O ff e r o kne w n o t h ing of th e po wer of
C hrist or S a t an and su pp osed h is m as t er to be afraid of no one sin ce
h e was th e grea t est monarch of th e earth 3 b ut on e day as h e stood
beside h im a m instrel w ho was si nging m en t ioned frequ en tly t h e
n ame of S atan and e v ery ti me h e d id so the k ing trembled an d
crossed h i msel f O ff e r o ask ed th e m ean i ng of th is ; an d when t h e

k ing d id not a n swer h e said

I f th ou dost n ot an swer m e th is I

T h en th e ki ng said
leave t hee
I make t h is si g n t ha t S a t an m a y
h av e n o power o ver m e ; for h e i s very m ighty and as wicked as
stron g and I fear lest h e shall ov erco m e m e
Then O ff er o fel t

h imself d ecei ved and said S in ce th ere is one wh om t ho u fearest

h i m w ill I seek a n d serve ; for my m as t er m us t fear n o one
So he
wandered a gain seek ing S atan ; a n d crossing a great d esert h e s a w
a t erri b le b eing w i t h th e a pp earan ce of great po wer m arch in g a t t h e
h ead of an arm ed l egion He did not see m to noti ce th e g reat si ze

of O ff e r o and w ith an ai r of authority said

Wh ith er goes t th ou

and for what dost th ou seek ?

Then sai d O ff e r o
I w ish to nd
S atan ; for I hav e h eard h e i s the m ost po werful of a l l t h e e a rth and I

would have h i m for m y m aster

I am
S atan w ell p lease d r e p l ie d
h e and your serv ice shall be a n easy an d pl e asant one
O ff c r o th en
b o wed before h i m and j oi ned h is followers Aft er a ti me a s they
j ourneyed on th ey came to a cross erecte d by the w ayside w here
St

IL L US T R A T E D IN

AR T

83

fo u r r oa d s met
W hen the D e v il s a w th i s h e t ur n e d w i th gr eat
haste an d fear an d went a long d istance o u t o f h is way to avoi d th e

cross
Then sai d O ff e r o
Why is th is ? W hat i s th i s c r oss and
w herefore dost tho u avo i d i t ?
But S atan spoke n ot T hen sai d

E xce p t tho u tellest m e I must lea v e thee Being compe l led

O ff e r o
the w icked one re p lied
I fear the cross beca use u p on it Jesus d ied 3

T hen sai d
and w hen I behol d i t I y lest h e sh ould o v e r come me

Te l l me w ho is this Jesus ; for since t ho u fearest hi m h e is

O ff e r o
S o he left
more p owerful than thou an d h i m w ill I seek and ser v e
At length h e
S atan a n d wandered m an y days i n sear ch o f C hrist
came to a her m it w hom he entr eated to tell h i m w here Christ could
be foun d Then the he r m i t seei ng that h e kne w noth i ng of Jesus
began to teach h im and sai d T h o u art r ight i n bel ie v ing that C h r is t
i s the gr eatest k ing ; for h i s pow er extends o v er both hea v en a n d
earth and w il l endure th r oughout eter n i ty B ut tho u canst not ser v e
h im lightly ; an d i f he acce p ts thee h e w i ll i m p ose great d uties u p o n

thee a n d w ill r equi r e that th ou fast o f ten

The n sai d O ff e ro
I
w ill not fast for i t i s m y strength that makes m e a good serv ant

w hy should I waste i t by fasti ng ?

An d besides tho u must p ray

sai d the herm i t

I kno w not h o w to p r ay neither w i ll I learn

S uch a ser v i ce i s for weak ones b u t not for me sa i d the proud gi ant
Then sa i d the he r mit I f tho u w ilt u s e thy strength kno w est thou a
deep w i de r i v er that i s o ften s w ollen w i th rai ns a n d swee p s away i n

I
i t s s wi ft cur rent many o f th ose wh o would cross i t ?
O ff e r o said

T he n go the r e
kno w such a str eam
sai d th e h er m i t an d a i d
th ose w h o str uggle w i th i t s w a v es ; and the weak a n d th e l ittle ones
b ear tho u from sho r e to sho r e on thy b roa d shoulders
T his i s a good
work 3 and if Ch r i st w il l ha v e thee f o r th i s serv i ce he w i ll assure thee
T hen was O ff er e glad for this was a task w h ich
of h is acce p tance
suited h i m well S o h e w ent to the r i ver and b uilt upon i t s b ank a
b u t o f the boughs of trees An d h e aided a ll w ho came 3 an d many he
bo r e u p o n h i s sho u lders and was n e v er weary by day or n ight i n
assisting those w h o c r ossed the r i ver An d after h e began h is work
not one pe r ish ed w h er e befor e so m an y had been s we p t away F o r
a sta ff he used a p alm tree w h ich h e p ulled up i n the for est an d i t was
not too lar ge for h i s great h eight and strength As Jes us beheld this
h e was w ell p leased w i th Off e r o and h is labor 3 for though he woul d
n e i ther f ast nor pray yet had he fo u nd a w ay to ser v e h i m
At length
.

84

E GE ND S

AND

S T OR IE S

'

aft er O e ro h a d spent a long time an d d i d n ot w eary o f h i s t oil as h e

rested one nigh t i n h is b u t he heard a v oice l ik e tha t of a w eak ch ild

and it said
A n d h e w ent out
O ff e r o w i lt tho u carry m e o v er ?
quickly b ut he coul d n d no o n e B ut w h en he h a d aga i n la in do w n
the sa me v oice call ed a s before an d at the th ird call h e arose an d
sought w ith a lantern At last he foun d a l ittle ch il d w h o besought
h im Offe r o O ff e r o carr y m e o v er to n i ght
H e l i fted h i m u p an d
carryi ng h is sta ff began to cross th e stream I mmedia t ely the wi nds
ble w t h e wa v es were tossed and t h e roar o f th e waters was as m any
th unders and the l ittle ch i ld gre w h ea v y an d more h ea v y u ntil
B ut w ith the
Offe r o feared he should h i msel f si nk an d both be lost
aid of h is pal m sta ff at length h e crossed and p ut h is b urde n safely
dow n upon the other s ide Then h e cried out
W hom have I born e ?

Had it been th e w hole w orld i t could n o t ha v e been more h eavy !

Then th e ch i ld r e p l i ed M e tho u hast desi r ed to se r v e and I ha v e

acce p ted thee Thou hast borne not only th e w hole w orld b ut H i m
w ho m ade i t o n thy shoulders As a sign o f my p o wer an d of m y
a pp r obati on of th ee x tho u thy sta ff i n the earth and i t shal l gro w

and bear fruit

O ff e r o d i d so 3 an d th e staff was soo n co v ered w ith
lea v es an d t h e dates h u ng i n h uge clusters upon i t But the w onder
ful ch ild was gone Then O ffe r o k ne w that i t w a s Chri st w h om h e
had borne and h e fell do w n a n d w orsh i pped h i m After that O e r o
w ent to S amos w here there was a great persec u t i on o f Chri stians an d
i n s p ite o f h is great strength s h e a t h e n struck h i m w hen he said

W ere I n ot a Christian I woul d take v engeance o n thee

He
p ermitted h i msel f to be bou nd and take n to D a gn u s t he K i ng of
At the sight o f th e giant the
L ycia i n w h ich country was S amos
k ing fa i nted W hen h e was h imsel f agai n h e said
W h o art th ou ?

an d the giant ans w ered M y rst name was O ff e r o the B e arer b ut

n o w I ser v e Chris t and ha v e borne h i m
o n m y shoul ders ; for th is I

D a g n u s sent h i m
am no w called Christ Off e ro the bearer o f Chri st
to p rison an d tried to seduce h im to i dolatry by sending beauti ful
w omen to h im w h o urged h i m to si n B ut C hristo p her w as faith fu l
and by h is i nuence the women became C hristia n s and su ff ered d eath
beca u se they too w orsh i pp ed Jesus
T he n D a g n us tortured h i m
greatly a n d commanded hi m to be beheaded When they led h i m
to ex ecution h e kneeled do w n an d p rayed that all w h o beh eld h i m
a n d bel ie v e d i n Ch ri st sho ul d be de l i v ered from ear thq u ake re an d
,

I LL

U S T R A T E D IN

AR T

85

tem pest I t was belie v ed that h i s prayer w as e ff ect u al a n d that a ll

w ho p iously i nvoke S t Ch r istopher are safe f o r that day from a ll dan
ger s o f earth quake ood or re The sight o f h i m i s thought also
to i mpart strength to the w eak an d w eary w h i ch i dea i s expressed
i n many i nsc r i p tions mo r e or less s i m il ar to the fo l lo w i ng on e w h i ch
acco m pan y h i s p i ctur es
.

Ch r i st oph or i S a n c ti s p e c i e m qu i c um qu e t ue t ur ,
I

ll o n a m

u
e
q

di e

nu

ll o l a n gu or e t e n e tur

n
i
S
t
h
o
t
W
hoe
v
er
shall
behol
th
e
mage
o
f
hr
i
stopher
s
a
ll
d
C
(
fa i nt or fai l on that
July 2 5 , A D 3 64
T hi s saint cam e to
S t Ch r y s a n t h u s (I t a l S a n G risante )
R o me from Alexandria an d S t D aria cam e from Athens T hey
w ere betrothed b ut Ch r ysa n t h u s persuaded D aria t h at a state o f
v irgin ity was m ore favorabl e to a religious l ife than that of mar
r i a ge
T h ey were remarkable for their d e votion to th e F ai t h
T hey were at length acc u sed and m ar t yred i n th e reign of N u
m erian according t o som e 3 b ut Baillet bel ie v es i n th e persecu t io n
of V alerian I t i s said that soon aft er th eir b uri al a large number
of C hristians who were prayi ng at their tomb were walled up i n the
cav e and th u s buried ali ve The part of the catacombs where they
w ere interred was long called the cemetery of S S Ch r ys a n t h u s and
D aria Th e Greek C hurch h onors the m on M arch 1 9 and O ctober 1 7 3
th e L atins O ctober 2 5 A D 2 3 7
S e e S t A nastasia
S t Ch r y s o g o n u s (I t a l S a n Gr i so gon o )
He
S t Cl a i r (L a t S C larus ) is one of the beheaded saints
was an E nglish man o f noble ex t raction and l i v ed and labore d in
the cou n ty of V exin , i n F rance H e preached wi t h great faithful
n ess and was m urdered at a v illage wh ich bears h is name by r u i a n s
Th is
h ired by a lewd wom an wh o coul d not overcom e h is chastity
v illage i s between R ouen and Pontoise
H is shrine is greatly v en
c rated an d vi si ted by pil rims
He
represented
on
a
w
indo
w
at
i
s
g
S t M aclo u in R ouen
N o vember 4
S t Cl a r a ( L a t S an cta C lara ; I t a l S anta Ch iara ; F r S t e
C laire) C lara (1 Assisi was the daughter of a n obleman F avorino
S e i ff o ; her mother was named O rtolana
Her beauty and the great
w ealth of h er f am ily caused her to recei v e many offers of marriage
S h e had early dedicated herself to a rel igious l ife and went to

86

S T OR IES

L E GE ND S A N D

S t F rancis

to ask h is advice He encouraged h er to reno u nce the

world and appoi n t ed Pal m S unday as t he day for her to make h er
profession S h e went t o ch urc h wi th a ll her fam ily richly at t ired
as was t he custom o n t h a t d ay Whe n the o t hers approached the
al t ar sh e remained afar o ff ; and S t F rancis ad m iring her h um ili t y
cam e down from t he al t ar t o gi ve her t he pal m branch A t e veni ng
she concealed herself i n a v eil and escaped to the P o r z i o n c u l a w here
S h e was con d u cted to the al t ar w h ere S t F rancis
S t F rancis d welt
and she p ut t ing o ff her ri ch
c u t o ff her hair w i t h h is o wn h ands
garmen t s was covered w i t h t he personal p en iten t ial ro b es of F rancis
wh ich h e t hre w o ver her Th us she became h is disci p le a n d t h e
M adre S e r a c a or t h e foundress of t h e O rder of F ranciscan N uns

or as t hey are be t t er kno wn t he Poor Clares

The rules of her
order were severe i n the ex t reme C lara wen t by t he w ish of S t
F rancis t o the con vent of S t Paolo
H er fam ily an d friends tried
every m eans to i nduce h er to re t urn to them w itho ut e e c t 3 and i n
a shor t tim e she was followed by her sister Agnes only fo ur t een
years o l d ; by m any ladies of rank among wh om were three of th e
h ouse of U ba ld i n i ; and at leng t h by h er mo t her C lara so s t rictly
adhered to th e r u les of her order as to i nj u re her heal t h and for a
l ong t im e she was bedridden O n one occasi on wh en th e S aracens
to wh om F rederick had gi ven th e for t ress of N ocera cam e to rav
age her convent o f S a n D am iano sh e arose fro m h er b ed wh ere sh e
h ad so long been con ned and placing the Pyx wh i ch contained t he
Hos t u p on t he t h resh old sh e kneeled down an d be gan t o sing w hen
the i n d e l s t h re w down t he ir arms and ed I nnocent I V v isi t ed
h er and con rmed h er order ; and before h er d ea t h i t had s p read
throu g hou t Chris t endom and m any noble l ad ies had j oined i t S h e
d ied a t six t y i n a rap t uro us t rance b el ieving h erself called t o
heaven by angel ic voices H er sis t er Agnes su cceeded h er as a h
bess When t h e n uns rem oved from S a n D am iano t o S a n G iorg io
t hey b ore h er remain s wi t h th em T h e lat t er is no w t h e ch urch of
S an t a C hiara d Assisi and i s t h e m os t fam o us one of h er order
S t C lara is a favorite sain t all over E uro p e but es p ecially so i n
Her p ro p er a tt ri b ute is t he Pyx con t aining the H os t S h e
S p ain
wears a gray t un ic and t he cord of S t F rancis w i t h a black v eil
S h e also bears t he lily the cro s s and the pal m
A ugust 1 2
.

l 25 3

IL L US T R A T E D IN
Cl a r a

of

AR T

87

t e F a l c o Th is saint was o f the Angu s

tin ian order I n h er o wn country sh e i s called S t Clara ; sh e was
canon ized D ecember 8 1 8 8 1 by P e pe L e o X II I Her birth took
place i n 1 2 68 and sh e l ived qu ietly i n h er o wn city wh ic h fro m
i t s height overlooks th e U m brian v alleys Th e fam e of h er m ir
acl es an d th e sweetness of h er life were well known through all th e
co untry
S t Cl e m e n t (I t a l S a n C lemente ) i s suppose d to be spoken
of by the A p ostle Pau l (Ph il i v
He was th e th ird pope
and bishop of R om e
D uring th e many years of h is ep iscopa t e
h e made nu mero u s con v erts am ong wh om was D om itilla t he n iece
of th e E mperor D om itian ; and by h er i nuence h e was protected
d uring th e reign of h er u ncle I n th e persecu t ion u nder T raj an ,
th e prefect wh o go v ern ed R om e i n th e absence of th e emperor
com manded C lement to worship th e i dols ; and when h e would
not h e ban ish ed h i m to a n island w here th ere were large stone
quarr ies worked by con v icts
M any Christians had been sent
there before h im and oth ers went w ith h i m to share h i s exile
C lement fou n d t h e s e o n the island su ffering for want of water ;
h e knel t and p rayed and look ing up s a w a lamb on th e summ it
of a h ill wh ic h was i nvisi ble to all o t hers He knew it to be t h e
L am b of G od
H e went to th e spot where h e had see n it, an d
u p on digging found a large clear spring of water Aft er thi s m ir
acle h e was condemned to be cas t into the sea bound t o an anchor
B u t wh en the C hris t ians prayed th e waters w ere dri v en bac k for
three m iles and th ey s a w a ruined temple wh ich th e sea h ad c c v
ered and i n i t was fo u n d th e body of th e sain t w ith the anch or
ro und h i s neck F o r many years at the anni versary of h is dea t h
the sea retreated for seven days and p ilgri m a ges w ere m ade to t h is
s u bmari ne t omb At on e t im e a w oman was p raying t here and her
ch ild had falle n asleep when th e wa t ers arose an d she fled for
ge tt i n g th e ch ild i n her fear
T h e n ext year the b oy was found
qu ietly sleeping as sh e had left h im T h e ch urch of S a n Clemen t e
i n R om e is of remarkable in t erest an d the scenes of h is l ife are
represented in p aintings of th e twelft h century According to tra
di t io n the rel ics of the saint are n o w here and also those of S t
I gna t i u s o f Antioch H is proper attribute is the anchor N o v em
ber 23 A D 1 00
St

on

88

L E GE N D S

S TOR IE S

AND

S t Clotilda w as a B urg
Clotilde )
d ian princess and th e w ife of Clov is S h e i s famed a s hav ing
C hristianized F ran ce Her h usban d after long resisting h er a t
tempts for h is conversion c a lled u pon the G o d of Clotilda i n th e
m id st of an unfortunate battle I mmediately th e fo r tunes of h is
arm s w ere changed ; and by th is h e was con verted an d w as bap
A t h is baptism i t i s said that the o il w as
t i z e d by S t
R em i
brought from h eaven by a dove 3 and tradition says th at an angel
came down bearing three l il ies w h ich h e gave to S t R em i and he
i n turn gave th e m to Clotilda and at th is ti me th e arm s of F rance
were ch anged fro m the three toads (crapau ds ) of earl ier days to
th e e u r s de lys the e mble m s of p u ri ty an d regeneration J un e 3
A D 5 45
S t Cl o u d was a grandson of S t Clotilda w ho w hen h i s broth
ers were m urdered e scaped to a convent an d becam e a monk of t h e
B enedictine Order
S eptember 7 A D 5 60
Constantine w h il e still an idolater
Co n s t a n t i n e E m p e r o r
and a persecutor of the C hristians w as af icted w ith a leprosy
T he priests of t h e idols prescribed th at h e sho uld bath e i n ch ildren s
bl ood Thre e thou sand ch ildren w ere collected to be slain 3 b ut a s
th e em peror rode to th e pl ace w h er e they w ere th e moth ers of th e
ch ildren so entreated h i m that h e stopped h is chariot an d said
F ar
better is it that I shoul d d ie th an cause t he death of these i nno

cents
He then comm anded the ch ildren to be restored to th e ir
m others to w h om h e gave l arge gifts to compensate for their s u ff erings
Th at n ight i n hi s sl eep S t Peter an d S t Paul appeared to h i m and
told h i m th at C hrist had sent them to h i m because he had spared
the innocents They told h im to send for S yl vester w ho woul d sho w
h im a pool in wh i c h he could wash a n d be cl ean and that from that
tim e h e sho uld cease to persecute th e C hristians and h imself wor
sh i p their G od N o w S yl vester was th e Bishop of R ome wh o h ad
h id aw a y fro m th e cruel ties of Constanti ne and was i n a cave near
M onte C a l vo T h e e mper o r sent for h i m ; an d w hen th e sold iers
found h i m a n d led h i m a way h e thought i t w as to h is ex ecut ion
They took h i m to th e em peror w ho asked h i m w ho th e two god s
w ere wh o h ad appe a red to h i m the pre viou s n ight S yl vester r e
pl ied t h a t th ey were n ot gods b ut th e apostles of J es us Cons t an
S yl v e st e r
t i ne then desire d to s e e the e fg i e s of these apo s t l es

St

Cl o t i l d a

F
r
(

Ste

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sho wed h i m som e p i ctures of Peter an d Paul and Constantine saw

th at they were l ik e those w hom he h ad seen in the v ision S y lves
ter then baptized h i m and h e came o ut fro m h is baptism cured of
h is d isease Th e n ext d ay Constantine commanded that Christ
sho u l d b e worsh ipped i n a l l R ome as th e only Go d ; th e next day
th at those wh o blasphemed against Hi m shoul d lose the ir l i ves ; th e
th ird day that any on e wh o ins u lted a C hristian should forfei t half
h is goods ; th e fourth day th at the Bishop of R ome should be th e
rst bishop of th e world ; th e n ext day h e gave the pri vilege of
sanctuary to the C hri stian ch urches ; the sixth h e ordered that no
ch u rch es shou ld be b uilt w itho ut th e con sent of th e b ishop ; th e
seventh th at th e tithes of the dom ains of R om e should belong to
th e Ch urch an d the eighth day h e founded th e L ateran by d iggi n g
h i mself and carrying on h is shoulders t wel ve h o df ul s of eart h and
l a ying th e rst stone A nother acco unt of th e manner of h is con
v ersion to C hristian ity and one frequently ill ustrated i n a r t i s that
duri n g th e campaign of 3 1 2 w h il e on h is m arch to R ome h e saw a

l um ino us cross i n th e sky w ith the inscription By this conqu er

an d that on t he nigh t before h is last battle w ith M a xe n t i u s h e was
com manded in a v ision to i nscribe th e sacred monogram of th e n ame
of C hrist u po n th e sh ields of h is soldiers Three di ff erent localities
cl ai m th e honor of hav ing been the place w h ere Constantin e behel d
th e cross ; th ese are A u tun A ndernach an d V erona B ut to these
m iraculous directions a n d the s u ccess w h ich follo wed h is obed ience
to them is a ttribu ted h is belief i n C hristian ity
Th e E mpress
Helena t old h i m that i t would have been b e tter to become a J e w
than a Christian S o h e wrote h er to bring to disp ute w ith S ylves
ter th e m ost learned of the Je ws S h e cam e to R om e w ith on e
h undred a n d forty doctors of th e l a w A day was appoi n ted for
the discu ssion ; and Z eno and Crato Greek ph ilosoph ers were a p
po inted arbitrators
Then S ylvester praying for w isdom utterly
defeated th ese learn ed R abbi s
Then on e of th em Z a m br i w ho
was a m agician desired that a erce bull should be brought and
sai d that when h e sh o u ld speak i n h is ear th e n ame of h is Go d h e
should fall dead The bull was brought ; and as th e m agician had
said he fell dead at h i s feet as soon as h e had w h ispered to h im
Then S yl vester was attacked w ith fury ; th e arb itrators were as
t o n i sh e d an d Constantine was shaken in h is faith but S ylves t er sai d
,

90

L E GE N D S

S T OR I E S

AND

that th e n a m e h e h ad spok en was S atan s for C hri st d id not d estroy

b ut g a ve l ife He desired that Z a m b r i should restore the b ull to
life Th is h e could not do ; b ut S yl vester made th e sign o f th e
cross a n d com man ded h i m to ri se w h en the bu ll obeyed a n d rose u p
as gentle as before he h ad been erce T hen all w ho saw th is b e
A w h ile after th is it w as told t h e emperor
l i e ve d and w e re baptized
th at sin ce h is conv ersion th e d ragon w h ich d w elt in th e m o a t h ad
killed three h undred persons dail y by h is poisonous breath Th en
S yl vester went down to the dragon an d exorci sed h i m i n th e n a me
of C hrist and bound u p h is mo u th w i th a thread and sealed i t w ith
the sign of the cross S yl vester al so ga ve aid in h i s h ou se to a C hris
tian wh o w as afterward slain for h is faith Th e governor believed
th at S yl vester had riches wh ich belonged to th e martyr an d t hreat
ened h i m w ith tort ures if h e d id n ot give the m u p S yl vester told
th e governor that h is soul sho uld be in torments that n ight a n d as
h e ate h i s d i n n er h e wa s ch oked to death There i s n o n eed to re m i n d
one th at h istory and th e legends greatl y d i ff er reg a rd i n g Co n stantin e
A s for S yl vester he was at the great N icen e Council a n d after go v
ern i n g the C h u rch for n early twe n ty fo ur years h e died a n d was
b uried i n th e cemetery of Priscilla at R ome The proper attri bute
of S t S yl vester is th e bull som etimes th e portrai ts of S t Peter and
H is f e s va l i s D ecember 3 1 a n d h e d ied i n 3 3 5
S t Paul
g
S t Co s m o and S t D a m i a n ( L a t S S C osm us e t D a m i a n u s ;
I t a l S S Cosimo e D a m iano gl i sa u ti m edi ci A rabi ; F r S S C m e e t
These brother sai n ts are seldo m separated i n tho u gh t or
D a m ien )
rep r esentation Th ey were A rabi ans b ut d w el t at A l gae i n Cil ici a
Their father d ied e arly ; an d th e ir moth er Th eodora trai n ed the m i n
C hris t ian v irtue Th eir ch ari ties w ere extensive ; and th ey studied
med ici n e for t h e purpose of relieving su ffering and refused all com
for
th
eir
labors
Th
ey
d
id
n
ot
refuse
to
rel
ie
ve
even
an
i
n sa t io n
e
p
wh en in their po wer T hey became most sk ilful physician s
m als
I n th e time of D iocleti an th ey were seized by th e pro c onsul L yc i a s
and th row n i nto th e sea b ut were saved by an angel They were
also p ut i n th e re w h ich wou ld not burn the m and bound to
crosses a n d sto n ed ; b ut n one of th e stones reached them so th at
at last they w ere beh eaded
They w ere patrons of med icin e an d
su cceeded to th e h onors of [E sc u l a p i u s am ong th e G reek s
Th ey

h av e also th e title of A n a r gyr e s ( w ithout

They w ere patron s
,

'

I L L US T R A T E D

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of the M edici family as is seen on th e coins of F lorenc e

,

2 7,

30 1

S eptember

Co s t a n

N o t hing i s k nown of th is
Bishop of Perugia
saint b u t t h a t h e s u ffered m ar t yrdom i n th e reign of M arcus
The co untry be t ween Perugia and F oligno i s called th e
A urel i us
S trada d i Costanza an d h e i s m u ch venerated i n th at portion of
I taly
S t Cr i s p i n a n d S t Cr i s p i a n u s ( I t a l S a n Crispino e S a n Cris
piano ; F r S S Cresp i n e t Cr e s pi n i a n ) These saints were brothers
They
w h o went w ith S t D enis fro m R om e to preach i n F ran ce
supported themsel ves by m aki n g shoes and were suppl ied with leath er
by angels to m ake sh oes for the poor Bei n g d eno un ced as Christian s
they were cruelly tortured and then beh eaded a t S oissons
T he
R oman t radition xes their death in A D 300 b u t other authorities
gi ve the date thirteen years earlier T heir proper attributes are the
awl a n d shoe m aker s kn ife O ctober 25
M arch 3 A D 1 04 0 (S e e S t H enry of
Cu n e g u n d a
St
Bav a ria )
St
Cu n i b e r t to w ho m on e of the m ost an cie n t ch urch es of
Cologn e i s dedi cated was bishop of th at city He w as t he ad viser
of K i n g D agobert a n d so m e of his successors an d an i n ti m ate frie n d
of Pep i n d H e r i s t a l He h eld hi s d iocese thirty seven years A ccord
i n g to th e l egend S t Cu n i b e r t was d irected by a d ove to t h e spot
w here S t U rsula a n d h er compan io n s were buri ed He i s represe n ted
in th e episcopal dress hold i n g i n h is h an d the m odel of a ch urch
Th e do ve is h is attribute N ovember 1 2 A D 6 60
w as a sh epherd in h is yo u th i n th e
S t Cu t h b e rt o f D u r h a m
valley of th e T weed I n h is ch ildhood an an gel appe a red to h i m a n d
urged h i m to a pi ou s l ife He was i n structed at a m o n astery near h is
ho m e whe r e S t A idan was the prior One n ight as C ut h bert te n ded
h is ocks h e saw a dazzl ing l ight and look ing u p beheld a n gels bear
i n g S t A idan to h eaven
H e th en e n tered th e m onastery and soo n
bec a m e a n oted p r each er He n o t o n ly m ade co n verts but h e
preac hed m u ch to such C h r is t ians as l i ved u n w orthy l i ves I t w as
said t h at w h en b e appe a l ed to the m a n a n gel ic bright n ess sho n e i n
h i s f a ce a n d n o n e could decei ve h i m or co n ceal th e s i n of th eir hearts
He w a n dered a m o n g the mou n t a i n o us regio n s and pre a ch ed i n
v illages considered al mos t i naccessi ble He later dwelt on an island

St

z o

92

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

on the coast of N orth u m berl a nd called afterwards H oly I sland i n

Here he supported h i mself u pon wh at h e
m e m ory of h is s a ncti t y
rai s ed by h is o wn l abor a n d i t is said that angels bro ught h i m bread
fro m Pa rad ise H e w as afterwards Bishop of L indisfarn e M i r a c u
lous things are told of h im d uring h is l ife and of h is rel ics after
h is d t a t h
H is shrine bec a me a place of pilgrim a ge
H is rel ics
are n o w i n th e cathedral of D urh a m
H is a t t ribute is th e h ead
of S t O s wa ld buried i n t he tomb of S t C uthbert w h en th e former
H e also h as th e otter w h ich w as sai d to h av e
w a s sl a i n i n battle
l i c ked h i m into life when h e had al most perished from cold and expo
sure M arch 20 A D 6 8 7
S t Cy p r i a n and S t Ju s t i n a o f A n t i o c h ( I t a l S a n C ipriano
i l M a go 8 S a n ta G i ustin a ; F r S t Cyprien l e M agicien e t S t e
J usti n e ) T he h i stories of th ese sai nts can n ot be sep a rated S ai n t
J ustin a was a n exceed i n gly lovel y and v ir t uous Chri stian m aiden of
H er fa ther w as a priest of the idol s bu t sh e co n verted bo t h
A n tio c h
A n obl eman named A g l a i d e s
h i m a n d h e r mother to h er o w n fai t h
so ugh t h er love in vai n and at length h e appl ied to th e f a mou s
m a gician Cypri a n for h i s aid in w in n ing h er heart N o w Cyprian
was very l ea rn ed in astrology a n d n ecroman cy a n d do ubted not h is
po w er to o verco m e all obstacles B u t w hen h e s a w J usti n a h e al so
loved her a n d determined to w in her for h i mself H e se n t demons
to her to fi ll her m in d w ith unchaste a n d vol uptuou s i mages but s h e
rem a ined u n a ffe c ted A t le n gth h e sent th e pri n ce of ev il spirits to
te m pt her but all w itho ut success Th e n Cypri an was so a sto n i sh ed
a t the power of h er v irt ue that h e resol ved to serve th e G o d of t h is
p u re m a ide n S o h e w en t to her lled w ith repentan ce and confessed
h imsel f a Chri sti a n J usti n a i n h er j oy at so great a victory for
C hrist c u t off her beau tiful h air and made of it an o ff eri n g to th e
Virgin Cypri a n w as soon baptized and becam e as famous for h is
p ie t y as h e h ad before been for h i s w i ck ed n ess W h e n the l ast pe rse
th e G overnor of A n tio c h com
c u t i o n of th e C hristi ans broke out
w h ich by a
m a n d e d th e se sai n ts to be thrown in to boil ing pit c h
m ira cle h a d n o po w er to harm them
H e th en se n t th em to D i o c l e
ti a n at N ic o m edi a w ho ordered the m to be instantly beh eaded
S ep t e m ber 26 A I ) 3 04
S t Cy p r i a n o f Ca r t h a g e and archbi sh op of t h a t place per
i sh e d i n t h e persecu tion of Valerian
H is m artyrdo m i s one of t h e
,

'

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most authentic in h istory H e is very rarely repre sent e d in w orks of

a r t ; and perh aps th e picture by Paul Veronese i n the Brera at M ilan
i s th e o n ly on e l ikely to come w ithi n th e observation of the traveller
S e ptember 1 6 A D 25 8
S t Cy r i l (L a t S Cyrill us ; I t a l S a n C irillo ; F r S t Cyri l le )
Th is sai n t w as Patriarch of A lexandria from th e ye a r 4 1 2 to 4 4 4 H e
w rote m u ch u pon th eology an d w as earn estly engaged i n t he co n tests
of th e early C h urch
S ome n on Cathol ic writers h ave sough t to
connect h i m w it h t he terribly cruel m urde r of Hypatia the femal e
1
H e is as h ighly ve n erated i n th e
m athem ati cian and ph ilosopher
G reek as i n th e L atin C h urch and is the only bish op w ho m they
represent w i th h i s head covered Jan uary 2 8 A D 4 4 4
S t Cyril was a ph ilosoph er
S t Cy r i l and S t M e t h o d i u s
an d S t M ethod ius an artist T hey w ere of th e Order of S t Basil a n d
w ere sen t by th e Patriarch of Co n stantinople as m issionaries to th e
people wh o l ived on the borders of th e D an ube B oga r i s th e K i n g
of Bulgaria desired M ethodi us to paint a p icture in the h all of h is
palace that should impress h i s subj ects w ith awe M eth odi us painted

the L ast J udgment w ith C hrist enthroned and surrounded w it h

angels also the h app iness of th e blessed and th e m iseries of the l ost
When nished th e k ing des ired an explanation of th is terribl e pi cture
an d Cyril gave i t w ith su ch po wer that t h e monarch and all wh o
l istened w ere converted S o t hey labored among t h e neighboring
nations w ith s u ccess M ethod i us p ainted and Cyril so explai n ed h i s
pi ctures as to convin ce large n u mbers of th e truth of th e Christian
S t Cyril also learned their languages m ad e an al ph abet for
f aith
th em and translated a part of th e G ospels H e obtained too th e
.

Al b a n B u t l e r i n h i s s k e t c h o f S t C yr il s l i fe t ou c h i n g o n t h e
S h e w a s m u c h r e s p e c t e d a n d c o n si d e r e d
d e pl or a b l e m ur d e r o f H y p a t i a sa y s :
T h e m o b w h i c h w a s n ow h e r e m or e
b y t h e g o ve r n o r a n d o f t e n v i s i t e d h i m
u n ru l y or m or e f o n d o f r i o t s a n d t u m u l t s t h a n i n t h a t p o p u l ou s c i t y t h e s e c o n d
i n t h e wor l d f o r e x t e n t u p o n a s u s p i c i o n t h a t sh e i n c e n se d t h e go ve r n or a ga i n st
t h e i r b i sh o p se d i t i ou sl y ro se p u l l e d h e r ou t o f h e r c h a r i o t c u t a n d m a n gl e d h e r
e sh a n d t or e h e r b ody i n p i e c e s i n t h e s t r e e t s t o t h e g r e a t gr i e f a n d s c a n d a l o f
e s p e c i a l ly o f t h e p iou s b i s h o p
C yr i l
a l l goo d m e n
A n d t h e s a m e a u th ori t y
I t i s v e ry u n j u s t i n s o m e m o d e r n s t o c h a rg e h i m [Cyri l ] a s c o n sc i o u s o f
a d ds
s o h orr i b l e a c r i m e
w h i c h sh o c k s h u m a n n a t u re
T h e si l e n c e o f O r e s t e s a n d
o f t h e h i s t o r i a n So c ra te s bo t h h i s d e c l a r e d e n e m i e s su fc e s t o a c u i t h i m
q
1

Th e R

ev

94

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

privilege of celebrating m ass in th e S c l a vo n i c to n gu e Th ese sa ints

ge n erally represe n ted together ; S t Cyri l w ith a book and S t
a re
M ethodi us w i th a ta b let on w hich i s a pi cture Th e G reeks h onor
S t Cyril M a rch 9 a n d S t M ethod iu s M ay 1 1 ; th e L atins bot h
The ir
T hey are ho n ored as th e apo s t les of the S c l a vos
o n M arch 9
m illenary w as l a tely celebrated w i th great splendor
Th is l egend i s represented in ve
D a l e A b b e y the l egend o f
p ictures I n the rst the abbot shoots th e deer w ith a cross b o w
because it had eaten h is w heat I n th e second th e foresters com
l
a i n of h im and th e k ing comm ands h i m to be brought before h i m
p
I n t he third and fourth h e i s i n the presence of the k ing w h o grants
h i m as m u ch land as h e can encircle by a furro w from sun to sun ;
the plough to be drawn by tw o w i ld stags fro m the fore st I n the
fth he plough s w ith th e stags
S e e S t Cosmo
S t D a m ia n
S e e S t Ch r ys a n t h u s
S t D a ria
D e a d N u n s th e l egend of
There w ere two noble lad ies wh o
j oined th e sisterhood of S t S ch olasti ca They w ere fon d of scandal
and vain talk S t Bened ict h earing of this reproved th em and sent
them word that unless they reformed he would p un ish them F o r
a w h ile th ey re membered t h e admonition b ut relapsed again and so
d ied They w ere buried in th e ch urch n ear the altar On e day as

B enedict cel ebrated mass wh en th e deacon said

L e t th ose w ho are
i n pe n an ce and forbidden to partake d epart a n d leave u s thes e n uns
arose from their graves and w ith sad appearance left the ch urch Th is
occu rred every time the m ass was celebrated th ere until S t B enedict
pitying them prayed for th eir souls and they rested peacefully
S t D e lph i n e
S e e S t E leaz ar d e S a b r an
S t D e n i s o f F r a n c e (L a t S D ionysiu s ; I t a l S a n D ion isio
or D ionigi ; F r S t D e n is ) The truth of th e l egend w hich m akes
S t D en is the same w ith D ionysius the A reopagite w il l not be con
rmed u pon a cri tical examination of facts ; bu t as th ey are th us
represe n ted i n w orks of art i t m ust be gi ven to make t h e r e pr e
scu tations of th em u n derstood
D i onysi us w as an A thenian phi
l o so ph c r
H e w as a j u dg e of th e A reopagus and for h is w i sdom in
h eavenly th ings was called
H e w e n t to E gypt
T h e o sO ph u s
to study astrol o gy and wa s at Heliopol is at the ti me of the c r u c i l i xio n
o f o ur L ord
H e was greatly tro ubled at the darkn e ss w h ich en d ured
.

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for three hours because h e co u ld not underst and i t H e was c o n

v erted at A thens by S t P a ul a n d became rst bishop of th a t c ity
I n h is letters h e tells of h is v isi t to t h e Blessed V irgi n a t Jerus a le m
h i s a s to n ish me n t at th e dazzli n g light wh i c h s u rro u n ded her a n d h is
prese n ce at h er death a n d buri a l H e w e n t to R ome and at t e n ded S t
Paul at h is m artyrdom H e was then sen t by P ope Cleme n t to preac h
i n F ran ce w ith t wo deacon s R usti cus a n d E le u theri us A ft e r hi s
arrival i n F ra n ce h e w as called D en is H e fou n d P a ris a beautiful
ci t y see mi n g to h i m l ike another A the n s H e d w elt here and by h is
preach ing converted many
H e se n t m issionaries to a l l parts of
A t length he was accused of h is fa ith to the
F rance and to Germa n y
R oman E mperor wh o sent F e s c e n n i u s to P a ri s to seize hi m w it h his
compan ions Th ey were all condemn ed t o death A t the place of ex
e c u t i o n S t D enis kn el t do wn and prayed and th e de a co n s responded
in a lo ud A m en Their bod ies were left as usual to be devo ured by
B ut S t D en i s arose an d tak ing h is head in h is h a n ds
w il d beasts
w alked two m iles to th e pl ace n o w called M ont M artre th e a n gels
si n gi n g as h e w ent Thi s m iracle con verted m any a n d among the m
T he
L a c t i a w ife of L u b r i u s w ho was afterwards beheaded also
bodies of S t D en i s an d h is deacons were buried and a ch u rc h erected
over th em by S t G enevi e ve b ut i n th e reign of D agobert th ey were
r emoved to th e abbey of S t D e n is
H e i s th e patron saint of F ra n ce
and h is name th e war cry of its armies Th e or i a m m e the st a n d a rd
of F rance was consecrated on h is tomb When S teph en 1 1 became
pope th e n ame of thi s saint began to be ve n erated i n all E urope
S teph en h ad been educated at th e monastery of S t D enis
T here is
a beautiful l ife of th e sain t i n th e royal l ibrary of Paris w ith a
large n u m ber of exqu isite m iniatures H is attribute is the severed
h ead October 9
S t D i e g o d A l c a l a was a n h u mbl e Capu ch in brother in a con
vent of A lcal a I t i s said th at th e i n fa nt D o n Carl os w as h ealed
through h is intercession w h en severely w o u n ded
Ph ili p I I pro
1
m oted h i s canon ization on th is accou nt
A bo u t 1 6 00 a wealthy
S pan iard res iding at R om e dedicated a chapel to th is saint in the
ch urch of S a n G iacomo degl i S pag n uoli w h ich was painted by A n n i
,

O t h e r wo n d e r s w e r e a l s o wrough t t h roug h S t D i e go s i n t e r c e s s io n ; fo r a s
ou r r e a d e r s k n ow t h r e e m i r a c l e s o f t h e r s t c l a ss a re r e q u i r e d f or t h e c a n o n iz a
t i o n o f a sa i n t

L E GE N D S

96

S T OR I E S

AN D

bal C aracc i an d A l bano wh o wa s then h is pup il The se fres c os were

transferred to can vas
There are also p ictures o f S t D iego by
M urillo th e most importan t being in the L ou vr e
h
s
e
w
A
ra
of
ugsb
urg
hose
h
andmaiden
A
f
t
S
e
e
S
S t D i gn a
was
i
a
t
oru
m
P
r
a
e
d
c
P
D
ominicus
ater
Ord
in
is
t
S
L
a
k
n
i
S t D om i c
(
D
r
o
a
F
r
S
t
l
a
a
C
omeni
co
omenico
om in ique
D
n
S
a
D
n
a
I ta l S
g
D
n
S
S
a
o
date
ur
des
r
res
u
r
om ingo )
T h is saint
s
h
e
r

c
P
e
F
p
F n
1
w as a Castil ian of noble descent o f the house of G u zman
H is
mother dreamed before h is birth th at sh e had brough t forth a dog
w ith a torch in h is m o n t h A t h is baptism a star descended fro m
heaven to crown h i s brow He stud ied at Valencia a n d be c ame at
the instance of the B ishop of O sma a regular canon of S t A ugus
ti n e a t th e age of t wenty e igh t years When th irty years old h e
w ent to F rance and being shocked at the heresies of the A lbigenses
He w ent t he
h e preached w ith su ch e ff ect as to conver t m a n y
second t ime to F rance w ith hi s bi shop to condu ct t o Castil e th e
young princess w ho was to espo use Prince F erdinand H e r death
j ust a s he arri ved w as a great shock to h i m and thencefort h h i s zeal
and religiou s d e votion were great e ned He obtained perm ission fro m
th e pope i n 1 207 to pre ach to t h e A lbigenses in th e V audois H e
w rote out th e arti cles of faith ; and i t is said that w hen th is book
w a s thro w n i n th e re it wo uld not remain bu t leaped o ut uninj ured
A s the h eretical books w ere burned this m iracle had th e e ffect to
conv i n ce a n d convert man y A s to th e persecution of th e A lbigenses
it is certain th at he was extremely earnes t i n h is prayers a n d e n d e a v
2
H e un ited w ith several
o r s to secure th e trium ph of th e C h urch
priests w ho w ent abou t to preach barefoot
F rom th is arose h i s
order w h ich w as con rmed i n 1 2 1 6 S t D om in ick by h eavenly
i n spiration ins t ituted th e devotion o f t h e rosary A rosary sh o uld
h a ve fi ftee n large an d on e h und r ed and ft y sm a ll be a ds The l arge
represent th e Paternosters and the sm all th e A ve M arias Th is use
of the rosary w as a great assi stan ce to S t D om in ick i n h is l abors
.

E m p re s s E uge n i e

F ra n c e i s a c i o n o f t h e h o u s e o f G u z m a n
2
S t D o m i n i c k m a i n t i n d t h a t t o l a bor w i t h s u c c e s s a m o n g th se h e re t i cs
e rs u a s i o n a n d
e xa m p l
b
good
s
h
ou
l
d
a n d by n o m e a n s t e rror
m p l oy e d
e
p
e n a n ce
H i m s l f k n w n o o th e r r m s th n t h o s e o f i n s t ru t i o n p a t i e n c
fas t i n g
p
w a t c h i n g t e a r s a n d p ra y e r H e was a z e a l o us a d v o c a t e o f p o p u l a r e d uca t i on
1

T he

e x
t-

I L L US T R A T E D

I N

AR T

97

1 2 1 8 S t D omi nick

was commiss i o n ed by th e p ope to reform th e

nunneries at R ome F rom th is origi n ated the Order of the D om in i
can N uns for w hom h e m ade a rule w hich they adopted
He
fou n ded m any con vents i n the pri n cipal cities of E urope none of
w h ich are m ore famou s than the splend id one of h is o r der i n the
I t i s from the si t uation of th is conve n t
R u e S t J acques at Paris
that the D omi nicans w ere called J a c o b i n s in F rance A t le n gth h e
ret urned to h is con vent at Bologn a w here h e died of a fever brough t
on by h is ard uous labors Two years after h i s death h e w as canon
i z e d and h is remains placed i n th e magni cent A r e a d i S a n D o
I t i s sai d h i s tru e portrai t was brought from
m enico at Bologna
h eaven by S t Catherine and S t M ary M agdalen to a convent of D o
m i n i c a n n uns
H is attributes are the dog by h is side ; th e star on
or abo ve h is head ; a l ily i n one h an d an d a book in the other There
are m a n y i n teresti n g legends of his wonderful miracles A t on e time
i t is said b e restored to life th e you n g L ord N apoleon nephe w of
Cardin al S teph ano d i F ossa N ova w hen h e h ad been k illed by a fall
from h is horse When at the convent of S t S abi n a they h ad not
s u fcient food S t D omin ick pronou n ced t h e blessing upon th e l ittle
they had and i m medi ately two angels appeared with bread and w ine
S t D om i
wh i ch w as celestial food and sweeter th an any of earth
nick had a vision i n w h ich h e saw th e S avio ur w ith th e arro w s of
d i vine wrath in h i s hand Th e Virgi n asked hi m wh at h e woul d do ;
and w hen h e repl ied th at h e w oul d destroy the earth on account
of its w i ck edness sh e besough t h i m to w ait and prese n ted to h i m S t
F ran cis an d S t D o m i n i ck s a ying th at th ey wo ul d traverse the w hole
earth a n d su bd u e i t to C hrist A ugust 4 A D 1 22 1
Th i s
S t D o n a t o o f A r e z z o ( L a t S D onat us ; F r S t D o n at )
saint was of noble b irth a n d i n ch ildhood a com pa n io n of the E m
J
ul
i
a
af
er
h
is
apostasy
p
ut
m
any
Christians
to
n
t
e r o r J ul ia n
p
death an d among them th e fath er of D onatu s D o n atus then ed
from R o m e to A rezzo an d had for h is co m pan io n the h oly m o n k
A t on e
Hilarion
T h ey preached and perfor m ed m an y m ira cles
time a tax g atherer of th e provi n ce wen t on a j ourn ey and left the
mon ey whi ch h e had w ith h is w i fe E u p h r o s i n a S h e d ied s u d d e n ly
where sh e h ad h idde n th e t reasure
Whe n h e r
a n d told no o n e
h u sban d retur n ed h e w as i n great d ist r e ss ; a n d fe a r i n g to be p u n
i sh e d as a defaulter h e appealed to D onatus w ho went t o th e tomb
n

98

S T OR I E S

L E GE N D S A N D

and called u pon E u ph r o s i u a to tell h i m wh ere th e m oney wa s S h e

D onatus w as made
ans w ered h i m a n d thi s was heard by m any
Bishop of A rezzo ; a n d as h e celebrated th e Holy M ass the cu p
w h i c h h eld t he w i n e a n d w h ich was o f glass was broken by som e
i d olaters
When D on a tus prayed i t w as made w hole an d n o t a
d rop of w i n e spilled Thi s miracle w as th e cause o f t h e con ve rs ion
of so m any th a t th e pagans i n th eir rage tort ured and beheaded
H ilario n was scourged to death and w ith D onatu s i s i n t e rre d
h im
bene a th the h igh altar of the cath edral of A rezzo A ugust 7
S t D o r o t h e a o f Ca p p a d o c i a v irgin a n d martyr (I t a l S anta
S h e was a nobl e v irgi n and th e
D or o tea ; F r S t e D oroth e e )
S h e was a C hristi an and
m ost be a utiful of the ci ty of C aesarea
devo t ed to prayer fasting a n d al msgiving S a p r i t i u s o r F a b r ic i u s
th e govern o r heari n g of her beau ty sent for her an d threat ened h er
w ith d e a t h i f she wo uld not worsh ip th e i dols S h e dep icted to h i m
the j oys of h e a ven and declared th at she preferred the death w hi c h
w ould gi ve h er th ese to a l ife of i dol atry S h e was taken to pri son ;
and two sisters C a l ista an d Ch r i s t e t a w ho h ad reno unced C hristian
i ty through fear of torture w ere sent to i nd uce D orothea to follo w
th e ir ex a m ple B ut sh e so in uenced th em that th ey left h er d e c l a r
ing th e m sel ves again C h rist ians
Then F abri ci us commanded the
sisters to be bu rned and D oroth ea to w i t ness th eir su fferings S h e
encoura ged th e m through all an d was t h e n cond emned 90 be tor
t u r e d and beheaded
S h e end u red th e tortures w ith great courage
A s she was led to execu tion a young lawyer called Theophil us j eered
h er and asked h er to send h i m fruits from th e gardens to w h ich sh e
wa s goi n g
S h e told h i m that h is request should be granted
Vhen
\
at the place o f exec ution sh e knel t a n d prayed ; and s uddenly there
w as besi d e her a bea utiful angel w ith a basket i n w h ich were thre e
roses a n d three appl es S h e com manded h i m to tak e t h em to The e
i
h
l
u s a n d t el l h i m sh e h ad sent them and should awai t hi m in th e
p
garde n s from wh ich th ey came
Then sh e w as beh eaded W hen
T heoph il us receive d th e frui t a n d tasted of i t h e too becam e a Chris
tia n a n d at l ast s u ff ered martyrdom H er attri bu tes a r e roses i n
th e h a n d or on t h e h e a d or a basket w it h three apples an d three
roses held by a n attend a nt angel F ebruary 6 A D 3 0 3
He be c am e a monk at G l aston
S t D u n s t a n was bo r n in 025
b ury H e w as a ne scholar a remarkabl e m usician a pain t e r an d
.

I L L US T R A T E

AR T

99

of m e t a ls He went to court wh en q uite yo u ng a n d w a s a

gre a t fa vorite of K ing E dm und w ho a d m ired h is m u sic a l t a le n ts H e
h a d such a n i n u e n c e over the ki n g th a t he was a ccused of sorcery a n d
d ri ven fro m th e court
One d a y a s the ki n g w a s h unti n g th e st a g
h i s dogs l e a p e d down a fe a rful precipice T h e k i n g fe a red th a t h e
could not re in in h i s horse a n d m us t follow to d e a th
He pra y ed
a n d thought of h is cruelty to D unst a n
T h e horse stop ped o n the
bank T h e king then begged D u n stan to return to h i m I t is rel a ted
that a s the saint l a bored on e nigh t a t h is fo r g o the Dev il c a me t o
tem p t h i m i n th e form of a beauti fu l wom a n D u n stan seized the
D evil by th e nose w it h h is red hot tongs One d a y h is h a rp h a n ging

on th e w a ll pl a y ed to h i m the hym n
Ga udete a n i mi
D u n stan
w a s m a de t h e k i n g s tr e a surer a n d A bbot of G l a stonbury
b ut wh en
E dwin c a me to th e throne a n d l iv e d a sh a m el e ss l ife w ith E l g i va h e
drove D un stan a g a i n from co urt Wh e n E d ga r wa s k i n g th e s a int wa s
a g a in honored
H e wa s m a de Bi shop of W orcest e r a n d th en A rch
b isho p o f C a nt e rbury I n 9 60 h e wen t t o R om e a n d rec e i v e d gre a t
honors a s Prim a t e of t h e A n glo S a xon n a tion
O n h is return h e
founded n u merou s sch ools a n d mon a st e ri e s H e rel a t e s i n h i s writ
ings a v ision in wh ich h e beh eld h i s moth er espoused to Christ wh ile
a ngel s s a ng a ro u n d t hem
O n e of th e a ngels a sked D u n sta n w hy
h e d id not sing ; and wh en h e repl ied th a t h e w a s ignora nt a n d
could not sing t h e a n ge l t a ught h im th e hym n a n d t h e next d a y
h e co uld sing th e s a me to h is m onks M a y 1 9 A D 9 8 8
D u n s S c o t u s wa s a F r a ncisc a n a n d a ri v a l i n th eologic a l con
t r o ve r sy of S t T ho m a s A qu in a s
T h eir O pin ions ga ve rise to th e
p a rties c a lled T hom ists a n d S cotists H e w as one of th e m ost ze a lous
defe n d e rs of t h e doctrin e of the I mm a cul a te Con ception He wa s a n
E n gl ish m a n and w e nt to P a ris a bout 1 3 04 where h e wrote h is com
m e n t a r ie s
H e w a s sent to C ologn e i n 1 308 wher e he was received
T her e w a s
wit h gre a t honor 3 a n d th ere h e died i n the s a m e ye a r
a fa ble of h is h a ving b e e n b uri e d a li v e
wh ich i s disputed by good
a uthorities
T h i s saint w a s a bbess of t h e l a rgest
S t E b b a o f Co l d i n g h a m
mon a stery wh ich e xist e d in h er ti m e a n d h a d monk s as w e ll a s
n un s und e r h e r ru l e A bout th e ye a r 8 70 there was a n incursion of
D a n ish pir a t e s a n d S t E bb a w a s a l a rm ed for her ch a sti t y a n d t h a t
of h e r n uns S h e a ss e mb l e d th e m in t h e ch a p ter hous e a n d m a d e a n
a

w ork e r

I N

1 00

L E GE N

DS

S T OR I E S

AN D

ppe a l to th e m ; sh e th en took a r a zor a n d cut o ff h e r nose a n d u p pe r

l ip Her ex a mple w as followed by th e whole comm un ity ; a n d w hen
th e pi ra tes c a me the frightful spect a cle the n uns presented prote cted
their virgin ity T h e pira tes in the ir d is a ppointment set r e to t h e
mon a stery a n d the n un s perished in the a m e s A pril 2
H e r m o th e r
S t E d i t h o f W i l t o n d a ughter of K ing E dg a r
w a s a be a utiful n un VV i l f r i d a wh o m th e k ing took from her conven t
by force A s soon a s she could esc a pe fro m h i m sh e r e turned a n d
S h e refused to go to c o urt a n d w as
E dith w a s born i n the n unnery
celebra ted for her s a n ctity le a rning and be a uty S h e spent t he for
tune her fa ther g a ve her i n found ing a n unn ery a t W ilton w h ich h a s
sinc e becom e t h e se a t of t h e E a rls of Pe mbrok e E dith was rem a rk
a n d w h e n sh e
a ble for the costl in e ss a n d eleg a nc e of h e r a ttire ;
w as rebuked for i t by S t E t h e l wo l d sh e insisted th a t th is wa s of no
im port a nce for G o d re g a rded the h e a rt a lone a n d th a t h e co uld re a d

bene a th a n y ga rment
F or
a nsw e re d sh e
prid e m a y e xist under
the g a rb of wretch edness ; a n d a m ind m a y be as p ure u nder th ese
1
S h e d ied a t the a g e o f
v estments a s u nd e r your t a t t er e d furs
t wenty three S h e li v e d to see the consecra tion of t h e ch urch sh e
h a d bu ilt in honor of S t Denis b ut d ied forty three days a f ter
St
D unst a n was w a rned of her a ppro a ch ing end w h il e celebra ting m a ss
on th e occ a sion of the con s e cra tion S eptember 1 6 A D 9 8 4
E d i th o f P o l e s w o r th
S e e S t M o d we n a
T h e eccl e si a sti ca l l e g e n d o f
S t E d m u n d k ing a n d m a rtyr
K i n g E dm und i s th is : R a gn a r L o dh r og wa s a D a n e o f roy a l blood
H e w ent out fowl ing in a sm a ll sk iff a n d a storm com ing on he w a s
d ri ven u pon th e E ngl ish co a st i n N orfol k
H e was t a k en to K ing
E dm und wh o m uch a d mire d t h e str e ngth of t h e D a n e a n d h is sk il l
a s a h untsm a n
w hil e L o d h r o g wa s d a zzled by the a ccom pl ishm e n ts
of the young k ing a n d th e splendor of h is court T h e h un tsm a n of
E dm und bec a m e j e a lous of th e D a n e and k i l led h i m
A dog wh ich
L o d h r og h a d r e a red w a tch e d o v e r h is body u nt il i t wa s discovere d
T h e h untsm a n confe ssed h is cri m e a n d a s a pun ish m e nt wa s p u t
a

B u t , a s o ur
p oe m s h a v e b e e n m a d e
r e a d e rs k n o w , t h e d r e s s o f n un s o f e ve ry o r d e r i s r e u l a te d b
an d
g
y a s t ri c t ru l e
t h e l e ge n d a ry a n s we r o f t h e n u n E d ith t o S t E t h e l wo l d , th oug h e m b o dy i n a n
g
1

S o fa r t h e

l e ge n d

on

wh i c h s o m

un

ue s
q

ti o n

virgi n s t o

th e

t rut h i n o t i n a c c o r d n wit h
a u th oriti e s o f t h e Ch ur c h
,

ce
.

th e hum b

le

subm

i ssi o n

of

Ch ri s tia n

drift i n t h e s a m e bo a t w hich h a d brought L o dhr o g to E n gl a nd H e

w a s c a rri e d to t h e home of the D a ne w here h i s two sons seeing
t h e bo a t of th e ir fa th e r a n d supposing hi m to b e m urdered w ere
B ut h e t old them th a t E dm und h a d
a bou t to k il l the h untsm a n
done the de e d T h e n th ey s wore venge a nce a n d collecting a gre a t
ee t w e nt t o i n v a de E ngl a nd T hey l a nd e d i n N orth umbri a and
d estroyed e veryth ing w ith i n their re a ch a s th e y a dv a n ced to the
territory of E d mund T h ey dem a nded of h i m on e h a lf h is kingdom
H e took counsel w ith Bishop Hu mbert a n d determ ined n ever to
s ubm it to a h e a then power H e then prep a red for b a ttle a n d m e t
K ing E dmund w a s
t h e D a nes n e a r T hetford wh er e th ey fought
s urro unded by h is e ne mies a n d w ith Humbert took refuge in t h e
ch urch T h ey were dr a gged out a n d th e k i n g wa s bound to a tree
a n d scourged ; h is body w a s then lled w ith a rrows from t h e D anis h
bows a n d n a lly h e wa s behe a ded Hu mbert a lso wa s m a rt y red A t
length w hen th e Christi a ns w ho h ad h idd e n c a m e forth t hey fo un d
T his they b uried
a l a rge gra y wolf w a tch ing t h e head of t h e k ing
i n a spot wh ereon were a fterw a rds bu ilt a ch urch a n d mon a stery
a n d th en a town wh ic h w a s c a lled i n m emory of t h e ki n g Bury S t
E dm unds w h ich n a me i t still ret a ins
N ovemb e r 20 A D 8 70
On e
S t E d w a r d t h e M a r t y r w a s th e son of K ing E dga r
d a y wh e n h e wa s hunti n g h e w ent to C orf e C a stle w here his step
moth e r E lfrid a wa s l iv ing w ith h is broth e r E thelred His mother
recei ved h i m k i ndly b ut comm a nded o n e of t h e s e rv a nts to st a b
h im i n th e b a c k as h e w a s drinking He nd ing h imself wounded
rode a w a y a n d d ied i n th e for e st E lfrid a a n d her son ga ve h im
a sh a meful b uri a l a n d i nstitut e d rej oicings a t h i s d e a th
But Go d
sh e d a celesti a l ligh t o n h is gra v e and t hose w ho c a m e to it were
h e a led of a ll i n r m i t i e s M ultitu d es m a d e pilgrim a ges to his gr a ve ;
and when S t D unsta n reproved E lfrid a a s a m urderess sh e w a s
struck w ith remors e a n d desired herself to go there B ut wh e n sh e
m ounted h er horse for t h e j ourney h e would not move a n d n o
po we r coul d m a k e h im ; so E lfrid a p e rce iving th e w ill of Go d i n
t h is w a lk e d b a refoo t e d to the pl a ce
His re m a ins were removed w ith
gr e a t honors to t h e n unn e ry a t S h a ft e sb ury wh ich A lfr e d t h e Gre a t
h a d endo wed
M a rch 1 8 A D 9 78
S t E d w a r d k ing a n d confessor
T his saint w as son of K ing
E th e l r e d who h a d b e fore hi s birth t wo oth e r sons
But wh en i t wa s
a

'

L E G EN D S

S T OR I E S

AN D

'

e a r t h e time for th is th ird o n e to be born E thelred c a ll e d u po n h is

S t D unst a n
c ouncil to d ecide w ho should succeed to the thron e
wa s p r esent a n d he prophesied t h e e a r ly de a th of those a l re a d y bo r n ;
so the council decided in fa vor of the exp e cted prince w ho w a s a fter
w a rds the s a int o f whom w e spe a k A ll th e nobl e s took th e o a th
of fe a lty to hi m cl a n s [e s e i n d e sa m e r e T h e coron a tion of E d w a rd
He fre ed h is subj ects fro m the t a x c a lled
w a s on E a ster D a y 1 04 3
D a negelt bec a use w hen a l a rge su m of th is tribute wa s brought to
t h e p a l a ce a n d th e king wa s c a lled to look a t it h e beheld a r e j o i c
ing demon d a n cing u pon the mon e y T his s a in t h ad m a ny v isions
d uring h is l ife a n d a lso possessed m ira culou s powers of he a ling His
h istory is told i n h a s rel i e fs i n h is ch a pel i n W est m inst e r A bbey
J a n u a ry 5 A D 1 066
H is mother wa s a
S t E l e a z a r d e S a b r a n w as a F ra ncisc a n
wom a n of rem a rk a ble ch a ra ct e r a n d gre a t piety H e was e a rly
m a rried to Del ph i n e heiress of Gl e n d e n e s S h e wa s a s piou s as
h er h u sb a nd ; a n d they w e r e both enrolled in t h e T h ird Order of
S t F ra ncis
A s Count of S a bra n h e a dm inist e red h is a ff a i r s w it h
gre a t a bil ity a n d j u sti c e
H e d ied a t twenty eight S t Del p h i n e
th en resided for some t im e wi th S a nch a Q ueen of N a ples b ut a t
l a st wi thdre w to perfect secl usion S t E le a z a r i s re presented in a r t
holding a p a ck a ge of p a pers to com memora t e a noble a c t of h is l ife
A fter the d e a th of h is fa th er h e found p a p e rs w h ich h a d been written
to ind uc e h i s fa ther to d isinherit h im a n d wh ich a ttribut e d to h i m
a l l m a nner of e vi l
In ste a d of t a k ing reveng e on th e writer of these
c a l umn i es h e sent for h i m a n d b urn e d the letters in h is p resen c e
H e th us m a de of h i s b itt e r enemy a devoted friend
S t E l i s a b e t h moth er of John th e B a pt ist (L a t S a n ct a E lis a
beth a ; I t a l S a nt a E lis a bet a ; Sp S a n t a I s a bel ; Ge r D ie Heilige

E liz a beth )
T h e H e bre w sig ni c a tion of thi s n a me is
worshi p pe r

of G o d or con s e cr a ted to Go d
T h e G os p e l describes E l is a beth as
w a lk ing in a l l th e com m a n d ments of t h e Lord bl a meless ; a wom a n

well strick en i n ye a rs wh en she wa s ex a lted to a m ira culou s

moth e rhood a n d ch osen for h igh h onors by Go d S h e sh ould not
h owever be re presented a s decrepi t a n d wrinkled but as elderly
dignied a n d gra cious S h e a ppe a rs a s a n i mport a nt pe r son a ge i n
a r t a n d vet i n m ost c a ses a s th e a ccom p a n i ment to those of still
gre a ter i m p ort a nce S h e is fi rst se e n in picture s of t h e V isita tion or
n

I L L US T R A T E

I N

AR T

1 03

S a l ut a tion ,

when w ith prophet ic u ttera nce she excl a ims

Whence
i s t his to me th a t t h e mother of my Lord sho uld come to me ?
T hen in the represent a tions of the birth of Joh n the B a ptist a n d i n
v a rio us scenes from h i s l ife ; o n e of w h ich ill ustra t e s th e l egend
th a t a s E lis a beth e d from the m a ss a cre a t Bethleh em a h uge rock
opened a n d receiv e d h e r a n d S t John whom sh e bore i n h er a rms
into its bosom w h e re th ey were conce a l e d until t h e d a nger wa s
p a s t A g a i n S t Joh n is taking l e a ve of h i s p a rents t o go a w a y i n to
h is l ife in th e desert B ut the Holy F a mil i e s in wh ich S t E l is a beth
a ppe a rs a r e f a r more nu m e rou s than a n
oth
er
represent
tio
s
of
a
n
y
h e r a n d a r e by fa r t h e most ple a sing
E lis a bet h is fre q u e n tly pre
senti ng h e r ch i l d to t h e S a vio ur a n d teaching h i m to kn e el a n d fo ld
h is h a nds a s if i n worsh ip T h e m a tronly a ge th e d a rk com plexion
a n d coifed h e a d of E lis a beth a r e in be a uti ful contr a st w ith t h e vir i n
g
bloom t h e a bund a n t h a ir a n d the youth fu l gra c e of th e M a don n a
S t E l i z a b e t h o f H u n g a r y ( L a t S a nct a E l iz a beth a M a ter
P a u pe r u m 5 I t a l S a nt a E lis a b et a d i U ngheri a ; F r M a d a m e S t e
E lis a beth ; Sp S a nt a Is a bel ; Ge r D i e Heilige E liz a bet h von U n
g a rn or von Hess e n 3 D ie lieb e F r a u E liz a beth )
This l egend is
a lmost entirely h istori cal
w ith j ust eno u gh of th e m a rvellous to

e nt itle it to a pl a ce i n
legend a ry lore
S h e w a s t h e d a ughter of
th e Ki ng of H ung a ry a n d wa s born in 1 207 T h e y e a r o f her birth
w a s full of blessings to h e r count r y a n d from h e r e a rli e st d a ys sh e
w a s reg a rded a s a n e sp e ci a l fa vorit e of G o d a n d one who shoul d
bring good to h er people T h e rst words sh e uttered w e re those
of pra yer a n d a t t hre e ye a rs old sh e showed her ch a rity by givi n g
h er toys a n d g a rments t o those l ess fortun a te than h erself W hen
H erm a n o f T h uringi a heard of these th ings h e desire d this princess
as a w ife for h is son Prince L oui s and sen t a n emb a ssy to sol icit
h er of h er fa ther His a mb a ss a dors were of gre a t ra nk ; a n d w it h
them w ent t h e noble Berth a of B e i n d e l e b e n w ith a tra in of knights
a n d l a dies
T h e ir request wa s gr a nted
a n d m a ny rich presen t s
a n d th e little E liz a beth only fou r ye a rs
o l d w a s gi ven t o them
Her fa ther ga ve her a si lver cra dle a n d b a th a ri ch w a rdrobe a n d
a tr a in of tw elve m a iden s
He also sen t to Herm a n a n d h i s w ife
S oph i a m a n y sple n did a n d precious th ings w h i ch h e h ad obt a ined
fro m Const a ntinople T h e princess w as recei ved a t the c a stle o f
Wa rtburg a t E is e n a ch w ith gr e a t a n d imposing c e r e mony T h e
,

1 04

L E G E N DS

S T OR I E S

AND

next d a y sh e w a s betroth ed to Louis ; a n d being l a id i n the s a m e

c r a dle t h e y smiled a n d pl a yed i n such a m a nn er th a t i t w a s con
F rom th i s time th ey w ere
s i d e r e d a n o men of a h a p py m a r r i a ge
never sep a ra ted a n d grew together i n perfect l ov e E liz a beth w a s
soo n seen to be very d i ff eren t from a l l other ch i ldren ; h er m ind
w a s de voted to he a venly th ings a n d ch a rity w a s her ch i e f ch a ra c
A s long as Herm a n l i v e d E liz a beth w a s h a ppy a n d h e
t e r is t ic
w a s h er true frien d a n d fa th e r ; but a fter h i s de a th wh ich h a p pened
w he n she w a s n ine y e a rs old t h e moth er a n d sist e r of Pri n c e L ou is
did a ll they could to pre v e n t th e m a rri a ge b e c a us e th ey d id not l ik e
h er devoti n a n d pi e ty Bu t a ltho ugh s h e s u ff er e d m a ny insults
sh e n ever resented them an d Lo u is rem a ined true to her i n spite o f
a ll
S ometi m e s he fe a r e d s h e w a s too p ure a n d holy to be a n y oth er
th a n t h e brid e of H e a v e n ; but a t l e ngth wh e n h e wa s tw e nty t h e
m a rri a ge too k p l a c e T hey l ived a l ife o f most p erfe ct l ov e b ut
she cont inu e d a ll h er r e l igio us p en a nc e s Lou is som e tim e s r e m on
s t r a t e d bu t h e s e cre tly fel t tha t h e a n d hi s p e o p l e should r e ce i v e i n
som e wa y gre a t bless ings fro m t h e s a nctity o f h i s w i fe Her con
f e s s o r h a d told h er th a t t h e im posts for th e su pport o f the roy a l
t a ble w ere u nj ust a n d fro m th a t ti m e whi l e others fe a sted she a t e
bre a d a n d d r a n k o n l y w a ter ; bu t o n e d a y Lou is too k t h e cup from
h e r h a nd a n d t a sted a n d h e though t h e d r a nk w in e m ore del iciou s
th a n h e had ever had before
H e qu estioned th e cu p be a r e r w ho
d e cl a red h e h a d giv e n E l iz a b e th only w a t e r Lou is s a id no t h ing for
h e believed th a t a ngels a ttended h er A t a nother ti me w hen Louis
ente r t a ined a com p a ny of p rinces h e desir e d E liz a beth t o d ress m a g
W
n ic e n t l
hen
she
w
a tti red a n d a bo u t to enter th e a p a rtm ent
a
s
y
of Lou is a wretched b e gga r sough t her ch a r i ty S h e told h i m sh e
could not a ttend to h i m then b ut h e e n tre a ted h er in t h e n a m e
of Joh n t h e B a ptist N o w th is wa s h e r p a tron s a int a n d s h e co uld
n ot refuse w h a t wa s a sked i n h is n a m e ; so s h e tore o ff h er costly
m antle a n d g a v e the begg a r a n d sought h er ch a mber fe a ring wh a t
h er h usb a nd m igh t s a y J ust th e n Lou is c a m e to s e ek h e r a n d a s
he h esi t a ted wheth e r t o bl a me or pra is e h e r a serv a nt brough t t h e
m a ntl e s a ying sh e h a d found it h a nging i n i ts pl a ce T h e n Lo u i s
led her forth t o h is guests w ith h is he a rt full of lov e a n d wonder ;
and a
bright l ight wa s a bout her a n d the j ew e ls on her m a n t l e
gl ow e d w ith cel e sti a l brilli a ncy T ra d ition t e lls u s th a t t h e b e gga r
.

I L L US T R A T E

IN

AR T

1 05

non e o th e r th a n our B l e ss e d Lord A noth e r tim e wh e n v isiti n g

t h e p o o r o f E is e n a ch s h e fo und a leprou s child w hom none would
c a re for S h e c a rried h im in h e r a rms a n d l a id h i m i n h e r own bed
This e nra g e d t h e mother of Lo uis ; a n d wh e n h e r e turn e d she t old
h i m wh a t sort of p e rson w a s i n h i s bed in h i s a bs e nce A l most out
of p a t ienc e h e we nt to s e e ; and behold ! wh e n h e look e d he found
a n d a s h e g a z e d i t v a nished a w a y fro m h is sight
a sweet infant
Wh e n L ouis was a bsent
T h is too wa s b e l i e v e d to h a v e b e e n Jesus
a n d as s h e o n e
E liz a b e th s p e nt a ll h e r t i m e i n v isiti n g t h e p oor
d a y d e sc e nded to E isen a ch c a rrying food in h e r robe s h e m e t her h us
b a nd T h e p a th wa s i cy a n d she b e nt with t h e we igh t of her burd e n
W h en Louis d e m a nded w h a t sh e did sh e d id not l ik e to sho w h i m
H e insist e d a n d open e d
a n d p r e ss e d h e r robe mor e rmly togeth e r
h er m a ntl e wh e n h e s a w only red an d wh it e roses more lovely th a n
th e e a rthly ros e s of sum m e r ; a n d th is wa s i n w i n t e r T h e n h a w a s
a bo u t to e mbra c e her ; b u t such a g l ory s e e med to surround her th a t
h e d a red n o t tou c h h e r b ut h e p ut one of t h e roses in h is bosom
a n d wen t on thin k ing of a l l t hes e wond e rs
I n 1 2 2 6 L o uis w e nt to
I t a ly w ith th e E mperor F red e ric k 1 1 A gr e a t fa m in e a f icted a ll
G erm a ny b u t e speci a lly T huri n gi a
E liz a beth w a s u ntiring in h er
ch a riti e s a n d l a bo r s T h e fa min e wa s follo wed as usu a l by a pl a gue
S he
a n d a g a in sh e l a bored w it h h e r o w n h a nds t ending the sick
fo unded s e vera l hospi t a ls a n d w e nt const a ntly from o n e t o t h e other
S h e exh a usted t h e p ubl i c t re a sury a n d ga ve a w a y her own robes
a n d j ewels
Wh e n Lou is return e d h i s counsellors m a d e gre a t c o m
p l a ints of E l iz a b e th ; bu t h e only th a nk fu l th a t sh e was still sp a red

to h i m s a id L e t h e r do a s she w i l l
But she k issi n g h im m a ny

tim e s s a id S e e ! I h a v e given to t h e Lord w h a t i s his a n d h e has

T h e n ext y e a r Lou is
p re s e rv ed to us wh a t i s th in e a n d m in e !
we n t to t h e Crus a d e s
T h e gri e f of the h e a r t s of this h usb a n d a n d
w ife a t p a rti n g wa s su ch th a t E liz a b e th wa s c a rried hom e m ore de a d
th a n a l i v e ; f o r s h e h a d j ourney e d two d a ys w ith h im b e fore she
could nd strengt h to l e a ve h im
It wa s th e ir n a l p a rting ; for
Lou is d i e d i n C a l a bri a in t h e a rms of the P a tri a rch of J e rus a lem
H e comm a nd e d his ret a in e rs to c a rry h is body to h is w i fe a n d to
defend h er a n d h is ch ildre n e v e n w ith their li ves fro m a l l wrong
Her gr i e f wa s so gre a t th a t Go d a lon e could sust a in h e r by m i r a c u
l ous comfort
T h e bro t h er of Lo u is He n ry now d r ove her forth
wa s

1 06

DS

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

AND

w ith her ch ildre n a n d took posse ssion of t h e W a rtbu rg I t wa s

w inter time ; she c a rried her newly born b a by i n her a rm s a n d
It is
w a s follo wed by her three other ch ildren a n d h er wom e n
s aid th a t s h e fell a n d th a t on e who m s h e h a d c a red for i n th e
hospit a l mocked a t her S h e fo und a shelter for h e r ch ildren a n d
suppo r ted herself by spinn ing w ool
Bu t w hen th e knights r e turned
w i t h the body of L o u i s th e y obl ig e d Henry to a ccept t h e o fc e of
regent unti l her son H e r m a n could reign ; a n d E liz a b e th r e ce i ved
A n d no w sh e g a ve h e r self u p
a s her dower the city of M a rbourg
to th e d irection of her rigid confessor Conra d S h e l i v e d a l ife of
pe n itenti a l h um ili a tion a n d e ven sep a r a t e d hersel f fro m h e r ch ildren
lest s h e should love the m too well S h e dra n k t h e very dre gs of th e
cup of pen a nc e a n d cloth ed i n r a gs a n d m oc k ed by t h e ch ildr e n i n
the streets a s a m a d wo m a n s h e spun woo l u ntil s h e h a d no strength
rem a ining
I t is s a id th a t s h e w a s com forted by cel e sti a l beings
a n d th a t even th e Bless e d Virgin t a lk e d w ith her
Wh e n dying sh e
sa ng sweet hymns a n d a t l a st s h e s a i d
S ilence
a n d d ie d
T ra
d ition s a ys th a t a ngels bore h er spirit to h e a v e n a n d a s th ey a s

c e n d e d were he a rd to ch a nt
R eg n u m m und i c o n t e m p s i
S h e wa s
t wen ty four ye a rs o l d a n d Lo u is h a d be e n d e a d thre e ye a rs a n d a
h a lf S h e wa s c a nonized four ye a rs a ft e r h e r d e a th H e r shrin e in
th e church at M a r bourg wh ic h b e a rs her n a m e w a s visi ted by
p ilgri ms a n d its ston e steps worn a wa y by thei r kn e e s
I n t he
R eform a tion s e c a lled this shrin e w a s des e cra t e d a n d her r e m a ins
sc a ttered no one knows w here T he shrin e is still p reserv e d a s a
c uriosity in th e s a cristy of the ch u r ch T h e c a stl e of Wa rtburg i s
in ru ins T here a r e m a ny pi ctures of th i s lov e l y s a int ; b ut th e most
celebra ted wa s p a inted by M urillo for t h e ch urch o f t h e Ca r i t a d a t
S eville
N ovember 1 9 A D 1 2 3 1
S t E l i z a b e t h o f P o r t u ga l (S p S a n t Is a be l d e P a z )
T h is
E l iz a beth wa s th e d a ught e r of t h e K ing o f A r a gon a n d th e gra nd
n ie c e of E liz a beth of H unga ry S h e wa s m a rri e d t o D ionysi us K ing
o f P ortug a l
H e wa s most fa i th l e ss a n d crue l a s a h usb a nd b u t a
good king to h is su bj ects A ft e r forty y e a rs of gre a t domesti c tri a l s
s h e wa s l eft a widow
S h e d ied a t six t y fi ve a n d c a n be d istingu ished
fr om the oth e r S t E liz a beth o f wh om we h a ve spoken by her a ge
a s the former i s a l w a y s re resented as
wh
ile
th
i
s
one
i
s
o
l
d
on n
p
y
a n d v e n e ra b l e
S h e wa s s o p a ti e n t a n d so o ft e n r e c o nci l e d t h e
.

AR T

I N

I L L US T R A T E D

1 07

troubl e s of her family as to acqu ire i n S pai n th e titl e S ant I sabel

S h e is t h e her o ine of S chi ller s

tho ugh the
F ridolin
d e Pa z

sce n e is i n Germa n y and her name D i e Gratin v o n S a ve r n

J uly
8 A D 1 3 36
S t E l o y o f N o y o n (L a t S E l i g i u s ; E n g S t L o o ; I t a l S a n t
S a n t E ligio )
Thi s saint was born at the v ill a ge of
A l o or L ?)
He was of h u m ble origin He w as at school at L imoges
Ch a t e l a s
a n d there learned the trade of a goldsm ith i n w h ich h e so excelled
that when he wen t to Paris h e attracted t h e attention of the treas
The king desired to have a throne of
u r e r of th e k ing Cl o t a i r e I I
gold set w ith j e wels and it w as i mportan t to n d a sk ilfu l a n d a n
hon est m an
E loy w as selected and of the m aterial f u rnish ed h i m
for one thr o ne he made two T h e k ing w as so pleased w i t h the
beau ty of the work and th e probity of th e w orkm an that b e from
that tim e employed h i m i n S tate aff airs H is su ccessor D a gobert
rn a d e E loy M aster of the M i n t
H e cut the d ies for th e m oney a n d
the r e are known to be thirteen pieces beari n g h is n ame H e was at
le n gth aft er th e deat h of D agobert m ade B i shop of N oyon He w as
remark able for h is eloquen ce and was se n t to preach i n Belgi u m a n d
by some h e i s bel ie ve d to h ave been the rst to carry the Gospel
to S weden and D enmark B efore h is E piscopal consecration w h ile
holding a h igh place at court he still l abored as a goldsm ith an d
m ade m a n y beaut iful shrines for sai n ts an d holy vessels for ch urch e s
T h e D evil tempted S t E loy as h e d id so m an y of th e saints
a n d it
is sai d of h im as o f S t D u n stan that h e seized th e D e vil s nose w
ith
h is hot tongs O n e of th e m iracles at t rib uted to th is sai n t a n d rep
rese n ted o n th e exterior of O r S a n M ichel e at F lorence is th at a horse
being bro u g ht to h i m to be shod w hich was possessed by the D evil
h e c u t o ff the leg an d q uietly p u t on th e shoe ; t hi s bei n g done h e
m ade the sig n of th e cross and replaced th e leg to th e great a ston ish
men t of all He i s patron of Bologna an d N oyo n of golds m iths an d
a l l other me t al workers
and of farriers and horses
D ece mber 1
A D 65 9

St

E l p h e ge
S e e S t A l p h e ge
E n u r c h u s , or E v u r t i u s , was
.

sent i nto F rance by th e pope

to attend t o the redeem ing of capti ves Th e peo ple were electi n g a
B ishop of O rleans A dove alighted tw ice u pon the head of E n u r c h u s ;
a n d th i s wa s consi d e r e d as show ing s o r e markabl e san ctity i n h i m
St

1 08

S T OR I E S

A ND

L E GE N D S

th a t h e w as m ad e bishop wh ich o f ce h e h eld m ore th an twenty

n
a
n
w
:
c
t
he
m
i
les
h
i
h
he
d
id
w
as
t
hi
s
w
he
l
yi
g the
r
a
c
o
f
O
n
e
r
s
e
a
v
lb u m la t i u s o f his Ch u rc h o f t h e H oly Cross he d irected the m e n t o
d ig i n a cer t a i n pl a ce a n d t hey th ere fou n d a p o t of gol d whi c h w as
e n ough to pa y for t he ch urch S epte mber 7 A D 3 4 0 or abou t th a t
ti m e
S t E p h e s u s an d S t P o t i t u s a r e represented o n th e walls of
the Ca m p o S a n to at Pis a a n d seem to belo n g especi ally to th a t city
S t E phesus was an o fcer u n der D iocletian and was sen t to d estroy
all t h e Christ i a n s i n S a rd in i a But h e was so w ar n ed by a d re a m
t h a t he h i m s el f bec a me a Chris t ian and t ur n ed h is arms a gainst t h e
p a ga n s He su ffered ma r t yrdom w ith h i s friend P o t i t u s
w h o o n account of h is writings i s o n e
o f E de ssa
S t E ph re m
of the F a thers of th e G re e k Ch urch w as a h erm it of S yri a He i s
represented in a very c uri o us G reek picture called the O bsequies of
wh i ch i s on e of the best represen t atio n s of herm i t l ife
S t E phrem
L ati n F ebruary 1 abou t 3 78
G reek festi val J a n u a ry 2 8
S t E r a s m u s o f F o r m i a ( I t a l S a nt E lmo or E rasmo ; Sp
T his s a i n t s u tf e r e d a most hor
S t E r m o or E r a mo ; F r S t E lme )
rible m a rtyrdo m u nder D iocletian at F orm ia now M e la d i Gaeta
H e so w ithstood all com mon tortures that h e wa s c u t open a n d h is
e n tra i l s wou n d off l ike a ske in of silk o n wheels H e was a bish op
a n d is represented as su ch
w ith the im pleme n t of h is torture i n h is
h a nd T h ere is an altar ded icated to h im in S t Pe t er s over w h ich
a m os a i c represents h is death I t i s a copy of a p icture by Poussin
S t E r a sm us i s i n voked u nder t h e nam e of E lmo by the m ariners on
th e shores of the M ed iterran e a n i n S pain S icily a n d C a l a bri a and
i s bel ieved to h ave power o ver th e te m pests A t N apl e s a monastery
and for t re ss h e a r h is n a me J u n e 3 A D 2 9 6
S t E r c o l a n o ( H e r c u l a n u s ) w a s Bish op of Per u gi a at t h e t i m e of
th e i n v a sion o f the G o th s u n d er Totil a H e labored h ard and e n c o u r
age d th e pe o pl e through the siege of Perugi a ; and when th e city wa s
t a k e n by order of Totila h e was beh eaded on the ram p a rts
H e was
thrown into the d it c h and was fou n d lyi n g beside a dead ch ild wh o
wa s bu r ied i n t h e s a me grave w ith th e saint
S t E t h e l b e r ga
O f th is s a int there i s l ittl e k n o w n bu t th e on e
f a c t th a t sh e w as th e a bbess of th e fi rst Benedic t ine n unnery i n
E ngland w h ich wa s at Bark ing i n E ssex
Octob e r 1 1
,

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St

E th e l r e da

AR T

1 09

T his saint is also called S t A udrey S h e w as

the fou n dress of the m agn icent cathedral of E ly H er father was
I n a K ing of th e E ast A ngles and when she m arrie d T o u b e r t or T o u
berch Prince of th e G e r vi i th e isle of E l y w as her dowry S h e h ad
a second h usband n r i d K ing of N o r t h u m b r i a b ut after l ivi n g w ith
h i m i n a state of continency for twel ve years she took th e veil at
Coldingham w ith hi s consent K ing n r i d later repented h is com
plaisance an d attempted to drag her fro m the conve n t S h e e d to a
rocky point called S t E bb s H ead n r i d pursued h er b u t the t ide
suddenly rose an d made the rock inaccessible H e m a r r i e d a n o t h e r
w ife
S t E thelreda crossed th e H umber w ith t wo v irgi n s w ho
w atch ed beside h er w hi le sh e slept a n d h ad a m iraculou s dream i n
w h i ch sh e though t that h er sta ff being stuck i n the ground had put
forth branches and leaves and becom e a large tree A m iracle was
wrought through her i n tercession about f our h u ndred years after her
death
A w icked m a n B r i t s t a n being very sick repe n ted and
desired to ded icate h imself to Go d i n th e m onastery a t E ly b u t on
h is w ay th ith er h e w as arrested and i mprisoned H e i mplored th e
ai d of S t E thelreda ; and at nigh t sh e w ith S t Benedi ct came to
A ft er
h i m and w hen she to uch ed h is fet t ers th ey fell from h is feet
being b uried sixteen years in the com mon cemetery sh e was placed
i n a beautifu l sarcoph agu s of marbl e w h ich wa s probably a rel i c of
th e R oman s b ut th e people belie ved i t to h ave been wro u ght for th e
saint b y a n gels J une 23 A D 6 7 9
S t E u g e n i a was the daughter of Ph ili p Proconsul of E gypt i n
the reign of Com modus S h e was v e ry learned S h e was converted
to C hristi a n ity p ut on th e attire of a m an and becam e the mon k
S h e went to R om e and was p u t to death in the time of
E ugen ius
th e E mperor S everus D ec e mber 25
T h e story of th is saint i s told by Pru
S t E u l a l i a o f M e r i da
E ulal ia was b ut twel ve years old at th e ti me of the p ubl i
de n t iu s
cation of th e E d ict of D iocletian S h e w ent to th e prefect w ho u dge d
Th e
t h e Christians an d reproached h i m for hi s cruelty and impiety
governor im mediately seized h er and placed on one side of her th e
instrum ents of tort ure and on th e other the o ff erings for th e idol
S h e trampled the o fferings un der her feet thre w down th e idol an d
S h e was then tortured to death ; and as s h e d ied
S pat at the j udge
a wh ite dove issu ed from her m outh and e w to h eaven S h e is m uch
.

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S T OR I E S

venera ted i n S p a in and is b uried at M erid a A noth er S t E ulalia is

b uri e d at Barcelo n a D ece m ber 1 0
S e e S t A fra of A ugsb urg
S t E un om ia
S t E u p h e m i a o f Ch a l c e d o n i a ( Gr A y E t sw za ; sign i fi ca

tion pr a ise , I t a l S ant E ufemi a ; F r S t e E uph e mie ) S h e was a

G reek sai n t a n d i n the E astern Ch urch is styled G reat ; for s uc h was
the fame of h er beau t y and h er co ura geo us end uran ce
There i s a
ho m ily upon S t E uphe m ia among the writings of A steri us w ho w rote
S h e s u ffered death n o t f a r fro m Byz a nti um abo ut 3 07
a bou t 4 00
A fter s u ffering m any tort ures she
S h e w a s very be a utiful i n person
w as thro w n to th e l ions w ho li cked her feet an d refused to do v io
l en ce to her P r is c u s her j udge was so enraged at th is that one of
t h e sold iers w ho desired to please h i m k illed the maiden w it h h is
sword With in a cen tury from the time of her dea t h there were many
ch urch es dedicated to h er bot h E a st and W est I n Constantinopl e
alone there were fo ur L e o th e I conoclast ord ered h er rel ics to be
c ast into th e sea b ut they a ppeared again i n th e island of L emnos
H ence di ff eren t portions of h er rem ains were carried to many places
S eptember 1 6 A D 3 0 7
S t E u s t a c e (L a t S E ustati us ; I t a l S an t E ustachio ; F r S t
E u stache )
Before h is conversion this saint w as called Placid a s
H e was captain of the guards of th e E mperor Traj an
H e was a
lover of h unting ; a n d o n e d ay w h en i n th e forest he p urs ued a
w h ite st a g w h ic h ed a n d ascended a h igh rock A s h e looked h e
s a w bet w e e n th e horns of th e st a g a rad i a n t cross
and on i t an
i m age of Jesus H e fel l o n h is k nees ; a n d th e figure on th e cross
spake an n ou n ci n g i tself a s the i mage of th e R edeemer a n d dem a nd

i n g of P l a c i d u s that h e sh o ul d bel ieve

He an s wered
L ord I
belie ve
He wa s then t o ld that he should s u e r m uch for Christ
b u t h e declared h i m sel f re a dy to do so
He returned to h i s h o m e
a n d w a s b a ptized
together w ith h is wi fe and t wo so n s and was called
E ust a ce
M isfo r t un e soon came H i s property wa s t a ken by robbe r s
a n d h is wi fe carried a wa y by pi r ates and h e w andered in poverty w ith
h is s o ns One day h e wished to c r o s s a stre a m a n d swam over w i t h
o n e c hild
wh o m h e left on the b a n k w h ile h e retur n ed for th e o t her
B u t w hen h e wa s i n t h e m idst of the river there c a me on on e side a
l io n and o n th e other a wol f w h ich b e a s t s c a rried off the two b o ys
H e went to a v illage w here h e labored for h is support for fteen
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years Then the E mperor A dri an required th e services of Pl a c i d u s

and searc hed for an d fo und h im He w as p ut again at th e he a d of h i s
tr0 0 ps and h is honors restored to h i m w ith n e w po wer and rich es
B u t h is heart was lonely and h e mourned for h is w ife and sons N o w
these had been rescued from their d angers and at last th ey were all
agai n restored to th e hu sban d and fa ther Then E ustace bel ieved
that h i s tro ubles w ere ended ; b u t soon A drian ordered a grea t sacri
e e to th e gods an d w hen E ustace refused to j oin in i t w ith h is
household h e a n d th ey w ere sh ut u p i n a brazen b ull and a r e
k indled beneath it S eptember 20 A D 1 1 8
S e e S t A fra of A ugs b urg
S t E n tr o p i a
S t E w a l d t h e B l a c k and S t E w a l d t h e F a i r
These
sai n ts were tw ins and S axons Th ey left E ngland i n the days of
Th ey then w ent through
S t Boniface a n d w ent to I relan d to study
Here they
F rieslan d to Westphal ia w h er e they were to preach
sough t ou t the prince of th e country a n d asked permission to preach
b u t they w ere m urdered by the barbarians a n d their bod ies thro w n
into th e river A ligh t was seen above the spot w here th ey s a nk
an d th eir remains w ere reco vered an d carried to Cologn e and b uri ed
in the ch urch of S t C uthbert They are p atron saints of Westph al ia
October 3 A D 6 9 5 or 700
E u seb i us
S t F a b i a n w as made Bishop of R ome i n A D 23 6
says h e w as chosen because a dove al ighted on h i m w h il e th e peopl e
and clergy were ch oosing a pope A t th e t ime he w as a stranger to
all present He d ied a martyr i n t he pers e cution of D eci u s Ja n uary
20 A D 25 0
S t F a i t h (L a t S a n cta F ides) was bor n at A gen i n A qu itain e S h e
h ad great b eauty b ut from h er youth w as i n se n sible to th e ple a sures
of t h e world B ecause s h e refused to sacri ce to D iana wh ile still
th e Prefect of t h e G uards s ubj ected h er to th e
v ery yo ung D acia n
most fearful tortures S h e was beaten with rods th e n h alf roasted on
a bra zen bed and at length beh eaded T h e crypt of old S t Paul s i n
O ctober 8 A D 2 9 0
L o n don wa s dedicated i n th e name of this saint
S t F a u s t i n u s and S t Jo v i t a (I t a l S a n F austino an d S a n
G iov ita )
T hese were brothers w ho w ere conve r te d by the preach ing
of S t A pollon i us at Bresci a They preach ed m i n istered to th e poor
and ze a lo usly d evoted th e m selves to a C hri s tian life By t h e com
man d of A drian they were seized and thrown in to the am phitheatre
.

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The be a sts d id n o t attack them and th ey w ere a fterward s beh e a de d

outside t he w a lls of Bresci a of w h ich city they are t he patron saints
F eb r u a ry 1 5 A D 1 2 1
S t F e l i c i t a s a n d her seven son s (I t a l S a nta F el ic it a F r S t e
T his s a i n t was of an ill ustrio us R oman fa m ily
A w idow
F l i c i t )
she de voted herself to the care of her ch ildre n and to pious works
of ch arity S h e had gre a t ri ches w h ich mad e h er en em i es anxio u s
to acc use h e r as a C hristia n so that they m igh t sh are the spoils ;
and h er inue n ce h avi n g con verted ma n y to h er religi on gave the m
a powerful pl ea a ga i n st h e r I t w as i n t h e time of t h e grea t p e rs e c u
tio n of th e E mperor M a rcus A u rel i us A n to n in u s
S h e was called
before P u bl i us a prefect of R om e w h o commanded h er to sacri ce
to t h e gods s h e had rej ected T hi s sh e refused ; an d w hen re minde d
of the dangers w h ic h threatened h e r ch ildren n o less t h a n h ers el f
s h e repl i ed tha t th ey k n e w h o w to ch oose everlasting life i n prefer
e n ce to eternal d eath S h e w itnessed t h e tort u res and death of h er
sons never ceasing to exhort th e m to rem ain true to th ei r faith
J anuari us th e eldest was scourged w i t h tho n gs loaded w ith lead
S y l van us w as t hrow n fro m
F elix and Ph ili p were beaten w i t h cl ubs
a rock A lex ander Vitalis an d M artial w ere beheaded A fter th ey
h ad all t hus s u ff ered martyrdom F el icitas praised Go d th at sh e had
bee n the m other of seven son s wh om h e had deem ed wort hy of being
sa i n ts i n P aradis e
H er only desire w as th at sh e m ight qu ickly
fo llow them Bu t sh e wa s kept four m onths i n prison w ith th e hope
that th i s prolon ged agony wo ul d d estroy h er faith and strength B ut
at length sh e was tortured and k illed S om e s a y sh e was beheaded
and oth ers th at sh e w as thrown i nto a caldron o f boil ing o il
In
art s h e i s represented as h ooded or ve iled l ike a w ido w w ith th e
T h e representat ions of
m artyr s pal m and s urrounded by h er sons
th is R oman fa m ily are someti mes confounded w i th those of th e S e ven
M accabees and their h eroi c m oth er T he only gu ide by w h i c h to
d istingu ish them is that S t F el icitas w as not recogn ized i n the E ast
I n Byzantine art seve n yo ung m artyrs w ith th ei r m other probably
represent th e J ew ish rather th an th e R oman saints S t F el icitas i s
th e patron ess of m ale heirs N ove mber 2 3 A D 1 73 F esti val of
the so n s J u ly 1 0
S e e S t John
S t F e l ix de V a l ois
N ovemb e r 20 A D 1 2 1 2
de M atha
,

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l i x d e Ca n t a l i c i o Th i s saint was a nati ve of Citta D u

cal e i n U mbria He w as born i n 1 5 1 3 H is parents were v ery poor
He entered a Capuch in m onastery as a lay brother L ater h e was
appointed ques t or of a com m un ity of the Ca p u c c i n i at R ome Here
for forty ve years h e d aily begged the bread an d wine for h i s con
vent and su ch an ab u nd a nc e of these articles was never kno wn th ere
as d uring h is t ime On thi s accoun t h e i s represented i n th e h abit
of h is order w ith a beggar s w allet wh ich has t wo e nds like a purse
throw n over h is sho ulder; t o contain the al ms begged for h is convent
The e xtrem e devotion of h is life won th e ad mi ration not only of th e
brotherhood to w hi ch h e belonged but of all w h o sa w h i m I t i s
told of h im th at as h e w ent out on a stormy night to beg h e m et an
angeli c ch ild w ho gave h i m a loaf of bread and a benediction and
then vani shed from h is sigh t H e w as th e rst sai nt of the Ord e r of
t he Capuchins M ay 2 1 A D 1 5 8 7
J u l y 1 2 S e e S t N abor
S t F e l i x or F e l i c e
S t F e r d i n a n d o f Ca s t i l e (Sp E l S anto R e y D o n F ernando
Th is great k ing warrior and sain t was the eldest son of
Hi s parents were
A lphonso King of L e on an d Bere n garia of Castile
separated by the pop e becau se being w ith i n th e prohibited degrees
of consanguin ity they h ad m arried w ithou t a d ispensation
Their
ch ildren w ere ho wever declared legiti mate Bere n gari a returned to
h er father s court and l i ved i n retirement T h e inuenc e sh e had ov e r
F erd i n an d was extraordinary an d endured t h rough o ut h is l ife
Be
w hen sh e cam e i nto possession of Castile gave u p her rights
r e n ga r ia
to h er son and when a t hi s father s death h e s ucceeded to the throne
of L eon th e tw o k ingdom s w e re un ited F erdinan d wa s m arried to
Joan Co untess of P onth ie u wh o was as obedient and loving to Beren
F erd inand fo ught bravely against the
garia as was h er hu sband
M oors an d expelled th em fro m Tol edo Cordova and S eville I t i s
related th at at th e battle of X eres S t I ago appeared at the head of
th e troops condu cting th e ght Thousands of M oors were sl a in b u t
t h ere was only a single Christian killed and h e was one w ho had gon e
into b attl e refu sing to forgi ve a n inj ury A t the ti me of h i s death

A nnals of
I n th e
F erd inand was pla n n i n g an exped ition to A frica
th e A rtists of S pain w e are told th a t h e fo unded the cathedra l of

Burgos
w h ich points to h eaven w ith spires more rich and deli
cate than any that crown the cities of the I mp e rial R h ine H e also
St

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began to reb uild the cathedral of Tol edo w here d uring four h undred
ye a rs ar t is t s s wa r m ed a n d l a bored l ike bees and sple n d id prelates
l a vish ed t h e ir pri n cely reven ues to m ake fair an d glorious the tem ple
of G o d i n t r us t ed t o their care
When u rged to tax h is pe opl e i n
order to recruit h is ar m y and ll h is empty co ff ers h e made a reply
w h ic h re flects m ore glory u pon h is character th an h is victories or h is

God
c a t hedral fou n d ations can gi v e
h e repl ied i n w hose cause
I fear more th e curse of one poor old
I ght w ill supply my n eed
wo m a n than a w hol e army of M oors
H e d ied as a pen iten t w i th a
cord abo ut h is neck and a cruci x i n h is h and Hi s d aughter E lenora
w a s m arried to E dward I o f E n gland
S h e possessed th e pi ety a n d
coura ge of her fa ther I t was sh e w ho s ucked the poison fro m her
h usba n d s wound
Wh en the d ecree o f F erdin and s canoniz a ti n
re a ch ed S evi lle th e greatest religio us festi val e ver h e ld there took
place H e w a s buried in th e cath edral of S ev ille There i s a por
trait o f S t F erd ina n d tho ugh t to be auth enti c in the co n ve n t of S a n
Cle m ente at S ev ille M ay 3 0 A D 1 1 5 2
S t F i l o m e n a (L a t S a n cta P h i l u m e n a ; F r S t e Ph ilom e n e )
W i th in th e past half century th i s saint h as gr own i n th e p o pul a r
Ve k n o w but li t tle of her h i story
\
veneratio n
I n th e begi n ning
of th e present ce n t ury a sep ul chre w as discovere d in t h e Catac o m b
o f Priscilla at R ome
i n w h ich was th e skeleton o f a you n g girl
I t w as a dorn ed w ith various rudely pai n ted symbol s and a portion
of an i n scription the beginning and end of w h ich were gone I t
was
l u m e n a pa x t e c u m
,

T h c se

remains supposed to be those of a mart y r w ere pl aced in t h e

t r e a sury f r el i c s i n th e L ateran When Pi us V I I retu rned from
l ra n c e
a N e a pol itan prel ate was sen t to congratulate h im One
f t he priests i n h is trai n begg e d for some rel ics and th e remains
de s c r ibed above were gi ven h i m The inscri pt i on was tran sl ated

S a i n t Ph ilomen a rest in peace

A m en
A nother priest had a
v isi n i n w h ich S t F ilomena appeared wi th great glory an d re vealed
th a t she h ad s u ff ered deat h for preferri n g th e C hristian fa ith a n d
h er vo w s of chastity to m arriage w ith the emperor w ho w ished to
mak e her h is w ife A fter wards a young artist w as told i n a v ision
that th is e mperor w as D iocletian b ut i t i s also thought to h av e
,

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been M a xi m i a n
Th e priest F rancesco da L u cia carr ied the rel ics
to N aples T h ey were inclosed in a case m ade i n th e form of a
h u man body I t w as dressed i n a crimson t uni c and a wh ite satin
petticoat T h e face was painted a garland of owers p ut u po n t h e
h ead and a l ily an d a j avel in w ith i ts po int reversed emblemati c
of h er p urity and h er martyrdom w ere p ut i n her han d S h e wa s
placed half sitti n g i n a sarcophagu s w ith gl ass sides A ft er ly i n g
i n state i n th e ch urch of S an t A n giolo she was carried in pr e ces
sion to M ugnano ami d th e acclamations of th e peopl e m iracles bei n g
wrought through h er intercession o n t h e way Jewels of great val ue
n o w decorate h er shrin e
Her i mage is fou nd i n Ve n etian ch urches
i n B o l o gn a an d L omb a rdy
A t Pisa in the ch urch of S a n F rancisco
and at P a ris in th e ch urches of S t G er vais an d S t M erry t here are
ch apels d ed icated to S t F i l o m e n a A ugust 1 0 A D 303
Th is saint was not a m artyr b ut
S t F i n a o f G e m i gn a n o
recei ved th e honor of canonization o n account of h er patience a n d
ch eerfulness d uring long and fearfu l su ff eri n gs fro m d isease S h e
l abored as long as was possible for th e rel ief of all th e poor a n d
w retch ed w ith in h er reach S h e i s scarcely kno wn o utside of th e
l ittle town w h ere sh e d welt ; b ut there h er name i s typ ical of p a
fortit ude a n d ch a rity
S h e w as w arned of h er de a th by
t ie n ce
a vision of S t Gregory w ho m sh e especially ho n ored a n d at th e
moment of h er decease all th e bells in S a n G em ignano were m i r a c u
l o u sl y tolled
A s h er bod y w as bo r n e to th e grave sh e raised h er
h and as if to bless h er aged n urse who from th at tim e was h ealed of
a troublesome d isease T h e l ife of th i s saint i s beautif ully pai n ted
on the ch apel ded icated to h er in th e cathedral of S a n G emignano
M arch 1 2 A D 1 25 3
S t F l a v i a was th e d aughter of a R oman S enator an d sister of
S t P l a c i d u s w ho w as tak en by h i s fath er at the age of ve years to
S ubiaco to be edu cated by S t Be n edict
F lavi a followed h er broth er
to S i ily w h ither h e was sent by h is superior ; and sh e w ith P l a c i d u s
a n d th irty of th ei r compan ions w as sl a in by th e barbarians outsid e
of th eir con vent n ear M ess i n a T h i s n arrati ve i s not considered
authe n ti c by later Benedicti ne writers O ctober 5 A D 5 4 0
He was a
S t F l o r i a n i s on e of th e guardian sai n ts of A u stri a
R oma n soldier wh o o n account of h is Chris t ian faith was put to
death i n t h e reign of Ga l e r i u s A mi ll stone w as tied ro und h i s n eck
.

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and he wa s throw n into th e ri ver E n n s M a n y mi racl es w ere attrib

o n e o f w h ich w as t hat w ith a si n gle pitcher of water b e
u t e d t o h im
R epresentati ons of this saint are
exti n gu ished a l a rge c o n a gr a t i o n
freq ue n t i n A us t ria a n d Bohe m ia a n d oft en adorn p um ps and fou n
t a i n s A m agni ce n t mo n astery bearing h is name commemorates
h is l ife an d its pai n ful e n d A p icture of S t F lorian by M urillo is i n
May 4
S t Petersbu r g
The ch urch ded icate d t o th is saint
S t F ra n c e s c a R o m a n a
i n R o m e w a s the sce n e of h er fas t s and vigils a n d is n o w called by
h er na m e ra th er than th a t of S anta M aria N uova w h ich i t formerly
h e re
I n th e Torre d e S pech i is h er convent w h ich has been th e
best school i n a l l R ome for the girls o f the h igh er classes H er
fa ther w as Paolo d i Bassi S h e w as born i n 1 3 8 4 S h e was ex
t r e m e l y piou s fro m
her ch ildhood and w ould have preferred the
vei l of the n un to that of a bride ; b ut her father m arried h er to
L ore n zo P e n z ia n o a ri ch nobleman
S h e sh unned th e society and
p l easures belo n ging to her st a tion and de voted h ersel f as far as pos
sible to a religio us l ife E very d ay sh e recited t h e en t ire Ofce of
the Virgin and went i n d isguise to her v ineyard beyond the gate of
S a n Paolo to gather fagots wh ich she bro ugh t on h er h ead into the
city and distributed to th e poor D uring th e l ifeti me of h er h us
b a nd sh e collected the compa n y of women w hose su perior she
became after h is death Th eir principal labor w as teach ing th e
young b ut they took no vows S h e spe n t so m u ch ti me i n prayer
th a t sh e was frequently i n terru pted by the d e mands of h er fam ily
On ce i t h a ppened that w hile reciting the O ffice of O ur L ady she
w as called a w ay by h er h usband four ti mes at the same verse ;
w hen sh e re t urned the fth tim e she foun d th is v erse written on
th e p a ge i n golden letters T hi s w as done b y h er gu ard ian angel
w ho attended her i n v isible form M a n y wonderful w orks are a t
tri buted to her : th e raising of a dead ch ild to l ife t h e stay ing of
an epi d e m ic by h er prayers an d the increasing of bread by prayer
when there was not enough for th e inmates of h er c o n ve n t are
so me of the mos t im porta n t e vid ences of her favor w ith H eaven
S h e di ed of a fever a t the ho use of her son wh om sh e had gone to
c omfor t o n t h e occ a sio n of some a ff l ic t ion
H e r fa m e w as n o t by
any me a ns conned to R o me b ut w as great in all I t aly M arch 9
.

A D
.

1 4 40

I L L US T R A T E D
ra n c is

of

L
at
(

ssisi

IN

A R T

117

F ran ciscus ,

Pater S e r a ph i c u s ;
St
I t a l S a n F rancisco d i A ssisi ; F r S t F ran cois d A ss i s e )

called th e S eraph ic fro m th e fervor of h is love of G o d

F ra u c is
was the fo under of th e F ra n ciscans one of th e three M endican t
Orders of F riars His father Pietro B e r n a r d o n e w as a rich mer
ch ant H is b a ptismal name w as G iovan n i b ut h e acqu ired t h e
t itle of F ran cisco (the F rench man ) from the fact that his father
h ad h i m early instructed in F rench as a preparation for b usiness
I n h is early years F rancis w as belo ved for h i s generou s and com
passionate h eart an d remarkable for h i s prodigal ity an d lo ve of
gay pleasures
I n a qu arrel between th e i nhab itants of A ssisi
and those of Perugia F ranci s w as taken a prisoner and h eld for
a year in the fortress of Perug ia O n reach i n g hom e h e w as very
i ll for month s an d it w as d uring th i s sick ness that h is thoughts
w ere turned to th e consideration of th e w icked u selessness of th e
l ife h e h ad l i ved S oon after h is recovery he met a beggar i n
whom he recognized on e w ho h ad formerly been known to h i m as
rich an d noble F ran cis exchanged garments w ith h im putting on
t he tat t ered cloak of th e m en dicant and gi ving hi m t h e rich cloth es
i n wh ich h e w as dressed That sam e n ight i n a vi sion he though t
h i mself i n a splendid apartment lled w ith all k inds of arms an d
many ri ch j ewels and beautifu l garments an d all were mark ed w ith
the sign of the cross I n th e m idst of th e m stood Christ and he

said
These are th e rich es reserved for my servants and the

w eapon s wh erew ith I arm thos e who ght in my cause

F r om th is
F rancis tho ught th at h e was to be a great soldier for h e kne w not
as yet of the sp irit ual w eapon s Christ gi ves h is disciples
A ft er
w ards wh en h e w ent to pray i n t h e half ruined ch urch of S a n

D am iano as h e knelt h e h eard a voi c e say

F rancis repair m y
Church wh i ch falleth to ru in
Tak ing th i s i n its most l iteral sen se
h e sold som e merchandise and took the money to the priests o f S a n
D amiano for th e repairing of th eir ch urch
H is father was so angry
at th is that F rancis h id h i msel f m any days in a cave i n order to
escape from h is wrath Wh en h e returned to th e city he was so
changed so h aggard a n d so ragged that h e was not recogni z ed a n d
the boys b o o t e d h im in th e streets Hi s father bel ieved h i m i n sane
and conned h i m ; but h is mother se t h im at l iberty begging hi m
at th e same time to return to h is former mode of l ife and not to
St

118

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

pro vok e h is fa th er and d isgrace the m al l by h is strange co n d uct A t

le n g t h h i s fa ther to o k h i m to t h e b ishop to be ad vised by h i m
Wh e n F ra n cis s a w th e holy m a n h e thre w h i mself at h is feet ; h e
abj u red h is former l ife a n d thro wi n g h is garments to h is father said

He n c eforth I recog n ize no fa ther b ut H i m w ho is in h eaven

T h e bishop w ept w i th j oy and adm iration ; and tak ing a coarse cloak
from a begg a r w h o stood by h e gave it to F rancis w ho gladly
recei ved i t as the rst fru its of th e poverty on w h ich h e was
res o l ved He was n o w twe n ty v e years old The rst l abor h e
perfor m ed was that of caring for th e lepers i n a h osp ital ; and t h is
was con sidered the more meritorio us from the fact t hat b e fore th is
h e could not lo o k o n a leper w ithout fai n t ing Th e n ext years of
h i s l ife were passed in prayer and pen itence H e w andered among
h is nati ve mount a ins begging al ms every penny of w hich th at could
be spared after supplyi ng the i mperati ve w ants of nature w as gi ven
for t h e reparation of ch urches He d wel t in a cell near the ch apel
of S anta M aria d egl i A n gel i and several d isciples attracted by th e
fame of h is piety j o in ed h i m h ere Poor as h e was h i s attention

w as attracted to th e text Take noth i n g for your j ou r n ey ne ither

staves nor scri p nor brea d n or money nor t wo coats ; and b e cast
abo ut h im to see i f he had any super uous comfort H e could nd
noth i ng t hat he could spare save h is leather girdle ; and casting th a t
a w ay h e u sed instead a ro pe of he m p Thi s has also been a dopted
by h is follo w ers from w h i ch pecul iarity they are called Cordeli ers
H e p r eached w it h m arvellou s e ff ect and soon had m any follo wers
A m ong h is femal e co n verts none are of greater n ote than the rs t

Clara ( 1 A ssisi the be a u ti ful

the foundress of th e
G ray S is t er
order of the Poor Clares
Th e v o w of po verty t h e most com
l
e t e a n d absol ute was i nsisted u pon by S t
i
n
rancis
hi s order
F
p
O n e of the F ra n ciscan legen d s i s that as h e j ourneyed to S iena

S t F r a ncis was e n coun t ere d by th ree maid e n s in poor raiment

and ex a ctly resembling each oth er in age and appearance w h o
s a l uted h i m w ith the words Welcome L ady Poverty ! and sud
de a ly d is a ppeared T h e brethren n o t i rrationally con cl uded that
thi s a ppa ri t i o n i m ported some mystery pert a in ing to S t F rancis a n d
th a t by t h e three poor m aidens w ere sig n i ed Ch asti ty O b ed ien c e
a n d P o v e rty
t h e be a uty a n d s u m of e va n gel ic a l perfe c tion ; a l l of
w h ich shone w i t h equal and cons ummate l us t re in t h e m a n of God
.

I L L US T R A TE D

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119

though h e made h is ch ief glory t he pri vilege of P overty

Thi s
legend
h as been ill ustrated by vario us p ictures ; and G iotto m ade
Poverty th e bride of S t F r a ncis wh o d id i n deed woo the su fferings
w h i ch she brought w ith a m ore devoted ardor than that w i t h wh ich
m ost lovers seek th e sweet an d som etimes glitteri n g rewards of more
attracti ve m istresses A t length F ranci s we n t to R ome to obtai n
the con rmation of h is order A t rst the pope I nnocent I I I con
r epulsed h i s suit
That n igh t in a
s i d e r i n g h i m as an enth usiast
v ision the pope s a w the walls of t h e L ateran tottering and only
kept fro m fa lli n g by th e support of the very m an to w hom h e
h ad refused h is aid H e i mm ed i ately sent for F ran cis and granted
h i m the pri vileges h e desired for h is order and fu ll permission to
preach Th e saint th en b u ilt cells for h i s d isciples near h is own a n d

gave h i s brotherhood th e name of F ra tre M inori to sign ify that

h um ility sho uld be the ir chief attribute a n d th at each sho uld stri ve
for the lowest rather th an the h ighes t place ; whi le i n h is o wn eyes
h e was h i mself the basest of men and h e desired to be thu s con
s i d e r e d by all
H is fear that h i s d isciples should seek any oth er
th a n the deepest p o ve r t y l e d h im to forbi d th e bu il d i n g of any con
vent and h e comm anded th at th e ch urch es bu ilt for them should b e
th e pl aines t and m os t inexpensi ve A n other marked peculiarity of

th is holy m a n wa s wha t is termed t he gift of tears

H e wept
a n d prayed con t in uall y
on accou nt of h is o wn si ns a n d those of th e
w h ole world ; and h e resol ved to go to preach to the h eath e n and
in dulged the hope tha t Go d woul d gran t h i m the great glory of
m artyrdo m
He a t te m pted at di ffere n t t i mes to go to S yria an d
M orocco ; bu t h e was dri ven back by a s t orm the rst ti me and the
seco n d was arrested by sick n ess B u t he d id many m ira cles an d
fo u n ded convents i n S pain Ten years after the establ ishme n t of
h i s order he held th e rst general ch apter at w h ic h there assembled
fi ve thous a n d friars
T hey seemed to be thoroughly i n spired w ith
th e spirit of th eir leader and e ven he found i t necess a ry to caution
them against an excess of austeri t ies and penances F rom th is
assembly he sent forth m issionaries to other countries a n d agai n
started h imself to preach i n E gypt an d S yria He succeeded only
i n reaching D am ietta where h e was tak en before the sultan wh o
wo u ld neither allo w h i m to preach nor to s u ff er m artyrdom in h i s
t e rritory b ut s e nt h i m back to I taly look ing upon h i m w ith Ori e ntal
.

1 20

AND

L E GE N D S

S T OR I E S

regard an d k indness a s o n e insa ne or w anting in m enta l c apac ity

A f e w years later h avi n g obtained from Pope H onori us the con
r m a t i o n of his order he resigned h is o f ce a s its head and retired
H e r e h e h ad many tran ces and vi s
to a c a ve on M t A lverna
ions of o ur S aviour and h is Blessed M o t her ; and i t is sa id th at
the saint was someti mes raised into the air i n e cstatic raptures of
devotion
H ere i t was that h e h a d the wonderful v is ion and
rece ived the especial marks of th e favor of Go d w h ich obtained for

A fter h aving fasted for fty days

h i m the ti t le of the S eraph ic
i n his solitary cell on M t A l verna and passed the ti me in all th e
fervor of prayer and ecstatic conte mplation transported al most to
h eaven by the ardor of h is desires ; then h e beh eld as i t were a
sera ph w ith si x sh in ing w ings beari ng down u pon h i m fro m abo ve
and between h is w ings was th e form of a man cru cied By thi s
h e u nderstood to be gured a heav e nly and i mmorta l i ntelligen ce
s ubj ect to death and h u m iliation A n d i t w as m ani fested to h i m
that he was to b e transformed i nto a resemblan ce to C hris t not by
t h e martyrdom of the esh b u t by t h e m igh t and re of D i vine
love Wh en th e v ision had disappeared and h e h ad recovered a
l ittl e from its effect it was seen th at in h is h ands h i s feet an d

side h e carried t h e w ounds of o u r S aviour

I t i s p iously b e
l i e ve d that these w ounds w ere really i mpressed by a su pernatural
power F rancis i n h is h u m il ity desired to conceal t h e great favor
and honor h e h a d recei ved ; bu t notw ithstand ing h is endeavors they
w ere seen by ma n y H is last d a ys w ere fu ll of su ffering A s death
approached h e comm an ded those abo ut h i m to place h im on the
earth H e attempted to repeat the l 4 l s t Psal m a n d at th e last

verse Bring my soul o ut of prison h e breathed h is l a st H e had

requ ested th a t h is body sho uld b e b uried w i t h those o f th e n i a l e fa c
tors at a place called th e Colle d I nferno outside th e w alls of his
n ative ci t y
Thi s request was fulfi lled ; an d as h is body was borne
pas t th e ch urch of S a n D amiano Clara and h er n un s came ou t to
t a k e a fa rewell of all th at remained of h i m who h ad shown h er the
w a y of religiou s perfection
O nly t wo y ears passed before h is ca non
i z a t i o n a n d th e beginn ing of the ch urc h w h ic h co ve r s h is re mains
These are still entire and u n violated i n their tom b w h ich is i n a
hollo w rock
There are n u mberless l egends connected w it h S t
F rancis a v as t n u mb e r o f w hi ch a r e wri t t e n in picture h is t o ry
.

'

I L L US T R A T E D

AR T

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1 21

M any of th e m are illustrat i ve of h is love for all lower ani mal s a n d

even insects ; for h e fel t that lo ve of Christ in our h ear t s sho uld l l
u s w ith sy m pathy for everything th a t can su ffer p a in or be be n e
t e d by ki ndness
When in R ome h e had al ways w it h h im a pet

l amb O ne instan ce of hi s tenderness i s th us gi ven : One d ay h e

m et a yo ung m an on h is w ay to S iena to sell some do v es w h i ch h e
h ad c augh t i n a sn are and F rancis said t o h im 0 good you n g man !
these are the birds to w hom the S cripture compares those w ho are
p ure and faithful before G o d ; do n o t kill them I beseech th ee b ut
gi ve th em rat h er to m e and w hen they w ere given to h i m h e pu t
them i n h i s b o som and carried the m to h is convent at R a va c c i a n o
nests an d fed the m e very d ay u ntil th ey
w here h e made for the m
b e e a m e so tame as to eat from h is h and
A n d the young man h ad
also h is recompense ; for h e became a friar an d l ived a holy life

fro m that day forth

There is i n th e ch urch at A ssisi a p icture of
S t F r a n c i s painted soon after h is deat h u nder the oversight of tho s e
w h o h ad know n h i m
w ell I t h as al most the val ue of a portrait
October 4 A D 1 2 2 6
Th is saint though a nati v e o f Paol a a
S t F ra n c is de P a u la
smal l city o f C alabria i s more i mportant i n F rance and i n co n nec
tion w ith F rench h istory than i n h is ow n country I t was for th i s
sain t that C harles V I I I fou nded th e ch urch of the Trin it a d i M ont i
at R om e A t the age of fteen h e went w it h h is parents to the shrine
of S t F rancis at A ssisi On h is return h e becam e a h ermit and l ive d
in a cave near R eggio H is fam e dre w di sciples abo ut h im for w hom
th e people b uilt cells a n d a littl e chapel H e cal led h is l ittle ban d
M in imes or th e Herm its of S t F rancis for th ey follo wed th e F ran
c i s c a n R ule add ing to it e ven greater austerities th an it already pre
scribed Th ey k ept L ent all the year ; an d th ey called t hemselves as
their title indi cated th e least of all t h e d isciples of th e C h urch K i n g
L ouis X I of F ran ce h ad h eard of the m any wonderful c ures perform ed
for th e sick by S t F rancis de Paula and sent for hi m to come to h i m
at Plessis l e Tours w here h e w as dyi n g T h e saint felt th at h e had
not been s um moned in th e right spiri t an d refused to go w h en L ou i s
applied to S ixtus I V for aid i n the matter A t the comman d of the
pope F ra ncis w ent and h e was recei ved at A m b oise by th e da u ph i n
and court w ith all th e h onors possible Wh en h e arri ved at th e
castle th e k ing knel t to him and pray e d h i m to obtain fro m Go d the
.

1 22

S T OR IE S

AND

L E GE N D S

return of h eal th an d a longer l ife F ran cis rebuk ed h im an d rem ind

i ng h im t h a t G o d alone could gi v e l ife or death and th at subm ission
t o his wi ll wa s man s rs t d u t y he performed for h i m the l a st o f ces
F rancis was k ept in F ran c e by Charles V I I I a n d L o uis
o f religion
Th e courtie r s gave h i m th e
X I I a n d hi s inuence was very great
ti t le of L e Bon homm e in deri sion of h is m ode of life ; bu t th is
became the title of hi s order i n F rance w here h is d isci ples be c ame

v ery popul a r a n d were t o the peopl e L e s Bon s

hom mes i n every
good sense of the term F rancis was godfa t her to F rancis
and th ey
are frequ ently represented togeth er i n pict ures Before th e R e vo l u
tion the e tg i e s o f F rancis de P a ul a were very common i n F rance
H is tomb wa s broken open by the H uguenots i n 1 5 6 2 and h is rem ains
b ur n t H e died at Plessis and L ou ise d A n go ul m e prepared h is
w ind i n g sheet w ith h er o wn hands A pril 2 A D 1 5 07
S t F r a n c i s B o r g i a s t ands as th e th ird among th e saints in
the J e su i t O rder H e belonged to a fam ily m uch less ill ustriou s i n
th eir l i ves than i n th eir rank
I n yo uth he w as s urro unded w i th
all t hat w oul d seem to m ak e l ife d esirabl e and h a ppy
w ealth
sta tion and power
w h ile h e w as fondly in lo ve w ith h is beau tiful
w ife an d had a large family of promisi n g ch ildren
But h e was
though tful and m el anch oly and ch eri shed in h is heart deep rel igious
feel i n g C ircu mstances combined to strength e n these e motions H is
fr ie n d G a r c i l a sso d e la V ega the poet died ; h e w as h i mself more
than once bro ught near to d ea t h by severe sicknesses A t le n gth
w hen th e E mpress I sabella d ied it w as h is d uty to raise th e w i n d ing
sh eet from h er face at th e m om e nt the body w as to be buried and to
1
s we a r to the identi t y of th e remai n s H e d id so an d took th e oath
an d at th e s a m e moment made a noth er vo w t o fors a k e th e servi ce o f
the k ings of earth and from that h our to serve o n ly the Ki n g of
Heaven
But th is h e coul d not ful l l iterally at once
H e w as
G o vernor of Catalon i a and adm ini stered th e a ff airs of the provin c e
w ith great care and faith fulness ; b ut through th e acquaintance of a
Jesuit n am ed A r e as he becam e a d isci ple of L oyol a and correspo n ded
w ith h i m H is w ife d ied and h e then resol ved that after pro vid ing
for h is ch ildren in the bes t manner h e would renou nce the world and
,

F r a n c i s n ot k n ow i n g t h e fa c e wou l d o n l y s w e a r i t wa s t h e body o f t h e
e m p r e s s be c a u se
f ro m t h e c a r e h e h a d t a k e n h e was s u re n o o n e c o u l d h a ve
c h a n g e d it u o n t h e ro a d
T h e R e v A L B A N B UT L E R
p
1

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I L L US T R A T E D

1 23

every h u man affection F o r si x years h e d evoted h im self to settl i n g

h i s a ffa irs and then went to R ome a n d becam e an h umble J esu i t
H e gave a l l hi s l ife a n d energy to pe rf ecting the system of ed uc a t ion
of h i s o r der F o r seven ye a rs he was general of h is society being the
third who had held t h a t h ig h posi t ion H e d ied at R ome and was
b uried in th e Gesu near L oyola but h is gr andson t h e Card inal D uke
O ctober 1 0 A D 1 5 72
o f L erm a removed h is remains to M adrid
Th i s saint is famous for h is religio us
S t F ra n c is de S a le s
an d de votional wri t i n gs wh ic h are held i n great estee m by Protes
tants as w ell as by those of h i s own ch urch H e w as also kno w n as
very charitable tolerant and gentle towards those who d isagreed
w ith h im as w ell as to those w ho l ived w icke d l i ves When o t hers
remonstrated against hi s ch aritable tenderness h e would reply
H ad S aul been rej ected should we h ave had S t Pau l ?
H e wa s
m ade B ishop of G e n eva i n 1 6 02
H e was very remarkable for h is
personal beauty and th e al m ost angel ic expression of h is face
Janu
ary 2 9 A D 1 622
S t F r a n Cl S X a v i e r was a Jesuit th e friend and disciple of I g n a
ti us L oyol a and was se n t by h im as th e leader of a band of mission
aries to the I nd ies H e w as of an ill ustrious family and was born at
a castle in th e Pyrenees H e studied at P a ris W hen young he w as
gay an d e n th u siasti c in h is temperament a n d it was not u n til aft er
many struggles that h e was able to take the v o w of obed ience ; b ut
h aving on ce done so h e was m ore ardent in the pu rsu it of h is d uties
than h e h ad ever been in seek i n g th e accomplishm e n t of h is o wn
desires an d ends H e was th i r ty ve years old wh en h e w en t to th e
H is
E ast and most of th e remainder of h is l i fe w a s spent i n Japan
self denial and su ff e r ings were very great H e co n ferred th e s a cra
ment of b a ptism upon an almost innu merable b e s t H e appoi n ted
other teachers over t h eir ch u rch es and s a w th e cruci x erected i n
m an y homes as a tok en of the res ults of h is l abors and of th e
conversion of the heathe n to th e rel igio n of C hrist H e would h ave
h ailed th e martyr s deat h with j oy ; b ut h is e n d though a painful one
H e a t tempted
w a s not bro u ght about by th e violen ce of hi s e n e m ies
to go to Chin a H e had su cceeded in reaching th e i sla n d of S a n c ia n
H e s u ff ered ver y greatly
w here h e w as seized w i t h fever and d ie d
H e regretted th at he mus t die a natural
f r w a n t of shelter and care
death but at leng t h e xperi e nced a w illingness to d e par t in God s w ay
.

1 24

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

renounced h i s d esire for m artyrdom sin ce i t w as n ot according

to th e D ivi n e w ill H is body was interred near the shore w here
th ere is still a c r oss to m ark t h e s pot ; b u t h i s remains were carri ed
to M a lacca and n a lly to G o a wh ere a m agn i cent church h as been
D ecember 3
b uil t to the honor of th is great m issionary saint
an

1550

Th i s sai n t
)
w as a nat ive of I rela n d H e was m ade Bishop of L ucca to w h ich
place he had gone i n 5 60 Th e princi pal o ccurren ce in h is l i fe w h ic h
i s repr e sented i n a r t is h is turning th e co urse of th e ri ver S erch io
T h is h e d id by draw i n g a
w hen i t threatened to del uge L u cca
b a r r o w a long the ground a n d th e ri ver followed th e course h e th u s
m arked ou t
H is w hole h istory is painted i n a ch urch at L ucca
c a lled by h is n ame
S t G a b r i e l ( Gr A y I a p t h ; L a t S G abriel ; I t a l S a n G abri
T h is
S a n G abriele L A ngelo A nn unzi atore ; F r S t G abriel )
c llo

w hose n a me signies G o d i s m y stre n gth i s th e secon d

s a in t
i n ra n k among the archan gels or th e seven w ho stand before G o d
H
is
n ame is m ent ioned fo ur times in t h e Bi ble t w ice
I
t
e v vii i
(
(
and always
i n D a n i e l v i i i 1 6 and ix 2 1 ; t wi ce in L u ke i 1 9
F irst h e a n nounces to
a s a messe n ger bearing i mportant t id ings
D a n i e l th e re t u rn of the Je w s from their capti vity and th en makes
h i m u n d erst a nd t h e v ision wh i ch show s for t h the future of th e nations ;
next h e tells Z a charias of the ch ild that should be born to h is old
age ; a n d l as t ly h e comes to tell th e mother of ou r L ord that sh e i s
These fo ur a u t h e n
t h e o n e highly fa vored and bl essed amo n g women
t i c a t e d a c ts m a k e h im of su ch importan ce as to command our d eepest
i n terest i n all rel a ti n g to hi m ; a n d in add i t ion to these h e i s believed
to h ave foretold th e bir t h of S amson a n d t hat of the Virgi n M a ry H e
i s ve n erated as the angel who especi ally w a tches over ch ildbirth T h e

Jews bel ieve h i m to be the ch ief of th e angeli c gu ards and th e

kee per of th e celestial tre a sury Th e M oham med a ns regard h i m a s
t h eir patron saint as th eir proph et d eclared h im to be h is i n spiring a n d
instruc t i n g a n gel T h us i s b e h igh i n the regard of J e ws Chris t i a n s
a n d th e f llo w e rs of I slam
I t i s a s th e a n gel of the A n n u n c i a tion
th a t he is m os t frequently a n d beauti fully re prese n ted T h e spi r it i n
w h ich these pictures a r e p a inted h a s v a ried w i t h the spirit i n which
the indi vid ual artist has cont e mplated t h e mystery I n the earl i e r
St

d ia n

re

of

L
a t
(

ucca

F r igd i a n

us

"

'

I L L US T R A T E D

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1 25

ones both t h e a n gel and th e V irgin a r e standing and th e manner of

the Virgin i s expressive of h um ili t y an d of reveren ce for a su perior
being S h e has bee n p a i n ted as k n eel i n g ; b ut aft er the th irteent h
century sh e becomes th e o n e to be exalted S h e is fro m th is ti m e
most frequently d epicted as th e R e g i n a a n g e l or u m ; and as h i s qu een
H is attri butes are the lily a scrol l
G abriel oft en knee l s before h er

a sceptre a n d some t i mes an

A v e M ari a G ratia Plena
i nscribed

ol i ve branch typical of the peace on e arth that he anno unced

M arch 1 8
S t G a u d e n t i u s o f N o v a r a was t h e bishop an d is n o w th e
patron saint of th at ci ty
S t G a u d e n z i o (L a t S G a u d e n t i u s ) w as on e of th e early bi sh
ops of R im in i His e ffigy i s found on its coins He was scourged
He i s patron sain t of
a n d th en sto n ed to death by th e A rians
O ctober 1 4 A D 3 5 9
R im ini
Th is saint was Bisho p
S t G e m i n i a n u s (I t a l S a n G emin iano )
of M odena i n the m iddle o f th e fth century S o great was the
fame of h is m iracles that h e w as sent for to go to Constantinople
to h eal the daughter of th e emperor w h o was possessed of an evil
e
S pirit
I t i s supposed to h ave been th e Princess Honoria
S
e
(
G ibbon 3 5 t h ch apter ) When M odena was threatened w ith de
struction by A ttila Ki n g of the H uns i t wa s spared on account
of the intercession of Ge m i n i an u s and after h is d eath h e preserved
th e cathedral fro m d estru ct i on by a ood H e is represen ted on th e
coins of M odena a n d honored as th e p atron saint and especial
rotector
of
that
city
p
S t G e n e vieve o f B ra b a n t
Th e story of th is saint has fur
ni sh ed the subj ect for poems plays and pi ctures w h ich are anyth ing
b ut religio us in the i r ch aracter B ut th ere are m any representation s
i n a r t of h er roma n tic l ife and su fferings
S h e w as the w ife of Co u n t
S iegfried w ho w as l ed by h is ste w ard to bel ieve h e r to be wanting i n
del ity to h imself and h e r marri age vows He ordered her to be
executed b ut those ch arged w ith th e task of putti n g her to death
left h er alon e in th e forest S h e gave birth to a ch ild wh ich was
n ursed by a wh i t e doe A n umber of years h avin g passed h er h u s
band w h ile h u n ting came to h er ab od e E xplanat io n s m ade plai n
h er i n nocence Th e steward was really p ut to death w h ile th e w i fe
was restored to her hom e and h appiness
Th ere i s a picture by
,

'

1 26

AND

L E GE N D S

S T OR I E S

lbert D urer wh ich is so m eti mes c a lled by t h e name of G enevi e v e of

Braba n t b u t it is i n t ru t h the Pe n ance of S t J oh n C hrysostom

S t G e n e v i e v e o f P a r i s (E n g ; Ge n ; I t a l S anta G e n ove va )
T his s a i n t is es s e n ti a lly F re n ch and is of v ery great i mportance a n d
i nteres t amo n g those of med i aeval ti mes The v illage of N a n terre
w as her birthpl a c e and d uring her ch ildhood sh e tended a ock of
sheep Whe n she wa s abo ut se ven years old S t G erm ain spen t a
The inhabitants ock ed to recei ve h is bened ic
n ight at N a n terre
t ion Wh en h is eyes rested on th e l it t le G enevi e ve h e was m ad e
aware by i n spiration of the sa n ctity of her character and th e glory
He talked w ith h er ; and w i t h a
f o r w h ich G o d had ch osen h er
m anner wh ich at her a g e sho wed her to be the especial ch ild of G o d
sh e declared her w ish to be th e brid e of Chri st T he bishop hung
round h er neck a coin marked w ith the cross a n d blessed h er as one
consecrated to G od s service F rom this time she fel t he rs elf sepa
rated from all worldly and de voted to all h eavenly interests Th ere
are many wonderful stories tol d of her ch ild hood O n o n e occasion
h er mother struck her i n a t of anger S h e was struck bl i n d a n d
remained so for t wo m onth s w hen G enevi e ve made th e sig n of t h e
cross above th e w ater w ith wh ich she bathed h er m other s eyes a n d
her sight w as restored G enevi eve remained w ith h er parents d uring
their l ives and th en went to a relat i ve in P a ris A lthough sh e d i d
not enter a con vent sh e vow e d perpetual chastity at ft een years of
age I t was m any years b efore Go d gave any publ ic and u n m i s t a k
able proof of h i s approbation of G e n evi e ve D uri n g this time w h ile
som e venerated h er for the hol iness of h er l ife others regarded her
as a pretender an d hypocrite S h e was tormented too by demons
wh o a mong other t h ings constan t ly blew ou t th e tapers sh e h ad
l ighted for h er n igh tly vigils B u t sh e was able t o rel igh t them by
fa ith and pra yer A t l ength A ttil a th re a tened th e destructio n o f Paris
an d the peopl e in their alarm woul d h ave ed from th e c ity ; b u t
G ene vi e ve addressed them begged the m to remai n and assured th e m
th at G o d would not allo w th is pagan to overcome h i s follo w ers A o
cordi n g to h er prediction A ttil a sudd enly ch a n g ed the course of h is
m arch prob a bly by d irecting i t to O rleans A n d again wh en C hil
d eric took possession of P a ris a n d t h e peopl e suffered fro m w ant of
fo o d G enevi e ve t o ok C m m and of th e b o ats wh i ch wen t to Troyes for
aid ; a t emp e st arose wh ich wa s c a l med by h er prayers a n d t h e pro
A

I L L US T R A T E D

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1 27

v ision s th ey h a d recei ved were brough t safely to t h e s u ff erers Ch il

deric respected the saint ; a n d Clo v i s eve n before he thought of bei n g
a Christi a n ve n erat e d G e n e vi e ve a n d gra n ted any requ ests she m ade
of h i m
S h e inue n ced h is o wn m i n d and that of h is q u ee n Cl o tilde
so t hat th e rst C hristian ch urc h w as erected a n d the paga n w orsh i p
forbidden i n the city of Paris Th e ch urc h w a s th a t w h i c h i s n o w
k nown by her n am e E ver after th e m iraculous m anifesta t ion of h er
power i n th e deli veran ce of Paris from A ttil a her p r a yers were sough t
by l the peopl e whenever they were a fflicted a n d th e m iracles a t t r i
b uted to her i n terces sion are both wonde r fu l a n d n umero us O n e of
these w as th e s t ayi n g of a plagu e called th e m a l a r d e n t U n t i l 1 74 7
there was a l ittl e ch u rch called S t e G e n evi e ve des A rd e nts w h ic h
w as on t h e site formerly occupied by th e house of th e sai n t S h e was
e ighty ni ne at th e ti me of her death S h e was buried beside K i n g
Clov is a n d h is w i fe
S t E loy m a d e a m agnifi ce n t s hri n e for the
remains of th e saint ; bu t i n the R evol ution it was dest r oye d a n d
the rel ics b urned i n the P lace de Gr e ve J an u ary 3 A D 5 09
S t G e o r g e o f Ca p p a d o c i a ( L a t S G eorgi us ; I t a l S a n
G iorgio ; F r S t Georges l e tr es loyal C heval ier d e la Ch r t i e n n e t ;
Th e legend of thi s
Ge r D e r Heilige Jorg G eorg or G eorgi us )
sai n t as most frequently represented in a r t m akes h i m a native of
Cappadocia Hi s parents w ere of th e n obility a n d C hrist ians He
w as a tribune i n the army an d l ived in the ti me of D iocletian There
i s a disagre ement as to th e scene of h is most w onderful con quest of
the dragon By some i t i s b el ieved to h ave been S el en e i n L ibya ;
by others B e r yt u s or th e modern B e yr o u t of S yri a ; bu t th e story is
ever th e same Being on h i s w ay to j oin h is legion h e came to a
ci t y w hose inhabitan ts were i n great terror on acco unt of a terribl e
dragon who l ived in a m arsh near th e w alls Th is fearful mo n ster
h a d devoured all t h e ocks and herds and the people havi n g retired
i nto th e city gav e h i m daily tw o sheep u ntil all they had were gone
Then i n order to prevent h is approach i n g th e city they commenced
to send out daily two ch il d ren to be devoured by th is i nsatiabl e
monster Terrible as this was it w as better than that h e shoul d
com e n ear th em for h is breath poi soned the air for a great distance
abou t h im and all w ho bre a thed i t pe r ished from its pestile n tial
e ffects T h e ch ildren were c h ose n by lot a n d were less than fteen
years old N o w th e k ing had a daughter nam e d Cl e o d ol i n da w ho m
.

1 28

S T OR I E S

A ND

L E GE N D S

h e lov e d e xce edingly A t lengt h the lot fell to her Th e k ing o ff ered
a l l he possess ed even to the h al f of the k ingdom th a t sh e m igh t be
sp a red ; bu t the people s a id t h a t as i t w as by h i s o wn edi ct th at the ir
ch ildren had bee n sacri ced there w as no reason for allow ing h im to
w ithhold h is o wn a n d they threatened to take th e princess by force
i f sh e was n o t d el ivered to th em Then th e k ing ask ed th at sh e
m ight be spared to h i m e ight days longer T h is w as granted a n d at
th e e n d of that ti me Cl e o d o l i n d a went forth to the sacri ce clothed
i n h er royal robes and declaring h erself ready a n d w illi n g to d ie for
h e r people
S h e moved slowly towards the place wh ere th e d ra on
ca m e daily for h is v icti ms an d th e w ay w as stre wed w i t h the bones
of those w ho h ad already perished J ust then S t G eorge came to the
pl a ce ; and seeing h er tears h e stopped to learn the cause o f h er

F ear not for I w i ll

sorro w
When sh e h ad tol d h im h e said

del i ver you ! b ut sh e repl ied O noble yo uth ! tarry n o t h ere lest
thou perish w ith m e ! b ut y I beseech thee !
Then S t G eorge
a n s w ered Go d forbid th at I should y ! I w ill l ift my hand agai nst
th is loathly th i n g an d w ill del i ver th ee through th e power of J esu s
E ven as h e spoke th e drago n approached th em
Christ !
Then th e

p r i n cess again e n treated hi m F ly I beseech thee brave kn igh t an d

le a ve m e here to d ie ! But S t G eorge m ak i n g the sign of th e cross
rushed to combat w ith th e monster T he struggle was terribl e b u t
at le n gth th e dragon w as pi n ned to th e earth by the l anc e o f th e
br a ve knigh t He th en bo u n d th e dragon w ith th e girdle of th e
pri n cess ; a n d giving it to h e r sh e was abl e to l ead th e conquere d
bea s t l ike a dog I n th is m anner they approached th e c ity The

people w ere lled w ith fear ; b ut S t G eorge cried o ut F ear n oth

i n g only bel ieve in the G o d through w h ose m ight I h ave co n quered
th is ad versary a n d be baptized an d I w ill destroy h i m before your
A n d i n that d a y w ere twenty thou sand people b a ptized
eyes
A ft er th is S t G eorge s l o w th e dra gon and cut o ff h is head
T he n
th e k i n g g a ve h i m great treasures ; but h e gave al l to th e poor keep
i n g abs o l u t ely noth ing for h i m sel f a n d h e w en t on h i s w ay towards
P a lestine Th i s wa s t h e t ime of th e publ ication of t h e E d ict of D io
c l e t ia n
w h i ch de c l a red t h e persecu t ion ag a inst t h e Christi a n s A l l
w h o re a d it w ere ll e d w ith terror b u t S t G eorge tore i t down a n d
trod it into the d ust F o r th is h e was carried before th e proconsu l
D acian and conde mned to eigh t days torture
H e was rst bound
.

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to a cross an d h is body torn w ith sharp nails ; next h e was b urned

w i t h torches a n d then sal t rubbed i nto h is wounds S ee i n g th at all
t hese horrible and devilis h cruel t ies had no power to vanqu ish t h e
S p iri t of the saint D acian sent for an enchan ter wh o invoked th e ai d
of S atan and the n poisoned a c up of w ine w h ich S t George drank
Before doing so h ow ever h e made the sign of th e cross and the
poison h ad no e ff ect on h im Th e magician w as converted to C hris
t i a n i t y by th is m iracle and u pon h is decla r ing the fact was i m me
d i a t e l y b eh eaded S t G eorge was next bound upon a w heel lled w ith
sh arp kn i ves b u t two angels descended from h eaven and broke it i n
p ieces They then p ut h i m i n boil i n g oil Belie v i ng that he m ust be
n o w subd ued he was taken by t h e j udges to assist at the sacri ces i n
th e heat hen templ e Crowds came to witness h is h umiliat ion B ut the
saint knelt down and p r ayed and instantly there ca m e th under a n d
lightnings from heaven Th e temple w as destroyed ; th e idols w ere
cru s hed ; wh ile th e priests and ma n y of th e people perished N ow at
l a s t D acia n comm anded h i m to be beheaded He met death w ith j oy
and co urage The story of S t George bears great resemblance to
those of A pollo B ellerophon and Perseus wh ile t h e d estru ction of
the templ e and h is persecutors i s very l ik e th at of the Ph ilisti n es
w h en th ey called S amson o ut of his prison hou se to mak e sport for
th em T he G reek s gi ve S t George th e title of th e G R E A T M A R T Y R
a n d h is veneration i s very an cient in the E ast
I n E urope h e was
b u t l ittl e h onored until the Crusades wh en th e ai d h e obtained for
G odfrey of Boul ogn e made Chri stian soldiers seek h is patronage
When R ichard I made holy war h e placed h is army u n der th e pro
t e c t i o n of S t G eorge an d fro m th is tim e he has been pat r on s a int of
E ngla n d
His feast was ordered to be kept thro u gh a l l E n gl a n d
in 1 22 2 an d th e Order of th e Garter w as i nstit uted i n 1 3 3 0 A pril
23 A D 3 03
S t G e r e o n one of th e comm a n ders of the Theban legion When
S t M aurice a n d th e greater part of th e legion w ere at A ga n u m ( n o w
S t M aurice ) G ereon w i th h i s command reac h ed Col ogn e Ver u s the
prefect by order of th e E mperor M aximi n co m m a n ded t hem to r e
nou n ce Chri sti a ni ty U po n t h eir refusal Gere o n a n d ma n y of h is
soldi ers w ere put to death and th r o w n i n to a pi t Th e ven e r ation
of th is sai n t exte n ds ba c k to th e four t h ce n tury but h e i s l ittl e h eard
of o utside th e part of G ermany wh ich was the sc e n e of h is s u e r i n gs
,

1 30

S T OR I E S

A ND

L E GE N D S

M a ny of the represe n tatio n s of S t G ereon are in sc u l pt ure and u pon

the s t a i n ed gl a s s i n the o ld e st of t h e G er m a n ch urches
S t G e r v a s i u s a n d S t P r o t a s i u s (I t a l G erv a sio e Protas io ;
T hese w ere t w in brothers w ho suf
F r S t G e rv a is e t S t P r o t a i s )
i n th e ti me of N ero T hey w ere sen t bou nd t o
f e r e d m ar t yrdo m
Th ey were brough t t o
M il a n toge t her w it h N a z a ri us an d Celsus
C o u n t A r t e s i u s who bade the m sacri ce t o th e idols T hey refused ;
a n d G e r va s i u s was condem n ed to be beaten to d eath w ith scourges
loaded w it h l ead a n d P r o t a s i u s to b e beh eaded A man n am ed
Ph il ip obt a i n ed th eir bodies and b uried th e m in h i s garden wh ere
they remaine d u n til the pl a ce of th eir b uri al w as revealed in a v ision
to S t A mbrose I t h appened aft er th is w ise W hen A mbrose b uil t
the ch urc h at M ilan (A D
th e people were anxio u s th at i t sh ou ld
possess h o ly rel ics W h ile A mbrose was m u ch engaged in t h ought of
this a n d very anxious to please h i s people h e w en t to th e ch u rch of
S t s N abor and F eli x t o pray ; w h ile th ere a tran ce c a m e over h im
and i n it he behel d S t Paul a n d S t Peter ; an d w ith th em w ere
t w o yo u n g men clothed in w h ite and of wonderful beauty
I t wa s
re vealed to A mbros e that th ese w ere two m ar t yrs w h o h ad been
b uried near th e spot wh ere h e was A ssembling h is cl ergy he made
se a rch wh en th e two bod ies w ere found T h e y were gigantic i n s ize
T h e h eads w ere separate fro m th e bodies a n d i n t h e tomb wa s a
These sacre d relics were carrie d i n
w riting w hi ch told th eir story
procession to the basilica ; and th ose sick ones who co uld tou c h the m
as th ey p a ssed along th e street were i ns t antly heal ed A m ong these
w as a man n a med S everus wh o h ad been m any years bl ind A s h e
tou ch ed these bones hi s sigh t w as restored Th is m iracle w as seen
by s o m a ny of th e peopl e th at i t esta bl ished beyond a question the
great effi c a cy of these relics S t A mbrose a s h e l a id them beneat h

th e altar blessed G o d and cried o u t L e t the v ictims be borne i n

tri um ph t o th e place wh ere Christ i s th e s a cri fi ce b e u pon th e alt a r
w ho suffered for all ; th ey beneath th e al t ar who w ere redeemed by
h i s su ff ering
The enem i es of A mbrose acc used h i m of d uplicity in
t h i s m a t ter an d even said that S e veru s w as bri bed to play a part ;
b u t th e a uth o rity of t h e fa th er was su ffi c ient to ins pire c ond ence
i n spi te of all and th e ch urch w a s d ed ic a ted to S S G e r va s i n s and
S i n c e th e de a th of S t A mbrose th i s ch urch w h i c h i s
P ro t a s ius
one of the most wonderful and famo us in the world is called S an t
.

'

LL U S T R

A mbrogio

I N

A TE D

AR T

1 31

M aggiore Th e veneration of th ese saints was introd uced

into F ra nce w here they be c a m e very pop u l a r by S t G erm a in i n
5 60
He c a rried som e part of the relics to P a ri s M any c a thedr a l s
and paris h ch urches h ave been dedi cated to them I t would be
natu ral to expect the ir p ict ures to represe n t their vast s ize b u t this
i s not the case Th ere are f e w I tal ian and m any F rench pai ntings of
69
th e m J u n e 1 9 A
A y P LAAo e ; L a t S ZE gi d i u s ; I t a l S an t E g i
S t G i l e s (Gr
dio ; F r S t G illes ; Sp S a n G i l ) was an A then ian of roy a l bl o o d
S om e m iracles w h ich h e performed one of wh ich was thro w i n g
h is m antle over a sick m an and th us h eali n g h i m h ad gai n ed
for h i m the veneration of th e peopl e S t G iles left h is cou n try a n d
bec a me a h erm it A fter long w an derings he came to a cave in a forest
n ear th e m out h of the R hone abo u t twelve miles south of N i s m e s
H ere h e su bsisted u po n herbs an d w ild fru its and the m ilk of a hind
T h is gave rise to h is attrib ute of a wounded h i n d ; for i t came to pass
that as a party said by some to be th at of the K ing of F rance an d
by others the K i n g of th e Goths were h u n ting t his h ind w as pursued
by t h e dogs : I t ed to th e cave and nestled in th e arms of the saint
A h unter sent an arro w after it and wh en th ey came to look in the
cave th ey found the holy m an wo u n ded by th e arro w Their sorro w
was great a n d th ey entreated h is forgi veness even on th eir k n ees
H e resisted all their endeavors to dra w h im o ut of the cave and
there h e soon die d A bo ve th is cave w as bu ilt a m agni ce n t monastery
A city sprung u p abo ut it bearing th e n am e of th e saint a n d the cou n ts
of th at d istri ct were called Comtes de S aint G illes Th e ch urch
wh ich still remains upon t h e spot i s an extraordin ary r e m n ant of th e
M iddle A ges I t is covered w ith h a s reli efs on th e ou t sid e and h as
a remarkable staircase i n the interior Queen M atilda d edicated a
hospital w hi ch sh e founded outside of L ondon to S t G iles T h is
was i n 1 1 1 7 ; and the nam e n o w belongs to an exte n sive parish I n
E di n b urgh too th e parish ch urch fou n ded in 1 3 5 9 bears h is n am e 1
He i s patron sai n t of E d inburgh of J u l i e r s i n F landers and of th e
woodl a n d everyw here S eptember 1 A D 725
G l a s t o n b u r y A bbey of
Th e origin of th is famous abbey i s
los t i n antiqu ity ; b ut the l egend connects i t w ith th e introd uction
of C hristi an ity into E ngland Th e wondrous story tells that w hen
.

S t G i l e s Ca th e dr a l E d i n b u rgh i s o n e
t h e so c a l l e d R e f orm e r s i n S c o t l a n d
1

of

of

th e

ve ry

fe w t h a t

e sc a pe d

th e f

ur y

1 32

S TOR IE S

AN D

L E GE N D S

Ph ili p w ho w a s one of the tw el ve A po stles came t o F r ance h e se n t

Jose ph of A ri m a thea w ith h is son and eleven oth er d isci ples to Bri t a in
K i n g A r vi r a g u s so a d m ired t he beauty of their l ives and so a p pr e c i
a t ed t h e d a ngers w h ich they had overcome i n th e ir l o n g j ourn ey from
P a lesti n e that he gave th em an islan d c a lled A valon Here they
b uil t a c h u r c h by t w i n i n g wands and consecrated a place of burial
T h ey l i m ited their n u m ber to tw elve an d l ived i n i mitation of th e
M a ster a n d h is d isci ples By their preaching man y Britons were
con ver t ed I t i s a wonderful old place ; I t is here K ing A lfred foun d
a refug e from h is D a n ish foes Here King A r t h ur was bu ri ed ; an d

h ere ever bloomed the mys t ic thorn at the feas t of the N at ivity
I t w as u pon t h e strength of th is legen d th at the k ings of E n gland
claimed precedence of the kings of F rance in the rel igiou s coun cils of
P isa Constance S iena and Basle T hey declared that Joseph of
A rimathea c a me to E n gland in th e fteenth year after th e a s s u m p
tio n of the Virgin M a ry and th at F ran ce recei ved not the rel igio n of
Chris t until the tim e of S t D en is ; and t h at for th is reason they
d id
a r transcend all other k ings i n w or t h an d ho n or so m uch as

C hri s t i a n s were more excel len t th an p a gans

D uke of L o wer L orraine w as born i n
G o d fr e y o f B o u i l l o n
Bra ba nt abo ut 1 060 A s the eldest son of the Co unt of Bo ulogn e
h e s ucceeded to the govern ment of t h e d u chy in 1 0 76 G odfrey
served w ith gallantry i n th e armies of Henry I V and his fa m e
w as su c h th at when the C ru sades broke out he w as appointed to the
co m ma n d of the principal army and start e d for the Holy L a n d w ith
h is brothers E ustace and Bald win T he u n ited arm ies n u mbered si x
h undred tho usand men b u t in two years w ere red uced to forty tho u
sand I n the sieges of N ice and A nt ioch and in all encounters w ith
th e e n emy G odfrey bore h is full sh a re an d at th e tak i n g of Jeru
sal em i n 1 09 9 w as proclaim ed k ing H e declined th is title saying

I will never accep t a cro wn of gold wh ere my S avio u r w ore a

cro w n of thorns
He called h imself the D efender and G uard ian
of the H oly S ep ul chre
A little l ater G odfrey defeated the S ara
cens in the plai n of A scalon th us possessi n g h i msel f of all P alesti n e
He l abore d to organ ize a S tate but d ied in J uly 1 1 00 j ustly
lamented for h is piety valor and k ingly v irtu es A n equestria n
sta t ue of G odfrey de Bo u illon stands i n a square of B russels Tasso

sang h is praises i n
Jerusale m D el ivered ; and h istory d e cl a r e s
h i m to hav e b e en o f rs t rank b oth in w ar and co unc il
,

I L L US T R A T E D

St

St

G r a ta

S e e S t A delai de

IN

AR T

1 33

G r e g o r y , or G r e g o r y t h e G r e a t
n u s ; I t a l S a n G regorio M agno or Papa
; F

Heil ige Gregor ; sign i fi cation , w atch m an

.

L
at
(
r.

Gregori us

S t G r egoire

Ge r

M ag
.

Der

w as born at R ome i n
5 40
H is father Gordian was a senator Hi s m o t h e r S yl vi a was a
w om an of remarkable ch aracter ; and like many of the mothers of
th at ti me w h o bore sons d estined to act a great part i n the world
sh e h a d a vision wh ile h e was b ut a baby i n h er arms i n w h ich
S t A n tony revealed to her that thi s son should be th e head of th e
Ch urch on earth W h en grown h e stud ied and practised l a w an d
w as pr aet o r of R ome for twelve years H is ch aracter was however
al ways deeply religious and th e piety of t h e m oth er seemed to h ave
descended to a n d becom e i n tensi ed in the son O n the death of h is
father he de voted hi s w ealth to religion and ch ari ty H e made h is
h ome on th e Ce l i a n Hill a hospital and mon astery and dedi cated
i t to S t A ndre w He then took a cell w ithi n it and taking t h e
habit of a B enedi ctine devoted h imself to stud ies w h i c h tted h im for
h is d uties i n later l ife T h is monastery i s n o w the churc h of S a n
G regorio
Wh en a fearful plague broke o ut i n R ome G regory de
v oted h imself to th e n ursing of th e sick
One of the vi ctim s of the
pestilen ce was Pope Pelagi us The people desired to h ave G regory
as h is su ccessor ; b ut h e shrank fro m th e o f ce and even entreated
the emperor not to assent to the w ish es of the people When n ally
h i s election wa s conrmed he h id h i mself i n a cave away from R om e
T hose wh o sou gh t for h i m w ere led by a celestial l ight about the
place w here h e w as h idden an d h e w as b rought agai n to R om e
H e soon prove d th at th e ch oice of th e people had been a w ise one
H e w as the most h u mble of men and was th e rst to call h imself

servant of the servants of Go d

He reformed th e C h urch m usic
co m posing wh at i s called from h i m the Gregoria n Ch ant He showed
a spirit of toleration and charity far i n ad vance of h is ti me ; d i sa p
1
proved all persecution ; restored the synago g u es of Terracina and
Cappadocia to th e J e ws from w hom they had been taken ; l iberally
redeemed captives ou t of h is ow n m eans and further authorized th e
sale of the sacr e d vessels for their red e mption ; and was so moved
'

St

G r e gory sa i d th a t c on ve rsi on s t o t h e

fai th sh ou l d

n ot

be forc e d, b ut won

1 34

L E GE N D S

S T OR I E S

AN D

at th e sigh t o f some w retched Brit ish capti v e s w h o w e r e to be

sold i n R o m e that he se n t m issio n aries to E ngland
H e h ad a
to t h e souls i n P urgatory ; and set the example
S pecial d e voti o n
of a tre n tal of m a sses or m asses o n th irty su cce ss i ve d a ys for th e
fai t h ful d epa rted S t G regory al w ays zealously asserted t h e obl iga
t io n of cel ibacy amo n g t h e clergy extending th is law to the s u b
deacons w ho had before been ranked among th e clergy of th e m inor
o r ders H e fel t the responsibil ities of h is o f ce so m u ch as t o con
side r h i mself l iterally t h e fa th er of each ind ivid ual of the C h urc h ;
occasio n h e fasted and i n terd icted h imsel f fro m any
on e
a n d on
s a cerd o tal fu n ction for severa l days because a beggar h ad d ied i n
the streets of R ome H is charities were bou ndless When a m onk
a beggar ask ed al ms at th e monastery and recei ving someth ing came
ag a in and again u ntil G regory h ad n oth ing to give h i m but a s il ver
porri n ger w hich S yl via had sen t to he r son and th is h e d id n o t
w ithhold W hen pope h e h ad t wel ve poor m e n to su p w ith h i m e a ch
e ve n i n g O n e n igh t h e s a w th irteen at h i s table and call ing h is
ste w ard he d ema n ded the reason of th is Th e steward repli ed after

cou n ti n g
Holy F ath er there are surely tw el ve only !
G regory
said no more b u t at the end of th e m eal h e asked th e u n inv ited

I am th e poor m an w hom tho u

one Who art tho u ? and h e said
d idst for m erly re l i eve ; b ut my n ame i s th e Wonderful a n d through
m e tho u shal t obtain w h atever th ou sh alt ask of Go d
Then Gregory
bel ieved h i m to be an angel and som e say Christ h i msel f Th e

p a inting of th is legend is called th e S upper of S t G regory

Joh n
th e D eacon w ho w as h i s secretary h a s l eft an a cco u n t i n w hich h e
de c l a res th at he h as seen the H o ly S piri t seated on h is sh oulder i n
th e sh ape of a dove wh ile h e wrote T h is ex plai n s w h y the dove i s

so freque n tly one of h is a t tributes

The M a ss of S t G reg o ry so
oft en painted i s founded u p o n a l egend th at as the sai n t was o ff:
T he
c i a t i n g some one dou bted th e re a l presen ce in th e elem ents
sai n t prayed and in stantly a v ision w as revealed of the cru cied
S av iour s u r rounded w i t h all th e instrum ents of h i s passion upon
the a l tar
The
A n other pain t ing represents th e m iracle of th e B r a n d e u m
E m press Const a n tia s e n t to G rego ry desiri n g a port ion of the rel i c s
of S t Peter a n d S t P a ul G reg o ry repl ied th a t h e d a red n o t d i s
t urb the holy re mains and se n t her the B r a n d e u m or a p a rt of a
.

I L L US T R A T E D

AR T

IN

1 35

consecrated cloth w h i c h had enfolded th e remains of S t Joh n the

Th e empress d isappointed rej ected this gift w ith scorn
E vangelist
T hen G regory w ishing to show th at i t was not so m uch th e rel ics
themselves as the faith of th e bel iever wh i c h w orked the m iracles
placed the cloth upon th e altar and after praying p ierc e d it w ith a
knife a n d blood owed from i t as from a l iving body
A l egen d
popular in th e M iddle A ges b ut qu ite unau thorized by th e Ch urch

out of Hel l
a n d contrary to Catholi c faith an d th e S criptures
there i s n o salvat ion recounts th e m anner i n w h ich S t Gregory
released Traj an from torment I t i s said th at on on e occasion whe n
th at emperor w as leading h is soldiers t o battle h e w as stopped by
a poor wido w wh o thre w herself before h i s horse an d demanded
vengeance for th e death of h er son wh o h ad been k illed by the son
of Traj an T he emperor promised that on h is return h e wo uld a t
te n d to her request
B u t sire repl ied the w idow
should you be

k illed in battle w ho then w ill do m e j ustice ?

M y successor

said Tra jan T hen sh e repl ied Wh at w ill it sig n ify to you great
emperor th a t any o t h er than yourself sh ould do m e j ustice ? I s i t
not better that yo u shou ld d o this good action yourself th an leave
another to do i t ?
Then th e emperor aligh ted and li stened t o h er
story and nally gave h is ow n son to h er and besto wed u pon her a
large d o wr v N o w as G regory was one day th inking of th is story
h e beca m e greatly troubled at t h e th ough t th a t so ust a m an as th is
should be condemned as a h eath en to eternal torments and h e
e n tered a ch urch and prayed most earnestly th at th e soul of the
emperor might be released fro m su ff eri ng Wh ile still at prayer

h e heard a voice saying

I h ave granted thy prayer and I have
spared th e sou l of Traj an for thy sake ; b ut because t ho u h ast su p
pl icated for one w hom t h e j ustice of Go d h ad already condemned
thou sh alt choose on e of two th ings : e ither tho u shalt e n d ure for
two days the res of purgatory or tho u shalt be si ck and i n rm for

th e rest of thy life

T his i s gi ven as the expl anatio n of th e great
w eakness and th e m any i n r m i t i e s su ffered by Gregory for he chose
th e sick n ess in preference to th e two days of purgatory S t Greg
ory s h ealth wa s al ways frail b u t th e last two years he li ved h e w as
not able to leave h is cou ch H is bed a n d a scourge w ith wh ich h e
k ept h is choristers in order are still preserved in the ch urch of the
L ateran
M arch 1 2 A D 604
.

1 36
St

S a nctus
Fr

St

"

Ay

r pm

/op e

@c ok y os ;

La t

N a z i a n z e n us ; I t a l S a n G regorio N az ian ze no ;
de N a z ia n c e ; Ge r S Gregor von N azi an z ) w as

G regori us

G re goire

r
G
(

a z ia n z e n

G r e go r y

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

bo r n about 3 28 H is father S t Gregory w as Bi shop of N a z ia n z um

S t N onna w as h is mother a n d S t Gorgon i a an d S t C esarea h is
siste r s Whil e a boy he h ad a dream w hi ch i n a g re at m easure
i n uenced al l h is course i n l ife
H e though t th ere cam e to h i m
two celestial v irgins of d azzling beau ty
They took h i m in th ei r
arms and k issed h im H e asked w ho th ey w ere and whence they

I am called Chastity and m y sister here is

came ; and one said
Temperance W e com e to th ee f ro m Paradise wh ere w e stand con
t i n u a lly before th e thron e of Christ and taste i n e a b l e del ights

Com e to us my son an d d we l l w i t h u s fore ver

When th is w as
said they ew into h eaven H e stretched out h is arm s to th em and
awok e This dream w as to h i m l ik e a d irect comm an d fro m Go d
and he took vows o f perpetual cont inence an d temperance He
studied i n A thens wh ere S t Basil and J ul ian w ho t hough a C aesar
i s only know n a s the A postate were h is fellow s t udents He w as
H e d e voted h imself to
n o t baptized u ntil al most th irty years old
religious studi es and to austerities wh ich h e decl ared w ere e ver
most repugnant to h i m b ut the ir v irtu e was in creased by th is fa ct
He was ordained priest by h i s father becam e h is coadj utor and suc
c e e d e d to h is bishopric i n 3 62
He was i nv ited to preach agai nst
th e A rians at Constantinople Th e d isp utes ran very h igh an d
w ere carried on b y all classes an d even by th e w om en w h o argued
i n publi c as w ell as at h ome Gregory w as sm all i n stat ure a n d
e very w ay insign i can t i n h i s appeara n ce A t rst h e was stoned
by the A rians an d A p ol l i n a r i s t s wh en h e attempted to speak ; bu t
h is earnes t eloqu en ce overcam e all obstacles an d though h e at
length gave u p the bishopri c of Constan tinopl e to w h i ch T h e o d o
e i u s h ad appointed h im intent th us to promote peace in t h e Ch urch
yet h e h ad gained th e respect of enem ies an d the condence of
frie n ds L eaving Co n stantinopl e h e l ived on a small estate of h is
fa ther s in great stri ctness an d self d en ial S t Gregory N a z ia n z e n i s
the earlies t Christian poet of w hom w e h ave any kn ow l e d ge
In
h is retirement he wrote hymn s and lyrics wh ich expre s s all the strug
gles and aspirations of h is naturally int e n se a n d i m aginati v e n at ure
M a y 9 A D 3 90
.

I L L US T R A T E D

AR T

IN

1 37

S t G u d u l a (called i n F lem ish S inte R Go e l e n an d in Braban t

S he
S t Go ul e or E r g o u l e ) is the patro n ess of th e city of Brussels
w as daughter of Co un t Wi t t ige r H er mother was S t A m a l a b e r ga
and S t G ertrude of N i velle her godm other S h e was ed u cated
by the latter There are many m iracles told of her bu t th at of her
lantern i s the on e best know n and oftenest painted I t was h er cu s
tom to go to th e ch urch of M o r se ll e i n the n ight to pray I t w as a
lo n g distance an d s h e carried a lantern S atan w as very en vio us
of the inue n ce she gain ed by her piety an d frequently p ut out her
light hop ing th at sh e m igh t be m isled W henever this was done
J an uary 8 abo ut
G ud ula immediately rel ighted it by h e r prayers
A D 71 2

Th e lege n d relates th at at th e
S t G u t h l a c o f Cr o y l a n d
t ime of h is birth a h and of ruddy splendor w as see n extended from

A lt h ough
h eaven t o a cross w hi ch stood at h is mother s door
th is w as thought to indicat e fu ture sanctity in the child h e gre w up
w ild and reckless an d at th e age of s ixteen organ ized a ban d of rob
bers and w as their leader ; bu t su ch was h is innate good n ess th at
h e al ways gave back a th ird part of the spoi l to those whom h e
robbed
He l ived th us eight years w hen h e s a w th e sinfulness of
h is life and th e rem ainder of it w as devoted t o penance and repara
ti on A t th e monastery of R epton h e learned to read and studied
the lives of the hermits H e w ent at length to a wi lderness wh ere
h e encou ntered evil spirits as n u merous as those w h ich tormented
S t A nthony
S t Bartholomew was the chosen saint of G u t h l a c
an d he often ca m e to h is rescue and drove th e demo n s into th e sea
T he place of h is retreat was a m arsh A t rst a little oratory was
b u ilt and at length a spl end id monastery was raised on piles an d
ded icated to S t Barthol om e w The m arsh es w ere drai n ed and la
bor an d culti vation chan ged the appearance of the place and put to
ight the demon iac i nh ab ita nts of the former solitude Th e ruins of
Croyland A bbey c over t wenty acres The cou n try is again neglected
and an u nh ealthy m arsh Th e re m ains of a beautiful statue said to
be S t G u t h l a c may still b e seen S t P ega th e sister of S t G uth
l ac gave to th e m onastery the w h ip of S t B artholome w A pril 1 1
A D 71 4
S t H e le n a
I t is admitted by all authorities that S t H elena
w as born in E ngland ; bu t th e exact location of h er birth place is a
-

1 38

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

m atter of d ispute a n d doubt S h e married Constant ius Ch l or u s ( t h e

Pale
When h er
a n d was the mother of Constantine the G reat
son embraced C hristia n i ty sh e was m uch d istressed and d eclared
th at it wo uld h ave been better to be a J e w than a Christian When
sh e a t length bec a me a con vert h er wonderful zeal and th e great i n
u e n ce sh e h ad over the m ind of h er son cond u ced to th e r a pid
gro wth and stre n gth of the C hurch
I n 3 2 6 she mad e a j ourn ey
to Palestine ; a n d w hen she arri ve d at J erusalem she was i nspired
w ith a strong desire to d iscover th e cross u pon w h ich C hris t had
su ff ered T he te mple of Ve n us stood u pon the spot su pposed to be
the place of the crucixion S h e ordered th i s to be taken down
three crosses were found Th ere are
a n d after diggi n g very deep
two accoun ts given of th e m an n er in w h ich the true cross w as se
le ct e d
S ome say th e crosses were all appl ied to a sick person
th e rst t w o w ithout e ffec t w h ile the third caused an i n st a ntaneous
cure Oth ers say th at they w ere carried to a dead person and that at
the appl ication of the th ird l ife was restored Constantine erected a
basil ica u pon th e spot wh ere th e crosses w ere fo und a n d i t was con
3 35
Th e follow ing d a y was S und a y
se c r a t e d S eptember 1 3 A D
a n d the Holy Cross was el evated on h igh for th e ve n era tion of th e

people I t is w ith th e I n ve n tion [F i n di n g] of the True Cross as i t

i s called th at S t Helen a is most fr e qu e n t l v co n sidered ; b u t she d i d
ma n y oth er things wh ich e ither i n th emsel ves or i n the ir e ff ects still
spe a k of h er acti ve ze a l for the Ch urch The Ch urch of the N ati vi ty
at Bethlehe m was erected by h er i n 3 2 7 an d i s the oldest ch urch
edi ce i n the world A ugust 1 8 A D 3 2 7
Th is n a r r a t i ve i s found i n th e th ird ch apter o f
H e lio do ru s
1
th e second book of M accabees
I t is freque n tly ill ustrated i n art
and is as follows W h e n O n ias w as high pri est at Jerusal em a n d
all was prosperou s th ere a certain S i mon go vern or of the tem ple
became d isaff ected to ward O nias on acco unt of so m e trouble i n the
ci ty S o h e we n t to A pollo n i us th e governor of Coe le S yria a n d

told h i m that th e treasury in J e rusale m was full of i n n ite sums

of mo n ey so that th e m ul titude of the ir riches w h i ch d id n o t pert a in
to the accoun t of th e sacri ces was i n n u merabl e a n d th a t i t wa s
possibl e to bring all i n to the k ing s h and
When A pollon iu s told
.

T h e Ca t h o l i c Ch u r c h

i n c l ud e s

th e

Books

of

M a c c a be e s

am

on g

the

i n s p i re d

I L L US T R A TE D

IN

AR T

1 39

th is to the king h e sent h is treasurer H e l i o dor u s w ith comm ands to

bri n g to h i m t h is money W h e n H e l i o d o r u s ca m e to J erus a le m h e
w as courteo u sly recei ved by On i a s ; a n d whe n he told h i m wh a t the y
h a d h eard a n d d e m a n ded if i t was true t hat so m uch mo n ey w as
there t h e high pries t told hi m tha t m u ch money was i ndeed t h ere
but t h at it wa s laid u p for th e rel ief of w ido ws and orph ans S ome
of i t belo n ged to H i r c a n u s th e s o n of Tobias and i t did n ot in trut h
belong to th e treasury as th e w icked S i mon had said
O nias said
that the su m was four h u ndred tale n ts of silver and about two h un
dred tale n ts of gold and
th at it w as al t ogether i mpossi ble th at
s u ch wrong should be d on e unto them th at h ad comm i t ted it to th e
hol iness of the place a n d to the m a j esty and i nviol a ble sa n ctity of
the te m ple honored a l l o ver the world
But H e l i o do r u s s a i d that t h e
k ing h ad gi ven h i m co m mands th a t in any w ise i t sh o uld be bro ugh t
into the treasury S o a day was set w hen h e should rece i ve the
treasure N o w th e w hole city was i n ago n y and th e priests pros
t r a t e d themsel ves before th e altars an d e n tr e ated G o d th at th is
sho uld not be allo wed and called u nto H i m th at the l aw w h ic h h e
h ad made sho uld be kept and th e money preserved for those w ho h ad
com mitted it to their care
Then whoso had looked th e h igh priest
i n the face it wo uld have wounded h is h eart ; for his counte n an ce a n d
th e chan gi n g of h is color decl ared th e in w ard agony of h is m i n d F o r
th e man wa s so compassed w ith fear a n d horror of th e body th at i t
w as m an ifest to the m th a t look ed u pon h i m w h at sorro w he h ad n o w
i n h is h eart
Others r a n ock ing o ut of th eir houses to th e ge n era l
su ppl ic a tio n because the place was l ike to come i nto co n tem pt A n d
the women girt w ith sack cloth u nder their breasts abo unded i n the
streets and t he v irgins that w ere kept in ran some to th e g a tes
and some to the walls a n d oth ers looked out of th e w indo w s
A n d all h old i n g th eir h a nds tow a rd h eaven m ade s uppl i c ation
T hen i t wo u ld h ave p itied a m a n to see t h e falling do wn of the
m ultitude o f all sorts and the fear of the h igh priest being i n such
an agony B u t i n spite of all H e l i o d o r u s w ent to th e temple t o
execute h is inte n tions N o w as he w a s there present h imself w ith
h is gu a rds abou t the treasury the L o rd of spirits and th e Prince of
all po wer caused a grea t apparition so th at all that pr e su med to
come i n w ith hi m were aston ished at th e power of G o d a n d fain t ed
and were sor e afraid F or there appeared u n t o them an h ors e w ith
,

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S T OR I E S

AN D

L E GE N D S

a t e r ribl e rider u pon h im a n d adorned w ith a ve r y fair co veri n g

and he r a n er c ely a n d s m ote at H e l i o d o r u s w ith h is fore fee t and
i t seemed th a t he th a t s a t u pon the h ors e had co mplete harn ess
of gold M oreover t w o other yo u n g men appeared before h im nota
ble i n stre n gth excelle n t in beauty and comely i n apparel w ho
stood by h i m on either side an d sco urged h im contin ually and g a ve
m a n y sore stripes A n d H e l i o d o r u s fell s uddenly unto the
h im
ground a n d was com passed w it h great darkness ; b ut they t hat
w ere w ith h i m took h i m u p and pu t h i m into a l i t ter Th us h im
th a t lately came w it h a great trai n and w i t h all h i s guard into the
said treasury they carried out being unabl e to h el p h imself w ith
hi s weapo n s ; an d man ifestly they ackno wledged th e po w er of Go d
F o r he by the h a n d of G o d was cast down and lay speechless w ith
out a l l hope of l i fe B ut th ey praised t he L ord th a t had m i ra c u
l o u s l y ho n ored h is own pl ace ; for th e tem ple w h i ch a l ittle afore
w a s ful l of fear a n d tro ubl e w hen the alm igh ty L ord appeared was
lled w i t h j oy and gladness Then straightway certain of H e l io d o
rus friends prayed O n ias t h at h e w o uld call upon the M ost H igh
to gra n t h i m h is l ife wh o lay ready to give u p th e ghost S o the
h igh priest s uspecting lest th e king should m isconce i ve that some
tre a chery h a d been done to H e l io d o r u s by the Je w s o ffered a sacri
c e for th e h ealth of th e m an
N o w as th e h igh priest was making
an
ato n e m e n t th e same yo ung men i n th e same cloth i n g appe a re d
a n d stood beside H e l i o d o r u s
saying G i ve O n ias th e h igh priest
great th anks ins o m uch that for h is sak e t h is L ord hath grante d
thee li fe A n d seeing that tho u h ast been scourged from h eaven
d e clare u n to all m e n th e mighty po wer of Go d
A n d wh en they
h ad spoken th ese words they appeared no m ore S o H e l io d o r u s
aft er h e had o ff ered sacri ce u nto th e L ord a n d m ade gr eat vo w s
u nto h i m that had saved hi s l i fe and sal uted On ias retur n ed w i th
h is host to th e ki n g T hen testi ed h e to all men th e works of th e
gr eat Go d w h ich h e h ad seen w ith h is eyes A n d wh en th e k i n g
asked H e l io d o r u s w h o migh t be a t m an t o be se n t yet o n c e
ag a i n to Jerus a lem h e said : I f th o u h ast any enemy or traitor
se n d h i m th i t he r a n d tho u sh a l t rece i ve hi m w e l l scourged if h e c s
c a pe w ith h is l i fe ; for i n th a t pl a ce n o d ou bt th e r e is a n especi a l
po w er of G o d F o r He th a t d w elleth i n h e aven h a th h is eye o n
th a t place and d e fe n d e t h i t and h e beateth and destroyeth the m
,

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1 41

th at come to h urt it
A n d t h e things concern ing H e l i o dor u s an d
the keeping of the tr e asury fel l out on th is sort
He married C une
S t H e n r y o f B a v a r i a was born in 9 72
gu nda daughter of S iegfried Co un t of L uxembourg
Bot h are
sain ts and both obtained that glory by their perfect and ent ire de
to th e C h urch Th is was so m arked a featur e of Henry s
v o t i on
ch aracter and reign t hat i t caused a revolt among the prin ces of
h i s empire as they thought h e had n o right t o lavish so mu c h
treasure i n th e s e rvi c e of rel igion
H enry w as no l e ss a soldier
than a Christian A fter defeating t h e sed itiou s nobles b e restor e d
to them t heir possessions and treated th e m as i f noth ing h ad o c
curred Whe n he went to war to subj ect and conv e rt Polan d an d
S c l a vo n i a h e pu t h imse l f and h i s army u n d er t h e protection of S S
H e gird e d on t h e s word of t h e last
L auren ce George and A drian
n amed wh ich h ad lo n g b e en pr e s e rved in Walbeck Ch urch T h e
legend relates that t h e thr e e saints w e re v isible ghting by th e side
of Henry and th at th rough their ai d h e conqu e red T h e ch urch of
M e r se b e r g wa s b u il t to com memorat e th is victory
H e also fough t
i n I taly and drove th e S arac e ns from A p ulia Henry h ad an especial
veneration for t h e V irgin ; an d w hen on h is exp e d itions u pon e ntering
a place al ways repaired rst to some ch u rch or shrine dedi cated t o
her
On on e occasio n at Verdu n h e w as seized w ith s uc h a d is
gust an d w eariness of h is i m perial l ife a n d d uties th at h e desire d
t o becom e a monk
The prior told the emperor that h is rst
duty would be obed ien ce
Wh en Henry declared h imself ready
to obey th e prior commande d h i m to retai n h i s ofce an d d is
charge its du ties
He nry an d Cu n e gu n da together founded an d
ri chly endowed the cathedral an d con vent of Bamberg i n F ran
conia as well as many other rel igious edi ces i n Germany an d
also i n I taly A fter they h ad been un ited several years d uri n g
w h i ch t ime by m utu al consent th ey l ived i n t h e strictest contin ence
Henry
Cu n e g u n d a was s u spected o f unfaith fulness to h e r h usband
bel ieved i n t h e p urity of h i s w i fe and sh e w ould h ave looked u po n
th ese reports as trial s sent fro m h eaven to test her patience but sh e
felt that her position demanded her j ustication and sh e asked to be
allowe d t h e trial by ordeal S h e walked over burning plo u gh shares
uni n j ured Henry tried to m ake a m e n ds to h er by showing her th e
greatest respect and tenderness b ut sh e pr e ferr e d to retire to t h e

142

S T OR I E S

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L E GE N D S

cloister ; to wh ich h e co n sented H e n ry d ied i n 1 02 4 and was buri ed

i n th e cathedra l of Ba m berg H is w i fe then took the Ben edictine
h abit and led a life of i ncessant prayer and labor w ork ing w ith her
h ands for the poor and sick S h e d ied i n 1 04 0 an d w as interred
by the side o f Henry F esti val of H enry J uly 1 4 Cun e g un da
M arch 3 F o r S t Henry see also S t L aurence
H is moth er w as
S t H e r m a n -Jo s e p h w as a nati ve of Cologn e
very poor b u t bro ught up h er son piously I t was h i s c ustom every
day wh en on h i s w ay to school to go to the ch urch of S t M ary an d
repeat h is prayers before the i mage of O ur L ady O ne day w hen an
apple was all he had for h i s dinner h e o ff ered i t h u mbly to t h e V ir

O
ur
Blessed
ady
i
n ; and th e legend says that th is so pleased
L
g
that she pu t forth her h and and took the appl e and gave i t to o u r
L ord Jesus wh o sat u pon her knee and both sm iled u pon H erm an
W hen still young Herman took the h abit of th e Premonstratensi a ns
H e had many beau tiful v isions i n on e of w h i ch th e V irgin descen d ed
from heaven an d pu t t ing a ring on h i s nger called h i m h e r espoused
F rom th is vision h e acqu ir e d the additional n ame of Joseph A pril 7
A D 1 236
S t H e r m e n gil d u s w as t h e son o f K ing L e o v ig il d an d during
the contest between t h e Cathol ics and A rian s h e w as p u t to deat h
by h is fath er for rel inquish ing t h e A ri an faith H e i s on e of th e m ost
fa mous S pan ish m artyrs Th e c h ef d a u vr e o f H errera i s the a po t h e
osis of th is sai n t He i s carri ed i nto glory w h ile S t I sidore and S t
L eander stan d on each sid e an d th e young son of H e r m e n g i l d u s
gazes u pward s as h is father i s born e to h eaven Th e saint hold s a
cross an d w ears a cuirass of bl u e steel and a scarlet mantl e A pril
,

H ila

S e e S t D on ato of A rezzo
rion
S t H i l a r y (I t a l S an t I lario ; F r S t H ilaire) was B ish op of
Poit iers A lthough F ren ch h e i s greatly reverenced i n I taly and
is one o f th e patrons of Par m a w h ere i t i s said a part o f h is rel ics
repose Jan uary 1 4 A D 3 6 3
S t H i l d a o f W h i t b y was th e great grandd aughter o f K ing
S h e w as a bbess of Wh itby and celebrated for h er piety a n d
E dwin
l earn i n g a n d th e excellent tr a i n i n g w h i ch sh e gave al l u nd er h er
ch arge S i x bish o ps were elected o ut of th e mon astery of m en at
S t r e a n e s h a l e h wh ich w as u nd e r h er j urisd iction
S h e attended a

St

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143

council h eld at her mon astery H er w isdo m w as so great that k i n gs

o ple
v
n
a
w
s
princes
sou
h
t
her
guid
ce
h
e
e
erated
by
th
e
pe
n
a
S
n
d
a
g
F ossils h a vi n g
a n d m a n y wonderful m iracles a r e attributed to h er
the sh a pe of coiled serpe n ts h ave been fo u n d w h ich w ere bel ieved to
h ave bee n venomo us reptiles cha n ged by the prayers of S t Hilda

Bede th us tells of her deat h

A n d in the year of the in car n ation of
O ur L ord 68 0 o n th e 1 7th of N ove mber th e abbess H ilda h avi n g
su ffere d u n der an in r m ity for se ven years a n d performed m a n y
h eavenly works on earth d ied and was c a rried into Paradise by the
an gels as wa s beh eld in a v ision by one of her own n uns th en at a
d istance on the sam e night : th e n ame of thi s n u n w as then Bega
b ut sh e afterwards became famo us under th e name of S t Bees
N ov e m ber 1 8 A D 68 0
S t H i p p o l y t u s ( I t a l S ant I ppol ito ; F r S t H ypp o l yt e ; Gr

on e who i s destroyed by horses of

A y l m r oAm o e z sig n i cation
w h ich an imal th i s saint is the patron) T here i s great obscurity i n
th e legend s of Hippolytus H e w as a R o m an sold ier and w as a p
poi n ted a gu ard over S t L aurence He becam e a Christian fro m th e
in uence of h i s prisoner and h is entire fa m i ly were also con verted
A fter th e fearful martyrdom of S t L au re n ce H ippolytu s took th e
body and b uried it O n accoun t of th is h e w as accused of being a
Christian w h ich h e den ied not b ut decl ared hi mself re a dy to m eet
S
an
death
rath
er
than
deny
hi
s
avio
ur
He
saw
n
i
n eteen of h is
y
fam ily su ff er death among wh om was h is aged n urse Concordia w ho
w as so bold i n declari n g h er faith th at sh e was sco urged to death
w h ile the others were beh eaded
H ippolyt us w as tied to th e t a ils
of w ild h orses and thus torn to pieces T h e B r e s c i a n s clai m t h at h i s
rel ics repose i n th e co n vent of S anta G i ul ia The legends also say
th at in the eighth cent u ry h is rem ains w ere carried from R om e to
th e ch urch of S t D enis an d on th is acco unt h e i s a popular saint
i n F r a n ce A ugust 1 3 A D 25 8
H o l o fe r n e s
S e e J ud ith
S t H u b e r t o f L i e g e w as a very gay nobleman
He was of
A q u itai n e an d l ived at th e court of Pepin d H e r i s t a l
He parti ci
pated i n all th e pleasures of th e court b ut was especially fond of th e
ch ase a n d e ve n h u n ted on th e days appointed by th e C h urch for
fasting a n d prayer
A s he h unt e d in the forest of A rde n nes on e
day i n Holy W e e k there came to h i m a milk w h it e stag w ith a
.

'

'

1 44

L E GE N D S

S T OR I E S

A N D

cruci x between h is horns

H ubert was overcom e w ith aw e an d
surprise He bec a m e se n sible of th e w ickednes s of h is l ife and l i ve d
a herm it i n the very forest where h e h a d so often sough t h is a m use
m e n t T here were bands of robbers and large n u mbers of idolaters i n
and around the forest of A rdennes a n d to them S t H ubert preached
Christia n ity a n d also introd u ced social reforms a n d ci vil ization
among them A t length h e stu died w ith S t L ambert and bec a m e
a priest He was after wards b ishop o f L i ege H e requ ested that h e
migh t be buried i n the ch u rch of S t Peter at L i ege Th irteen years
after h is death h is remains were fo und to be perfect and h is robes
u n stai n ed The Bened icti nes of A rdennes d esired to h ave h i s body
and i t was re moved to th eir abbey ch urch abo ut a cent ury after h is
death S t H ubert i s patron of th e ch ase and of dogs a n d chapel s
are erected to h i m i n the forests w here the devo ut h untsm an m ay
pray Bread blessed a t h is shrin e is believ e d to c ure hydrophob ia
N ovember 3 A D 72 7
Th is s aint w as B ishop of G renob l e at
S t H u gh o f G r e n o b l e
th e time wh en S t Bruno founded th e rst Chartre use H ugh often
retired to th e monastery and de voted hi mself to t h e life of th e most
h umble a n d pen iten t brot h er O ne of the m iracles related as being
performed by h i m i s th e changing of fowls i nto tortoises w hen h is
C a rth usian brethren could eat no esh and co uld obtain n o sh I t
i s sai d th at S atan tem pted H ugh forty years by wh isperi n g co n tin u
ally i n h is ear doubts of G od s Prov iden ce o n account of h is perm it
ting sin i n the world The saint fa sted and d id penan ce contin u ally
o n acco un t of th is temptation
and i t n ever obt a ined do m inion over
h i m su f c iently to weaken h is faith in G o d
A pril 1 A D 1 1 3 2
S t H u g h B i s h o p o f L i n c o l n was al so a Carth usian
He
w as se n t to E ngl a n d i n 1 1 2 6 and made Bishop of L i n coln
Th e
c a th edral w h ich had been destroyed by an e a rthqu ake w a s reb u il t by
S t Hugh
I t is a n e specimen of the best G oth i c arc h itecture
Of
a l l th e m u n i c e u t gifts of i ts fou n der th e only on e remai ni n g i s t h e
gl a ss i n on e w i n do w wh i ch i s p a inted w ith scenes from h is li fe H is
proper attribu te i s a s w an typical of soli t ude w h ich was h is del ight
N ove m ber 1 7 A D 1 1 8 9
S t H u gh
M a r ty r
The l egend co n nected w ith th i s martyr
relates th a t this c hi ld w ho i s represented as abo ut three years old
w as stolen by the J ew s and cru cied by them i n ridicul e of t h e
.

'

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1 45

of t h e C hristi ans an d in revenge for t h e cruelti e s wh ich the

Jews su ff ered i n Christian co untri es T here are three other sai n ts
w ho h ave b e en canon ized o n account of havi n g suffered the same
martyrdom : S t Will iam of N orwi ch A D 1 1 3 7 S t R ichard of Pon
toise A D 1 1 8 2 ; an d S t S i mon of Trent A D 1 4 72 The date of
S t Hugh s deat h is i n 1 25 5 A ugust 2 7
k
i
r
n
va
s
d
o
A
l
t
belonged
to
the
fam
ily
of
th
e
one
of
n
h
i
H
a
c
St
y
th e m ost noble in S ilesia H e was ed ucated i n Bologna and was
distingu ish ed not only for h is intellectual superiority b ut for h is
piety and h is prudence and j udgment in everythi n g h e attempted t o
do S oon after the completion of h i s stud ies w it h h i s co u sin Ce sl a s
h e accompanied h is uncle I vo w ho w as Bishop o f Craco w to R ome
T here they l iste n e d to the preach ing of S t D om in ick w hich so moved
the heart of I vo that he besought the saint to send one of h is order
on a m ission to h is far o ff and half h e athen co untry B ut D omi n ic k
h ad no d isciple to send as al l were engaged elsewh ere Then th e
young H yacinth declared h i s intentio n to beco me a monk and to
Ce sl a s j oine d
preach to h i s ignoran t and barbarous coun trymen
h im an d th ey took th e vows and the habit of the D omini cans i n
th e church of S t S abin a at R ome F o r forty years H yacinth j our
n e e d and preached i n all the n orth ern co untries
is
sai
d
th
at
I
t
y
h is tra v els exte n ded fro m S cotland to th e C hin ese boundaries H e
founded vario us monasteri es ; and i t i s related of hi m t hat h is con
vent in Ki o v i n R ussia being sacked h e escaped bearing the Pyx
and th e i m age of th e V irgin w hi ch h e h ad taken from t h e altar
H e reached th e banks of the D n iester pursued by th e Tart a rs T he
ri ver w as m u ch swollen ; b ut being determined to preserve th e pre
c i o u s obj ects f rom desecratio n by th e pagans h e prayed to H eaven
and pl u n ged into the ri ver T h e w aters sustained h im and h e w alked
over as on dry land H e died at h is mo n astery i n Cracow to wh i ch
h e ret urn ed worn o ut by h i s labors and exposures A n ne of A ustria
after h er m arri a ge requested th e K i n g of Pola n d to se n d h er som e
rel ics of S t Hyacinth Th i s h e d id and they w ere placed in t h e
D ominican Convent at P aris
F ro m th is ti m e th e saint became an
obj ect of veneration i n F ra n ce w here m any pi ctures of h i m are seen
S eptember 1 1 A D
S aviour

th w i t h h i s b ro th e r S t P ro f u s i s m e n t io n e d i n
C a l e n da r a s h a vi n g s u ff e r e d m a r t yr d om u n d e r D i o c l e t i a n A D 304
1

St

H ya c i n

10

th e L

i b e r ia n

1 46

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

ti o c h (L a t S I gn ati us ; I t a l S ant I gnazio ;

F r S t I g n a c e ; G r D e r H i lige I g n a z H i s G r e e k t i t l e i s c dxip og
T r a d itio n s a y s t h a t t h is I g n a t i us I S t h e s a m e w hom
J e u s pre s e n t ed w h e n a ch i l d t o hi s d iscipl e s w i t h t h e w o rd s Wh o
s o e v e r s h a l l re c e i ve o n e of su c h c h i ldre n i n my n ame recei veth m e
H e wa s a d is c i ple o f S t John the E v a ngelist a n d the de a r friend of
1 o c a rp
I t is a lso s a id that on ac c o u nt of h is perfect purity of
tho u gh t a n d life he wa s per m itted to h e ar th e m u sic of th e a n gel s
a n d that from t h e a n gel ic ch o irs h e
le a r n ed the si n ging of G od s
praises i n responses wh ich h e i n trod uced into h is ch urch after h e
w as B i shop of A ntioch T he E m peror Tra j an after on e of h i s vi c
tories co m m anded sacri ces to th e gods in every province of h is
empire The Chri stians refused to obey Traj an came to A ntioch
a n d se n d i n g for I gnati us ch arged h i m
w ith t he perversion of th e
hearts of h is peopl e a n d prom ised h im great favors if h e would sacri
c e in a pag a n te m pl e
B ut I gnati us scornfully refused a n d said h e
w ould worshi p only the true a n d l iving G o d Th en Trajan a sked
how h e could c a l l H i m li ving w h o h ad d ied u pon a c r oss B u t I gn a
ti us spurn ed the idea o f a n y Go d but th e L ord and Traj an com
m e nded h im to be i mprison ed an d reserved for th e am ph i the a tre a t
R ome
I gn at ius rej oiced in h is se n ten ce and set out o n h is j our n ey
w ith great courage A t S myrna h e saw Polycarp an d o t her Christi a n s
who m h e encouraged to labor for th e Ch urch and if n eed be to d ie
for i t A rri ved at R ome o n a feast day h e w a s set in th e m idst

of th e am ph ith eatre H e addressed t he peop l e th us : M en an d

R om a n s kno w ye that i t i s n o t for any crim e that I am placed h ere
but for the glory of th at G o d w hom I worshi p I am as the w h eat
of h is eld a n d m ust be ground by th e teeth of th e l ions that I may
A ccord ing to on e
be c o m e bre a d worthy of being served u p to h i m
tra d ition h e fell d ead before t h e l io n s reached h im and h is body wa s
n o t tou ch ed by th em
A nother says t hat they tore h i m a n d devo ured
h im l eaving o n ly a fe w bo n e s Wh ate ver remain ed of h i m was ca r
ried by h is friends to A n tioch ; and i t i s said h i s rel ics w ere bro u gh t
a g a in to R o m e and pl aced in th e ch urch of S t
Clem ent i n 5 4 0 or
n ea r th at ti m e
F ebru ary 1 A D 1 0 7
S t I g n a t i u s L o y o l a w ho was the founder of t h e O rder of th e
J esu its w as in h is you th a pa g e in the court of F erd in an d th e
C atholic ; and later a brave and gay soldier H is f amily w as o n e of
St

I gn

tius

of

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most nob l e a n d I gn a ti us wa s ll e d w ith prid e of r a c e a n d wa s

v a in of h is h a ndsom e person A t P a mpel un a w hen thirty y e a rs old
h e w a s wounded in both legs ; a n d th e most torturi n g opera tion s
w h ich h e end ur e d i n ord e r to pr e v e nt l a men e ss w ere in v a in
W hile
conned by thes e su ff erings h e r e a d t h e L i fe of Chris t a n d other
book s whi ch r esulted i n h is r e sol ving to d e vote h i ms e lf to the serv ic e
of t h e Bl e ssed M oth e r of God a n d th a t of h e r S on w hose sold ier h e
A s soon a s possibl e h e l a i d h is sword a n d l a nc e u pon th e
w ould be
a n d we nt to M a nres a
H er e h e
a lt a r of O ur L a dy of M ontserr a t
w a s subj ect to gre a t t empt a tions a n d S a t a n so tormented h im w it h
do ubts a s to m a k e h i m a lmost a m a n i a c ; but a t l e n gth by celesti a l
v isions he w a s r e stor e d to hope a n d con rm e d i n fa ith H e th e n
b ut wa s pre vented a n d obliged to
a ttempted to go to Jerus a lem
N o t being a llowed to te a ch on a ccount of h is
rem a i n in S p a in
ignor a nc e of th eology h e submi tted t o a tediou s cours e of study
A fter a ti me he w ent t o P a ri s wh e r e h e m a de t h e a cqu a int a n ce of
ve men w ho symp a th ized with h is vi e ws a n d wh o w ith a f e w oth ers
formed themsel ves i nto a com m un ity u nder h i s direction In a dd i
tion t o t h e us u a l mon a sti c v o ws of pov e rty ch a stity a n d ob e d ience
they pro mis e d unreserved obed i e nc e to th e pope a n d to go to a n y
p a rt of t h e glob e w h ith e r h e shoul d s en d t hem
T her e w e r e t hree

especi a l duties belonging to th is order wh i ch w a s c a ll e d t h e Com

p a ny of Jes us : rst pre a ch ing ; secon d t h e gu id a nc e of souls i n
confession 3 a n d th ird the te a ch ing of th e young I t wa s thre e ye a rs
before Ign a ti us obt a in e d th e con rm a tion of t h e ord e r of wh ich h e
w a s th e rst G en e r a l
H e h a d m a ny v isions 3 h e su ffe red gre a t
t e mpt a tions a n d performe d severe pen a nces
N umerou s m ir a cl e s
h a v e been wrought through h is in t e rcession O n h is wa y to R om e
i t is s a id the S a viou r a ppe a red to h im be a ring h is cross a n d s a y ing

E go vob is R om ae p r o p i t i u s ero
a n d a ga i n a n
a n gel held before

h i m a t a bl e t thu s inscribed
In hoc v o c a b i t u r tibi nomen
J uly
t he

I l d e f o n s o or A l f o n s o (Ge r D er H eilig e I l de ph o n s) T h is
s a int wa s one of t h e rst Ben e di ctines in S p a in H e de voted h i m s e l f
to t h e servic e of th e Blessed Virgin a n d wrot e a book to prov e h er
perpetu a l v irgin ity H e h a d tw o rem a rk a ble visions I n one S t
Leoc a d i a to whom h e h a d vow e d p a rticul a r devo t ion ros e out of her
tomb to a ssur e h i m of t h e fa vor of t h e Virgin a n d of the a pp rov a l of
St

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AN D

T h e s a int wore a S p a n ish m a ntill a a n d

h i s tre a tis e in h e r pr a i se
Ildefonso cut o ff a corner of it w h ich w a s pre served i n h e r ch a pel a t
A g a in a s h e entered h is ch u rch a t m idn ight a t th e h e a d
T oledo
of a procession h e s a w a gre a t light a bo ut the h igh a lt a r A l l were
A ppro a ch ing h e b e h e ld t h e Virgin s e a t e d on
a l a rmed sa ve h imself
He
h i s i vory throne surro unded by a ngels a n d ch a nting a servic e

bow e d before h e r a n d sh e s a id Com e h ith e r most fa ithfu l s e rv a nt

of G o d a n d rec e iv e this robe w h i ch I h a v e brought th e e from t h e
T h e n sh e thre w ov e r h im a s h e kn e l t a
tre a sury of my S o n
c a ssock of he a v e nly t e xture a n d t h e a ngels a dj usted i t F ro m t h a t
time h e nev e r occu pied t h e thron e o r wore th e g a rm en t A rchbishop
S i s i be r t o died on a cco unt o f h is presum p tion in ende a voring to we a r
th e rob e a n d sit o n t h e thron e Ildefonso w a s t h e a rchbishop a n d i s
J a nu a ry 2 3 A D 6 6 7
t h e p a tron sa int o f T o l e do
I n n o c e n t s T h e M a s s a c r e o f (I t a l Gl i Inn ocent i F a nc iull i
M a rtiri I S a nt i B a mbin i M a rtiri ; F r L e s Innoc e n t s ; Ge r D i e U n
sch uld igen K indle in )
T h e s e m urd ered i nfa nts a r e reg a rded w ith
e speci a l honor by t h e Ch urch a s being th e rst Christi a n m a rtyrs 3
Wh i l e w e con n e ct w illingn ess to su ff er
a n d in a s e nse t h e v a r e so
for C hrist w i th m a rtyrdom sti ll i t i s tru e th a t u nconscio u sly th es e
ch ildren s u ff ered for h im since i t wa s on a cco un t of hi s b irth th a t
th e y w e re d e stroy e d T hey a r e represented w ith m a rtyrs p a l ms
S om e tim e s t h e y sust a in t h e cross a n d th e instru m e nts o f tort ure 3
a g a in they surrou nd t h e M a donn a a n d C h ild
o r a r e r e c e i ved i nto
h e a ven by th e Infa nt S a v iour
S t I s a b e l l a o f F r a n c e wh o fou n ded t h e conv e n t a t Long
ch a m ps w a s sist e r to t he s a intly K ing Lo uis
S h e w a s e d uc a t e d
w ith h er brother by the ir moth e r Bl a nch e of C a stile S h e d edi ca ted

h er convent to the H um il ity o f t h e Blessed Virgin a n d ga v e to i t

a l l h er do wry
A s long a s th e con vent existed t h e festiv a l of th is
s a in t wa s cel ebr a ted wi th gre a t spl endor F ebru a ry 2 2, A D 1 2 70
S t I s i d o r e t h e P l o u g h m a n (I t a l S a nt Isidoro A gri col a ; S p
S a n I sidro e 1 L a bra dor )
T h e S p a n ish l egend tells u s th a t t hi s s a int
could not r e a d or write H is fa th e r w a s a poor l a borer a n d b e h im
self w a s t h e serv a nt of a fa rm e r n a m ed Ju a n de Va rg as Isidore
spent m u ch ti me in pra y e r a n d h i s m a ster w ent o n e d a y to t h e e ld
dete r m in e d to forbid w h a t h e considere d a w a st e of tim e A s h e
c a m e ne a r h e s a w two a ngels gu iding t h e p l ough w h il e t h e sa int
,

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k ne l t a t h is d e votions ne a r by O n e da y w h e n h is m a st e r th irsted
He
I sidor e stru ck a rock w ith h is go a d a n d pur e w a t e r owed o ut
restored a ch ild to l ife by his p r a yers a n d p e rform e d v a riou s oth e r
m ira cles M a y 1 0 A D 1 1 70
E gr e gi u s Doctor
S t I s i d o r e B i s h o p o f S e v i l l e is s t yl e d t h e

H isp a ni cs
His brother Le a nder w ho pr e c e d e d h i m i n h is bishopri c

i s c a lled t h e A post l e of t h e G oth s a n d t h ey a r e both d istingu ish e d

for the ir opposit ion t o th e A ri a n her e sy I n S p a n ish pi ct ures they
re p r e s e nt e d w ith F erd in a nd of C a stil e a n d S t H e r m e n gi l d u s
are
In th e ch urch o f S t Isidore a t S e ville is a m a gn ic e nt picture (E 1
T r a nsito d e S a n Isidoro) wh i ch represents h i m dying on t h e st e ps of
Both th e s e
t h e a lt a r h a vi n g gi ven a l l h is prop e rty to t h e poor
brothers a r e p a tron s a ints of S e ville A pril 4 A D 606
S t I v e s o f B r e t a gn e ( I t a l S a nt I v o 3 on a ccount of h is pro

He
S a i nt Y ves H e l o r i A voc a t des
f e s s i o n h e is styled
belonged to a nobl e fa m ily a n d fro m h i s moth er A z a d u P l e ssi s wh o
conduc t ed hi s e a rly e d uc a tion h e deriv e d h is rem a rk a b l e p i e ty A s
H e wa s b u t fourte e n when
a boy h e h a d a n
a mbition t o b e a s a int
h e w ent to Pa ris a n d h ere a n d a fterw a rds a t Orl e a ns h e d e vot e d h im
sel f to leg a l studies I t h a s b e en s a id th a t l a wy e rs h a ve chosen h i m
a s th e ir p a tron r a t h er th a n p a ttern
a s h e wa s distingu ish ed for
h is love of j u stic e a n d its v indic a tion und e r a l l circumst a nces A l l
t hrough h i s y e a rs of study h e g a ve m a ny hours to r e ligious d uties
a n d especi a lly to the l a bors of ch a rity
H e a l so a t th is t im e m a de
A fter return ing hom e h e studied theology
At
a v o w of cel ib a cy
t h e a g e of th irty h e wa s m a d e j udg e a dvoc a t e
H e a l w a ys a t
t e mpted to recon cile contending p a rties w ithout r e sorti n g t o l a w a n d
w a s a lw a ys re a dy to ple a d for t h e poor w ithout recompens e
At
l e ngth he e n tered t h e priesthood B efore a ssu ming h is priestly ga r
m e nts he ga v e thos e h e h a d worn to the p oor a n d w e nt out from
th e hosp it a l w here h e h a d distributed them w ith b a re h e a d a n d feet
W h en a priest h e contin ued to b e the A dvoc a t e of the Poor a n d h is
do uble duties w ore on h is h e a l th H e d i e d a t the a ge of fty He
i s the p a tron o f l a wy e rs in a l l E urop e
M a y 1 9 A D 1 3 03
S t J a m e s t h e G r e a t (L a t S J a cobu s M aj or 3 I t a l S a n Gi a
como or J a c o p o M a ggiore 3 F r S t J a cqu e s M a j e ur ; Sp S a n J a go
or S a nti a go E 1 T utel a r)
S t J a m e s c a lled t h e M aj or th e Gre a t
or t h e E ld e r
is pres e nt e d to us i n two v e ry di ff er e nt ch a ra cters
,

1 50

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AN D

ch b e ing i mporta nt a n d full of in te rest F i rst i n t h e G os pe l s

a n d a n e a r k insm a n a n d fa vorite
a s t h e brother of the E v a ngel ist
discipl e of o ur Lord H e w a s mu ch w i th J e su s a n d presen t a t m a ny
o f the most i m port a nt events in h i s l i fe such a s h is t r a n s g u r a t i o n
S till a ft e r t h e S a viour s a sce nsion
a n d the a gony in the G a rd e n
B ut in h is
n oth ing is told of h im s a v e th a t h e w a s sl a in by H erod
second ch a ra ct e r a s p a tron s a int of S p a in w e c a n m a k e no com
pl a int of th e m e a gr e n e ss o f th e writings conc e rning h im T h e
l egends of hi m a n d h is works wo uld l l a vo l u m e 3 a n d h e is s a id to
h a v e a pp e a red a fter d e a th a t t h e h e a d o f t h e S p a n ish a rm ies on
thi rty
e ight d i ff erent occ a sions T h e S p a ni sh l e gend wh il e it m a k e s
S a nti a go the son o f Z eb e de e a n d a n a tive o f Ga lil e e does not r e pr e
sent h im a s a poor sherm a n w h o follow e d th a t voc a tion for a l iv e
l i h o o d but a s a noblem a n s son w h o a ccom p a n i e d h is fa th er a n d
brother in a bo a t a tt e nd e d by s e rv a nts m e rely for p a stime a n d sport
But so h e a venly m ind e d wa s thi s young noblem a n th a t he w a s
gre a tly a ttra cted to Jesu s a n d ch os e to follo w h i m in a ll h is l a bors
w itnessing h is wonderful m ira cles a n d i mbibing h is S pirit a n d te a ch
in g
A fter t h e a scension of Christ J a m es pre a ch ed rst in J ud ae a
m ission a ry to be a r the n ews of th e G ospel
a n d th en tr a velling a s a
to a ll th e e a rth c a m e a t l a st t o S p a in Her e h e m a de fe w conv e rt s
on a ccount of t h e dre a dful ignora nce a n d idol a t r y of th e people
A t length a s h e w a s st a nding one d a y on th e b a n k s of th e E bro
th e V irgin a ppe a red to h i m a n d comm a nd e d h i m t o b uild there a
ch urch u nder h er p a tron a ge a ssuring h i m th a t i n t h e fut ur e th is
p a g a n l a nd sho uld de voutly w orshi p b er d i vine S o n a n d honor h er
self H e obeyed ; a n d h a v ing est a bl ished t h e fa ith in S pa in h e
returned to J u d ae a w here h e pre a ch ed un t il h is de a th m a n y ye a rs
a fter
T h e Je ws were very bitter i n their persecution s of J a mes ;
He sent
a n d one H ermogenes
a sorcerer especi a lly opposed h im
one of h is pu pils Ph iletus to oppose h i m i n a rgument J a mes sig
n a ll y defe a ted t h e Jew a n d moreo ver convert e d h im to t h e C hristi a n
F a ith T h is gr e a tly enr a ged Hermogenes w h o in revenge bou nd
Ph iletus by h is spells a n d th en tol d h i m to l et h is n e w t e a ch er
del i ver h im Ph iletus sent h is serv a nt to J a mes wh o w h en h e
he a rd h is story sen t h is clo a k to h i s n e w d isci pl e ; a n d a s soon a s
Philetus tou ch ed i t b e fre e d h i msel f a n d went to J a mes w ith h a ste
H ermogenes then sent a b a nd of demons with orders to bind bo th
ea

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J a m e s a n d Ph i l etu s a n d bring th em to h i m 3 b ut on th e w a y th ey
m et a comp a ny of a ng e ls wh o pun ished th e m severely S t J a mes
th e n ord e red t h e d e m on s to bring H e rmog e n es bound to h im T hey
obey e d a n d b e sought h im a s they l a id the sorc e rer a t h is fe e t th a t
h e wo u ld h e re v e nge d for th e m a n d h ims e lf on a common e nemy
B ut J a mes a ssur e d t h e m th a t h is M a ster h a d t a ught h im to do good
for evil a n d so rele a sed t h e p rison e r H e rmoge nes c a s t a ll h is book s
i n to the s e a a n d e ntre a t e d J a mes to protect hi m from th e demons
w ho h a d been h is sl a ves T h e A p ostl e ga ve h i m h i s own st a ff ; a n d
fro m th a t tim e t h e p ers e cutor b e c a m e t h e e a rn e st a n d fa ithful d is
A t length the J e ws
c i pl e
a n d pre a ch ed t h e F a ith w ith gr e a t fruit
w ere d e t e rmin e d to destroy h im a n d sent to dr a g h i m before Herod
H i s gentleness a n d t h e m ira cles wh ich h e d id on t h e wa y
A gripp a
so tou ch ed the soul of one of h i s t o r i n e n t o r s t h a t h e b e gge d to d i e
w ith him J a mes ga v e h i m a kiss s a y i ng P a x vob is 3 a n d from

kiss of p e a c e w h ich h a s b e e n us e d a s a b e n e diction

t h is a rose t h e
i n t h e C h urch from th a t tim e
T h e l e g e nd
T h e s a int a n d h is l a st convert were th e n b e h e a d e d
of th e de a d body of J a mes is f a r more wond e rful th a n a n y of h is life
H is discipl es t ook h is body b ut not d a ring to b ury it p ut it on a
shi p a t Jopp a M a ny a ccounts a r e gi ven of t h is m ira cu l ou s v e ssel
S om e s a y it w a s of m a rble b ut a l l a gree th a t a n gel s cond ucted i t to
I n s e v e n d a ys th e y s a i l ed through the Pill a rs of Hercules
S p a in
T hey bor e the body on shore
a n d l a nded a t Iri a F l a v i a or P a dro n
a n d l a id it on a l a rg e stone w hich b e c a m e like w a x a n d r e ce ived t h e
body into itself T h is wa s a sign that th e s a int des ired to rem a i n
there B u t th e cou ntry wa s rul e d by a very w ick e d queen wh o
comm a nded th a t t h ey should pl a ce th e ston e on a c a r a n d a tta c h
w ild bulls to i t th inking th a t th ey would d a sh i t in pieces B ut t h e
bulls gently drew t h e c a r i nto th e court of L u p a s p a l a ce T hen sh e
w a s co n verted a n d b uilt a m a gn i cen t ch urch to rece ive th e body o r
J a mes A fter wa rds t h e knowledge of h is b uri a l pl a c e wa s lost until
th e ye a r 8 00 wh e n i t wa s reve a led to a pri e st T h e r e m a ins w e r e
removed to Co m p os t e l l a wh i ch b e c a m e o n e of th e most fa mous o f
shrines on a ccoun t of t h e m ira cl e s wrough t th er e T h e O rder of S t
J a go wa s insti tuted by D on A lphonso for its protection a n d w a s one
of t h e most honora bl e a n d we a lt h y i n a l l S p a in T he fa m e of t h e
sh ri n e o f Com p ost e ll a s p re a d ov e r E urop e a n d in s o m e y e a rs it wa s
.

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v isited by a h undred thous a n d pilgrims O n e of th e m ost curiou s

of the legends of this s a int a n d one frequently tre a ted i n a r t is con
A G erm a n w ith h is w i fe
n e c t e d w ith three of these p io us p ilgrim s
of S t J a m e s a n d lodged
a n d s o n m a de a pilgrim a ge to the shrin e
T h e son w a s a h a ndsome yo uth a n d t h e
a t T o r l o sa on the w a y
d a ughter of th e T o r l o sa innk e ep e r conc e i ved a wicked p a ssion for
h im He being a v irtuous young m a n a n d m oreover o n a pious
pilgrim a ge rep ulsed her a d v a nc e s S h e d e t e rmined to re v e nge th is
slight to her ch a rms a n d h id h e r fa th er s sil ver dri n k ing cu p i n h i s
w a llet
A s soon a s it w a s m issed sh e d ir e cted s us picion to t h e
yo ung pilgrim H e w a s follo w e d a n d the cu p fo und i n h is s a ck
He w a s th e n t a k en to th e j udge w h o s e nt e n c e d hi m to b e h ung ; a n d
T h e a l i c t e d p a r e n t s con
a l l th a t the fa m ily h a d w a s consc a ted
tin n ed on the ir pilgrim a ge a n d sought con sol a tion a t t h e a lt a r o f
On their return they stopped a t t h e gibb e t wh e re th e ir
S a nti a go
son h a d h ung for t h irty s i x d a ys A n d t h e son spok e to the m a n d

s a id O my moth er ! O my fa ther ! do not l a m e nt for m e ; I h a v e

n ever been i n bett e r ch e er
T h e bl e ssed a postle J a m e s i s a t my side
su st a ining me a n d lling m e w ith celesti a l comfort a n d j oy
T he
p a ren ts being a m a ze d h a st e n e d to t h e j udg e
H e wa s se a ted a t th e

t a bl e T h e m oth e r rush e d in a n d e xcl a i med

O ur son l ives 1 T h e

j udge mock e d th e m a n d s a id
Wh a t s a yest tho u good wom a n ?
T hou a r t beside thyself ! I f thy son l ives so do those fowls i n m y
d ish
H e h a d h a rdly spoken w hen the two fowl s w h ich w ere a
cock a n d a h en ros e u p fe a thered i n th e d ish a n d the cock bega n to
cro w T h e j udge c a lled th e priests a n d l a wyers a n d they wen t to t h e
pl a ce of executi o n a n d del i vered th e young m a n to h is p a rents T h e
cock a n d h en th us m i r a c u l o u sl v resuscit a ted w er e pl a ced u nder t h e
protection of rel igious a n d th eir posterit y preserved for a lo n g ti m e
T he most not a ble occ a sion u pon w h ich S t J a mes a p pe a red to l e a d
the sold iers of S p a in wa s in th e ye a r 9 3 9 w hen K ing R a mirez dete r
m ined not to s ubmit longer to the t r ibute o f one h u ndred v irgins
w h ich w a s a nn u a lly p a id to th e M oors
H e d eed A b d e l r a m a n to a
b a ttle wh ich took pl a ce on th e pl a i n of A l ve i d a or Cl a vij o A fter
T h a t n igh t S t
a furiou s contest th e Christi a ns were d ri ven b a ck
J a mes a p pe a red to R a mirez a n d prom ised to be w ith h i m th e follo w
ing d a y a n d give h i m th e v ictory T h e king rel a ted th is to h is
o f c e rs a n d a lso to h i s soldi e rs w h e n th e y we re re a dy for t h e eld
.

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r e com m e nd e d the m to tr u st to t h e h e a v e n l y a i d whi ch h a d b e e n

pro m is e d
T h e w hole a rmy c a ught t h e spiri t of their king a n d
rush ed to b a ttl e I mmedi a tely S t J a m e s a ppe a re d a t the ir h e a d on
H e l e d th e m to
wa ving a w h ite st a nd a rd
a m ilk wh it e ch a rger
v ictory a n d sixty thous a nd M oors were left de a d on the el d F rom

In e a rly
h a s b e e n t h e S p a nish wa r cry
S a nti a go !
t h a t da y
w orks of a r t S t J a m e s i s us u a lly if not a l w a ys repres e nt e d w ith th e
other A postles a n d m a y b e k no wn by hi s p la c e wh ich is t h e third
B ut l a ter h e h a s been portra yed in a l l the di ffer e nt sc e nes of h is l i fe
I n t h is ch a ra ct e r
of Co m p os t e l l a
a n d very frequently a s a p il gr i m
h e h e a r s the p ilgri m s st a ff a n d w a ll e t the clo a k a n d sh e ll wh il e h is
h a t i s often on h is should e r
T h e most e ff ective repr e s e nt a tion of
th is th a t I h a v e seen i s t h e st a t u e by T horw a lds e n in t h e C h urch
of Our L a dy a t Cop e nh a gen J uly 25 A D 4 4
S t J a ques M ineur ; I t a l S a n J a copo o r
S t Ja m e s M i n o r
G i a como M inor e ; L a t S J a cobu s F ra t er D omini 3 Gr A Sc Acpcide o e ,

broth er of t h e
T hi s s a int h a s a nother most honor a ble

titl e of T h e J ust
H e w a s the son of Cleo p h a s a n d M a ry the
s ist e r of t h e Virgin M a ry 3 i n r e a l i ty cousin germ a n to t h e S a viour

but often styled the Lord s brother

T h e e pistl e w h ich h e wrot e
be a utifully spe a ks t h e piety a n d l ov e for w h ich h e wa s v e n e ra t e d
H e is di sti n guish ed a s th e rst C hristi a n Bishop of J e ru s a l em T h e
Jew s threw h i m dow n from one of t h e t e rr a ces of th e T emp l e ; a n d
a s h e fell h i s br a i ns w er e
be a t e n ou t with a fuller s club w h ic h
i nstru ment of h is de a th i s h is proper a ttribute in works of a r t
When the A postles a r e a l l represented S t J a mes the Less is t h e
n in t h in order T h e legends rel a te th a t J a m es bore a striking res e m
bl a nc e to Jesus so m u ch so th a t th ey were a t ti mes m ist a ken for
e a ch o t her a n d th a t it w a s this circu mst a nce w hi ch m a de necess a ry
the kiss of J ud a s J a m e s m a de a vo w th a t he would not e a t bre a d
from the tim e th a t h e p a rtook of t h e L a st S u p p e r unti l h e should
see Jesus r a ised from t h e de a d
S oo n a ft e r h i s resurrection t h e
S a viour went to sho w h imsel f to J a mes a n d a sk ed for a t a ble a n d

bre a d H e bl e ss e d t h e br e a d a n d g a v e it to J a m e s s a ying M y
brother e a t thy bre a d 3 for t h e S o n o f m a n is risen from a mong
the m t h a t sleep
May 1
S t J a n u a r i u s (I t a l S a n G enn a ro ; F r S t J a nvi e r) T his s a int
wh o w a s Bi sh op of Ben e v e nto c a me i n t h e tenth persecu t ion to
H

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w ith six of h is disciples to comfort a n d ch e e r t h e C hristi a ns

T hey were seized a n d thro w n to the be a sts of t h e a mph ith e a tre b u t
these would not h a rm them J a n u a ri u s wa s then thro wn in to a e r y
furn a ce w hich h urt hi m not ; a n d a t l a st h e wa s behe a d e d He i s
r e presented a s a bishop w ith t h e p a lm a n d us u a l ly with M t V e s u v i us
i n t h e d ist a nce ; for he is t h e p a t ro n s a int o f N a ples a n d its p ro
tector from th e fe a rful eru p tions of t h e vol c a no T h e m ira cl e o f t h e
blood of J a n u a r i u s i s to o we l l kno wn to n e e d d e scri p t ion h e re S e p
tember 1 9 A D 3 05
S t J e r o m e (L a t S H i e rony m us ; I t a l S a n G e r o nim o o r G iro
l a mo F r S t J erome H i r o m e o r G r o i s m e ; Ge r D e r H eil ige
H ieron i m us) S t J e rome h a s u n i v e rs a l im port a nc e a n d considera tion

on a ccount of T h e V ulga t e h i s tra n s l a tion of the N e w T est a m e nt

into L a tin a n d a lso th a t wh ich h is wonderful piety a n d le a rn ing
m u st i nevit a bly com m a nd ; b ut in t h e C a thol ic Ch urch h e is a d
d i t i o n a l l y ven e r a t e d for h is a d voc a cy of t h e Virgin a l Life for m en
a n d women 1
H e wa s th e son of E usebi us a ri ch D a l m a t i a n of
Bei n g a scho l a r of mor e th a n
S t r i d o n i u m a n d w a s born a bo ut 3 4 2
u su a l promise h e wa s sent to R om e to complet e h is studi e s T her e
for a tim e h e l e d a l ife of ple a sure ; b u t a t length h e b e c a me d istin
u i s h e d a s a l a wy e r a n d e speci a lly so on a cco unt of h is eloquence i n
g
p l e a ding h is c a us e A t a bout th irty y e a rs of a ge he wa s b a ptized
A fter h a v ing j ourneyed
a n d a t t h e sa m e ti m e took a vo w of cel ib a cy
i nto Ga u l h e went i n 3 7 3 to t h e E a st to gra tify a n ins a ti a ble desire
to li ve a mo n g t h e scenes w here C hrist h a d dw e lt He b e c a m e s o
en a mo ured of th e h ermi t l i fe wh i ch w a s then so comm on i n t h e
Orient th a t he retired to a desert in C h a lcis w h ere h e p a ssed fou r
ye a rs i n study a n d secl usion B ut th is t i m e wa s not w ithou t its
recollect ions of a nother l ife a n d longings for both the sins a n d ple a s
ures of th e p a st H e s a ys : O h h o w often in t h e desert in th a t v a st
solitude wh ich p a rched by th e sultry s un a ffords a d well ing to t h e
monks d id I fa ncy myself i n the m idst of th e l ux uries of R ome ! I
But o n e th ing w h ich c a used
s a t a lone for I w a s full of bitt e rness
h i m severe tri a l s wa s h is love of le a rn ing a n d h is a ppreci a t ion of a l l
th a t w a s e l eg a nt a n d be a utiful in t h e a n cient cl a ssi cs T h is g a v e h i m
a d isgust f o r t h e crud e ness of t h e C hri sti a n writers a n d it wa s a fe a r
N a pl e s

S t B e n e d i c t, h o we v e r, i s
.

re ga r de d as

t r o f M on a sti c i sm

t h e fa h e

in th e

We s t

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ful struggle for h i m t o m a ster th e Hebre w A l l th i s a pp e a re d to h i m

He s a ys th a t h e fa s t ed before he re a d C icero
a s gr e a t i mperfection
v ision w h ich th e s e m ent a l str u ggles undo ubt
a n d h e describes a
c
us
He
th
ought
h
e
h
e a rd t h e l a st tru mp e t sound e d a n d
ed
e dl
a
y

Wh o
t h a t h e w a s com m a nded to a pp e a r b e for e G o d for j udgment

a r t tho u ?
Jerom e r e pli e d A Christi a n
w a s t h e rst question

T he n c a m e a fe a rfu l r e p l y :
T is fa lse ! tho u a r t n o Christi a n ;
tho u a r t a C iceroni a n W h e re t h e tre a sure is t here w ill the h e a rt
be a lso
A fter ten y e a rs of h e a rt rending t e mpt a tion a n d struggle
of w e a ry controversy a n d l a bors h e returned to R om e
H e re h e
pre a ched w it h a l l th e enth usi a sti c e loqu e nce h e coul d com m a nd
a g a inst t h e lu xury of t h e R om a n cl e rgy a n d l a ity a n d m a int a i n ed
H e especi a lly
t h e necessity of extr e me self d e ni a l a n d a bstinen ce
i nuen ced the R om a n w omen som e of t h e most d istingu is h ed b e c o m
ing converts t o h is pre a ch ing of C hrist crucied a n d re a dy to follo w
P a ul a a descend a nt of t h e S cipios a n d
h i m in a n y self s a c r i c e
G ra cchi w hos e cell i s shown i n t h e mon a st e ry a t Bethleh e m w a s
perh a ps th e most celebr a t e d of thes e converts b ut M a rcell a i s a n
other n a m e h a nd e d dow n to us w ith h is S h e i s by som e h e ld to be
t h e rst w ho fo unded a r e l i giou s comm u n ity for w omen wh i l e o t hers
gi ve t h is h igh honor to S t M a rth a
J e rom e r e m a ined b ut t hre e
ye a r s i n R ome w hen h e r e turn e d to h is mon a stery a t Bethl ehem
Here h e d i e d ; a n d wh en he kn e w t h a t d e a t h w a s a ppro a ching h e
desire d to be born e into the ch a pel wh ere h e rec e ived the l a st rites
of th e Ch urch expiring soon a ft e r H e l eft m a ny e pistles a n d con
t r o ve r s i a l writings a n d th e cell in w hi ch h e w rote a t Bet h lehem i s
reg a rded w ith gre a t v e ner a tion T h e J e r o n ym it e s w ere d istinguish e d
for t h e m a gni c e n ce of som e of t h e ir ch urch es a n d con vents T h e
E scuri a l w a s th e irs a s we ll a s th e M on a stery of Belem i n Portuga l
a n d that of S t J ust to w h i ch C h a rles V r e tired when h e g a ve u p h is
throne T h e proper a ttribu tes of S t J e rome a r e books illustra t i ve
o f h is wri tings a n d t h e l ion wh ich i s e mbl e m a t ic of th e boldn e ss a n d
but th ere is a lso a leg e nd wh ich a ccounts
wa tchfulness of th e s a int
for th e a ssoci a ti on of t h e lion w ith t h e holy m a n
One e vening h e
w a s si tting a t the g a te of h is mon a stery w h en a l ion entered l imp
ing a s if w ou nded T h e m onks ed terri ed except Jerome w ho
T h e poor be a st l ift e d h is p a w a n d i n it
w ent t o me e t the l ion
Je ro m e fo und a th orn wh ich h e extr a ct e d a n d th e n t e nd e d t h e wo und
.

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till it w a s h e a led T h e l ion rem a ined with the s a int a n d h e m a d e it

the d uty of the be a st to gu a rd a n a ss w hich bro ug h t w ood from t h e
forest O n e d a y wh ile the l ion slept a c a ra v a n of merch a nts p a s sed
T h e l ion returned to th e
a n d they stole the a s s a n d drov e it a w a y
J erome b e lieved th a t h e h a d e a ten
c on vent w ith a n a i r of sh a m e
the a s s a n d condemn e d h i m t o do th e work of t h e a s s to w h ich t h e
l ion qu ietly su bm itted u n til t h e a s s w a s a g a in d iscovered by h imsel f
in the following m a nner : O n e d a y a fter h i s t a sk w a s ended h e s a w
a c a r a v a n a ppro a ching t h e c a m els of w h ich (a s i s th e custom of the
T h e l i on i mmed i a tel y s a w th a t i t w a s
A ra bs ) were led by a n a s s
h is stolen ch a rge ; a n d h e drov e th e c a mel s in to th e con vent w h ith er
th e a ss gl a dly led them T h e m erch a nts a cknowledged t h e th eft
Jerome p a rdoned th e m for i t Henc e t h e l ion i s so ofte n
an d St
a ssoci a ted w it h th e s a int 3 but its a ppropri a teness a s a t y pe of h i s
w ilderness life a n d h is ze a lous a n d vehemen t n a tur e i s a m ore s a tis
fa ctor y thought th a n the fa nciful w ildn ess o f th is lege n d c a n gi ve
T h e introd uct ion of th e c a rdin a l s h a t i nto the pi ctures of th i s s a i nt
i s a gl a ring a n a chron ism a s t h ere were no c a rd in a ls until three c e q
S t Jerome a s a pen it e nt
t u r i e s l a ter th a n th a t i n w h ich h e l i ved
is th e subj ect of n u m berless pictures a n d h is L a st Co mm un ion by
D omen ich ino ( V a tic a n ) is on e of the m ost celebra ted of a l l p ictures
S t Jerome i s th e sp e ci a l p a tron of students in theology
S e pt e mb e r
,

T he

W a n de rin g

a n dering J e w
W
J
I
t
a l
S
an
G
F
T
io
Jo
S t J oa ch im
a cch ino ;
S
t
a ki m
w
a
t
h
e
s
(
)
h u sb a nd of A nn a a n d the fa th er of the B l e ss e d Virgin H e w a s of
N a z a reth a n d h is w i fe of Bethleh em a n d both of t h e roy a l r a ce o f
D a vid Jo a ch i m wa s ri c h a n d a n extremely devo ut m a n
H e wa s
ch ildless ; a n d i t h a ppened th a t o n a cert a in fe a st d a y wh en h e
brough t h is o ffering to the T emple it wa s refused by I ss a ch a r t h e

h igh priest w h o s a id I t i s n o t l a wful for t h ee to bring th ine o ffer

ing seeing th a t tho u h a st n ot begot i ssu e i n Isra e l
Jo a ch im wen t
a w a y sorrowful ; a n d se a rch ing t h e registers of I sr a el h e found th a t
h e a lo n e of a l l t h e right e o us men w a s ch ildl ess
A n d h e went
a w a y a n d w ould be seen by n o one
a n d fa sted
a n d built a b u t

forty d a ys a n d n igh ts s a ying U ntil th e Lord look u pon m e m erci

fully pra yer sh a ll be m y me a t a n d my drink
A n d A n n a m ourned
grievo usly for h e r b a rrenn e ss a n d for t h e a bs e nc e of h e r h usb a nd

Se e

"

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l e ngth h e r h a ndm a id J udith w ish e d t o ch e e r h e r a n d tri e d t o

p e rs ua de h e r to a rra y herself a n d a tt e nd t h e fe a st
B ut A nn a
repuls e d h er i n su ch a wa y th a t J udith wa s a ngry a n d told h e r
m istress t h a t s h e could w ish her nothing w ors e th a n th a t wh ich G o d
h a d sent h e r sinc e h e h a d clos e d h e r womb th a t she could not be a
moth er T h e n A nn a a rose a n d put o n her brid a l a ttire a n d went
forth to h e r ga rd e n a n d pra y e d e a rnestly A n d she sa t b e n e a t h a
A la s
l a u rel tree wher e a sp a rrow h a d a nest a n d A nn a s a id
an d
w o e is m e ! Who h a t h b e gott e n m e ? W ho h a th brought m e forth
t h a t I should b e a ccurs e d i n the sight of Isra e l a n d scorn e d a n d
sh a m e d before my p e opl e a n d c a st o ut of t h e templ e of t h e Lord !
Woe is m e t o w h a t sh a ll I b e l ik e n e d ? I c a nnot be l ikened t o t h e
fowls of he a v e n 3 for t h e fo wls of h e a ven a r e fru itful i n thy sight 0
Lord Wo e i s m e to w h at sh a ll I b e li k e ned ? N o t to th e unre a son
ing bea sts of t h e e a rth 3 for t h e y a r e frui t fu l in thy sight 0 Lord !
Woe i s m e ! to wh a t sh a ll I be l ik e n e d ? N o t to thes e wa ters 3 for
they a r e fruitful i n thy sight 0 Lord ! W o e i s m e ! to wh a t sh a ll I b e
l ikened ? N o t unto the e a rth ; for t h e e a rth bri ng e th forth h e r fru it

i n du e s e a son a n d pra iseth th e e O Lord ! A n d i m medi a tely sh e

behel d a n a ngel st a n ding n e a r h e r A n d h e s a id A nn a t h y pra yer
i s h e a rd ; tho u sh a lt bring forth a n d t h y ch ild sh a ll be bl e ss e d

A n d A nn a r e p l ied
throughout th e w hole world
A s t h e Lord
li veth wh a tev e r I sh a ll bring for t h b e i t a m a n ch ild or m a id I w il l

present it a n o ff ering to th e Lord

A n d a noth e r a ngel c a m e to tel l
her that Jo a chi m wa s a ppro a ching 3 for a n a ng e l h a d a lso spok e n t o
h im a n d he wa s comfort e d T h e n A nn a w ent to m e et her h usb a nd
wh o c a m e from the p a stur e w ith h is oc k s
A n d th ey m et by t h e
G ol d e n G a t e a n d A nn a e mbr a c e d h i m a n d h ung on h is neck s a ying

N o w kn o w I th a t th e Lord h a th bl e ss e d me
I who w a s a w ido w
am
no l onger a w ido w
I w h o wa s b a rren sh a ll become a j oyfu l

T h e n t hey returned h om e t ogeth er ; a n d wh en her ti m e

mother
wa s com e A nn a brough t forth a d a ughter a n d sh e c a ll e d her M a ry
w hi ch i n Hebr e w i s M iri a m
M a rch 20
S t J o h n t h e B a p t i s t (I t a l S a n G iov ann i B a ttist a ; F r S t
J e a n B a ptiste 3 Ge r Joh a nn der T au fe r ) I n S cripture th is s a int
t h e h e r a ld of Christ is presented in t hr e e ch a r a cters ; a s Pre a cher
Prophet a n d B a ptist P a rts of h is story a r e given by a l l the E v a n
l
i
e
s
t
s
t
h
a
e
fro
m
m
ir
cu lo u s circ u mst a nces a ttendi n g h is b i rt h to t h e
g
At

'

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AND

wfully sin fu l horrors of h is de a th T o th ese tra dition h a s a dded h is

m ira culous deli vera nce fro m the a ss a s ins of H e rod by being enclos e d
w ith h i s mother in a rock wh en s h e ed from th e m a ss a cre w i th h i m
in her a rms A r t h a s repr e s e nt e d h im a s l e a ving h is h om e wh ile yet
Legends tell th a t the scen e of h is
a ch ild to begin h is desert l ife
de a th wa s the roy a l forti e d p a l a c e of M a c h e r o n t a ne a r the De a d
S e a on the river Jord a n ; th a t h e wa s b uried a t S e b a s t e r a n d th a t h i s
h e a d wa s brought to E urop e i n 4 5 3 H e is v e nera ted a l most u n i
v e rs a ll y a n d is t h e con necting l ink betw e e n th e Old a n d N e w D i s p e n
sa t i o n s being the l a st prophet of t h e form er a n d the rst s a int o f
T h e most a n cient pictur e s represent h i m a s me a gre a n d
t h e l a tt e r
w a st e d w ith unsh orn be a rd a n d h a ir T hi s wo uld see m the tru e
w a y ; b u t often i n l a ter times h e i s m a d e b e a utiful a n d e ven dressed
i n ri ch m a nt l e s w h ich cover t h e g a rm e nt of c a mel s h a ir
Wh en
p a int e d a s t h e M e ss e nge r h e w e a rs t h e h a iry ga rment a n d be a rs a

cup a re e d cross a n d a scroll w ith t h e inscription Vox c l a m a n t i s

in deserto or E cc e A gn us De i
T h e G reek sign ic a tion of M es

se n ger is A n gel ; a n d th is i s r e ndered i n Byz a ntine a r t by p a int ing

h i m w ith w ings A s a w itn e ss to th e d i vi nity of Christ h e is r e p r e
He i s introd uc e d into Holy F a milies i n thi s
se nt e d a t v a rio us a g e s
ch a ra cter in m a ny d i fferent positions a l l e xpre ssive of worsh ip to th e
Holy Ch ild H e i s p a tron of a ll wh o a r e b a ptized a n d a lso p a tron
s a int o f F lor e nc e I n b a ptist e ri e s h e i s very frequ ently represented
in sc ulpture I n t h e h istoric a l p ictures of th i s s a i nt w h ich e a sily
T ha t
e xpl a i n themselves th e r e i s b ut one pecul i a rity to be noticed
to wh ich I refer i s th e r epresent a tion of t h e l egen d th a t M a ry
p rolonged h er v isit to E li z a beth u ntil the birt h of th e ch ild In
these pictures M a ry usu a lly r e c e ives or holds the b a be a n d i s
known b y th e glory a bout h er h e a d T h e G reek legends s a y th a t
h is de a th took pl a ce t wo ye a rs before th a t of C hrist a n d th a t h e
d escended to H a des to rem a i n u ntil th e S a viour s de a t h sh o uld gi v e
h i m d el i vera n ce H e bore to t h e dep a rted spirits th e tidings of
th e a ppro a ch ing redem ption a t w hi c h th ey a l l rej oiced wh il e the
d e vil s w ere lled w ith fe a rful r a ge
N a tiv ity o f S t J oh n t h e
B a ptist J u n e 24

W ord of
S t J o h n t h e E v a n g e l i s t (Gree k titl e 6e o A6yoc
L a t S J oh a nnes ; I t a l S a n G iov a nn i E v a ngel ist a ; F r S t
God ;
J e a n M e ssire S t J e h a u ; Ge r D e r H e il ige J oh a nn )
M ore is know n
a

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d isci pl e whom J e sus l oved th a n of th e oth er E v a ngelists

H is l ife
H e wa s son of Z e bedee a n d brother of J a mes the Gre a t
s e e ms t o h a v e been a l most ins e p a ra ble fro m th a t of t h e M a ster
He
H e s a w th e T r a ns fi gura tion
e v e r a fter hi s c a ll to follo w h i m
l e a ned on t h e bosom of O ur Lord a t the L a st S upper He stood by
t h e cross a n d r e ceiv e d the ch a rg e of Jesus conc e rn ing t h e Virgi n
M a ry a n d h e l a i d th e body of the S a v 1 0 ur i n th e tom b He went
w it h P e ter thro u gh J u d ae a to pre a c h th e G ospel a fter t h e de a t h o f
M a ry He t h en w ent to A si a M inor l iving ch iey a t E phesu s a n d
fo unding t h e s e v e n ch urch e s D uring the p e rsecution of Dom iti a n
h e w a s t a k e n bound to R om e ; a n d t h e C a thol ic tr a d itions tell th a t
T he
h e wa s throw n into a c a ldron of boiling o il w ithout inj u ry
sc e n e of th i s m ira cle wa s o u tside t h e L a tin G a t e a n d t h e ch a pel of
Being a fterw a rds
S a n G iov a nn i in Olio comm e mora tes th e event
a ccused of m a gic h e w a s exiled to P a tmos w her e h e i s belie ved to
h a ve writt e n h is R e vel a tion U pon th e de a th of D omiti a n h e wa s
H e r e w h en n in ety ye a rs
a llowed to return to h is ch urch a t E phesus
old h e is s a i d to h a v e wri tten h is Gosp e l H e d ied a t E ph es u s a t
l
t h e a ge of on e h u ndr e d a n d tw enty ye a rs
T h e G reek t r a dition i s
th a t h e d ied without p a in a n d i mmedi a tely a rose a ga i n w ithout
ch a nge a n d a sc e nd e d t o h e a ven to rej oin Jes us a n d M a ry
The
legends of t h e l ife a n d m ira cles of th is s a int a r e e xtr e mely in t erest
ing S t Isi dor e rel a tes t h a t a t R ome a n a ttempt wa s m a d e a g a inst
the l ife of John by poison ing th e s a cra m e nt a l cup W hen h e t ook
the cu p th e poison c a m e forth i n the form of a serpent a n d h e dra nk
t h e w i n e unhu rt wh ile th e poisoner fell de a d a t h is feet
It is s a i d
to h a v e been don e by ord e r of Dom iti a n A n other a ccou nt s a ys th a t
h e wa s ch a llenged t o drink of a poisoned cup i n proof of th e a u thor
i ty of h is m ission by A ristod e m us the h igh priest of D i a n a a t E p h e
sus a n d th a t wh il e John w a s un h urt the priest fel l de a d Clement
of A lex a ndri a rel a tes th a t w hen John w a s rst a t E phesus h e t oo k
under h is c a re a young m a n of gre a t prom ise W hen h e wa s t a ken
a w a y to R ome h e left this youth to th e c a re of a bi shop
But t h e
yo ung m a n bec a m e dissip a ted i n h i s l ife a n d a t length w a s th e l e a der
of a b a n d of robbers
W hen John retu rned he a sked of t h e bishop
a n a ccount of h is ch a rg e
3 a n d w hen h e k n e w t h e truth b e bl a med the

o f th is

Th e

tra di ti on th a t h e

n e

ve r

di e d

i s ts

but h a s

n o

gr ou n d i n Ca th oli c b e l i e f

1 60

L E GE N

DS

S T OR I E S

AN D

u n fa ithful g u a rd i a n a n d su ff ered gre a t grief on a ccou nt o f t h e you n g

h e n h e re a ched h is
m an
H e then went in se a rch of h is wa rd ; a n d
a bid ing pl a ce the c a pt a in of t he robbers tried to a void h is old friend
B ut J o hn prev a iled on h i m to l isten to h is words A s J ohn t a lked
to h im h e tried to conce a l h is h a nd w h ich h a d com m itted m a ny
crimes But John seized it a n d k iss ing it b a th e d it w ith h is t e a rs
H e su cceeded in recon verting th e robber a n d recon ciled h i m t o
A g a in tw o rich young m e n sold th eir pos
G o d a n d to h imsel f
sessions to follo w th e A postle
A ft e rw a rd s they repente d seeing
w hich John sent the m t o g a ther ston e s a n d fa gots a n d ch a nged these

to gold s a yi n g T a k e b a ck your riches a n d enj oy th e m on e a rt h

a s yo u re ret h a ving ex c h a n ged th e m
for h e a ven
W hen J ohn
g
returned t o E phesus fro m P a tmos h e m et a fun era l procession a s
h e a ppro a ched the city W hen h e a sked whose it wa s a n d h e a rd
i t wa s D r u s i a n a s h e wa s s a d ; for sh e h a d been rich i n good work s
a n d John h a d d wel t i n h er house
H e ord ered t h e be a rer t o p ut
down t h e b i e r a n d he pr a yed e a rnestly to G o d who restored t h e
wom a n to life 3 sh e a ros e a n d Joh n returned w ith h e r a n d d welt
a g a i n in h er h ous e
T wo wonderful m ira cles a r e rel a ted of John a s
being p e rform ed a fter h i s de a th King E d w a rd th e Con fessor rever
e n c e d Joh n n e xt to th e S a viour a n d th e Virgi n M other
O n e da y
h e a t tended a m a ss in honor of S t Joh n ; a n d r e turn ing h e m e t a
begg a r wh o a sk e d h i m a n a lm s i n th e n a m e of G o d a n d S t Joh n
T h e k ing dre w from h is nger a ring a n d g a ve i t to th e m a n un
k nown to a n y on e besid e
W h en E d wa rd h a d reigned t w e nty four
ye a rs t wo E ngl i sh men wh o h a d been pilgri ms to th e Holy L a nd
m et on t h eir return a m a n a lso i n t h e g a rb of a p ilgrim He a sk e d

th em of th eir country a n d s a id
When ye sh a ll h a v e a rri v e d i n
your own co u ntry go to King E d w a rd a n d s a l ute h i m i n my n a m e
S a y t o h i m t h a t I th a nk h i m for t h e a l ms w h i ch h e besto wed on m e
i n a cert a i n stre e t in W estmi nster 3 for th e re on a cert a in d a y a s I
begg e d of h i m a n a lms he b e stowed on m e th is ring wh ich till n o w
I h a v e preserv e d a n d ye sh a ll c a rry i t b a c k to h i m s a y i ng th a t i n
si x months fro m th is tim e h e sh a ll q u i t t h e w orld a n d come a n d

rem a i n w ith m e forever

W ho a r t thou
T h en the pilgri ms s a id

am
a n d where i s th y d welling
l
I
Joh
n
th
e
a ce ?
A
n d h e repl i ed
p
E v a ngel ist
E dw a rd your k ing is my fr iend a n d for th e s a nctity of
h is l ife I hold h i m d e a r Go n ow th e re fore del i ver to h i m t h i s
,

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ess a ge a n d th is ring a n d I w il l pra y to Go d th a t ye m a y a rriv e

s a fely in yo ur own co untry
H a ving s a id th is S t John ga ve the m
th e ring a n d v a n ished o ut of t h eir sight T h e n th a nking Go d for
th i s gloriou s v ision the pilgri ms kep t on their w a y a n d went to K ing
E dw a rd a n d del ivered t h e ring a n d the mess a ge
H e r e cei ved th e m
gl a dly a n d entert a ined them a s roy a l guests H e a lso m a d e prep a
r a tions for de a th a n d g a ve th e ring to the A bbot of We stminster t o
b e forev e r preserved a s a holy rel i c
T h is legen d i s repr e s e nted i n
scul pture in t h e ch a pel of E dw a rd t h e C o n fessor A ga in i n A D 4 25
w h en th e E mpress Ga ll a Pl a cid i a returned to R a venn a fro m
t he
E a st sh e e n countered a fe a rfu l storm
S h e vowed to S t Joh n ; a n d
being s a fely l a nded she built i n h i s honor a splend i d ch urch A fter
it w a s don e sh e wa s gre a tly desirou s of h a v ing some r e lics of the
s a int to consecra te the s a nctu a ry On e n igh t a s she pr a yed e a rnestly
the s a in t a ppe a red to her 3 a n d w he n sh e threw h e rself do wn to k iss
h is feet h e v a n ished a n d left h is s a nd a l i n h e r h a nd a relic
long ti me preserved
T h e ch urch of G a ll a Pl a cid i a at R a venn a
though gre a tly ch a n ged y e t rem a ins ; a n d o n it m a y b e t ra ced i n
sculpture both th e storm a n d th e empress m a king h e r vo w a n d th e
m ir a cle of the slipp e r S t John is represented i n a r t a s a n ev a nge l ist
a n d a proph e t
a n a postle
T h e G reeks represented h im w heth e r
a pos t le or e v a ngel ist a s a n
ol d gr a y be a rded m a n ; b ut in West e r n
a r t h e is never beyon d m iddle a e
a
n
of
en
young
prophet
d
t
A
s
a
g
a n d the instru m e nt of th e R evel a t ion h e is a n a ged m a n
w ith o w
ing h e a r d T h e sc e ne is a desert with th e s e a to represen t P a tmos
w h ile the e a gle i s beside h im H is proper colors a r e a bl ue or green
tuni c w ith red dra pery ; a n d hi s a ttribu t es besid e th e e a gl e a r e t h e
pen a n d book a n d th e cu p e ith er w ith t h e serpent or the consecr a ted
w a fer wh ich l a tter typ ies t h e i n stitution of th e E u ch a rist S om e
t imes th e e a gle h a s a n i mb us or glory
T his gu res th e Hol y G host
a s the J e ws m a de th e e a gl e a symbol of th e S pirit
When t h e B a ptist
a n d E v a nge l ist a r e
i ntrodu c e d in t h e s a m e picture as frequentl y
occurs th e l a tt e r m a y be kn own from h is more youthful look a s well
a s by t h e a bove a ttrib ut e s
When a ssoci a ted w ith the oth e r A postles
h e is d istingu ished by h is youth a n d owi ng h a ir or b y h is n e a rness
t o th e S a viou r a n d frequ entl y by som e t oken of p e cul i a r lov e in th e
position or aspect of the M a ster On gre a t occ a sions a t the ch urch of
the S a nt a Croce a t R ome a cup is exhibit e d a s t h a t from wh ich John
m

11

1 62

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

AN D

DS

by comm a nd of D omiti a n dra nk poi son

,

2 7,

99

w ithout

inj u ry

D e ce mb e r

J o h n C a p i s t r a n o w a s a F r a ncisc a n fri a r w ho a ft e r t h e
c a pture of Const a ntinople by th e T urks wa s sent o ut to pre a ch a
crus a d e for th e defen ce of C hristendom A t the si ege of Belgr a de i n
1 4 5 6 when M oh a mmed w a s re pulsed by t h e H ung a ri a ns th is s a int
w a s seen w ith h is cruci x in h a nd i n th e m idst of t h e b a ttle e n c o u r
H e d ied t h e s a m e ye a r a n d i n
a ging a n d l e a ding on the soldiers
H is a ttrib ute is t h e crucix or t he st a nd a rd
1 6 9 0 he wa s c a nonized
w i th t h e cross A coloss a l st a tue of h i m is on th e ext e rior of t h e
c a thedra l a t Vienn a H e h a s a T urk under h is fe e t wh ile h e be a rs
Octob e r 2 3
i n one h a nd a st a nd a rd a n d in t h e oth e r a cross
St

l 45 6

J o h n Ch r y s o s t o m (L a t S Joh a nnes C hrysos t om ; I t a l S a n

G iov a nn i Cri sostomo S a n G io v a nn i Bocc a d Oro ; F r S t J e a n C h ry
s o st o m e
T
a int is a l wa ys c a ll e d by h is G reek a ppell a ti ve wh ich
h
is
s
)

signies of the golden mouth

He w a s born a t A nt ioch in 3 4 4
He wa s of a n illustrio us fa m ily H is fa th er di ed w h ile h e w a s still
young a n d h is mother A r t h u s i a rem a ined a w ido w t h a t sh e m igh t
dev o t e h erself entirely to h e r son A t twenty h e h a d won renown
by the e loquence of h is p l e a s for h e wa s a n a dvoc a te b ut h e gre a tly
d esired to retir e from th e world a s a h erm it
T h e e ntre a ties of h is
moth er pre vented th is u ntil h e wa s a bo ut twenty eigh t wh en i n spi t e
o f a l l he ed to t h e w ilderness ne a r a n d l e d a l i fe of such rigor a s to
destroy h is h e a lth a n d oblig e h im to return to A ntioch S oon a ft e r
th is F l a v i a n ord a ined h i m a priest ; a n d tra dition decl a res th a t a t
the moment of h is ordin a tion a w h ite dove d escend ed on h is he a d
T h is signied h is especi a l inspir a tion from t h e Holy S piri t ; a n d truly
there a fter h e seems a s a Christi a n ora tor to h a v e been a ssis t e d o f
Go d
O nly P a ul is r a nk e d a bov e h im
H e s a ved th e people of h is
n a ti ve city by h i s eloqu ence w hen th ey h a d so o ff ended the E mperor
T heodosi us th a t h e h a d thr e a tened them w ith dre a dful pun ish ment
S o m uch w a s h e bel oved a t A ntioch th a t w h en c h osen P a tri a rch o f
Co n st a ntino ple h e h a d to go a w a y secretly before th e p e ople could
i nter fere to ret a in h i m A t Const a ntinopl e h e l i ved a l i fe of h u mbl e
sel f deni a l bu t enterta ined th e stra nge r a n d th e poor w i th k in d
h ospit a l it y
His enth u si a sm h is poeti c i m a gin a tion h is e leg a n t
scho l a rsh i p a dd e d to h is gr e a t e a rn e stness c a used h i m t o s pe a k a s
St

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ins p i re d ; a n d h e pr e a ch e d so fe a rl e ssly a g a inst t h e i rregul a r

i ti e s of the E m p r e ss E udoxi a of t h e monks a n d a l l the c ustoms
T h e people
of t h e court th a t h e wa s b a nished from t h e city
obliged the e m p e ror to r e c a ll h i m ; b ut a g a i n h e wa s in e xora bl e i n
h is denun ci a tions a n d a g a in w a s sen t into e xil e
H is gu a rds t r e a ted
h i m so cruelly th a t h e perished fro m e xposur e a n d fa tigu e
He
three y e a rs old a n d h a d b e en bishop ten y e a rs I t w a s
w a s sixty
th irty ye a rs a ft e r h is d e a th w h e n h is r e m a ins were removed t o
Const a ntinopl e a n d t h e E mp e ror T h e odosi us a dv a ncing a s fa r a s
Ch a lcedon to m e et them fell prostr a te on t h e co f n a n d i mplored
t h e forgiveness of t h e s a int in t h e n a mes of A rc a diu s a n d E udox i a
h is gu ilty p a r e nts S t John C hrysostom d i e d S e pt e mb e r 1 4 A D
4 07
T h e G r e eks keep h is festiv a l N ovemb e r 1 3 a n d t h e L a ti n
Church J a n u a ry 2 7
S t J o h n G u a l b e r t o (I t a l S a n G iov a nn i G u a lberto 3 F r S t
Je a n G u a l b e r t or C a lbert) w a s born a t F lor e nce H is fa mily wa s
ric h a n d nobl e a n d h e r e c e i ved a n ed uc a ti on betting h is r a nk H e
h a d but on e brother Hugo w hom h e p a ssion a t e ly loved W h il e Joh n
w a s still young H ugo w a s s l a in by a g e ntl e m a n wi th whom h e h a d a
qu a rr e l John wi th the consent a n d en cour a gement of h is p a r e nts
determ ined to p ursue the m urderer to th e de a th I t h a ppened t h a t
on G ood F rid a y a t e ven ing a s Joh n left F lorenc e for h is fa ther s
cou ntry hou se h e took th e ro a d w hich l e a d s to the ch urch of S a n
M in i a to del M o n te I n a scending the h ill h e m e t h is brother s a ss a s
sin a n d dre w h is sword to k ill h i m fe eling th a t a j u st G o d h a d t h u s
d el iv e r e d h is enemy i nto h is h a nd
T h e wretched m a n fell on h i s
knees i mploring m ercy He e xtended h i s h a nd i n the form of a cross
a n d rem inded Joh n th a t J esus h a d died on the cross pr a ying for
p a rdon for h is m urderers John felt hi mself m oved by a gre a t str u g
gl e ; a n d th e conict between h is desire for reve n ge a n d h is w ish to
a ct a s a Christi a n w a s so gre a t t h a t h e trembled from h e a d to foot
B ut a t length pra ying to G o d for s t re n gt h h e lift e d h is enemy ; a n d
embra cing h im they p a rted Joh n overpowered w ith emotion h a d
sc a rcely strength to enter the ch urch wh ere h e knelt before t h e
cruci x a t t h e a lt a r Here h e w ept bitt e rly a n d a l l th e horror of
th e cri me h e h a d been a bou t to commi t w a s v i vidl y i mpressed on hi s
m ind He pr a yed for p a rdon 3 a n d a s h e r a ised h is eyes t o the f a c e
o f J e s u s h e beh e ld t h e holy h e a d bowed in sign of forgiv e n e ss T hi s
on e

1 64

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AN D

m ira cle compl eted th e gre a t ch a nge a lre a d y beg un in h i m a n d b e

determined to le a ve th e world H e took the Bened ictin e h a bit a n d
entered the mon a stery of S a n M in i a to When the a bbot d ied Joh n
w a s elected to s ucceed h i m ; but h e wo uld not a ccept th e o ffi ce a n d
l e a ving t h e convent retired to the V a llombros a in th e A penn in e s
A t rst h e h a d bu t t wo c o m
a bout twenty m iles from S a n M ini a to
p a n ions in h is retre a t b ut the fa me of h i s s a n ct ity a ttra cted n umbers
to hi m ; a n d th us origin a ted th e Order of V a llo mbros a of w h ich th i s
s a int w a s the fo und e r T hey a dopted th e R ule of S t Bened ict but
revi ved some of t h e s e verities w hi ch h a d fa llen i n to d isuse a n d inst i
t u t e d others especi a lly th a t of sil e nc e
T h e pope con rm ed th is n e w
order a n d before the de a th of th e s a int t wel ve houses w er e l l ed
w ith h is follow e rs i n d i ffer e n t pl a ces T h e Ch urch of th e T rin it a a t
F loren ce belonged to them a n d i n i t i s preserved t h e m ir a culous
cr uci x before wh i ch J ohn knelt on t h a t me mor a ble G ood F rid a y
n ight T h e ru ins of t h e mon a stery of S a l vi n e a r F lore n c e w h ic h
w a s of t h e V a llo mbros a sho w by their exten t w h a t its i mport a n c e
m ust h a v e be e n John w a s most stri ct in h is h u m il ity a n d si m pl i
city a n d wa s so shocked a t t h e wa y in w h ich h is d isciples a t M o s c e t t a
e mbellish e d th e ir convent th a t h e proph e sied some fe a rful p un ish ment
for th em S hortly a fter a n inund a tion destroyed a l a rge p a rt of their
b u ild ings H e wa s a lso d i stingu i shed for h is determ ined opposition to
the pra ctice o f simony by wh i ch m a ny ecclesi a sti cs d i shonored t h e
Ch u rch in h is ti m e Pietro d i P a vi a h a d p urch a sed t h e a rch bishopri c
of F lor e n c e H e w a s a m a n o f notorio usly b a d ch a r a cter Joh n
denoun ced h i m publ icly P ietro s e nt soldiers to b urn a n d pill a g e
S till G u a lberto wo ul d
S a n S a lvi a n d sever a l monk s wer e m urdered
not be silent ; a n d i t i s prob a bl e th a t h is ord er woul d h a v e be e n
destroy e d b y th e powerful w i ckedness of P i etro h a d not one o f t h e
H e stood
m onks c a ll e d Pet e r I g n e u s dem a n ded t h e ord e a l by re
th e t e st tri umph a ntly a n d th e a rch bishop wa s d e p os e d S e vera l m ir
a cl e s l ike th a t of m ultiplying the food w h en t h e monks w er e i n w a nt
T h e V a l l o m b r o s i a n s h a d ne l ibra ri es
a r e a ttributed to th is s a in t
T h e se pictures
a n d m a ny work s of a r t befor e they w ere d es po iled
C im a bu e p a i n ted h i s fa m ou s M a donn a
a r e no w sc a ttered in g a lleries
for th em a n d A nd r e a del S a rto h is C en a col o G u a lberto m e eting t h e
m urderer is represented in a li ttle t a be r n a cl e w h ich h a s b e en erected
on the spot wher e t h e encounter took pl a ce J uly 1 2 A D 1 073
,

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J o h n d e M a t h a (Sp S a n Ju a n d e M a t a ) wa s a n a t ive o f
F a u con in Proven ce He w a s born in 1 1 5 4 a n d h i s p a rents were of
noble fa mily Like so m a ny s a ints h e w a s cons e cra ted to Go d by
h is mother w hose n a m e w a s M a rth a H e wa s a student in th e U n i
versity a t P a ri s a n d a fter b e com i n g fa mo us for h is p i e ty wa s ord a ined
a priest
T h e rst t ime b e celebr a ted the m a ss h e h a d a v isi on of a n
a ngel w hose h a nds cross e d over e a ch o t her r e sted on the he a ds of
two sl a ves w h o knelt on e a ch side of hi m On t h e br e a st of t h e
w h ite robe wh i ch th e a ngel w ore wa s a cross of red a n d blu e
F el ix
d e V a l ois a no t h er ho l y m a n wa s a friend of t h e s a int 3 a n d w hen
Joh n h a d told h i m t h e vision a n d th a t b e reg a rded it a s a n int i
m a tion from he a ven th a t h e wa s to l a bor for the rel ief of prison e rs
a n d c a pti ves th e two determ ined to fo und a n e w order h a ving t h is

l a bor for its obj ect It wa s c a lle d T h e Order of t h e H oly T rinity

for th e R e dem ption of C a pti ves
J ohn a n d F el i x w ent to R ome for
th e conrm a tion of their w ork a n d wer e most k i ndly received ; for
the pope h a d a lso h a d a vision of a n a ngel w ith t wo c a pti ves c h a ined
o n e of whom wa s a M oor t h e oth e r a C hristi a n wh ich t a ugh t th a t
a l l r a c e s a n d religion s were t o be ben e t e d by t h is n e w brotherhood
T h e p a rent institution of t h e ord e r w a s th a t of Ce r f r o y but th e y
w er e c a lled M a th urins a n d h a d a mon a st e ry i n P a ris n e a r th e stre e t
still c a lled by their n a m e A t R om e they were gi ve n th e ch urch a n d
conv e nt on M onte Celio so b e a utifully sit u a ted a n d from t h e a ncient
b a rqu e i n front of it c a ll e d S a n t a M a ri a dell a N a vi c e ll a
H a v ing
obt a ined followers a n d money John s e nt h is disci ples a n d w en t h i m
self to v a riou s pl a c e s in A fri c a a n d S p a in a n d ex ch a nged a n d ra nsomed
prisoners a n d brought th e m hom e T h is w a s a most nob l e work ; for
no cl a s s of Christi a n s so ne e d e d a ssist a nce as thos e w ho h a d been
m a de prison ers a n d then sl a v e s during t h e erc e w a rs of thos e times
H e h a d deli vered h un dreds w h en being a bout to s a il wit h o n e h un
dred a n d twenty sl a ves th e i n d e l s bec a me furious a n d tore u p h is
s a ils a n d brok e h is rudder But h e u sed h is m a ntle a n d those of h is
di sciples a s s a ils a n d pr a ying Go d to b e h i s pilot t h e shi p w a s qu ietly
w a fted to Osti a
B u t t h e he a lt h of th e s a int wa s so feeble th a t h e
w a s not a ble t o go even to P a ris a n d a fter two y e a rs of s u ff ering he
d ied at R om e F ebru a ry 8 A D 1 2 1 3
S t J o h n N e p o m u c k (I t a l S a n G iov a nn i N e p o ui u c e n o ; Ge r
H eil Joh a nn e s von N e pomuk ; Sp S a n Ju a n N epom u c e n o) T h is
St

1 66

DS

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

AN D

s a int w a s t h e confessor of t h e good a n d b e a utifu l p rincess J o a n o f

B a v a ri a who wa s unfort un a tely m a rried to t h e cruel We ncesl a u s I V
of G erm a ny J ohn kne w there wa s no e a rthly recom pe nse for s uch
w oes a s h is empress e nd ured a n d he e a r nestly e nd e a vor e d to so l e a d
h e r religiously th a t sh e m ight su ff er w it h p a tienc e t h e h a rdn e ss of
A t le n gth Wencesl a us comm a nded h i m to r e ve a l t h e con
h e r l i fe
T h is t h e s a int refused t o do a n d impri son
f e s s io n of the e mpr e ss
ment a n d torture fa iled to bre a k h is sil e nc e A t l e ngth t h e empr e ss
by pra yers a n d te a rs obt a in e d h is r e le a s e
S h e d ressed h is wounds
w ith h er own h a nds T h e n h e r e turn ed to cou rt a n d
a n d n ursed h i m
pre a ch ed a s u su a l ; b ut know ing t h e un cert a inty of h i s l ife h e rst

Y e t a l ittl e w h il e a n d ye sh a ll n o t s e e m e
chose th e text
He
N ot
e nde a vored to pr e p a re h ims e l f a n d a l l w ho h e a rd h i m for de a th
long a ft e r a s h e a ppro a ched t h e p a l a ce t h e emperor s a w h i m from
th e w indow a n d being seiz e d w ith o n e of h is t e mpers he ordered h i m
to be brough t before h i m A g a in he dem a nded the confession of t he
T h e s a int k ept perfect silence
T hen the em peror com
e mpress
m a n d e d th e gu a r d s to thro w h im over th e p a r a pet of th e bridge into
T h e l e gen d rel a tes th a t a s h e s a nk ve st a rs h overed
t h e M old a u
over t h e spot w h i ch w h en th e e mp e ror s a w th em so d i str a cted h i m
T he
th a t he ed a n d h id for som e ti me in th e fortress of Ca r l s t e i n
em press gr e a tly mourn e d a n d t h e p e o p l e c a rri ed h i s body in p r o c e s
sion t o t h e Ch urch of t h e H oly Cross W h e n Pr a gu e wa s besieged
in 1 6 20 it is bel ie ved th a t S t J oh n N epom uck fough t w ith h is
peopl e
T h e empress d id n ot long survi v e h er fa ithful fri end a n d
confessor H e wa s a c a non regul a r of S t A ugu sti n e
H e i s p a tron
H is
s a int of bridges a n d runn ing w a t e r i n A ustri a a n d Bohem i a
st a tue st a nds on th e bridge a t Pra gu e on th e very spot wh en ce h e
w a s thro wn down
F i ve st a rs a r e h is proper a ttri but e S ome t i mes h e
h a s h is n ger on h is mouth 3 sometim e s a p a dloc k on h i s mo uth or i n
h is h a nd in token of silence H e i s p a tron of d iscretion a n d si l e nce
a n d protector a g a inst sl a n d er
M a y 1 6 A D 1 38 3
S t J o h n a n d S t P a u l were broth ers a n d R om a n o f c e rs in t h e
service of Co n st a nti a T hey were put to d e a th by J u l i a n t h e A pos
t a t e T heir ch urch on t h e bro w of t h e l i a n Hill i s on t h e s po t
w h ere their h ou se stood wh i ch i s on e of the most lovely i n a n cien t
R om e
I t h a s existed sinc e 4 9 9
T h e ch urch a t V e ni c e wh ic h
b e a rs th e ir n a m e wa s b ui l t by co l oni e s from t h e co n v e nt o f S t J oh n
.

I L L US T R A T E

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1 67

om e I t i s ll e d w ith m o st int e resting monu ments

but non e e xist i n honor of thes e s a ints
I n a r t th e y a r e a l w a ys
represented togeth er a n d th eir a ttrib utes a r e t h e m il it a ry dre ss w ith
th e sword J une 2 6 a bo ut 3 6 2
S t J o s e p h (L a t S Josephu s 3 I t a l S a n G i usep p e 3 F r S t
J oseph 3 Ge r D e r H e ilig e Josef) Joseph wa s a l wa y s honored a mong
th e s a ints but sign a lly so since th e sixteent h c e ntury T h e gre a t
honor w hich Go d conferred u pon h i m in selecting h i m to b e t h e
gu a rd i a n of t h e Virgin a n d h e r D i vin e S o n i s su ffi cient proof th a t
h e wa s a holy m a n T h e S criptur e a ccou nt le a ds u s to concl ud e th a t
h e w a s g e ntle a n d tender a s wel l a s j ust
H e wa s of th e lin e a ge o f
D a vi d a n d t h e tri be of J ud a h a c a rpenter a n d d we l t i n N a z a re th
T h is is t h e su m of the positi ve knowl e dge we h a v e o f h i m
Legends
a r e the source of a l l oth er opin ions con c e rn ing h i m
In th e se th e r e
i s gre a t di fference rega rd ing h is a ge M a ny th ink that h e wa s a w id
1
ower w hen h e espoused M a ry
In e a rly a r t h e wa s m a d e very old
a n d some monks a verred th a t h e w a s more th a n fourscor e at th e tim e
of h is m a rri a ge to M a ry I n l a ter ye a rs h e h a s b een represented of
m a ture m i ddle a ge strong a n d a bl e to full th e d uty of provid ing for
h is ch a rge One a ttrib ute of a g e h a s ho wever been h a nded down fro m
the e a rli est ti me th e crutch or c a n e a n d i s seldom omitt e d T h e
legend of the m a rri a ge of M a ry a n d Joseph is gi v e n i n the P r o t e va n

l
i
e
o
n
a
n
d
H istory of Joseph i n t hese words : Wh e n M a ry w a s
g
fourte e n ye a rs old th e priest Z a ch a ri a s (or A bi a th a r a s h e i s els e
wh e r e c a lled ) inquired of the Lord conc e rn ing h er what w a s r ight
to be done 3 a n d a n a nge l c a m e to h i m a n d s a id Go forth a n d c a l l
togeth e r a l l the widow e rs a mong t h e p eople a n d l e t e a ch bring h is
rod (or wa nd ) i n his h a nd 3 a n d h e to w hom th e Lord sh a ll show a
sign let h i m be th e husb a nd of M a ry
A n d Z a ch a ri a s did a s t h e
a ng e l comm a nded a n d m a de procl a m a tion a ccordingly
A n d Josep h
the c a rpen ter a right e ous m a n throw ing down h i s a xe a n d t a king
h i s sta ff in h is h a nd r a n o ut w ith t h e rest W hen h e a ppe a re d b e
for e the priest a n d presented h is rod 10 ! a dove i ss ued o u t of it
a dove d a zzl ing w h ite a s snow a n d a fter settl ing on h is he a d e w
t ow a rd h e a ven
Then th e h igh priest s a i d t o h im T ho u a r t t h e
p e rson chos e n to t a ke the Virgin of th e Lord a n d to k e e p h e r fo r
an

d St Pa ul
.

at

S t J e rom
.

e as se

rts th a t h e

wa s

al

wa ys vi rgi n

1 68

L E G E ND S

A ND

S T OR

IE S

H im
And Joseph w as at rst afr aid and drew back b u t a fterward
h e took her home to h is house and said to her Beh old I h ave
taken thee from the T emple of the L ord and no w I w ill leave thee
i n my house fo r I m ust go and follo w my trade o f b u i l d ing I w il l
return to thee and m ean wh ile th e L ord be w ith thee and w atch
over thee
S o Joseph left her and M ary rem aine d i n her house
Jerome makes a d i ff erence w hi ch artists h ave fol l o wed H e relates
t hat among the suitors for M ary w as th e son of th e h igh priest an d
that they all deposited their wan ds i n th e Templ e o ver n igh t N ext
morn ing Joseph s rod h ad blossom ed
Th e others i n th e ir d is
appointment brok e the ir wands and tram pled on the m ; w h il e one
Agabus w ho was of noble race ed to M t C armel an d became an
anchorite In many pictures th e espousal s tak e pl ace i n t h e open
air and variou s places o utside th e Temple h aving n o appearance of
the sacrament of marriage Th is is expl ained by th e fa c t th at among
the Je ws marriage w as a c i vil contract rather th an a rel igious cere
mony Joseph s next appearance i n th e legends is on th e j ourn ey to
Bethleh em The way so long an d w eary to th e su ffering Virgin is

described a n d the Protevangel ion tells th at w hen Joseph look ed

back he saw th e face of M ary that i t w as sorrow ful as of one i n
pain ; b ut w hen h e looked back again sh e sm il ed And w h en th ey
w ere com e to Bethleh em th ere was n o room for them i n th e inn
because of th e great concourse of peopl e And M ary said to Joseph
Take me down for I su ff er
Anoth er legend relates th at J o seph
sough t a m id wife b u t w h en h e returned w ith h er to the stable M ary
w as sitting w ith h e r infan t on h er knees and th e place w as lled
w i t h a l ight far brigh ter th an that of noond ay And the H ebre w
woman in am azement said
C an th is be true ? An d M ary repl i e d

I t i s true : as th ere is no ch ild l ike un to m y son so th ere is no

w oman l ike unt o h is m o th er

F o ur tim es G o d sent angel ic m es
se n g e r s t o gu ide Joseph in the executi o n o f h is i m portan t m ission
F irst h e assured h i m o f th e p urity of M ary and th at h e n eed fear
n oth ing in tak ing h er to w i fe
Th e legends say th at after w ak ing

fro m th i s v ision h e entreated fo rgi veness of M ary for h aving

w r o nged h er even i n th o u g h t
T he sec o nd d ream com m and ed hi m
to ee i nt o E gypt The pi ctures o f th e F l i g ht and of th e R epose
wh ich is an in cid e nt of the ight represent the watchfu l care of
The d uration of the soj ourn i n E gypt i s d i e r e n t l y gi ven
Jo seph

"

IL L US T R A T E D

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1 69

and ranges from t wo to seven years Th e th ird vision told J oseph

to return to J u d ae a and a fourth guided h i m o n the j o urney After
the return to Nazareth Joseph i s associated only w it h a quiet in du s
t r i o u s life an d the training of his foster son to t h e trade of a car
The
ti
me
of
Joseph
s
death
is
also
a
d
isp
uted
point
om
e
en ter
S
p
assert that it occurred w hen Jesu s w as ei ghteen years old w h ile some
m ake it n ine years later On e of th e m ost interesting accounts of
th is e vent i s found in an Arabian hi story of Josep h the Carpenter
Jesus is supposed to relate i t to h is disci ples H e tells that Josep h

acknowledged h i m as th e R edeem er and M essiah and speaks th us

of M ary :
And my mother th e V irgin arose an d she cam e n igh
to me and said 0 my beloved S o n n o w m ust the good old man die
And I answered an d sai d unto h er O m y most dear moth er needs
m ust all created beings d ie ; and Death w ill h ave h is rights even over
th ee beloved mother : b ut death to h im and to th ee i s no death only
th e passage to etern al li fe 3 an d thi s body I h ave deri ved fro m thee
sh all also undergo death
T hen a fter gi vi n g an account of the

death scene he says I and my mother M ary we wept wi th them

all uding to th e sons and daughters of Joseph w ho w ere about h i m
weeping Then fol lo ws an account of a struggle between good a n d
bad spirits for the soul of Josep h 3 b ut at last G abriel comes to cloth e
O n account of
i t w it h a robe of brigh tness and bear i t to h eaven
th is tri umphant end Joseph came to be i nvoked as th e patron of
death beds His death i s often represented i n fam ily chapel s wh ich
are consecrated to the dead The 2 0t h of J uly h a d been observed
i n the E ast w ith great so l emn ity as the ann iversary of Joseph s
deat h for m any years before he wa s popu l ar i n th e West It was th e
custo m to read p ubl icly hom ilies upon h is l ife an d death 3 and many
o f th em are very curio us an d an cient dating from th e fourt h century
in som e cases There is great sign i cance in th e d i ff erent modes of
representing th is saint and i n th e attributes gi ven h i m He regards
M ary w ith ven eration m ingled w i t h tender care and tho u ghtfulness
In the pi ctures of the Nativ ity th e Adoration of th e M agi and i n
many Holy F amil ies he is in an attitude of qu iet a n d contem pl ati ve
admiration 3 and w h i l e treated w ith dignity is n ever made an im portant
point i n th e p i cture In th e ight an d i n the repose in E gypt h e is
the care taker an d gu ide a n d th e i mportance of h is trust is made a o
parent He someti mes hol ds the Infant or bears h im in h is arms
.

1 70

S T OR

E G E ND S A ND

IE S

in tok en of h i s h igh o fce of provid ing for h im ; an d at the sam e tim e

carr i es a lily the emblem of chastity or h i s bu dded rod i n token o f
the purity of the rel ation betw een h imself an d M ary S ometim es h e
gathers dates leads the ass w h ich bears th e Virgin and Child and
ca rries the wallet and sta ff of th e pilgrim W hen h e kneels before
th e I nfant and presents a ower it is an act o f h omage on t he part
of the saint H is dress sho uld be a gray t un i c and a sa ffron colored
M arch 1 9
m antle
S e e S t F austinu s
S t J o v i t a or G i o v i t a
S t J u a n d e D i o s was th e founder of th e Order of th e H ospi
t a l l e r s or Brothers of C hari ty ; in fact h e may be said to be th e
founder of th e same class of institutions i n all c o untries ; o f

our own h ospitals and asyl u ms for th e poor th e M ai son s de

Charit e of F rance th e Barmh erzigen B r ii d e r of G ermany th e

M i sericordia of Italy and th e Ca r i t a d of S pain He was th e

son of poverty born i n M on te M ayor Portugal i n 1 4 9 5 He h ad
no ed ucation bu t w as pio usly reared by h is moth er W hen J uan
w a s but n ine years old h e was so ch armed by th e stories of a pri est
w h o w as ent e rtained by h is paren ts and w h o h a d trav elled far and
w ide that h e went away w ith h i m with o ut th e knowledge of h i s
fam ily
The priest for some reason left h im utterly alon e i n Oropesa
a v illage of Castil e He entered th e service of a sh eph erd wh ere h e
remained until h e entered th e ar m y He w as reckless a n d dissipated
as a sold ier and yet at ti mes was greatly m o ved by recoll ecti o n s
of t h e piety of h i s m o th er an d the l essons o f his ch ildhood H e m e t
w ith m any ad ventures an d n arrowly escaped death from wo unds an d
accidents Being set to guard some booty taken from th e en emy h e
fell asl eep and the prize was carried off H is commanding o ffi cer
ordered h i m h anged on th e spot ; but after th e rope was around h i s
n eck a superi o r o ffi cer wh o ch an ced to pass released h i m on th e c o n
d iti o n that h e sh o uld l eave th e ca m p He returned t o his o ld o c c u
patiou i n Oro pesa ; b u t h is restl ess m ind gav e h i m n o peace and i n
1 5 3 2 h e j o ined t h e troops raised for th e H u n garian war
At th e
end of th e strife h e returned t o h i s n ati ve place mak ing a pilgri m a e
to Co m po s t e ll a on h i s w ay H ere h e was so seized w ith remors e
w hen h e learn ed th at h i s parents h ad died of grief fo r h i s desertion
of th em th at his reas o n wa s i m paired H aving n o m o ney h e becam e
the shepherd of a rich l ad y near S ev ill e H ere h e gave m uch t ime
,

IL L U S TR A T E D

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1 71

to m editation and prayer and determ in ed to do some good i n order

to at o ne as m uc h as p o ss ibl e fo r h is past sins He remembere d the
sad and wretched condition o f the po o r and of capt i ves and pris o ners
of w h o m he had se e n many during h is wanderings A t l e ngth he
det e rm ined to dev o te h ims e lf to their relief and even if p o ssible to
be a martyr He w ent to G ibraltar an d th ere sa w a P o rtuguese
n o ble who w ith h is fam ily was exiled to Ce uta in Africa
He
ent e red the service of these d istressed pe o ple
They suffered mu c h
fr o m si ckness and poverty and J uan became thei r only su pport He
h ired h imself a s a lab o rer and toiled for t he m until they recei ved aid
from other so urces
The n ret urn ing to S pai n h e trav e lled ab o ut
selling religio us books an d pictures a n d do ing all i n h is power fo r
th e p o or u ntil he was t o ld i n a vision Go tho u sh al t bear the cr o ss
in Granada
The m iracul o us b e arer of thi s message w as a radiant
ch ild w ho h eld a pomo de G ra nad a (pomegran at e ) i n h is hand J uan
ca m e into Granada at the ti m e of th e celebrati o n of S t S ebasti an s
festival H e was already m uch excited i n m ind 3 an d th e exhorta
tions of the famous pre acher S t John of A vi la r o u sed in h im s u c h
sorro w for h is sins that h e seemed as one bereft of h is sen ses He
w as taken to a mad house and as the custo m w as scourge d every
day until t he bl o od o wed freely fro m his wounds
The same
preacher referred to w as filled w ith pity for hi m an d by patient
attendance restored hi m to reason and liberty John obtained a little
shed for his home a n d here fo unded th e fi rst H o spital o f Charity ;
fo r h e bega n the practice o f bringi n g h ere th e m o st wretched ones
h e could fin d and of begging for th eir su pp o rt At rst h e could
provide fo r but two o r three but would h imself l ie o utside on
th e gro und fo r the sak e of sh eltering an additional one S oon he
succeeded in obtaining a l arge circular b u ilding i n th e centre of
w h ich w as kept a great fi re 3 and here he often gath ered two h undred
hom e less wretches He gave u p th e idea of martyrdom an d devoted
h i mself with wonderful zeal to the rel ief of the m isery about h i m
He made n o ru l es for any order and d o es not appear to h ave con

bequeathed to
t e m p l a t e d th e establ ish ment of one and yet h e
Christendom o n e of th e n o blest of all its rel igi o us insti t u ti o ns
In

l e bi enh eureu x Jean de Dieu P e re des

F ran ce he has th e t itl e o f
Pauvres
His pr o p e r attributes are th e p o me g ranate and cross

Often he is painted w it h a beggar knee l ing before h im

The C harity
,

1 72

of

E G E ND S

AND

S T OR

IE S

Juan de D ios painted by M urillo for th e Ch urch of th e

Ca r it a d at S e ville repr e s e nts h i m staggering beneat h the burden

o f a d ying b e ggar w h o m h e is h e a r i n g thr o ugh a st o rm to h is hospital
I t i s said that fe w behold this p icture w i tho u t tears
M arch 8

San

1550

d e l a Cr u z

He
is
m
ention
ed
by
M
r
S
ti
r
ling
as
a
j
h oly m a n who was frequently favored w it h interviews w ith o ur
S avi o ur and w ho on one of th ese occasions m ade an u n cout h
sk etch of the D i v ine apparition w h ich w as long preserved as a
re l ic i n the convent of the In carnation at A v ila
He was the rst
bare footed C armel ite and is fam o us for h is terribl e austerities an d
p e nances
He w as the ally of S t Teresa i n a l l h e r reforms an d
is fre quently represented w ith h er
Books w ith the titl e s of h is
wri tings are often introd uced into h i s p ictures
N ovember 24
St

uan

A D
.

15 91

J u d a s I s c a r i o t (I t a l G i uda S c a r i o t a ; F r Judas I s c a r i o t e )
T h e silence of the G o spel concerning the l ife of J udas before h e
b e cam e a d isciple is m o re than lled by th e l egends of th e M id d le
Ages T hey relate that h e was o f th e tribe of R eu ben and t hat h is
m o ther dreamed before h is birth that h e wo ul d m urder h i s fath er
comm it incest w ith h i s mo t her and betray h i s G o d fo r mon ey Hor
r i fi e d at th is prospect
h is parents determ ined that he sh o uld not
l i ve to full such proph ecies ; so th ey put h i m in a chest an d thre w
it int o the sea b ut th e chest was w ashed on sh ore and the chil d taken
by a certai n k ing and reared as h is son T his k ing h ad a son who m
J u d a s hated fro m th e n atural ugli ness of h is di sp o siti o n At lengt h
h e killed h i m i n a qu arrel an d e d to J ud aea and was em p l oyed
as a page by P o ntius Pilate w ho w as attract ed by th e c o m el iness
of h is person In c o urse of time h e fulls the dreadful pro ph ecies
regard ing h is parents a n d at length learns fro m h is m o ther th e
secret of h is birth He i s lled w i th h o rror of h imsel f and h aving
h e ard o f th e power o f Christ t o fo rgi ve sins h e seeks to bec o m e h is
fo ll o wer Jesus rec e ives h im kn o w ing all J udas n o w adds avarice
to h is o th er vic e s and bec o mes so c o m pl e tely c o rru pt as t o t
h i m fo r t h e awful destiny fo reshad o wed fo r h i m
T h e bri b e ry
betrayal r e p e ntance and d e ath fo ll o w a cc o rd ing t o th e S cri pture
acc o unt H is r e pentance i s i n s o m e cas e s m ost v ividly p o rtra yed
Re morse is m a de a real person w ho seizes and torments h im unti l
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h e in vokes D espair w ho brings to h i m all k inds of i mp l ements of

death an d bids h i m choose from them He is represented too w ith
an im p upo n h is sho ulder guring th e S atan that entered i nto h i m
The M oh am medans believe that C hrist ascended al i ve into h eaven
and that J udas was cruci ed in h is l ikeness But h is death h as been
variously represented i n art Th ose w h o h ave painted h i m as h ang
ing w ith h is bowels gush ing out h ave seem ingly made a mistake
The more reasonable version is that h aving h anged h i mself h e fell

an d from the fall he burst asu nder

One trad ition is that h e wa s
fo un d h anging an d thrown over th e parapet of the Te mple an d d ashe d
i n pieces E xpression h as been given to the w ild est imaginati ons
concerning h im An old m iniature makes demons toss h is soul fro m
hand to hand l ik e a ball The h o rror of this restl essn ess is a fearfu l

thought T h e b ursti n g asunder w as considered a special j udg

m ent in order th at h is soul sh ould escape from h i s bowels an d not
be breathed ou t throug h the lips th at had betrayed Christ The
idea is represented by a demon tak ing th e soul i n the usual form of
a l ittle ch ild fro m th e bowels Th e ugl iness of perso n and expressio n
gi ven to J udas i n pi ctures a ppeals to o u r feeling although not i n
harmony w ith the legend 3 an d i t does not seem th at such a m a n woul d
h ave been allo w ed i n th e company of the twel ve Th e proper co l or
for h i m is a dirty yellow At Ven ice the Jews w ere formerly com
e
l
l
e
d
to wear hats of th is J u das color wh ile i n S pain and Italy
p
m alefacto rs an d galley slaves are clothed i n i t
S t J ud e
S e e S t S imon
J u d i t h a n d H o l o fe r n e s In the seventeent h year of th e reign
o f N a b u c h o d o n oso r K ing of N ineveh h e went out to battle w ith K ing
Arph axad of E c b a t a n e ; an d h e sent to all the people roun d th at they
sho uld j oin h is army an d h el p h i m to con quer the M edes Bu t th e
people scorned the commands of N a bu c h o d o n o s or and d id not j oin h is
ar m y Then w as h e wroth and h e swore to destroy those nations
w hi ch woul d not acknowledge h i m for the k ing of th e w hole earth
S o he sent Holofern es w h o w as th e chief captain of the army of th e
Assyrians an d gave h i m commands to go forth and destroy th e cities
and extermi nate th e p e o pl e wh o h ad scorned his auth o rity Holo
fernes did so ; and w hen h e cam e to th e ci ty of Beth ulia h e sat
down before it to besiege it He was advised not to attack th e city
w hich was so h ig h u p in th e mountains as to be al most impregnable
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to seize th e fountain outside the city and th u s cut o ff their water

s o that the people of Bethul ia wo uld fall dead in the ir o wn streets
fr om th irs t H o lofe r n es received thi s advice and seized the foun tain
N ow w hen all the water in the city w a s gone th e women and ch ildren
began to drop w ith faintness and th e men were ready to perish 3 then

came they to Ozias t he ch ief of th e city and they said I t i s better

that w e del iver u s u p to the Assyrians th an th at w e die thu s
and
Ozias reasoned w ith the m th at Go d woul d d el iver them b ut they
would n o t hearken Then Ozias said L e t u s wait ve days ; and if
Go d does n ot sen d rain to l l o ur cisterns n either d eliver u s i n any
oth er way then w e w ill del iver u s u p to the enemy
N o w th ere
w as i n Beth ul ia a w ido w J udith an d sh e was exceeding beautifu l
and very pious S h e h ad been a w idow three years an d four m onths

and sh e had fasted all th e days of h er w idowhood save th e eves of

the S abbaths and the eves of th e new moons an d th e feasts and th e

solemn days of the house of Israel

S h e w as moreover very ri c h
in lands and servants cattle an d money and beautifu l appare l an d
j ewels N ow she w as thought very w ise and her opin ion greatly
esteemed S h e did not approve o f th e decision of th e people and tol d
Ozi as and th e other ch ief m e n th at they had don e wrong that G od
w as not a man that h is coun se l s shou ld be l imited or a time set for
h i m to deli ver th em ; and sh e said sh e w ould go forth out of the city
w ith h e r waiting woman and t hat before th e tim e th ey h a d prom ised
to deli ver u p th e city sh ou l d come Go d would give th eir enem ies into
h e r h and
S o sh e w en t and prayed G o d to be w ith h er to all o w her
to sway th e h eart of Holofernes by th e pleasant w ords she w ould speak
and by t h e sight of h er beauty Then she pu t o ff h er widow s gar
m ents an d sh e dressed h erself in th e appare l wh ich sh e wore i n th e
days of M anasses her h usband ; she pl aited h er h ai r and pu t a ti re
u pon it and sh e took sandal s u pon h er feet and p ut ab o u t h er h er
bracelets and h er ch ains and h er rings and all h er orn aments an d
d eck e d herself bravely to a ll ure the eyes of all men th at sho uld see
h er
And when sh e h ad taken w ine and gs and bread an d parch ed
corn sh e p ut them in a bag an d gave to h er w aiting woman an d
th ey proceeded to th e gate of the ci ty ; and Ozi a s and all who sa w
h er w o ndered at h er great and d azzling beauty S o went sh e fo rth ;
and when sh e was c o m e t o the cam p o f H o l o fe rnes th o se w ho saw her
a dm ired her gr e a t ly an d they took her to their captain w ith grea t
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honor Now when Holofern es saw h er from th at moment h e desired

to h ave her ; but h e questioned h er of herself and w hy she had th us
come ; Then she told h i m th at her people w ere w i cked i n that they
did not s ubmit to his command and that to th is si n th ey w ere ab o ut
to add that of d rinking th e w ine w hi ch had been kept for th e use of
the T emple and that she foresee ing the destruction wh ich m ust come
for all th is sin had sough t his presence S h e ad d ed that sh e woul d
remain w ith h i m going ou t e very night into the valley to pray ; an d
th at when the w icked designs of her peopl e were accomplished sh e
w oul d tell h im an d then he co uld go forth w ith h is a r my an d con
quer them w ith o ut d i fculty
S o sh e re m ained and H o lofernes

o ffered her fo od ; b ut she said I w ill not eat thereof lest there be
an o ff ence 3 b ut provision sh all be m ade for m e of th e thi n gs th at I

h ave brought
And w hen h e said If thy provision should fail ?

sh e an s wered As thy so ul l i veth my lord th ine handmai d shall

not spen d those th ings th at I have before the L ord work by m ine
h and th e th ings th at h e hath determ ined
S o he gave her a tent ;
and she and her waiting wom an dwelt there going o ut every n ight
into the valley Now on the fourth day H ol o fern es m ade a feast fo r
h is o wn servants and called none of his o fcers t o it And he sent
V a g a o the e un uch w ho h ad ch arge of all that h e had to in vite Jud it h

to thi s feast ; and sh e arose an d deck ed h erself and went

N ow
wh en Jud ith cam e in and sat down Holofern es hi s heart was rav ished
w ith h er and h is m ind was moved and he desired greatly her c o m
pany ; for h e waited a time to deceive h er from th e day that h e had
seen her
Then H olofernes urged her to eat and drink wh ich sh e

d id such things as her maid prepared for h er 3 and sh e said I w ill

drink now my lord because my l ife is m agn ied in m e th is day

m ore th an all the days since I w as born

Holofernes took great
delight i n h e r and drank m u ch m ore w ine than h e h ad ever dran k
at any ti me before in on e day At l ast when even ing was com e th e
servants retired a n d V a ga o sh ut th e tent and Ju dith was alone w it h
Holofernes and h e was drunk w ith the w ine Then J udith praying
t o G o d to assist h er took dow n hi s sword w hi ch was at h is head
and sh e took h old of the hair of h is head and said S trengt h en m e
O L ord Go d of Israel th is day
And she smote h i m tw ice u pon h is
neck an d took away h is head T hen sh e pulled down th e canopy
and went forth and gave the head to h er maid w ho p ut it in her
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m eat bag a n d they wen t forth into th e vall ey as was th eir c ustom
B ut n o w they kept on ti l l th e y came to Beth ul ia ; and J ud ith called
to th e watchman w hen they w ere still af ar o ff And w h en her voice
w as h eard all t h e city hastened to hear what n ews she m igh t b ring
And she commanded the m to praise Go d and showed the m th e head
of H o lofernes and the si lken can o py Then J udith gave an order
that they should h ang the head on the highest part of th e w all and
w h en the morn ing s h o ul d come e very m an should take h is we a po n
and go forth as if to batt l e 3 then the Assyrians wo uld go to th e tent
of Holofern es and fear sho u l d fall u pon them and they woul d ee
before the men of Beth u l ia And it was all as she said N o w w hen
V a ga o knocked at the door of the tent h e had no answer h e w ent
not in fo r h e thought th at H olofernes h ad slept w ith J ud ith
but
w hen he coul d hear no one he entered and found the body from w h ich
th e head h ad been c ut away Then was th e Assyrian cam p lled w it h
d ismay and th ey ed into e very w ay of the plain and of th e h ill co un
try And the ch ildren of Israel fell u pon th em and smote them an d
chas ed them beyond D amascus And the tent of Holofernes w ith a ll
its rich appoint ments w as given to J ud ith ; and the m en of Beth ul i a
sp o iled th e camp of the Assyrians Then J ud ith sang a song of tri
u mph
and sh e went to J erusalem and gave th e tent an d all its
bel o ngings to the san ct uary an d they feasted there for three months
A n d J u d i t b l i ved to be one h undred and ve years o l d 3 but sh e
would not m arry tho ugh m any desired h er An d th e people of
I srael esteem ed h er according to her worth 3 and w hen she died they
of Beth ul ia mourned h e r seven d a ys and b uried h er by the side of
h er h usband M anasses
S t J u l i a ( F r S t e J u lie ; I t a l S anta G i ulia ) w as a noble v irgin
w h o i s o ften represented w ith th e Brescian saints
S h e was martyred
at Corsica and her rel ics carried to Brescia w here a ch urch and con
v ent were d edicated to her S h e i s painted yo ung lovely an d richly
attired S h e d ied in the fth century M ay 22
J u l i a n t h e A p o s ta te
J ul ian F lavi us C l audi us E mperor of
R o me nephe w o f Constantin e th e G reat F amou s for h is attem pt
to r e establish pagan ism Born at C o nstantin o ple i n 3 3 1 d ied of a
w ound recei ved i n battl e n e ar C tesi ph o n when ghting against S apor
K ing o f P e rsia b e ing th irty tw o years o ld W hen young he was kept
in obscurity by h is cousin Con s t a n t i n e from j eal ousy He w as rs t
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taught by C hristian bishops an d was then a pupi l of th e school at

Ath ens an d inti mately associated w ith m e n distingu ished for wonder
ful piety and learn ing H is d efenders plead that he revolted from
th e Ch urch on account of its int o lerance of ph ilosophy B ut if he
h ated intolerance h o w m ust h e have hated h i mself ; for h e persecuted
those h e called persecutors and became a fanatic i n h is opposition to
religion F o r the l egend of h is death see S t M ercuri us
S t J u l i a n H o s p i t a t o r (I t a l S a n G i uliano Ospitale 3 F r S t J u
l ien l H o s p i t a l i e r ) w as a count and l i ved i n great state He h unted
an d feasted contin ually On e day as he p ursu ed a deer it turned on

h i m an d sai d T h e n w ho p u r s u e s t m e to the death shalt cause th e

death of thy father and thy mother !
He stopped a ffrighted and
resol ved to ee from h is parents i n order not to full th e proph ecy
T he k ing of th is cou ntry rece ived
S o h e w ent i n to a far country
h i m k indly and gave h i m a rich and lovely w ido w for h is w ife w ith
w hom he l ived so happily as to forge t h is home and th e proph ecy
B ut h is f ath er and mother had p ut on the attire of pilgr ims and set
out to nd their son N o w wh ile J ulian was absent at court th ey
arrived at hi s house and Basilissa h is w ife showed th e m every k ind
n ess and p ut them i n her own bed to sleep T he next morn ing
w hile sh e was gone to ch urch to thank Go d for h aving brough t them
to h er Jul ia n returned He entered h is ch amber and i n th e d i m
light sa w t wo people i n bed and one of th em a bearded man S eized
w ith furious j ealo usy h e dre w h is sword an d slew th em both R ush
i ng out h e m et his w i fe Astonished h e asked w ho was i n h i s bed
and hearing th e trut h was as one dead He then wept b itterly an d

exclai med Alas ! by w hat evil fortun e is th is that w hat I s o ught

to avoid has come to pass ? F arewell my sweet sister ! I can never
agai n l ie by thy side u ntil I h ave been pardon ed by C hrist Jesus for

th is great sin !
But she repl ied Nay my broth er can I allo w
thee to depart an d w ithou t m e ? Thy grief i s my grief an d w h ith er
thou goest I w ill go
S o they travelled till th ey came to a strea m
swollen by mountain torrents i n wh ich many who tried to cross w ere
drowned H er e Jul ian bu ilt a cel l for h ims e lf an d a h ospital fo r the
poor 3 and h e constantly ferried th e travellers over the ri ver w ithout
reward At length one stormy nigh t in w inter w hen it see med that
n o boat could cross th e stream h e heard a sad cry from th e opp o site
bank He w ent over and found a yo u th wh o was a l eper dying fro m
,

12

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cold and weari ness In spite of h is d isease h e carried him over an d

bore h i m in h is arms t o h is own bed and h e and Basilissa tended h i m
t ill m o r ning when t h e leper r o se u p and h is face w a s transformed

into that of an angel and h e said J uli a n the L o rd h a t h sent m e to

th ee ; for thy pen it e nce is accepted and thy rest i s n ear at hand
And h e vanished from sight Then J ulian and h is w ife fe ll down an d
praised G o d fo r h is m ercies ; an d soon th ey died for they were old an d
full of good works H e is patron saint of ferrymen and boatmen of
travellers and o f wandering minstrels H i s dress sho uld be that o f a
h ermit ; h is attribute a stag wh i ch m ay be d istingu ish ed from that
of S t H ubert by the absence of the cruci x between the horns
J anu ary 9 A D 3 1 3
S t J u l i a n o f R i m i n i w as of C ili cia ; and bu t li ttle i s k nown of
h i m bey o nd th e fact that h e en d ured a pro l o nged m artyrdom w it h
O f this S t Chrysostom writes H e is represented
u nfail ing courage
as young and graceful b ut melanch o ly H e is richly dressed and
carri es the palm th e stan dard of v ictory and the sw o rd M arch 1 6
Ju l ia n
There are twelve saints of th is nam e ; b u t t h e t w o gi ven
above are th e m o st i mp o rtant a n d m o st frequently represented in art
S t J u s t a or J u s t i n a and S t R u n a patronesses o f S eville
These w ere the d aughters of a potter of S eville They sold earth en
ware and gave away a l l they m ade after supplying their bare n e c e s
sities S o m e w omen went to b uy of them v essel s to be u sed in th e
w orshi p of Venu s The saints an swered th at th ey w ould sell noth ing
for th at purp o se ; where upon th e women br o ke all their ware and
t h e popul ace sei zed th e m and bore them to th e prefect
B ut rst
th e saints d estr oy e d th e im age of Ven us T hey were condemned to
t h e t o rture
J usta d ied on th e rack and R u n a was stra ngl e d The
G irald a is their especi al care and i t was bel ieved th at th is beautifu l
t o wer was pres e rved by th em i n the terrible th under st o rm o f 1 5 04
They are s o meti mes painted as m a c/za c h a s (o r of th e h umbler class )
and someti mes beautifully attired
Th ey al ways h e a r palms and
a lca r r a z a s
o r earth en p o ts J uly 1 9 A D 3 04
S t Ju stin a o f A n ti oc h
S e e S t Cyprian
S eptember 2 6
.

3 04

St

J u s t i n a o f P a d u a (L a t S ancta J ustin a Patavina U rbis Pro

tectrix ; It a l S anta G i ustina d i Pad o va ; F r S t e J ustine de P a
doue ) w as a d aughter of King V i t a l i c in o wh o was a C h r i stian a n d
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bro u ght u p h is ch i l d in the same faith After th e death of her fath er

she was accused before the E mperor M a xi m i a n who ordered her d e ath
by the s word S h e opened her arms was pierced through the b o som
a n d died
and in th e former
S h e is patroness of Padu a and V enice
city there is a su mptuo u s ch urch in her honor wh i ch was founded i n
4 5 3 and rebuilt i n the sixteent h century
Her pr o per attrib u te is
the s word t r a n s xi n g her bosom S ometimes the un icorn w hich b e
l ongs to Justi n a of Antioch is also given to th is saint w hich cau ses
confusion between th e t wo The un icorn attending a female is also
th e emblem of chastity 3 w hen i t accompanies J ustina of Pad u a the
Venetian c o stume or Ven ice itself or else S t M ark in the distance
w ill us ually d ecide 3 b u t w hen th e female is alone or w ith a c o mpany
of m artyrs and the u nicorn it i s J ustina of Antioch
October 7
.

A D
.

3 03

St

of

i t (I t a l S a n L am berto ; F r an d

Ge r L ambert L aubert or L andbert)

Th is name signies illustri
ous w ith lan ded p o ssessions
He was Bishop of M aestrich t but w as
exiled and recal led i n 6 77 I t is said that wh en an acolyte h e car
ri e d burn ing coals i n th e fold s of h is surpli ce to k indle the in cen se ;
th is typies h is fervor Th e cause of h is death i s gi ven in two ways
O ne account is th at two brothers wh o had robbed th e ch urch of
M aestri ch t w ere slain w itho ut th e knowledge of the bi shop and
their kinsmen in revenge entered the house of L ambert and m ur
dered a l l w ith in H e was k illed w ith a d art o r j avel in Th e oth er
story is that having boldly reproved Pepin d H e r i s t a l for h is love of
h is m istress th e beautiful A l pa i d e the grandmother of C h arlemagne
o n e of her relati ves entered h is d welling and slew hi m H is attributes
are th e palm and j aveli n S eptember 1 7 A D 709
L am e ch
There is a Jew ish traditi o n that after L amech becam e
blind h e was h unting in a forest w here C ain h a d concealed h imsel f
and m istaking the vagabond for a wild beast h e sl e w h im wi th a n
arro w and afterwards k illed h is son T ubal Cain w h o h ad pointed
o ut to h i m th e th icket i n wh ich C ain h a d been Th is is said to

F o r I h ave slai n a m an to my woun ding

explain G e n i v 2 3
and a young man to my hurt
Thi s legend h as been illustrated
i n an engra v ing by L u cas v o n L eyden and in scul pture i n th e
cathedrals at Am iens and M odena as w ell as in the C ampo S anto at
Pisa
.

b e rt

am

a e st r c h

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t S u p p e r (I t a l I l Cena c olo L a C ena ; F r L a C ene ; Ge r

Das Ab e ndmahl C hristi ) This subj ect occupies a m ost im portant
place in art w hen ill ustrating the h ist o ry of C hrist as th e R edeemer
I t has been treated in two d istinct modes
rst as a m yste r y th e
instituti o n of th e S acrament of th e E u charist 3 again as ill ustrative
of th e detection and exp o sure of J u das Keep ing th is d istinction
in m ind w ill h el p to explain th e d i ff erences i n tre atm en t of th e
various artists and w ill inuence th e j u d gm ent i n deci d ing points
connected w ith th em ; as wh at seem s i rreverent and out o f place in
a religi o us and devotional p icture is qu ite adm issib l e in o n e th at
i s barely h istorical
S t L a u r e n c e (L a t S L au renti u s ; F r S t L aurent ; I t a l and
B istori
Sp S a n L orenzo 3 Ge r Der H eili g e L aurentiu s or L oren z )
cally but l ittle is known of t h is saint E ven t h e ti m e a n d place o f
h is birth are m atters of do u bt ; b ut th at h e e xisted a n d w as m a rt y red
according to the general beli ef i s u n doubtedly tru e H i s legend r e
lates that h e w a s a S pan i a rd and a native of Osca or H u e sca i n
A ragon wh ere h i s parents are honored as S S O r i e n t i u s a n d Pa t ie n z a
He w ent to R om e w hen quite yo u ng a n d by h is exem plary life so
pleased S ixtus
th en Bishop of R om e that h e m ade h i m h is arch
d eacon and gave the treasures of th e Ch u rch into h is care W h en S ix
tus was condemned to death as a C hristian S t L au ren ce clung to h i m

and d esired to accom pany h im saying amo n g other th ings S t Peter

s u ff ered S tephen h is deacon to d ie before h i m ; w ilt t h e n not also
S ixtu s assured h im that i n th ree
su ffer m e to prepare thy w ay ?
days h e would fo llow h im and that h is s n e r i n gs wo uld be far th e
reatest
becau
se
being
younger
and
stronger
h
e
could
longer
en
d
ure
g
H e al so commanded L aurence to d istri bute th e property of th e Ch urch
to th e poor so that th e tyran t sh ould n ever possess it S o L aurence
to o k th e treasures and sough t through all R ome for th e poor 3 and h e
came at n igh t to th e CCD l i a n H ill w here d welt Cyr i a c a w ho was a
devout w idow wh o often concealed th e persecu ted Christian s an d
cared fo r them S h e was sick and S t L aurence h ealed her by lay ing
h is h ands on h er and also w ash ed th e feet of th e C hristians in th e
h ouse and ga ve t h e m al ms Th us from ho use to h ouse he d ispensed
h is charities and prepared for h is h asten ing m artyrdom Th e tyra nt
l earning th at the treas u res w ere i n h is h a n d s ord ered h i m to be
brough t to th e tribunal He w a s requ ired to te ll where the treas ur e s
L

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w ere ; b ut th is demand h e refused and was put into a d ungeon under

the care of Hippolytus w hom h e converted to Christian ity w ith h i s
w hole fam ily so th at they w ere baptized Being questio n e d again by
th e prefect concerning the treasures h e pro m ised that in three d ays
The tim e arr i ving h e gathered th e poor ones
h e w ould show them
to w h om h e h a d given aid together and sh owed th em to th e tyrant

saying
Behold here are th e treasures of Christ s Chu r ch !
T he
prefect then o r dered hi m to be tort u red u ntil h e should tel l what h e
w ish ed to know B ut n o horrors co uld subdue the saint ; and th e
prefect ordered h i m to be carried by nigh t to th e bath s of O lympias
w h ich w ere near the v illa of S all ust and a n e w torment inicted o n
h i m w h ich was th at h e shoul d be stretched on a n iron bed made of
bars l ike a gri diron an d roasted over a re k indled beneath Th is
w as done 3 and all w ho s a w were lled w it h horror of the tyrant
w ho could concei ve su ch cruelty and condemn so gentle and comely
a youth to s uch su ff ering B ut L aurence was still u nsubd ued and

cri ed ou t A ssa t u s su m 3 j am versa e t m and uca ( I am done or

roasted ; now t urn m e an d eat
An d all were confounded by

h is enduran ce The n h e looke d to heaven an d said I thank thee

O my Go d and S aviour that I have been found worthy to enter into
thy beatitude
and so h e died Th e prefect an d executioners wen t
away an d H ippolytu s took the body and buri ed i t in th e V i a Ti bur
tina F o r th is th e tyrant com manded h i m to be tied to the tail of a
w ild horse and so h e w as martyred S oon after th is prefect as he sat
i n th e amph itheatre was seized w ith pangs of death an d cried o u t to
S t L aurence and Hippoly tus as h e gave u p th e ghost
I n R ome si x
ch urch es have been dedicated to S t L aurence 3 i n S pain th e E scurial 3
i n G enoa a cathedral 3 and in E ngl and abo ut two h undred an d
fty ch urches besides many oth ers in all Christen dom S t L aurence
i s connected w ith the death of th e E mperor He n ry I I by th e follo w
ing legend One night as a h ermi t sat in h is b u t h e heard a sou nd
as of a host rush ing past He opened h is w indo w an d called out to

kno w w ho th ey could b e Th e answ er came

W e are demons
Henry th e E mperor i s abou t to d ie at th is mo ment and w e go to
sei z e h is sou l
Th e h erm it th en begged that on their ret urn they
should te l l h i m th e res u lt of their errand This th ey promised an d
after a t ime th at same n ight they came again and knocked at the
w i ndow
W hen the herm it questioned of their success the ends
,

'

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ND S A ND

IE S

S T OR

swore th at al l h ad gone ill ; for th ey arri ved j ust as th e em peror ex

r e d and were abou t to seize h is so ul w hen hi s good angel came to
i
p
save hi m After a long d ispute the Angel o f J udgment (S t M ich a el )
laid h is good and evil deeds in t h e scale an d the l a t ter desce nded
and touched the earth and th e vi ctory was to th e demons w h en 10 !
the roasted fellow (for so he w ick edly cal led th e saint ) appeared an d
threw int o the other scale the h oly cu p w h ich changed th e balance
an d defeated the ends But th e demon h ad avenged hi mself by
break ing the handle o ff th e cup and th i s h e gave the h ermit I n
the m o rning th e hermit hastened to th e city and fo und Henry dead
a n d o ne h andle gone fro m th e cu p h e h ad given th e C hurch an d this
h ad disappeared in th e n ight S t L aurence is u su ally painted in t h e
ric h dress o f an archdeacon bearing the pal m and l a g r a t i c o l a or grid
iron Bu t sometim es h e carries a dis h full of money and the cross
to sig nify h is o f ce of treas urer to th e C h urch and also of deacon for
deac o n s bore th e cross i n processi o ns Th e gridiron vari es i n form
and size S ometimes it i s e mbroidered on h is robe suspended roun d
h is n eck or borne i n h is h and ; and again h e puts h is foot on it i n
tri u mph Patron of N uremberg th e E scuri al and G enoa A ugust
,

r u s (L a t and

Ge r

sam e as E n g 3 F r S t L az are ; I t a l

S a n L a z a r r o ; Sp S a n L azaro L azarillo : sign i cation

G o d w ill
Th is saint is v enerated as th e rst bi shop of M arseilles
When seen i n any pictures other than those of h is resu rr ection
h e w ears in common w ith m any o ther saints th e bish o p s dress ; b ut
as h e is most frequently ass o ciated w ith Mary and M artha h e i s not
easily m istaken In rare instances a bier i s seen i n th e backgro und
S epte mber 2
F e e a ry 27 A D 5 9 6
S e e S t Isidore
S t L e a n de r
S h e was t hr o wn into
S t L e o c a d i a w as a n ati ve o f Tol edo
pris o n d uring th e persecution o f D i o cletian W h ile there she w as
t old of th e death of S t E ul a l ia wh o was her friend an d she ear
pra
y ed th at d eath m ight re un ite them
Her
pr
n e st l
a yer was s o on
y
answ e red and she d ied i n pri s o n Anoth er l egen d relates th at she
w as t h rown d o wn from a h eigh t of rock s and a ch apel was b u ilt on
th e sp o t w here sh e fel l and in i t sh e was buried W hen S t l ld e
f o n s o had written hi s treati se defend ing the d o ctrine of th e p e rpetu a l
v irgini ty o f the M o ther of G o d angels rol l ed th e stone from th e tomb
St L

aza

IL L U S T R A T E D IN
S t L eocadia ,

AR T

1 83

an d she went to S t Ildefonso to tell h i m of th e a p

probation of h is work in heaven Before sh e could disappear h e cut
a piece from the m antilla w h ich she w e r e an d th is relic was pre
serve d as one of the C h urch treasures S h e i s patroness of Toledo
and h er stat ue s u rmo u nts the gate (Puerta del Cambron ) S h e is
see n only in S pan ish p ictures December 9 A D 3 04
St
L e o n a r d (L a t S L eonardus ; I t a l S a n L eonardo ; F r

brave as a l ion ) was a

S t L eo n a r d or L i o n a r t : sign ication
co urtier of the court of King T h e o d o b e r t and was m uch beloved by
the king for h is c h e e r f u l n e s s a n d amiability He was a C hri stian
and especially delighted i n visiting and rel ieving pri soners and cap
t i ve s ; an d oftentimes th e k ing pardon ed those for whom he pleaded
At length weary of th e court h e retired to a desert near L im o ges
and became a herm it On e day as the king and queen w ith all th e
court rode to the chase the queen was seized w ith th e pains of ch ild
bearing an d seem ed l ikely to d ie The spot w h ere they were w as
near the house of L eonard 3 and h e h earing of th is d istress came a n d
prayed for the queen and she was so o n safely deli vered Then th e
king gave S t L eonard a portion of th e forest and h e founded a r e
l ig i o u s com m un ity but h e would never accept any o ffice above that
of deacon H is dress is that of a Benedictine or of a deacon and h is
attrib ute a ch ain S o meti mes he h e a r s a crosier as fo under of a c o m
m un ity an d often sl aves or capti ves are near h i m November 6
of

A D
.

559

l d o f A u s t r i a ( Ge r D er H eilige L eopold L u itpold

or L eu pold sign i cation h ol d for the
L eopold M argrave
of Austria was born i n 1 08 0
A t tw enty six h e married Agnes
w idow of F rederic D uke of S u a b i a S h e bore hi m eighteen ch il
dren and eleven of them were li ving at h is death H e fo unded th e
splendid monastery of Kloster Neuberg on the D anube The l egen d
relates th at s o on after h i s marriage h e stood with Agn es on the bal
cony of his palace of L eopoldsberg They regarded th e exten si ve vie w
befo re th em w ith Vienna near by ; an d h and in h an d they vow ed to
b uil d and endow an edi ce for th e service of G o d in gratitude to H i m
w ho h ad blest their love J ust at that m o ment th e w ind l ifted an d
bore aw ay the bri dal veil of Agnes E igh t years from this t ime
w hen h u nting in a forest n ear by L eop o ld found t hi s veil o n a
tree
H e remembered h is vo w ordered the forest cleared and
St

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1 84

E G E ND S

S T OR

AN D

IE S

b uilt th e monas tery of Kloster Ne u berg A o u rish ing town w a s

bu ilt ar o und it and some of the n est v ineyards i n Au stri a w ere
here The w hole l ife of L eop o ld was t h at of a v irt uou s and j u st
m an He is one of the patron saints of A ustria an d is represe nted
i n a rmor S ometimes h e has a rosary in h is hand November 1 5
-

A D

1 1 36

i e v e n or L i v i n w as a poet and a Bened ictine m iss ionary

He was b o rn i n I reland and ed ucated in the schoo l s of th at country
famous in those days for the ir superiority W hile p urs u ing h is la
bors near G hent h e w as cruelly m artyred Hi s tongu e was p ulled
o ut and th en h is head ou t off Th e mother of S t Brice had bee n
h is h ostess an d both sh e an d h er son were k illed w ith S t L ie ven
H e had wr itten a hymn i n h onor of S t Bavon w ith in w hose ch urch
at G hent h e was b uried ; an d there h is relics still repose H e i s
someti mes painted hold ing h is tongue w ith tongs R ubens painted
th is martyrdom w ith terrib l e truthfulness November 1 2 A D 65 6
Th is saint was th e m ost d istingu ishe d com pan ion
S t L ioba
S h e was a poet and very learned for the ti me i n
o f S t W alburga
w h ich sh e l i ved
C harlemagn e and h is E mpress H ildegarde w ere
very fond of L ioba an d would gladly h ave ke pt her w i th them as a
companion and counse l lor b ut sh e preferred h er convent l ife S h e
w as b uried at F ulda by the side of S t Bon iface
S epte mber 2 8
St L

A D
.

77 9

r
F
a in c t
t
a l
n
t
L
S
i
ongino
ongin
I
S
a
L
S
n
u
s
;
g
(

Th is saint i s known as being the rst fru its of th e G e n

L ongis)
tiles
He i s said to be the cent urion wh o pi erced the S av iou r s
side The legend rel ates th at soon after th is act h e touch ed h is
eyes w ith h is bl o od stained h ands and instant l y the weakn ess of
sigh t or bl indness from w h ich h e had long su ffered w as cured
H e then sough t th e A post l es and was baptized
A fter th is h e
pre a ched in C aesa re a and converted n umbe r s ; and being c o m
m a n d e d to sacrice to th e pagan deities h e refused
L o ngin us was
desi rous of th e martyr s crow n and assured the g o vernor who w as
bl ind th at after h is own death the g o vernor s sight should be r e
stored U pon th i s h e was beh eaded and i mmed iately the govern or
w as healed and became a Christi an
Th is legend is repud iated
by th e Ch urch b ut the k nowl edge of it explains the i m p o rta n ce
H is d r ess is that
gi ven to th e centurion i n many works o f art

St

on

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of a R oman soldier and h is attrib ute a spear o r l ance H e has

been patron saint of M antu a since th e eleventh century w hen h is
reli cs w ere said to h ave been brought to that city His statue is
Peter s i n R ome because tradition says t hat
u n der th e dom e of S t
h is lance or spear i s stil l among the treasures of th e C h urch
M arch 1 5 A D 4 5
He
S t L o r e n z o G i u s ti n i a n i was a Venet ian of noble fam ily
w as bor n i n 1 38 0 and fro m his youth was enthusiastic in his piety
Quirina h is mother though young and beautiful remained a w ido w
that sh e m igh t devote h erself to her son At n ineteen h e bel ieved
t hat h e was called to a religiou s l ife by a m iraculous v ision H is
family desired h i m to marry b ut h e retired to th e cloister of S a n

G iorgio i n Alga
H e cam e t o h is mother s palace to beg
per i
poveri d i D i o
S h e lled h is wallet an d h id herself i n her cham
he r
H e becam e so d istingu ish ed for h i s p iety that he w as m ad e
B ishop of Castello Wh en th e patri arch ate of Gr a d e was remo ved
to Ven ice L orenzo was the rst to ll the o f ce Th e people so
r evered him th at th ey belie ved his prayers h ad saved th em from
war fam ine an d p l ague ; and h i s memory recei ved general and e n
t h u s i a s t i c homage long before h e was canonized by Al exander VI I I
S epte mber 5 A D 1 4 5 5
S t L o u i s B e l t r a n or B e r t r a n d (I t a l S a n L u dov ico Bertran do )
was born at Valen cia He became a celebrated Dom in ican and wa s
a m issionary He l ived i n the sixteenth century He was a friend
of S t Teresa F eeling called to preach to th e h eathen h e went t o
Per u 3 b ut h e declare d th at h e en cou ntered greater trials from th e
w ick edness of th e C hri stians than from th e ignorance of the h ea
th en H e has no especial attrib u te ; bu t Peruvi an s or Peru v ian
scen ery often determ ines h is personality
E spinosa placed h i mself
a n d h is f am ily under the care of th i s saint during th e pl ague i n
V alencia in 1 64 7 3 and in consideration of their protect ion fro m
harm h e pai nted a series of pi ctures and placed th em i n th e chape l
of the saint i n the convent of S a n Dom ingo at V al encia October 9
.

1581

St

i G o n z a ga or S t A l o y s i u s w as born in 1 5 68 H e
w as the oldest son of th e M archese d i C astigl ion e He entered th e
S o ciety of Jesu s when not yet eighteen years old
He becam e em i
n e n tl
distinguished
for
h
is
learn
ing
p
iety
and
good
works
and
d
ied
y
.

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S T OR

at Ro me in 1 5 9 1 of fever wh ich h e contracted w h ile n ursing th e sick

H e has no parti c u lar attri bute bu t h is youth distingu i shes h i m fro m
A D 1591
m ost saints of h is order
S t L o u i s K i n g o f F r a n c e (L a t S L udov icus R ex ; I ta l
S o n of L o uis V II I an d Blan ch e
S a n L u igi R e d i F rancia)
of C astile Born i n 1 2 1 5 at Poissy T he h ol iness of L o u is h i s
talents and v irtues co mb ined to make h i m respected and beloved

by all ; and e ven Voltaire said of h i m

1 1 n est gu e re donn a
l hom me de pousser l a vert u pl us loin !
The F ran ciscans clai m
that h e p u t on the i r habit before embark ing o n h is rst crusade
and that i n i t he d ied He w as a great collector of re li cs for wh i c h
he h ad an extreme veneration Bald w in I I secured h is ai d by s ur
rendering to h im th e cro wn of thorns 3 and wh en i t was brought from
C onstantinople L ou is carried it fro m S en s to Paris bareheaded an d

barefo oted Having als o a piece of the Tr u e Cross h e b u ilt th e

beau ti ful chapel L a S ai n te Chapelle in honor of th ese precio us rel ics
In 1 24 7 being very sick h e l ay in a tran ce for h o urs Wh en h e

awoke h e exclaime d L a L u mi ere de l O r i e n t s est rpan d ue d u h au t

d a ciel sur moi par l a grace d u S eigneu r e t m a rappel d entre l e s
m orts
He then called the Archbish o p of Pari s a n d in spite of al l
remonstran ce from h is priests an d friends h e commanded the cross of
th e crusade to be a i xe d to h is dress The arch bishop obeyed w ith
tears and sobs As soon as h is health allowed h e sailed for E gypt
H is w ife and broth ers w en t al so 3 an d h is army of fty thou sand m en
em braced th e ower of th e F ren ch nobil ity After many d isasters
B ut h is zeal n ever cooled an d he r e
L o u is w as made pri soner
garded all h is sold iers w h o peri sh ed as m artyrs of a noble type
W h en ransome d h e spen t three years in Pal estine and returned
to F ran ce wh ere h e rem ained si xteen years He w as a w i se rul er
and repaired h i s l o sses and en l arged h is k in gd o m At th e end o f
th is time h e set o ut on a second crusade Th ose w h o m h e l eft as
ch ildren when h e w en t at rst now made h i s army A fter m o re
tri al s by d i s e a s e and suffe ring h e died in h is tent lying u p o n ash es
and wearing the dre ss of a pen itent A portion of h is rel ics were
t aken to Palerm o and pl aced in th e ch urch of M o nreale The r e
m aind a r w ere laid i n S t D enis bu t d id not escape th e d e str oyers i n
th e rst revol u ti o n H is pro per attribu tes are th e cr o wn of thorns
h is k ingly cro wn and sword August 25 A D 1 2 70
,

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i o f T o u l o u s e (I t a l S a n L udovico V escovo ) was th e

neph ew o f th e last named saint so n of the King of Naples and
L ike h is k ingly un cle saint h e was p io u sly reared by h is
S icily
moth er When h e w as b u t fo urteen h is f ather be ing made prisoner
by the K ing of Aragon gave L ou is and h is brothers as hostages H e
became wearied of e verything b u t religion and in 1 2 9 4 w hen h e was
made free h e gave all h is royal rights to h is broth er R o bert and
became a monk of the O rder of S t F rancis He was then twenty
two years old S oon he was m ade Bishop of Toulouse ; and h e set
o ut barefo o ted an d clothed as a friar to take h is n ew o f ce He
w ent into Proven ce on a charitab l e m issi o n and d ied at the castle of
He was rst buried at M arse ill e s
B r i g n o ll e s wh ere h e w as born
th en removed to V alencia w here h e was enshrined
H is pictures
as young beardless and of gentl e face He has th e
r epresent h i m
e u r de lys embr o idered on h i s cope or on some part of h is dress
The cro w n wh ic h h e gave a way lies at hi s feet w hile h e bears th e
m itre of a bishop A ugust 1 9 A D 1 2 9 7
S oe u r L o u i s e d e l a M i s r i c o r d e who w as rst th e lovely
L ou ise de l a Valli e re was n ever canonized as a saint except in the
h earts of those to who m h er sorrow an d su ff ering her repentance
and ch arities have m ade her m artyr and sai nt S h e becam e a Car
S h e commanded L e Bru n
m e l i t e n un at th irty years of age i n 1 6 74

to paint M ary M agdalene R eno un cing th e W orld as an altar piece

for her c o nvent I t has been thought a p o rtrait of her ; bu t m any
bel ieve th at anoth er M agdalene by the sam e artist w hi ch is i n
M uni ch is probably the best l ikeness of L a Valli e re
S t L u c i a ( E n g S t L u cy or L uce ; F r S t L u ce or L ucie )
W hen D iocleti a n w as emperor and P a s c a s i u s w as governor of S icily
th is saint dwelt i n S yracu se S h e was a noble an d v irtuous maiden
Her moth er w as n amed E u t yc h i a L uci a w itho ut th e knowledge of
h er moth er had made the v o w of chastity ; b ut h er friends h ad her
betrothed to a rich y o ung man wh o was not a C hristian E u t y c h i a
being ill her d augh t er persuaded h e r to vi sit Catan ia to pay h er devo
W h ile L ucia knel t besid e the tomb
t ion s at th e shrine of S t Agath a

she had a v isi o n o f the saint wh o addressed h er th us 0 my si st er

h andmaid o f Christ and a ssured her th at h er mother was h ealed
an d th at as Catani a h ad been blessed by Agatha so L ucia shoul d
obtai n th e favor of Heaven for S yracuse N o w w hen her moth er was
St

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h ealed L u ci a pers uaded her to allo w that she sho uld remai n s ingle
and w ished her dowry to give to th e poor Her m o th er feared lest
she sh o uld be a beggar befo re she died an d h oped to die soon if L uci a
th us d istri buted he r wealth B u t th e daugh ter so entreated an d
argu e d that at length E u t yc h i a consented w illingly
Th en L uci a
gave to the po e n a l l sh e h ad Th is so enraged the yo ung pagan to
w h o m sh e w as betroth ed th at b e accused her to P a sc a s i u s as a
Christian S h e was taken to this cruel govern or wh o ordered her to
sacrice to th e gods ; and wh en sh e w o uld not b e condemned h er to
be taken to a vile place an d treated w ith indign ity S h e assured h i m
that he could not mak e h er sin a lthough h e could control h er body
for that w as not sin to w h ich th e m i nd d id not consent Th en the
tyran t in fury com manded her to be taken away ; b ut w hen they tried
they could not move h er Then they fasten ed ropes to h er an d
pulled h er but still she remained xed All the magicians an d
sorcerers were bro ught but th e ir spells had no power o n h er T hen
they k indled a great re about h er 3 b ut sh e prayed th at th ese
h eath ens migh t be confo unded and th e re d id not h arm h er At
th is Pascasi a s was so enraged that a servant in order to please h im
m urdered h er by piercing h er throat w ith a poniard H er body w a s
buried by th e C hristians on the very spot w here sh e d ied 3 and not
long after a ch urch was erected there an d dedi cated i n h er n am e
Th is l egend w h i ch i s one of th e most an cient does not speak of th e
l o ss o f her eyes b ut more modern ones relate th e fo llow ing add itional
st o ry T here d welt in S yracuse a youth w ho h aving seen h er b ut
on ce was so enamoured of her that h e took e ve r y m eans to w oo h er
and c o nstantly protested that i t was h er wond erfully beauti ful eyes
wh i ch so haunted h i m and p o ssessed h is so u l th at h e could not rest

Where up o n L ucia considering th e S cripture saying

I f th in e eye
o ffend thee pl uck i t out took o u t h er eyes and sent them to th e
young man on a d ish w ith th i s message Here h ast t h e n wh at th o u
hast so m uch desired : and fo r th e rest I beseech th ee l eave m e n o w
i n peace
Th e young man w as so a ff ected by th is that he became a
con v e rt to Christ ian ity and an exampl e of v i r t u e and ch astity But
L ucia did n o t remain blind ; for as she wa s o n e day p raying her eyes
w ere rest o red and w ere m o re beau ti ful than at r st
Th e legend
ad vises th o se w h o d o ubt th is to consul t th e wri tin gs o f vari o u s l earn ed
m en where they w i ll nd these facts related There i s another legend
,

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wh i ch makes th e loss of her eyes a part of h er martyrdom b ut there

i s little a uthority for th is Her attributes are a ligh t wh ich is the
sign i cation of her name 3 her eyes on a d ish w ith or w ithout an a wl
by which they were bored ou t 3 an d a pon iard as th e instrument of
b e ! death
S ometimes light proceeds from wounds in her neck and
again sh e i s being p ulled by men and oxen w ith no e ff ect In her
apotheosis an angel carries her eyes to heaven wh ile others bear th e
saint Patroness of S yracuse 3 protectress against all d iseases of th e
eye 3 patroness of th e laboring poor D ecember 1 3 A D 303
S t L u d m i l l a was the grandmother of S t We nceslaus or W enzel
w ho is venerated in the north of G ermany L udmilla was con verted
by th e preach ing of S t Adelbert and sh e ed uca t ed her grandson i n
the Christian faith H is brother B o l e sl a u s w as a pagan and instru cted
by h i s moth er D r a h om i r a Bohem ia at length became div ided betwee n
Christi ans and pagans 3 and B ol e sl a u s and h is mother determ in ed to
kill L udmilla w h o protected the Christians They h ired assassins
w ho strangle d her w ith her veil w hen she was praying i n her oratory
Wenceslau s w as th en persuaded to v isit h is mother and w as slai n by
h i s broth er w hen h e too was i n th e act of paying h is devotions at th e
altar L udmilla w as the rst m artyr saint of Bohemia S epte mber
,

St

L
t
I
a
L
S
u
ca
We are
3 t a l S a n L uca 3 F r S t L u c )
(
of S t L uke in the Gospel It wou l d seem th at h e w as

uke

tol d b ut litt l e
not converted u nti l after th e Ascension of o u r L ord He was a
disciple of Paul and w as w ith h i m u ntil h is death S om e say h e was
crucied at Patras and others th at he died a peacefu l death That
h e was a physician may be inferred from th e fact th at Paul speak s of

h im as L uke the beloved physician 3 but th e general bel ief that

h e was an artist rests on Greek trad ition s and can only be traced to
t h e tenth century
A picture of th e Virgin fo und in th e Catacombs

w ith an inscription to th e i mport th at i t is on e of seven painted

by L uca i s regarded as a conrmatio n of th is belief con cern ing th e
E vangel ist L uk e
Tradi tion re l ates th at h e carri ed al ways w ith h i m t wo portraits
one of th e S avi our and th e other of M ary
He made many con
verts by displ aying th ese faces w hich inspired those w ho saw th em
w ith d evotion M oreover in hi s hands th ey becam e t h e instru ments
of m iracles In t h e ch u rch of S anta M aria in V i a L ata at R om e
.

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S T OR

a sma ll ch apel is shown as that i n w h ich L uke wrote h is G ospe l

an d m ultiplied images of the V i rgin w h ich i t wa s h is del igh t t o do
F r o m these legends he has been chosen the patron saint of art ists and
He is often represented as painting the V i rgin
a c a d e m i c s of art
H is attributes are the ox gi ven h im because h e w rote especi ally of
the priesthood of th e S avi our and the ox is the emble m of sacri ce ;
the book signifying h is writings and a portrai t o f the Virgin pl aced
i n his hand S ometi mes the ox has w ings ; an d again th e head of an
ox i s placed on th e g ure of a man as a symbol of th is E vangel ist
In th e ch urc h of S a n Domeni co an d S a n S isto at R ome th ere is a
tablet w h ich i s inscri bed th us : H ere at th e h igh altar i s preserved
th at i mage of the most blessed M ary w h ich being delineated by S t
L uke the E vangel ist received its colors and form di vinely
Th is is
th at image w ith w h i ch S t G regory th e G reat (acc o rdi n g to S t A n
t e n ine ) as a suppl iant puried R om e 3 an d th e pestilence being d is
e l l e d th e angel m essenger of peace from the s umm it of the castle
p
of Adri an com manding th e Queen of Heaven to rej oice restored
h ealth to th e c ity
Another picture in the Ara l i claim s to be
the on e w h ich was th u s h o nored Both of them are dark and far
from beautiful ; and if they are th e work of S t L uk e I wo ul d m uc h
prefer the wor d p i c t ur e of M ary w h ich h e gi ves i n h is G ospel to those
o f h is brush
O ctober 1 8
S t L upo
S e e S t Adelaid e
S t M a c a r i u s (of Alexandria) was on e of th e most famo us hermi t
saints of E gypt He i s represented in th e great fresco by P i etro
L a u r a t i i n the Cam po S an to at Pi sa
He i s in th e centre l o oking
d o wn at a sk ull wh ich h e t o uch es w ith h is sta ff Th is is explained by
th e foll o w ing legen d : As M a c a r i us was w andering among th e E gyp
tian tombs h e saw a sk ull of a m u m my He turn ed i t over and asked
to w h o m it belonged I t an swered
To a p a gan
H e then said

I n h ell
M a c a r ius
W here is thy s o ul ?
And th e sk ull repl i ed

then said How d eep ?

Th e d epth is greater than the d istance from

h eaven to earth answered the sk ull Then M a c a r i u s asked Are

t here any deeper th an th o u art 7 and th e sk ull replied
Y e s the J e ws
are deeper still
And a gain th e herm i t said Are there any d eeper
Y e s in s oo th
than th e J ews ?
r e pl i e d th e sk ull 3 fo r th e Chris
tians wh o m J e su s Christ h ath r e deemed a n d wh o sh o w in their actions
th at they despise h is d o ctrine are de e per still
J an uary 2 A D 3 94
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or O u r L a d y (F r Notre Dame ; Ge r U nsere

l iebe F rau ; E n g The V irgin M ary ; L a t Virgo Gloriosa V irgo
S p o nsa D ei V irgo P e t o ns Virgo Veneranda V irgo Pr ae d i c a n d a Virgo
ll e m e n s Vi rgo S apientissi ma S an cta Virgo V i r g i n u m ; I t a l L a
Vergine G lori o sa L a G ran Vergi ne delle V ergin i ; F r L a G rande
Vierge 3 Gr
Tak ing th e legends connected w ith the l ife of M ary in order th e
rst i s the legend of J o a c h i m a n d A n n a (I t a l L a L eggenda d i S ant
Anna M adre della G loriosa Vergine M aria 9 d i S a n G ioacch in o )
S e e S t Joach im
The next h istorical p ict u re is T h e N a t i vi ty of th e B l e sse d Vi r gi n
I
a
l
L
a
d
Naissance
de
l
a
Vierge
a
Nascit
ella
B
Ver
F
r
L
a
S
t
;
(
gin e ; Ge r D ie G eburt M aria)
As tradition tel l s that Joach i m

an d Ann a were exceedingly ri ch th e roo m in wh ich t he birt h is

represented is usu ally ri ch in fu r nit ure and decorat i ons A gl o ry
som etimes surro unds the head of the ch ild M ost artists h ave als o
painted attendants and a n u mber o f fri ends and neighbors who have
com e to rejoice with S t Ann a that her prayers are answ ered and a
ch ild bor n to her w h ile she herself reclines on her bed and receives
th e attentions of the handmaidens an d th e con gratu lations o f her
friends S eptember 8
T h e P r e s e n t a t i on of t h e Vi r g i n (I t a l L a Presentazion e ove nostra
S ignora p iccioletta S ale i grad i del Tempio 3 Ge r D ie Vorstellung
der J ungfrau i m Tempel Joach i m u n d Ann a w eihen i hre Toch ter

M aria i m Tempel )
The legend says : An d w h en th e ch ild w as
three years o ld Joach i m said : L e t u s in vite the d augh ters of
Israel an d they shal l take each a ta per or a lamp an d attend o n
her that th e ch ild may not t urn back from the temple of t h e L ord
And be ing come to th e temple they p l aced her on the rst step and
sh e ascended alone all the steps to th e altar ; and t he h igh priest
recei ved her there ki sse d her and blessed h e r saying M ary the
L ord hath magnied thy n am e to all gen erations and in t hee shal l
be made kn own the redemption of th e ch ildren of Israel
An d
being pl aced before th e altar she dan ced w it h her feet so th at all
the house of Israel rej oiced w ith her and lo ved her Then h er
parents returned home blessing G o d because the m aiden had not
t urned bac k fro m the Temple
There are vario us pictures of the
l ife of M ary i n the Temple S h e is represented as instructing her
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com panions a s spinn ing and as embroidering tape stry S h e is some

ti mes attended by angels ; and trad ition declares th at h er food wa s
suppl ied by them and that M ary h ad the pri vil ege w h ich none
other of her sex ever h ad of going i nto the Holy of Holies to pray
before th e ark of the covenant Presentation of B V Novem be r 2 1
T h e zlf a r r i a g e of t h e Vi r g i n (I t a l I l S posal izio ; F r L e M a
ri e e de l a Vierge ; Ge r D ie Trau ung
When fo urte en years
o l d M ary was to l d by the h igh priest that it was pr o per for her to
b e marri ed B ut she rep li ed th at h er parents h ad dedi cated her t o
th e service of th e L ord T hen the h igh priest told h er of a v ision
he had h a d concern ing her an d she s ubm itted h erself to the L ord s
appointment w it h sweet h umi lity T h e m anner i n w h ich h er h us
band w as selected i s to l d in th e l egend of S t Joseph I n th e re p
r e se n t a t i o n s th e Virgin i s attended by a train of maidens and th e
d isappointed s u itors are often seen The priest j oins h er h and to
that of Joseph or J oseph i s placing th e ring on h er nger Josep h
fre qu ently carries h is b l ossomed w and w hile th e other sui tors break
o r tram ple on th eirs
Th e cath edral of Perugi a is said to conta in
among its rel ics the nuptial ring of the Blessed Virgin T he retu rn
o f Joseph and M ary to their ho use is a l so a subj ect of art 3 an d
L uini represents th em as w a l k ing h and in h and Joseph regard
ing h er w it h veneration a n d sh e look ing down modestly serene
Jan uary 23
T h e A n n u n c i a t i o n ( F r L a S al utation A n gel i qu e L A n n o n c i a t i on 3
Ge r D ie V e r k ii n d ig u n g D er engl ische G russ 3 I t a l L A n n u n c i a z i on e
L a B Vergine Annunziata)
I n addition to the G ospel account of
th is e vent artists h ave been inu enced by l egends One relates
th at as M ary went fort h at even ing to dra w w ater she heard a

v o ice w h ich said H ail tho u that art full of grace l b ut sh e c o uld
see no one Being troubled she return ed to her h ouse and her
w ork w h ic h i s sai d to h ave been purpl e and fi ne l inen S t Ber
n ard rel ate s th e e vent in th is w ise :
M ary w as st udying th e b o ok

o f Isaiah and as sh e read the verse

Behold a Virgin shal l c o n

an d be ar a son sh e though t w ithin h erself

H o w blessed
c e i ve
th e wom an of wh om these words are wri tten ! Wo u l d I m igh t be
b u t her handmaid t o serve h er and allowed to k iss h er feet !
And
i nstantly the ange l appeared to h er an d in h er t h e proph ecy wa s
fullled The ti me is someti mes j ust at e ven ing i n reference t o
.

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w h ich be l ief that hour has been consecrated as th e Ave M aria

But others believe it to have been m idnight and th at Christ was
born at the same hour th e follow ing D ecember
Th e place i s
usually w ith in th e hou se and rarely by a fo untain as th e legen d
presents i t S ometi mes G abriel ies i n from above or is borne by a
clo ud S ometimes h e wal ks b ut i s always yo ung beautiful and yet
thoughtful i n look
H e has w ings and i n the early p ict ures ful l
drapery He either bears t h e l ily (F leur de M ari e) or i t i s i n
som e oth er part of th e pi cture S ometi mes h e has th e o l i ve typical

of peace or a sceptre w ith a scrol l inscribed A ve M aria gratia

plena !
Th e Holy S pirit as a
V ery rarely h e has th e pal m
dove i s someti mes poised over th e head of M ary someti mes hovers
toward h er bosom or enters th e room through th e w indow A l ess
agreeable introd uction i s that of th e E ternal F ather abov e th e sky
surrounded by a glory and send ing forth ce l esti al l ight T h e S p irit
or sent i ment of the picture depends in a great m easur e upon th e
age i n w hi ch i t w as painted Before t h e fourteenth century M ary
i s u su ally represented as h u mbl e and s ub mi ssi ve as if l istening
to the mandat e of Go d and that from th e l ips of a superior being
B u t after that time the increased veneration of th e f aithful to t h e
V irgi n pict ures her as sh e was the superior being ; an d her aspect

bets the R egina a n ge l or u m

Th e work basket typi cal of the
industry of M ary is se l do m om itted 3 and to express h er temperance
a dish of fruit a n d a pitcher of water are fre que n t l y i n trodu ced
T h ere are certai n mysti cal or all egorica l representation s of th e A n
n u n c i a t i on
d i fcu l t to be u nderstood
One represents a u ni cor n
taking refuge i n the boso m of the Virgin : an angel near by w inds
a h un t ing horn w hile four dogs cro uch near h i m Its signication i s
given thu s i n an ancient F rench work T h e fabulous unicorn w h o
w ith h is single hor n w as sai d to wound only to free th e part
wounded from all disease is a n emblem of Jesu s th e great physici an
of souls T h e fo ur dogs represent M ercy Truth J ust ice and Peace
as the four considerations wh i ch inuenced th e S aviour to un dertak e
the salvation of men Th e remainder of th e exp l anation i s so pe c u

l iar that no translation can gi ve the exact idea It i s thu s : M ais

com me c t o i t par la V ierge M arie q u il a vo i t voul u descendre parm i
les hommes e t se mettre en leur pu issance on c r oyo i t n e p o u voir
mie u x faire que de choisir dans la fable 1e fait d une puce l le po uv ant
.

,
.

13

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IE S

se ule servir de pi e ge a l a l icorn e e n l a t t i ra n t par l e ch arm e e t

l o parfu m de son sein v irginal q u elle l u i p r e u t o i t e n n l an ge
G abri e l c o nc o uran t a n myst e re t o i t b i e n r e c o n n o i s s a b l e so us l e s
traits d a veneur a il l a n ga n t l es l vri ers e t e mbo uch ant la trom
pette
Another m o de of representation is th at of M ary stand in g
with h er hands fo lded over h er breast and h er head bow ed S h e is
beneath a splendid porti co G abriel kneels o utsid e and extend s th e
l ily Ab o ve the Padre E terno appears and send s fo rth the S avio ur
w h o is i n th e form of the Infant Christ bearing his cross wh o oats
down ward tow ard th e earth preceded by th e Holy S pirit i n the fo rm
of the Dove Th ese ideal pi ct ures u sually i f not al ways date earl ier
th an th e seventeent h century M arch 25
T h e Vi s i t a t i o n ( F r L a V isitation d e l a Vierge ; I t a l L a V isi
t a z i o n e d i M ari a ; Ge r
D ie H ei msu ch ung M ari a)
T h is scen e
w h ich represen ts th e meeting of M ary an d E l izabeth i s also called

The S al utation of E li zabeth

Th is pictu re i s n ot easily mi stak en
h o wever painted ; someti mes th e scene i s i n th e garden of Zacha
rias where th e legend relates th at M ary o ften retired to m ed itate
u p o n the great honor G o d had bestowed u pon h er I t i s told that
one d a y while i n th is garden the Virgin tou ch ed a o wer w h ich
befo re h ad n o perfume b ut since th at ti me its odor i s delicious
Agai n the two favored women m eet at th e entrance of th e d well ing
of E lizabeth S h e i s of co urse m u ch older th an M ary but sho ul d
not be feeble and wrinkled
H er m anner be ts o n e w ho recog
n i z e s th e M o ther of her L ord
w i th glad h u m il ity b ut sh ow s also a
certain d ign it y sin ce sh e h erself i s appoi nted by G o d to an exalted
Z ach arias and Joseph as w e l l as servants are f r e
m o therh oo d
quently introd uced and som etimes th e ass on w h ich M ary h as rid
de n
Zach arias i s r o bed as a priest an d J oseph as a traveller
S o metimes E lizabeth kneel s as i f to m ak e more i mpressive h er

w o rd s
And whence i s th is to me that the moth er o f my L ord
should c o m e t o me ?
July 2
T h e N a t i vi t y (F r L a Nati vit ; I t a l l l Presepio I l Nasci mento
del N o stro S ignore ; Ge r D ie G eburt Christi ) A n anci ent legen d
r e l ates that ab o ut th e sam e tim e th at C aesar Augustus decreed that
all th e w o rld sh o uld be taxed he was w arned by a sibyl o f the birth
of J esus The pictures and scul pture s represen ting th is l e gend are
n o t i mproperly considered i n connection w ith th o se of the N ati vity to

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wh ich they so dist inctly poin t The l egend relates th at th e emperor

consulted th e sibyl Tib u rtina to know i f it w ere right th at he sh o u ld
accept th e d i vi ne h onors w h ich the S enate had decreed to h im Th e
sibyl after meditating som e days took the emperor alone and showed
h i m an altar Above th i s altar th e heaven s opened and he saw a
beautiful virgin bearing an in fant i n her arms and h e heard a v o ice

saying T h is is the altar of the S o n of the l i ving Go d

Then C ae sar
A ugustus erected on th e Capitoli ne Hill an altar and inscribed i t

Ara pri mogenit i Dei

Th e ch urc h called the Ara C oel i stands on
th e sam e spot as th at on w h ich th e altar w as b uilt ; and in i t i s a
h a s relief r e presenting th is legend to wh i c h a very grea t antiqu ity i s
attached by t h e Ch urch There are oth er paintings of the sam e s ub
j e c t The Nati vity w h en t reated as an h istorical event i s represented
i n a stable at m idn ight an d in w inter The earl ier p ictures gi ve
M ary an appearan ce of su ff ering but from th e fo urteenth century it
i s not so S ometi mes sh e kneel s by the child o r points to th e manger
i n w h ich h e l ies or bending over h i m i s bright w ith the ligh t w hich
comes from the ch ild an d w h ich accord ing to the legend illuminate d
the place w ith supernatural light Jos e ph i s sitting or lean ing o n h i s
staff and frequ ently h olds a taper or other l ight to show that it i s

n igh t T h e angel s wh o sang the G lor i a in E xcelsis were at rst

represented as three b u t i n later p ictures th eir n umber is larger as
o f a chorus T h e ox an d th e ass are in vari ably seen T he old monks
h ad vario u s i deas associated w ith th ese an imals Th ey regarded them
as th e full ment of prophecy (Habakk uk i ii
and as typi cal of th e
Jews and G entiles
the ox representing th e former an d the ass the
latter ; and one old writer relates that they warm ed the heaven l y
babe w it h th eir breath S om et im es th e ass i s w ith open mou th as
i f proclaim ing in h is w ay th e l ight th at h ad com e to enlighten th e
The shepherds are frequ ently i n th e backgro u n d W hen
G entiles
treated as a mystery the Virgin ad o res the ch ild w ho i s her s o n an d
her G o d I t is sometimes difc u lt to distinguish between th is an d

a M adre Pia b ut u sually someth ing i s in troduced to denote th e

N ati vity T he babe l ie s i n th e centre w ith h is nger on h is li p as if

to say V erb u m s u m
an d looks upward to the an gels w ho in th e
h eavens sing h i s glory H is h and sometimes rests on a wh eat sh eaf
emblem of th e bread of life M ary kneels on on e side and Joseph
if present also kneels 3 and often ange l s adore and su stain the ch ild
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When other gu res are introd uced th ey are saints o r votari es for
w hom the picture was painted December 25
T h e A d or a t i on of t he S h ep he r ds ( F r L A d o r a t i o n des Bergers ;
Ge r D ie Anbetung d er Hirten ; I t a l L A d o r a z i o n e de i Pas tori )
The sh eph erds present their o e r i n gs of fru its l ambs or doves and
w ith uncovered heads sh o w th e ir de votion w ith rude simpl icity
Women dogs and sh eep someti m es accompany them ; an d th ere i s
a l egend that th e Apost l es S im eon and J ude w ere of th eir n umber
S o metimes th e ch ild sl eeps an d th e V irgi n or Joseph raises th e
covering to show h i m to th e sh epherds W h en a n gels scatter owers
they are those gath ered i n h eaven
T h e A d o r a t i o n of t h e M a gi ( Ge r D ie h ei l ige dre i Kon ige n 3 D i e
Anbetung der W eisen aus dem M orgen l an d 3 I t a l L A d o r a z i o n e d e
M agia ; L E p i fa n i a 3 F r L A d o r a t i o n des R o is M ages ) Th i s picture
w h ile i t makes one of th e h istorical series in th e l ife of th e Virgi n
h as another deep interest i n th e consideration that i t i s th e e x
pression of the E piph any o f th e m an ifestation to th e G entiles of
Th e legend follows the S cri pture account and th e
G o d made man
reason able inferences to be ded uced from i t m ore cl osely than m a ny
others It i s th at these M agi w ere not m e n w ho kne w the arts of
m agic b ut w ise pr i nces of som e e as tern coun try Th e proph ecy o f
Balaam h ad been held in remembrance by thei r peop l e I sh all see
h im b ut not now ; I sh al l behold h i m b ut not n igh : there shall

come a S tar o u t of Jacob an d a sceptre sh all rise o ut of I srael

an d w h en th ey saw a star d i ff ering from th ose w hich a s l earned
astronomers they h ad st udied th ey recogn ized it as th e s t ar of th e
proph ecy and at on ce followed w h ith er i t led I t h as been sai d th at
t h e star wh en rs t seen h ad th e form o f a ch il d bearing a sceptre or
cross The w ise men said farewell to their h om es and friends a n d
to o k m i merons attendants for th eir l ong j ourn ey A fter many peril s
th e cl imbing of m ountai ns th e crossing of d eep streams and m any
d if c u l ties they cam e to Jerusalem On inqu iry for the K ing th ey
sought th ey w ere d irected to Bethlehem and as k ed by Herod t o
bring h i m news on th ei r return o f w h ere th e ch ild could be found
that h e too m igh t worshi p h i m At l ength th e star stood still over
th e lowly place w here Jesus was No m atter h o w di ff erent may
h ave been their previous i maginations from the real ity th ey found
th eir faith was equal to the demand u pon i t 3 and th ey bow ed do wn
,

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thu s gi ving th emse l ves rst and th en presented th e gold w h ich

sign ie d that Jesu s was k ing ; the frankin cense that he w as G o d 3
an d th e myrrh that h e w as su ff ering man an d m ust y ield to death
In return for th eir gifts C h r ist gave the m charity and spiritual riches
i n pl ace of gold 3 perfect faith for their incense 3 and for myrrh tru th
an d m eekness of spiri t The V irgin gave th em as a preciou s memo
rial one o f th e l inen bands i n wh ich sh e had wrapped th e d ivin e
child Bei ng warned in a dream they returned not to Herod bu t
w ent another way There is a legend that th eir homeward j o urney
w as m ade in sh ips 3 and i n a com mentary of th e fth century on th e
Psal ms i t i s said that w hen H erod found th at they had escaped

from h i m in sh ips of Tarsus h e burned all the v essels i n the port

B ut how e ver they ret urn ed th e legend relates that the star guided
them to th e E ast as it had led the m from it and they reached their
h omes in safety They never again assumed their former state b ut
eal th to th e
i n i mitation of th ei r n ew sovereign th ey gave thei r w
poor an d w ent abo ut to preach th e n e w gospe l of peace There i s
a traditi on t hat after forty years w hen S t Thomas went to th e
Indies h e m et t here these w ise men and baptized them 3 an d after
w ards as they cont i nued to preach th ey went among barbari ans an d
w ere put to death L ong after th eir rem ains were found an d th e
E mpress Helen a h ad them removed to C onstantinople
D uring th e
rst Crusade they were carried to M ilan and lastly th e E mperor
Barbarossa place d the m in th e cathedral at C ologne w here they
remain i n a costly shrine w hereat many wonderful m iracles h ave b een
wro u ght Th e n ames of these three K ings of C ologn e as th ey are
often called are Jasper or C aspar M e l ch ior an d Balthasar In th e
pictures th ey are of three ages th e rst J aspar ve r y old w ith gray
h e a r d 3 M elch ior of mi ddle age 3 and B al thasar a l ways young an d
someti mes a M oor or black man to signify th at h e was of E th iopi a
a n d th at Christ came to redeem all races
S ometimes th is i dea i s
man ifested by m aking Balthasar s servant black Th eir costu mes a t
t e n d a n t s and variou s appointments vary with th e ti m e i n w h ich the
p ictures w ere painted and w it h the nationality of th e art ist N o w
t h ey have all th e usu a l paraphernal ia of royalty as seen in the cont i
ne u tal capitals 3 again the know l edge acquired in th e Crusades w as em
ployed and all abo ut them i s Oriental in styl e ; and e l eph ants l eopards
and even monk eys are in trod uced into th e scene The holy ch ild i s
,

1 98

E G E ND S A ND

S T OR

IE S

someti mes h e l d by h is m other and som etimes sits alone b ut u sual ly

raises h is hand as i f i n blessing I n early days Joseph w as seldom
present ; but as devotion to h i m increased i n th e C h u rch h e was
more frequently made an actor i n th is scen e : h e someti mes only
l ooks on qu ietly ; agai n h e recei ves the treasure and in some i n
stances t h e M agi seem to congratulate h i m
The variou s modes
of r e presenting th is inexhausti ble s ubj ect wou ld i f described ll a
volume January 6
,

T h e P u r ic a t i on

T e m p l e ( It a l
b r in gu n g i m

th e

h
r is t i n
C
f

Vi r g i n ; T h e P r e s e n t a t i o n

P n r i c a z i o n e

th e

della B Vergine ; Ge r D ie D ar
Tempel )
Th e Virgin after the birth o f h er son
c o mplied w ith all the requ irements of the l aw and th e scene i n
the Temple is so meti mes called the P uri cation b ut more f r e
quently i t is regarded as referring especially to th e S aviour ; an d
m any representations present the proph ecy of S i meon as th e i mpor
tant e vent i n the scene It is also con sidered as the rst of th e

seven sorrows of the Virgin 3 and th e w ords

Y e a a s word sh all
pierce through thy own sou l a l so may w ell h ave sadden ed t he
h eart of M ary and gi ven her a w arn ing of all th e glorio us sorro ws
w hi ch w ere before her The legend of S im eon i s so closely con
n e c t e d wi th th is scene as to be better given h ere than elsewhere
T wo h undred and sixty years B c Ptolemy Ph iladelph us requested
th e h igh priest of th e Jews to send h im scribes and interpreters to
transl ate for h i m th e H ebre w S criptures so th at h e m igh t place th e m
i n h i s l ibrary S i x l earned R abbis fro m each tribe were sent seventy
tw o in all ; and among them S imeon w ho was full of learn ing H i s
p o rtion was th e b o ok o f Isai ah ; and w h en h e came to th e senten ce

Beh o ld a Virgin shall conceive h e feared th e translati o n m igh t

offen d th e G reek s and after m u ch considerati o n h e rendered i t a
ou n
bu t wh en i t was wri tten an angel e ff aced it and
y
g wo m a n
wr o te th e word Vi r g i n as it sh o ul d be Then S imeon wrote i t agai n
an d again and e very time i t was changed
When thi s was d o ne
three ti mes h e was confo unded ; and as h e med itated on th is it was
revealed to h im th at th e pr o ph ecy sh ould not only be fullled but

that h e should not see death till h e h ad seen the L ord s Chri st
S o he l ived until th ese th in g s came to pass and th en h e was led
t o the T e m pl e o n th e very d ay wh en this Virgin M o th er came t o
pres e nt there her D i vine S o u And th ere it was th at he exclaimed
La

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w hen h is pr o ph e c v was ended L ord n o w lettest t ho u thy servant

de p art in peace acc o rding to thy w o rd
Anna the prophetess h a s
h er part i n th is pict u re S h e prophesied of h i m who sh o uld bring
redemption to Israel b ut sh e d id not take the ch ild ; fro m t his sh e
h as been regarded as an i mage of the synag o gue w h ich h ad pr o p h e
sied m uch o f t he M essiah but fail e d t o em brace hi m w hen he came
T h is picture is frequently called the N u n s D i m i t t i s wh i ch is its ti tle
in G reek art F ebruary 2
T h e F l ig h t i n t o E g g
E
F
r
L
F
uga
i
n
gitto
uit
t
a
l
L
a
F
a
t
I
e
;
/p
(
d e l a S ainte F am ille en Egypte ; Ge r D i e F lucht nach Aegypten )
There are variou s legends con nected wit h thi s j o urney of the H oly
O n e i s th at wh e n
F am il y w h i ch h ave been ill u strated by artists
escaping and fearing lest th ey should be overtaken by th e o ff icers o f
H erod th ey cam e to a place w here a man was sow ing wh eat M ary

sa i d to h i m If any shall ask you w hether w e h ave passed th i s w ay

ye shall ans wer S uc h person s passed th is way wh en I was sow ing
this corn
And th en by a miracle of the infant Jesus th e corn
gre w i n on e n ight so as to be t for the h arvest Next day the o f
cers di d indeed come 3 and the m an w ho w as cutting his w heat i n
great w o nder and th ankfulness answered as he h ad been instructed
an d the pursu ers turned back Another legend relates th a t the
Holy F am ily encountered a band of robbers of w hi ch th ere w ere
large n umbers i n th at country i n t h OS e days One of th e robbers

was abou t to attack them w h en another said S uff er them I b eseech

thee to go in peace a n d I w il l give thee forty gr e a t s and l ikewise my
girdle
T h is o ffer th e rst robber accepted
Th e second then took
the travellers to a safe place w here th ey passed t h e n ight Th e Virgi n
said to h im The L ord G o d w ill rece ive th ee to h is right h and an d
grant thee pardon of thy sins ! And th is was done 3 for (acc o rding to
the legend ) these were the t wo th ieves wh o we r e cruci ed w ith Jesus
and t h e merciful one was th e sam e w ho w ent w ith Christ to Paradise
An o ther popular in cident of thi s j ourney in l egendary writings i s
th at the pal m tree bent its bran ch es at the comman d of th e ch ild to
shade the Blessed V i rgin It is also related th at a tree wh ich gre w
at th e gate of Hel iop o lis a n d w as venerated as th e h ome of a go d bowed
itself at th e appr o ach of th e S av iour an d th at all along th e r o ute
of th e Holy F amily w herever there were i dols these fe ll on their
f aces and w ere broken in frag m ents
This is assented to by r e l igi o u s
,

200

E G E ND S

IE S

S T OR

AND

authorities as w el l a s by w r i te r s of legends There are m any ways of

r e pre senting the three travellers on th is remarkable j ourn ey bu t all
T here are a f e w i n w hich t hey are e ither e m
a r e eas ily rec o gn ized
barking o r are in a b o at crossing one of the streams o r lakes w h ich i n
S o metimes an ang e l assists the
t e r c e p t e d the c o urse of their j o urney
V irgin to enter and som eti mes steers the boat S e e also S t J oseph
T h e R ep ose of t h e H o ly F a m i ly (I t a l I 1 R i po so ; Ge r D ie R uh e
i n Aegypten ; F r L e R epos de l a S ainte F am il l e ) T he subj ect of
th is picture is really an in cident of t h e F l igh t ; b ut i t is not fo u nd

a
r
t
i n very early
rarely i f at all befo re th e sixteenth centu ry
When other gures than those of the V irgin an d ch ild w it h Joseph
are intr o d uced i t is not a R ip oso b ut a H o ly F a m i ly Th e legend
states that th e Holy F am ily reposed beneat h a sycamore grove nea r
th e village of M a t a r e a a n d that near the same v illage a fo untai n
sprang fo rt h m iracul o u sly for their refresh men t T his gave a reli
gions i nterest to th e sycamore and th e Crusaders brough t i t to E u
r o pe 3 and th is same F oun tain of M ary was shown m e by th e Arab
gu ides a fe w m iles from C airo M ary is someti mes painted d ipping
water and again w ash ing l inen i n th is fountain w hi ch th e legend
als o tells that sh e d id
I n pictures of th e R epose angels ofte n
min ister to th e com fort of the travellers in various ways and w it h
beau tiful propriety Th ere i s a w ild ballad legend w h ich probably
originated in th e E ast wh ich gi ves an account of the m eeting of M ary
and a Z ingara or gypsy The gypsy crosses the pal m of th e ch ild
an d tells h is fut ure according to th eir cust o ms Her prophecy of
all h is s u ff erings qu i t e o vercomes the Virgin 3 bu t the Z inga r a con
s o l e s h er w ith th e assurance of th e redem ption of mank ind thr o ugh
all these s o rrows and ends by ask i ng forgi veness of her s iu s i nstead
of the u s ual gold or sil ver p iece the gypsies love so well Th is a f
fo rds a ne subj ect fo r art and h as been painted When th e H o ly
F am ily are seen as on a j o urney and th e S av io ur represented a s
w alk in g it i s th e retur n from E gypt th at i s intended
T h e H o l y F a m i l y ( F r L a S ainte F am ille 3 I t a l L a S acra F am igl i a
L a S acra C o n versazione )
F rom th e return to N azaret h until J esus
is twel ve years old the G o spel s rec o rd no events of the l ife of th e
Virg in o r her S o n U nder th e title o f H o ly F am ily there are h u n
dre d s o f pictures repres e ntin g the i mag inary l ife o f these exal ted
one s whose e very act wa s full of interest to all th e worl d Th e
.

I L L US T R A T E

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sim pl e st form is th at of t wo gur e s t h e V irgin a n d Ch ild 3 a n d f r e

qu e ntly sh e is n ursing t h e b a b e som e ti mes k isses h im or a m us e s h i m
w ith pl a yth ings a n d a gain w atch es h i m a sl e e p a n d ponders i n h er
h eart u pon h e r w onderful ch ild 3 w hi ch l a st are c a ll e d I l S il e nzio

or
L e S omm e i l d e J e s u s
W he r e there are three gur e s it is gen
e r a l ly S t
John who is a dded but som eti m e s S t Jos e ph m a k e s th e
third
F our gures in cl ud e e ith er S t Joh n a n d S t E liz a b e th or
more r a r e ly S t Joseph a n d S t John F iv e gur e s incl ude a l l wh o
h a v e b e en n a m e d a n d Z a ch a ri a s someti m e s m a k e s t h e sixth M or e
th a n th e se a r e u n u su a l a lthough there are pi ctur e s in w h ich l a rge
n umb e rs surro un d th e Holy F a m ily proper a n d are s u ppos e d to r e p
r e s e nt t h e rel a t i v e s of th e S a v iour e s p eci a lly th os e wh o were a ft e r
But a n y d e scri p tion of th e s e
wa rds to b e h i s disciples a n d follow e rs
pi ct ures would ll vol um es M a ny of them are design a t e d by som e

prom inent p e cul i a rity a n d be a r such n a m e s a s L a V ierge a u x C e ris e s

La Ma
L a Vierg e a l a D i a d em e
L a Vierg e a l O r e i ll e r V e rd

L e R a bote ur e t c
donn a del B a cino
L e M en a ge d u M en u isi e r
T h e D i sp u t e i n t h e T e m p l e (I t a l L a D is p ut a n e l T e m p i o 3 F r
J s u s a u m ili e u des Docteurs ) W h il e th is is the r e pres e nt a tion
of a very i mport a nt act in t h e l ife o f Jesu s i t is qu i t e a s fre q u e ntly
m a d e o n e of th e series fro m t h e li f e of t h e V irgin
A n d in rega rding
th es e pi ctures it w il l a i d on e to consider w h eth e r it i s th e wonderful
knowledge of J e s us or t h e gri e f of M a ry wh ich is the mor e forcibly
p ortr a yed
T h e D e a t h of J osep h (I t a l L a M o rt e d i S a n G i us e pp e 3 F r L a
M ort de S t Josep h 3 Ge r J o se f s T o d) S e e S t J oseph
T h e M a r r i a g e a t Ca n a i n Ga l i l e e (I t a l L e N ozze d i C a n a ; F r
L e s N oces d e C a n a 3 Ge r D i e H ochz e it z u C a n a )
A lth ough J esu s
p e rform e d h is rst m ira cl e a t th i s m a rri a ge fe a st i t w a s not a f a
vor it e
subj e ct i n e a rly a r t I t is a ccou nt e d gre a tly t o t h e Virgin s
honor th a t th is m ir a c l e wa s don e at her req u est H is a nsw e r th a t
h is h our h a d not ye t come a n d h is perform ing the m ira cl e i m m e
d i a t e l y a ft e r is construed t o m e a n th a t a l though th e period h a d not
fully a rriv e d for t h e u se of h is pow e r still out of reg a rd to h is moth er
a n d h er w ishes th e po we r w a s p ut forth
In som e pictures the brid e
i s dress e d a s a n u n a bou t to m a ke h e r vows 3 a n d a n a nci ent legen d
decl a r e d th a t th is wa s th e m a rri a g e of S t John t h e E v a n gel ist with
M a ry M a gd a l e ne a n d t h a t im m e di a t e ly t h e y sep a ra ted a n d l ed
,

2 02

D S A ND

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

ch a ste a n d a u ster e lives d evoti n g th emsel v e s to C hrist s s e rv ic e

A fter th is m a rri a ge th e Vi rgin i s sc a rcely m e ntion e d i n t h e G osp e ls
until th e time of the C rucix ion
I n the R os a ry two scenes fro m t h e P a ssion of O ur Lord m a k e
1 ] Por
t wo o f the mystic a l sorrows : the P r oc e s s i o n t o Ca l va r y o r
a n d the Cr uc ixi o n
It w a s i n t h e V i a
t a m e n t o dell a C roce
Doloros a throu gh w h ich Christ bore h is cross th a t M a ry i s s a id
to h a ve fa inted a t the sigh t of h is s u ff erings a n d th is inciden t i s

freq uently a subj ect of p a inting T h e celebra ted Lo S p a si mo d i

N otre D a m e d u S p a sme
S icili a of R a ph a el represents M a ry a s

d u P am o i s o n
or
a s th e F ren ch c a l l t h e m o urn ful festiv a l w h ich
th ey k e ep i n P a ssion W eek to com me mora te th i s e ven t
The

or L a
I t a li a ns c a ll th es e repres e nt a tion s
I l Pi a nto d i M a ri a
M a donn a dello S p a simo
B u t i n a l l th ese p i ctur e s a n d those of
the Crucixion M a ry i s a promin e nt gure T h ere h a s be e n m uch
s a id a n d written u pon t h e i mpropriety of representi n g the Virgin a s
too g r e a tly overcome w i th h er grief a s i t is though t to detra ct fro m
t h e gra ndeur of h er ch a r a cter 3 a n d it w o uld seem th a t a lthough th e
ti me h a d come w hen S i m e on s proph e cy was ful lled yet h er h e a ven
gi ven p a t ie n ce a n d h ope sh ould h a ve sus t a ined h er a n d she sh ould
l
h a ve e nd ured w h ere a n y oth e r moth e r m igh t h a v e fa inted
The
l egend rel a tes th a t i n t h e D e sc e n t fr o m t h e Cr oss w h e n Jos e ph of
A rim a the a a n d N i cod e m us removed the n a il s fro m t h e h a nds of t h e
S a vio ur S t Joh n too k them a w a y secretly th a t M a ry m igh t not s e e
th em 3 a n d wh ile N icod e m us dre w forth those wh ich h eld th e feet
Joseph so su st a ined the body t h a t th e h e a d a n d a rms of Jesu s h ung
over h is sho ulder T h en M a ry a rose a n d k issed th e bl eeding h a nds
of her belo ved S o n a n d cl a sping them tenderly s a nk to th e e a rt h i n
a nguish ; a n d th is a ction i s usu a lly represented i n pictures of t h e
Descen t from the Cross
I n th e D e p os i t i o n o r the a c t of l a ying
d own t h e bo d y of Christ t h e Vi rgin su pports h er S o n or bends t e n
d e r l y o ver h im
I n older p ictures sh e i s fa inting h e re w h ich does
n o t m eet w ith th e s a m e censure from critics in th is c a se a s
in t h e
Procession to C a l v a ry T h e Virgi n 1 8 a l so s e en in t h e repres e nt a
t ions of th e E t o m bm e n t a l though t h is is n o t p a int e d i n t h e seri e s
of th e Li fe of th e Virgin 3 a n d in th is a s in th e others h er sorro w is
T h e n ext subj ect in cou rse i s J oh n
oft e n expressed by fa inting
.

N o w,

th e r e

st ood

by t h e Cross

of

J e s us, h i s M o th e r

"
.

Joh n

xix

25

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203

be a utifu l a s it is d id not
sevent e e nt h cen tury so th a t it is
not frequ e n tly s e en A lthough not r e corded i n S cri pture the tra d i
tions tell th a t Jes us a ppe a red rst of a l l to h is mother a n d the
story is th us tol d : A fter a l l wa s n ished M a ry retir e d to her ch a m
ber a n d w a ited for the fullment of th e promis e of Christ s resur

rection A n d s h e pra ye d e a rnestly : T ho u d idst promise O my

d e a r S o n th a t tho u woul dst ri s e a g a in on th e th ird d a y
m ost
Before y e st e rd a y wa s t h e d a y of d a rkness a n d bitterness 3 a n d b e
0 my
h e l d this is t h e thi rd d a y
R eturn then to m e thy moth er
A n d w h ile sh e pr a yed a comp a ny of
S o n t a rry not but come !
a n d j oyously s a ng
a ngels surro unded h er a n d th ey w a ved p a l ms

T h e n Chris t
R egin a Coe l i l ae t a re A ll e l ui a !
t h e E a ster hymn
entered be a ring t h e st a n d a rd o f th e cross a n d fo ll owed by t h e
p a tri a rchs a n d prophets w hom h e h a d r e le a sed from H a des A l l
knelt befor e M a r y a n d th a nked her bec a u s e th e ir del ivera nce h a d
co m e through her B u t sh e gr e a tly d e sire d t o h e a r th e voice of
Jesus a n d h e ra ised h is h a n d in bened iction s a ying I s a l ut e thee

Is i t thou
A n d she fell on h i s neck excl a im i n g
O m y mother !
i ndeed my most de a r S o n ?
T hen h e show e d her h is wounds a n d
b a de her be comforted s inc e h e h a d t ri umph e d ov e r d e a th a n d hel l
T hen M a r y on her knees th a nked h i m th a t sh e h a d be e n h is m ot h er
a n d t hey t a lked toge t h er u ntil h e left h e r to sh ow h i msel f next t o
M a ry M a gd a lene T h e represent a t ions of t h e A pp a rition of C hri st
to the Virgin a r e in th e most m a tter o f fa ct style a n d poorly port r a y
t h e spirit of thi s be a utiful legend
T h e A sc e ns i o n of Ch r i st is th e
seve n t h of the m ystic a l sorrow s of th e Virgin for by it sh e wa s left
a l o ne
T h e legends s a y th a t sh e wa s present a n d g a zing a t the

dep a r ting S a viour pr a y ed

My S o n rememb e r m e w hen tho u
comest t o t h y k ingdom L e a v e m e not long a fter thee my S o n 1
M a ry whe n represented i n th e pictures of the D e sc e n t of t h e H oly
Gh ost is pl a ced in th e cen tre or in front as R egin a e t M a ter A pos
t ol or u m
I t h a s b e en obj ected t h a t a s M a ry wa s Wisdom or th e
M other of W isdom sh e needed no a ccession of und e rst a nd i n g Bu t
if the testimon y of S cript ure i s t a ken it would seem proper th a t
she should be represented h ere (A ct si 1 4 a n d i i
T here i s no
a uthorit a ti ve record of the life of M a r y a ft er t h e a scension of J e s u s ;
b ut th e r e a r e m a ny l e g e nds wh ich s p e a k of circ umst a nc e s o f h e r li fe
d u c t i n g t h e Vi r g i n t o h i s H o m
a ppe a r i n works of a r t until the
c on

e,

w h ich ,

2 04

L E GE N

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AND

v e ry curio us one of h er de a th a n d a ss u mption On e w h ich h as

b e e n the su bj ect of pictures i s th e Comm un ion of M a ry in w h ich s h e
the h a n d of S t John The tra d itions
r ecei ves t he S a cr a ment fro m
rel a t e th a t when the persecution beg a n a t Jerus a l e m th e Virgin wen t
w ith S t John to E phesus a ccomp a n ied by M a ry M a gd a l ene ; a lso
th a t she d welt on M t C a rm el in a n ora tory w h ich the proph et E lij a h
h a d built a n d from th is sh e b e c a me t h e p a tron e ss of the C a rmel ites
of
J
uly
i
s
p
rt
by
th
e
Ch
urch
th
a t of
a n d the sixteent h d a
se
t
a
a
s
a
y
the Blessed V irgin M a ry of M t C a rmel

an

d A s s u m p t i o n ( if t h e Vi r g i n ( L a t D o r m i t i o , P a u s a t i o ,
T ra nsitus A s s u m p t i o , B V irgini s ; I t a l I l T ra nsito d i M a ri a , 1 1 S onno

dell a Be a t a Vergine , L A ss u n z i o n e ; F r L a M ort d e l a V ierge ,

T he D e a th

a n

L A ss o m p t io n 3 Ce r D a s A bsterben d e r M a ri a ,
S ometimes these two events a r e represented

M a ri a Hi mm el fa hrt )
togeth e r t h e de a t h
m a k ing the lower a n d t h e a potheosi s t h e u pper portion of th e pictur e
Bu t so m a ny circ u mst a nc e s of t h e legend a r e portra yed in these p i c
t ur e s th a t they c a nnot be well u nderstood w ithout a knowledg e of it

I t i s th us given by M rs J a meson i n th e Legends of the M a donn a

M a r y d welt in t h e h ouse of John u pon M t S ion look ing for t h e

fullment of t h e prom ise of del i ver a nce ; a n d she spent h er d a ys in
v isi ting t hose pl a ces wh ich h a d been h a llo wed by th e b a ptism t h e
s ufferings the b u ri a l a n d r e su rrection of h e r d i vi ne S o n bu t m ore
p a rticul a rly t h e tomb wherein h e wa s l a id A n d s h e d id not th is a s
seek ing the l iving a mong th e de a d b u t for con sol a t ion a n d for re mem
bra n ce A n d on a cert a in d a y t h e he a rt of the Virgi n being lled
w ith a n in e xpressible longing to behold h e r S o n , melted a w a y w ith in
h er a n d sh e wept a bund a ntly A n d 10 ! a n a n gel a ppe a red befo r e
h er cloth e d i n l igh t a s w ith a ga rment A n d he s a luted her a n d
s a id H a il 0 M ar y ! blessed by H i m w ho h a th gi ven s a l v a t ion to
I sr a el ! I b r ing thee h ere a br a nch of p a l m g a th ered i n P a r ad ise ;
Co m m a nd th a t it be c a r ried befo re thy bi e r in the d a
of
thy
de
a th ;
y
for in three d a y s thy soul sh a ll le a ve thy body a n d th ou sh a lt ent e r
i nto P a ra d is e w here thy S o u a w a i ts t h y com ing
M a ry a nswering
s a id : I f I h a ve found gra ce i n thy eyes tel l m e rst wh a t is thy
n a m e ; a n d gra nt th a t the A postles m y brethren m a y b e re un ited
to me before I d ie th a t in thei r presen ce I m a y gi ve u p my soul to
G od
A lso I pra y th ee th a t my soul w hen d el ivered from my body
m a y not h e a ff righted by a n
sp
irit
of
rkn
ss
nor
an
vil
ng
l
d
e
a
e
a
e
y
y

I L L US T R A T E

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2 05

ll o we d t o h a ve a n y po we r o v e r m e
A n d t h e a ng e l s a id W hy
dost thou a s k my n a me ? My n a m e i s the G re a t a n d the Wonderful
A n d n o w do ubt not th a t a l l t h e A postles sh a ll be r e un ited to th ee t h is
d a y 3 for He who i n form e r times tr a nsport e d t h e proph e t H a b a kk u k
from J u d ae a to J e rus a lem by the h a ir of h is h e a d c a n a s e a sily bring
h ither t h e A postles A n d fe a r tho u not t h e e vi l spiri t 3 for hast t h e n
not bru ised h is h e a d a n d des t royed h is k ingdom ? A n d h a ving s a id
th ese words th e a nge l dep a rted in t o h e a v e n 3 a n d th e p a l m bra n ch
w hich h e h a d l e ft beh ind h i m shed l ight from e v e ry l e a f a n d sp a rkl e d
a s t h e st a rs of t h e morning
T h e n M a ry lighted th e l a mps a n d pre
p a red h er bed a n d wa it e d u ntil th e hour w a s com e A n d in t h e s a m e
ins t a nt John w h o wa s p re a ching a t E ph esus a n d P e t e r w ho w a s
pre a ch ing a t A ntioch a n d a l l th e other A postles w ho w ere d isp e rse d
i n d iff erent p a rts of t h e worl d were suddenly c a ught u p a s by a
m ira culou s pow e r a n d found th e msel v e s before t h e door of t h e habi
Wh e n M a ry s a w t h e m a l l a ssembled roun d h er
t a t i on of M a ry
sh e blessed a n d t h a nked t h e Lord ; a n d sh e pl a c e d in t h e h a nds o f
S t Jo h n t h e sh in ing p a lm a n d d e sired th a t h e sho uld be a r it befor e
h er a t the t i me of her buri a l T hen M a ry kn e e ling down m a d e h er
pr a yer to th e Lord h e r S o n a n d t h e oth e rs pra y e d w it h h e r ; th e n
sh e l a i d herself down i n h er b e d a n d composed h e rself for de a th
A n d a bout t h e th ird hour of th e night as
A n d Joh n w e pt b itterly
Pet e r stood a t the h ead of th e b e d a n d John a t th e foot a n d t h e
other A postl e s a round a m ighty so und ll e d the h ous e a n d a
deliciou s p e rfu m e lled the ch a mber A n d J esus h ims e lf a ppe a red
by a n inn umera ble com p a ny of a nge ls p a tri a rchs
a ccomp a n i e d
singi n g
a n d proph ets ; a l l these surro und e d t h e b e d o f th e Virgin
hymns of j oy A n d J e sus s a id to h is moth e r A ris e my b e lov e d
m in e
com e w ith m e from L e b a non my e spou s e d ! rec e i ve
e lect !
A n d M a ry a nsw ering s a id
t h e crown that is destin e d for th e e !
M y h e a rt i s r e a dy 3 for i t wa s writt e n of m e th a t I should do thy
T h e n a l l th e a ngels a n d b l ess e d spirits w ho a ccom p a n ied
w ill !
J e sus b e g a n to sing a n d rej oic e A n d th e soul of M a ry left her
body a n d w as r e cei v e d into the a rms of her S on 3 a n d togeth e r they
A n d th e A postl e s looked u p s a ying
0 most
a scend e d into h e a ven
p r u dent Virgin rememb e r u s w h e n tho u com e st t o glory ! a n d th e
Who is t h i s
a ngels wh o r e c e i ved h er into h e a ven sung t h ese words
th a t cometh u p fro m the w ilderness le a n ing u pon h e r Belo ved ? S h e
be

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is fa ire r th a n a l l t h e d a ughters of Jerus a lem

B ut t h e body o f M a ry
rem a in e d u pon th e e a rt h ; a n d thre e a mong the v irgins pre p a red to
w a sh a n d clothe it in a shroud ; bu t su ch a glory of light surro unde d
h er form th a t though they tou ched it th e y co uld not see i t a n d no
h um a n eye beh eld those ch a ste a n d s a cred l i mbs u nclothed T hen
the A postles took her u p re v e rently a n d pl a c e d h e r u pon a bi e r a n d
John c a rrying th e celesti a l p a l m w ent before Peter sung t h e 1 1 4 t h
Ps a l m I n e xi t u I sr a el d e E gypto dom us J a cob d e populo b a rb a ro
T h e w i cked Jews he a ring
a n d t h e a ngels followed a fter a lso singing
these melod iou s voices r a n togeth e r ; a n d the h igh priest b e ing seized
w ith fury l a id h is h a nds upon th e bi e r intending to ov e rturn it on
th e e a rth ; b ut both h is a rms were suddenly dri e d u p so th a t h e
co uld not mov e th e m a n d h e w a s ov e rcom e w ith fe a r 3 a n d h e pra yed
to S t P e t e r for help a n d P e t e r s a id H a ve fa ith i n J e sus C hrist
a n d th o u sh a l t be he a l e d 3
T hen
a n d h is M other
a n d i t w a s so
t h ey went on a n d l a id th e Virgin in a tomb i n the V a lley of J e h o s h a
ph a t A n d on t h e th ird d a y Jesus said to t h e a ngels Wh a t honor
sh a ll I confer on her w h o w a s m y mother on e a rth a n d brough t m e
A n d t h ey a nswered
for t h l
Lord su ffer not th a t body w h ic h wa s
t h y temple a n d t h y d welling t o s e e corruption ; b ut pl a ce h er b e sid e
th ee on thy throne in h e a ven
A n d Jesus consented ; a n d th e
A rch a n gel M ich a el brough t u nto t h e Lord the glorious soul of o ur
L a dy A n d t h e Lord s a id R is e u p my d ov e my u n d e l e d for
tho u sh a lt not r em a in i n t h e d a rk ness of t h e gra ve nor sh a lt tho u
s e e corru ption 3 a n d i mmed i a tely th e sou l of M a ry rej oin ed her body
a n d sh e a rose u p gloriou s fro m th e tom b a n d a scended into he a ven
surrounded a n d w elco m ed b y troops of a n gels blo w ing t heir silver
t ru m pets touch i n g the ir golden l utes s inging a n d rej oicing a s th ey
su n g Who is sh e th a t riseth a s th e morning fa ir a s the moon cle a r
a n d t erri ble a s a n a rmy w ith b a nners ?
C
v
i
a s the sun
an t
(
Bu t one a mong th e A postles w a s a bse n t ; a n d w h en h e a rrived s o o n
a fter
h e would not belie v e i n the resur r ection of the Virgin (a n d
th is A postl e wa s th e s a me T hom a s who h a d fo r merl y be e n slo w to
bel ie ve i n th e resur r ection of the Lord ) ; a n d h e d e sired th a t t h e
t o mb sh ould b e ope n ed before h i m a n d w h en i t w a s o pen ed i t w a s
fo un d to be full of l ili es a n d r o ses T h e n l h o m a s l ook ing u p to
h e a ven beh eld the V irgin bo d il y i n a glory of l ight slowly mounting
tow a rds t h e h e a ven ; a n d she for the a ssura nce of h is fa ith ung

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d ow
n t o h i m h er girdle the s a m e w h ich i s to th is d a y pres e rv e d i n
A n d there w er e pres e nt at t h e d e a th of th e
t h e c a th e dr a l of Pr a to
Virgin M a ry b e sides th e twel ve A postles D ionysi us t h e A reop a gite
T i mothe us a n d H i e r o t h e u s ; a n d of th e w omen M a ry S a lome M a ry
The
Cleoph a s a n d a fa ithful h a ndm a i d whos e n a m e wa s S a v i a
F rench legend gi v e s M a ry M a gd a len e a n d M a rth a a mong those wh o
w itnessed the Virgin s de a th T h e full ill ustra tion of t h is legen d
requires seven d i ff erent scen es ; n a mely (1 ) T h e A nge l a nno unces her
S h e t a kes le a ve of th e A postles 3
D e a th a n d presents th e P a l m ;
T
h
e E ntomb
Her
De
th
Be
a ri n g to the S ep ulchre ; (5
3
4
h
a
T
e
; ( )
)
( )
h
F
re
T
e Coron a tion in H e a ve n
ssum
ption
7
m e nt ;
6
T
h
A
e
;
( )
( )
qu ently two or three of these scen e s a r e repre s e nted together ; a s th e
D e a t h belo w a n d th e A ssum ption a bov e a n d someti mes the Coron a
t ion a bove a l l
T h e a ngel w ho a nnoun ces the de a th frequently
presents a t a p e r to the Virgin I t i s custom a ry to pl a c e a blessed
t a per in the h a n d of one dying T h e d e a th of the Virgin i s someti mes
c a lled t h e S leep (1 1 S onno dell a M a donn a ) a s in e a rly t im es a belief
exist e d th a t she only slept before h e r a ssu m pt ion T his belief h a s
since been decl a red heretic a l T here a r e t wo m odes of tre a ting th e
A ssu mption : on e r e presents th e a ssu m pt ion of th e soul a n d i n th is
Christ r e ceives th e spirit s t a nding ne a r th e de a th bed of t h e Virgin
T h e other portr a ys t h e u nion of the soul to t h e body w hen i t ris e s
from t h e tomb a n d le a v ing e a rth a n d a l l e a rthly th ings t h e M other
so a rs to meet the S o n a n d t o sh a re h is glory a n d h is t hron e for
evermore S h e i s represented in a m a ndorl a or a ureole crown e d or
veiled ( sometimes both ) h er dress sp a ngled w ith st a rs a n d s urrounded
by a nge l s T hese are t h e m ore ide a l or devotion a l pi ct ures T h e
strictly h istori c a l ones h a ve th e won d ering A postles the doubting
T hom a s a n d t h e blossom ing tomb belo w 3 wh ile M a ry
qu a si a urora
i s borne tow a rds he a ven T h e L e ge n d of t h e H o ly Gi r d l e
c o n s u r ge n s
belongs properly t o the consider a tion of the pi ctu res of th e A s s u m p
tion of the V irgin It is of Greek ori g i n a n d rel a tes th a t S t T hom a s
w hen a bout to go to t h e f a r E a st g a ve th e girdle t o one of h is disci
ples for s a fe keeping T h e girdle rem a i n ed for a tho u s a nd y e a rs
gu a rded from profa ne e y es a n d wa s i n th e possession of a G reek
priest to w hom i t h a d descended fro m a remote a ncestry H e h a d
one d a ughter de a rly beloved to w hom h e ga ve the c a re of the s a cred
girdl e I t h a ppened th a t M ich a el of P ra to wh o h a d gon e on th e
,

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A N D

Crus a d e o f 1 09 6 h a d rem a ined in Jerus a lem a ft e r the wa r wa s e nd e d

H e lo ved the d a ughter t oo
a n d lo d ged in the house of th is priest
T hen
a n d w ished to m a r ry her but the fa ther wou l d not consent
the mother a s sisted the lo vers to be m a rried a n d ga ve them t h e
precious girdle a s a do wry T h ey ed a n d emb a rk e d for T usc a ny
T h e y l a nded a t Pis a a n d sough t the hom e of M ich a el a t Pr a to he a r
ing a l w a ys w it h them the c a sket w h ich h el d the s a cred rel ic
M ich a el so venera ted h is tr e a sure a n d so fe a re d lest h e should be
robbed of it th a t b e e v e ry nigh t l ighted a l a m p in honor of it a n d
besides pl a ced i t bene a th h is bed for s a fety N o w a lth ough he d i d
th is w ithout know ing th a t th u s h e wa s w a nting i n respect to so
h oly a rel ic i t d isple a sed h is gu a rd i a n a ngel w ho e v e ry n ight l ifted
h i m out of h i s bed a n d l a id h i m on t h e b a re e a rth A t l engt h
M ich a el fe ll sick a n d know ing th a t h e wa s ne a r de a th h e del ivered
t h e girdle to Bishop U berto com m a ndi n g h i m to preserv e t h e girdl e
i n th e c a thedra l of Pra to a n d ord a in th a t from t im e to time it
should b e shown to th e peopl e T h is inj un ction U berto ob e yed a n d
h e c a rried t h e girdle i n a solemn procession to t h e ch urch T here i t
rem a ined until 1 3 1 2 wh en a n a ttempt wa s m a de to c a rry i t a w a y
a n d sell i t to F lorence
T h is a tt e m pt w a s discovered a n d M usci a
tino t h e w ould b e th ief wa s put to de a th T hen the peopl e of Pra to
erected a shrin e for th e s a fe k e eping of t h e girdle 3 a n d t h e ch a pe l
cont a ining i t is p a int e d to re p re s e nt a ll th e circ umst a nces of th is
l e gend
T h e Cor o n a t i o n of t h e Vi r g i n is not a l w a ys e a sily distinguish e d from
t h e a llegoric a l pictur e c a ll e d the
I n coron a t a
W hen t h e h istoric a l
scene i s in tended t h e l a st of the l ife of M a ry the d e a t h b e d t h e
tomb th e A postl e s a n d weeping fri ends a r e seen on th e e a rth wh il e
a bove th e S a viour crowns h is M other or she is se a ted beside h i m on
h is thron e
H a ving th u s bri e y consider e d t h e h istoric a l pictur e s of O ur
L a dy th e mystic a l a llegoric a l or strict l y d e votion a l ones re m a in
T h e se a r e
T h e Vi r g i n A l o n e (L a t Virgo G lorios a ; I t a l L a Vergin e G lorios a ;
F r L a G ra nde Vierge )
Pi ctures represent ing th e Virgin M a ry
a lone a n d pl a cing her before u s a s a n obj ect of reli ious venera tion
g
a re
p a inted in a v a r iet y of w a ys a n d to ill ustra te t h e d i ff erent
a ttrib u t e s wh ich are a ccorded to h e r by t h e C h urch
W h e n sh e
,

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st a nds a lon e w i t h s a ints or a post l e s a pp a rently s ubord in a te to her

sh e is T H E WO M A N 3 th e M O T HE R O F H U MA N IT Y, a second E ve 3 a n d
th e V I RG I N 0 F V I R G I N s Whe n sh e h a s a book s h e is th e r e p r e se n
t a t i o n of H E AV ENL Y V I S D O M Virg 0 S a pientissi m a
W h e n sh e
h as a sceptre or we a rs a crown ov e r her veil or i s enthroned a lon e
she is the Q U EEN O F H E A V EN R egin a C oe l i Wh en re presented
a s a bove
a n d surr o und e d by w orsh ipping a ngel s
s h e i s Q U EEN O F
A N G E L s R egin a A n ge l o r u m
When v e iled w ith fold e d h a nds
a n d a fa c e ful l of p urity swe e tn e ss a n d a l l im a gin a ble b e a uty s h e is
the M AD O NN A t h e B LE S S E D V I R G I N
S a nt a M a ri a Vergin e
L I n c or on a t a T h e Cor on a t i on of t h e Vi r g i n (L a t Co r o n a t i o B e a t ae
M ari ae Virginis 3 I t a l M a ri a C oron a t a d a l d ivin suo F i gl i o 3 F r L e
Couronnem ent de la S a int e V ierge 3 Ge r D ie Kr On u n g M a ri a) T his
p i ctur e is entirely d i ff erent i n i ts spirit a n d obj ect fro m th e h istoric a l
coron a tion of th e Virgi n b e for e d e scrib e d T h a t p icture m a k e s th e
closing scen e in t h e l ife of M a ry a n d a s befor e rem a rked h a s th e
A postles th e tomb of owers a n d t h e de a th b e d to distingu ish it
But the intent of th e devotion a l coron a tion i s t o r e pr e s e nt t h e Virgi n
S h e is recei ved in to
a s th e typ e or e mbl e m of the S p iritu a l Ch urch
glory a n d ex a lted a bov e a l l cre a ted be ings a ngels a n d men a s
the E spous e d th e Bride of Christ the C H U R C H F requ e ntly th e

Veni E lect a m e a
S a viour h a s a n open book w ith t h e inscription

m e um etc
Com e my C hos e n One a n d
e t pon a m t e in t h r o n u m
I w ill pl a c e thee u pon my t hrone
M a ny ch a p e ls are dedic a ted t o

th e Virgi n in th is ch a ra ct e r C a p ell a dell Incoron a t a

T h e dress
of the V irgin i s most be a utiful a n d frequ ently e mbroid e red w it h
s u ns moons a n d golden r a ys rec a lli n g t h e wom a n clothed w i th t h e
sun w h ich John describ e s (R e v x i i
When M a ry h olds th e
ch ild a n d is crown ed it is not a coron a tion b ut a r e pre s ent a tion of
h e r a s t h e M other of G o d
Ou r L a dy of t h e I m m a c u l a t e Con c ep t i on (L a t R egin a sin e l a b e
origin a l i c o n c e pt a ; F r L a C onc e ption de l a Vierge M a ri e 3 I t a l L a
M a donn a Purissim a ; Sp N u e s t r a S e n or a si n pec a do concebid a L a
Concepcion ; Ge r D a s Ge h e i m n i s s der u n b e e c k t e n E m p fan gn i s s
M a ri a)
T h is picture i s unknown i n the e a rly d a ys of a r t bu t has
bee n a lmost m ira culously m ul ti plied since th e b e ginn ing of th e
seven t eent h ce n tury w hen P a ul V instituted the o fce for t h e com
m e mor a tion of th e I m m a cul a t e Conception of t h e V irgin a n d forb a d e
,

'

14

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DS

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S T OR I E S

AND

te a ch ing or pre a ch ing the O pposit e beli e f T h e qu e stion h a d be e n

1
in a git a tion a dec a de of centuries a n d i n the fteenth cent ury the
T h e I m m a c ul a te Conception of
S orbonne h a d decl a r ed in i ts fa vor
the M other of G o d wa s dened a s a n a rticle of fa ith by Pope Pi u s I X
i n 1 8 5 4 T h e model for the Virgi n i n th is represent a tion is the wo
S h e is yo ung a bout twelve or fo u rt e e n 3
m a n of the A poc a lypse
her robe of white w ith blue m a ntle ; her h a nds folded a s if in pra yer ;
h er be a uty a ll th a t p a inting c a n ex p ress 3 t h e sun a v i vid light
a bout her
th e moon bene a th h e r a n d a st a r ry crow n a bove her
he a d S ometi mes t h e s a me i de a of the M a donn a Purissim a is r e p r e
sented by t h e h e a d a lone I t is p a inted very young w ith w hi t e
vesture a n d ow ing h a ir B e fore the d en i tion of the doctrin e of t h e
I mm a cul a t e Co n ception th ere w a s a nother mystic a l represent a tion
O f M a ry
w h ich m igh t b e confoun ded with those of the M a donn a
P urissim a
I t i s the embod i ment of th e ide a that the redem p tion
of the h um a n r a ce ex isted in the m ind of the C re a tor before the
beginni n g of the w orld A n d th is is expressed by the V irgi n s ur
rounded by the s a me a ttri butes a s in the C onception a n d someti mes
s e tting h er fo ot o n the serpent M a ry m a d e th us a second E ve i s
sometimes p a inted a s a n a ccomp a n i ment to th e p i cture of E ve hold
ing the a ppl e T h e d a te of t h e pi ct ure w il l d e cid e t h e qu estion
between th ese subj ects D ecember 8
T h e M a t e r D o l o r o sa (I t a l L a M a dre d i Dolor e L A d d o l o r a t a
; Fr
N otre D a m e de P iti L a Vi erge d e D oule ur ; S p N uestra S e n ora d e
D olores ; Ge r D ie S ch m erzh a fte M utter ) T here a r e three d istinct
modes of re p resenting t h e M ourn ing M oth er to wh om the a f icted
of the C a th oli c world a ddress th ei r pr a yers feel i n g th a t she h as felt
the deepest p a ngs of e a rthly sorro w A s t h e AI a t e r D o l o r o sa s h e is
a lone
se a ted or st a nd ing a n d freq uently only a h e a d or h a lf gure ;
of mid d le a g e w ith bowed he a d cl a sped h a nd s sorro wful fa ce a n d
stre a ming eyes O ften the bosom i s pie r ced w i th on e a n d sometimes
w ith se ven s w ord s A s the S t a ba t I ll a t e r sh e st a nds o n th e right
o f the cru ci x w h ile S t
John is on th e l eft T h e w hole gure ex
presses i ntense sorro w S h e i s u s u a lly wra pped in a d a rk viol e t or
bl u e m a ntl e L a F i e l d th e th ird S orrowing M oth er when strictly
rendered consists only of the Virgin a n d t h e d e a d C hrist O cc a
.

T h o u g h fo r t h e h o n o r
,

V i rgi n

wa s ge n e ra ll

of

he r Son , the I

be li e ve d f r o m

m m a c ul a e

t h e be gi n n i n g

Co n c e pti o n

of

the B

le sse d

I L L US T R A T E

AR T

I N

21 1

l
a m e nting a n gels are introduced
Th
is
r
e present a tion h a s
y
been v a ried in every possible wa y w h ich could express sorro w r e s ig
n a ti on tend e rness love a n d d ignity B ut usu a lly t h e S o n i s in the
a rm s on th e l a p or lying a t the feet of the M oth er
T h e Vi r g i n of M e r c y O u r L a dy of S u c c or ( I t a l L a M a do n n a d i
M isericordi a ; F r N otre D a m e de M is ricorde 3 Sp N u e s t r a S e o r a
de G ra ci a 3 Ge r M a ri a M utter des E rb a rmens ) T h is p icture r e pr e
sents th e Virgi n a s the M e rcifu l M other of H um a n ity I n it sh e
som eti mes st a nds w ith outstretched a rms crowned or veil ed 3 h er
extended by a ngels over kneeling vot a ri e s a n d wo r
a mpl e robe
sh ippers S ometi mes these embra ce a l l ra nks a n d a ges a n d a g a i n
those of some p a rticul a r order w ho seek her aid B u t th ese inst a nces
a r e r a re a s sh e us u a lly be a rs th e ch ild i n h er a rms signify ing th a t
from her m a tern ity itself a l a rge por t ion of h er sy mp a thy is derived
In picture s of the D a y of J udgment t h e Virgin is a lso represented
S h e is on the righ t h a nd of th e S a viour
a s O ur L a dy of M ercy
M a ry i s usu a lly a l ittl e
w h il e Joh n t h e B a ptist k n eels on the left
lower th a n the S a v i our b u t h a s been represented in a ncient pictures
se a ted by h is side S h e a pp e a rs as a medi a tor a n d i ntercessor for
mercy w h a tever her position I n one inst a n ce t h is inscription is
p a inted bene a th h er : M a ri a F il io suo pro E cclesi a suppl ic a t
T h e Vi r g i n a n d Ch i l d E n t h r on e d (L a t S a nct a D ei G enitrix Virgo
D e i p a r a 3 I t a l L a S a ntissi m a Vergin e M a dr e d i D io 3 F r L a S a inte
Vierge M ere de D ieu 3 Ge r Die Heil ige M u tter Gottes ) T h e very
t itle of these p ictures w h ich a r e n um b erless e xpl a ins th e ir s i gn i c a
tion T hey a r e devotion a l a n d represent the mo t h e r a n d ch ild i n
v a riou s positions a n d w ith su ch di fferences of expression a n d senti
m ent a s m ust inev i t a bly r esult from t h e v a st n u m ber of a rtists who
h a ve tre a ted th is subj ect
I t s be a u t ies a r e inexh a ustible a s they
are indescrib a bl e a n d there are f e w h e a rts th a t h a ve not been lled
w ith emotion a n d a dmira tio n by som e of thes e represent a tions of
w h a t is purest a n d holi est i n w om a n
I n a ddition t o t h e M a donn a s a lre a dy m entio n ed there a r e n umer
o us voti ve M a donn a s both publ ic a n d pri v a t e T heir t itles usu a lly
indic a te the obj ects for wh ich the y w ere p a inted as those p a inted

for the C a rmel ites wh ich a r e c a lled L a M a donn a del C a rm ine

Oth ers d e note especi a l a cts as L a M a donn a d e ll a Vittori a or de
l i vera nc e from d a n gers such a s pestilence oods re a n d tempests
s i o n a ll

21 2

DS

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

AN D

the M a donn a d i S a n S eb a sti a no w h ich wa s a n O ff ering O f the

c ity of M oden a a a inst th e pl a gue F a m ily voti v e M a donn a s u s u

as
the M a donn a d i
a lly be a r the n a me of those w ho O ffer them
F olign o w hi c h w a s presented b y S igism u nd Conti O f F o l ign i in
fullment O f a vo w m a de w hen i n d a nger from a se vere storm
T here is sca rcely a c hurch or a religious institu ti o n of th e C a thol i c
Ch urch whi ch do e s not possess a t le a st o n e voti ve M a donn a
T h e M a t er A m a bi l i s ( I t a l L a M a donn a col B a mb ino ; F r L a
Vi erge e t l enfa nt J sus ; Ge r M a ri a m it de m K ind ) T h is i s the
represent a t ion of the Virgin a s T H E M O T HE R a lon e ; a n d its exqu isite
be a uty a n d fe el ing w hen p a inted as it should a n d m a y b e i s only to

be f l t i t c a nnot be t o ld Here she i s bro ught n e a rer to o ur sym

a t h ie s
h
S
e is not se a ted in a ch a ir of st a te w ith th e a c c o m
an i
p
p
ments of e a rthly power ; sh e i s not enthroned on clo uds nor glori ed
a n d st a r crowned in h e a ven 3 sh e i s no longer so exclus ively th e
V E R G I NE D E A nor t h e V I R G O D E I G EN I T R I X ; b ut sh e i s still t h e
A L M A M A T E R R E D E M P T O R I S t h e young a n d lo vely a n d most pu re
moth er of a d i vine Chri st S h e is not sust a ined i n m id a i r by a n gels ;
sh e d wells lo wly on e a rth b ut the a ngels l e a ve their celesti a l hom e
to w a it u pon h e r
M a dre
A version O f this M a donn a is styled th e
P ia
a n d repres e nts th e Virgin a s a ck nowl e dging the di vin ity of h er
S on
T h e spirit o f these p ictures is t h e s a me a s th a t of some
N a t ivi t ies where the Virgin a dores t h e b a be bu t th e a ccessories
d eterm in e t h e di ffere n c e between th em
A n d l a stly there a r e th e
P a stora l M a donn a s in w h i ch n u merou s persons such as th e rel a tives
o f the V irgin or S t Joseph
th e s a ints a n d h oly person a ges a r e i n
t r o d u c e d a s p a rticip a ting w ith t h e Virgin i n t h e a dor a tion O f t h e
ch ild
L a M a do n n a d e l la S e d i a
T he p retty a n d poetic a l legend of th is
fa mous picture rel a tes th at c e nturies a go th ere d wel t a mong th e
I t a l i a n h ills a v e n e ra ble hermit w hom t h e people c a lled F a ther Ber
n a rdo
H e w a s renowned for w isdom a n d h ol iness a n d m a n y visited
h i m for a d vic e a n d consol a tion He often rem a rked th a t though h i s
sol itude w a s d e ep ye t h e wa s not entirely a lone for h e h a d two
d a ughters one th a t spoke to h im a n d o n e th a t wa s d u mb N o w th e
rst w a s the d a ughter of a v ine dresse r n a med M a ry w ho de a rly
l oved the old m a n a n d often brough t h i m l ittle presents of such
th ings a s wo uld a d d to h is comfort ; wh ile sh e ch e e red hi m wi th

as

I L L US T R A T E

AR T

I N

21 3

l ovi n g words a n d c a r e sses B ut h is du mb d a ught e r wa s a br a ve old

th a t gre w near h is b u t a n d sheltere d it with i t s bra nches T h is
oak
tr e e old B e rn a rdo gre a tly lov e d a n d i n t h e heat of sum m e r h e brou gh t
wa ter to its th irsty roots , a n d t e nded a n d t a lked to it a s if i t co uld
he a r a n d feel A t morn ing a n d evening he fed t h e birds wh i ch l iv e d
M a ny
i n its bra n ch e s a n d in return wa s ch e e re d by th e ir songs
t i m e s som e woodm a n h a d desired to c ut down this o a k but t h e
pr a y e rs of th e o l d m a n d e terred h i m fro m th e d e ed T here c a m e
at l a st a terrible w inter wh e n th e mount a in s w ere l a den with h e a vy
sno w a n d t h e n t h e su n shone wa rm a n d fe a rful fresh ets ca m e down
l ik e t orr e nts a n d s wept a w a y ocks a n d trees a n d e ven h a mlets i n
their co u rse A ft e r the worst h a d subsid e d M a ry a n d h e r fa ther
w e nt to see how it had fa red w ith th e good h e rm it fe a ring th a t he
B ut h is d umb d a u ghter h a d s a v e d h is life ; for wh e n
h a d p e rish e d
t h e th a w c a m e on he h a d so u ght the roof of h is b u t but he wa s soon
conv inc e d th a t t h e r e wa s no s a fety for h im t h e r e ; a n d a s h e l ift e d
h i s eyes i n pra y e r i t s e e m e d that th e l imbs o f t h e oa k b e c k on e d hi m
to com e t o t h e m T h e n h e clim bed w ith con denc e a mong its
bra nch e s a n d there h e st a yed thre e d a ys W h ile belo w h i m h is b u t
a n d e veryth ing else w a s swept a wa y stil l h is du mb d a ughter stood
rm B ut h e only h ad a few dry crusts to e a t 3 a n d wh en M a r y a rri ved
h e wa s fa inting a n d re a dy to d i e from cold a n d exposur e T hen thi s
t a lki ng d a ughter comforted h im a n d took h i m to h er h om e unti l h is
h ut could b e r e bu ilt A n d n o w w ith gre a t f e r vo r B e r n a r d o th a nked
G o d for h is p r e serv a tion a n d c a lled dow n blessings u pon h is t w o
ch ildren wh o h ad both b e e n instrum e nts in h is d e l iver a nc e ; a n d h e
pr a yed Go d to d isting uish th e m i n som e wa y from t h e other works
of h is h a nd Y e a rs p a ss e d on a n d t h e h erm it w a s l a id to rest 3 h is
b u t w a s in ruins fore v e r a n d t h e o a k w a s convert e d into w in e c a sks
for M a ry s fa t h e r One d a y o n e of th e s e c a sks w a s in a n a rbor where
M a ry n o w a wife a n d mo t her sa t w ith her t wo boys
A s sh e
p ressed h e r ba b y to h er bre a st a n d w a tch e d t h e eld e r on e a t pl a y
sh e thought of t h e old h erm it a n d wondered if h is blessing woul d
J ust t h en t h e older ch il d
e v e r b e fullled in h er or these ch ildren
r a n to w a rds h e r w ith a s t ick to wh ich he h a d fa stened a cross 3 a n d
at t h e s a m e t im e a yo ung m a n a ppro a ch ed w hose l a rg e dre a my e yes
w er e su ch a s fe a st o n be a u t y b ut h is a i r w a s th a t of o n e restless
A n d so h e w a s ; for h e had long b e e n s e e k ing a model
a n d we a ry
.

21 4

DS

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

AND

h ich could be u sed to a ssist h i m i n p a inting a p icture of t h e Bl e ssed

V i rgin a n d her S o n w h ich o a ted before h is vision j ust r e a l e nough
to h a unt h is thoughts contin u a lly a n d j ust unre a l enough to refuse
to be rendered by h is brush T h is w a s R a ph a el S a nz io d U r h i n O
N o w a t l a st a s he g a zed on M a ry t h e w is h of h is h e a rt wa s re a li zed
But he h a d only a pencil ! O n w h a t coul d h e dra w l J ust then the
smooth cover of the h uge w ine c a s k pres e nted itself to h i m a n d
e a gerly h e d r e w u pon it th e outlines o f M a ry a n d h e r b a be T h i s
he took a w a y w ith h im a n d rested n ot till w ith h is very so ul he h a d

p a inted h is wondro us M a donn a dell a S e d i a

T hus w a s th e bl e ss
ing a n d desire of the ol d monk re a liz e d a n d together h is t wo d a ught e r s
w ere d istinguished for a l l ti me
S t M a r c e l l a is represented w ith L a z a ru s a n d h is sisters A l l t h a t
i s kno w n of her is th a t s h e a ccomp a n ied t h e se s a ints from th e E a s t
wrot e th e l i fe of M a rth a a n d a n no u n ced t h e F a ith in S c l a vo n i a
S e e S t Peter E xorcist a
S t M a rc e l l i n u s
S t M a r g a r e t ( I t a l S M a rg a rit a ; F r S t e M a rguerite ; Ge r

D ie Heilige M a rg a r e th a ; Gr A 7 M py a p i m g z signi c a tion

a
T h i s s a int w a s t h e d a ughter of a p a g a n priest of A ntioch
S h e w a s a del ic a te ch ild a n d w a s t h erefor e sent to a n urse i n t h e
country Th is wom a n wa s a C hristi a n a n d bro ugh t M a rga ret u p i n
h e r own fa ith
S h e wa s s e e n o n e d a y by O l yb r i u s wh o w a s governor
of A ntioch ; a n d h er be a uty so impre ssed h i m th a t he comm a nded
sh e shoul d be brought to h is p a l a ce a n d b e d e term in e d to m a rry her
i f h e should nd th a t sh e w a s fre e born B ut M a rg a ret decl a red her
sel f a Christi a n to t h e gre a t horror of t h e governor a n d her rel a ti ves
T h e l a tter deserted h er a n d O l y b r i u s a ttem pted to s ubd u e h er by
torments of so fe a rful a n a t ure th a t h e co uld not end ure th e sigh t o f
h e r a gony
S till s h e yielded not
S h e wa s then i mprisoned a n d i n
her d ungeon S a t a n a ppe a red to her i n t he sh a pe of a h ideo us dr a gon
a n d ende a vored to con fo und h er w ith fe a r
B ut M a rg a ret held u p
a c r s s a n d h e ed from h e r
a
b
or
nother
l
egend
te
ches
a
e
a
s
;
)
(
s w a llowed h er a n d inst a ntly burst a sunder a n d sh e rem a ined n u
h urt l l e then c a m e i n the form of a m a n t o tempt her still further ;
but s h e overc a me h im a n d pl a ced h er foot u pon h is h e a d a n d com
e l l e d h i m to confess h is v ile purpose a n d to a nswer her questions
p
A g a in s h e wa s t a ken befo r e th e governor a n d tortured ; bu t her r m
n e ss wa s so gre a t th a t she not only rem a ined tru e to C hrist h e rs e l f
w

"

IL L US T R

A T ED I N

AR T

21 5

sh e co n v erted many w h o witnessed h er de v ot ion so that i n one

day ve thousand con v erts were ba p tized T he n i t was determ ined
that sh e sh oul d be beheaded 3 and as they led her a way to death sh e
prayed that i n m emory of her del iveran ce from t he womb of t he
dragon all who called on her i n ch ildbir t h should b e safely deli vere d
and a heavenly v oice ass ured her that her prayer sho u ld be granted
S h e is
T h e at t ributes of M argaret are the p al m an d the dragon
young and girlish and i s t hu s easily dis t ingu ished from S t M ar t ha
wh o also has t he dragon S ometimes she has pearls around her head
and rarely th e daisy or marg u eri t e wh i ch i s so named in memory o f
her S h e is especially th e type of m aiden i n n ocence and h u m ility

but

Si

d ou c e

e st

l a M a rgu e r i t e

I n th e picture by L u cas v L eyden sh e i s rising from th e back o f

th e dragon wh ile a p iece of her robe re mai n ing i n h is mout h ind i cates
th at h e had s wallowed her S h e is th e p a t roness of women in child
bir t h and p a t roness of Crem ona J uly 2 0 A D 3 06
S t M a r g a r e t o f Co r t o n a wh ose ch urch is on the h igh est part
of the h ill u p on whi ch t ha t ci t y is buil t was th e M agdalen e of that
locality S h e was born i n Al vian o i n T uscany H er m oth er d ied
whe n she was still i n infancy and th e cruel t y of a st e p m other an d
t h e unk indness of her fa t her drove h er to des p eration and she led
an evil l ife for several years
O ne of h er lo v ers was assassi n ate d
when re t urning from a v isit to h e r A lit t le dog wh i ch was w it h
h i m returned t o M argaret and a tt empted to lead her to the body o f
h is master by pulling at h er robe and p i teously wh i ning W onder
ing at leng t h t hat h er lover returned not she wen t wi t h th e dog
a n d was h orried to n d t h e m urdered body of h i m sh e sought
S h e was o v ercome w i t h terror and repentance an d went to h er
fa t her s h ouse B ut th e ste p mother persuaded h er father to refuse
to adm it her S h e th en retired t o a v ineyard n ear by and h ere i n
h er lonely wretchedness sh e was tem p ted t o return t o her sinful l i fe
B ut she prayed Go d to be to h er more than all earthly friends could
be and whil e so p raying she had a revelation that h er prayer wa s
answered and sh e was direc t ed to go to the F ranciscan con v ent at
T h is she d id and entering barefooted and w ith a cord
Cortona
about her neck sh e thre w h erself before the altar and begged to be
h um bl e penite n t S h e wa s refu se d
a d m itte d to the order as a
.

,
.

21 6

E GEND S

AND

S T OR IES

th is pri vilege unt il s h e should pro ve h e r pen ite nce by a m ore wor
t hy life Bu t a t len g t h sh e t ook the habit of S t F ranci s i n 1 2 7 2
Tradi t ion rela t es t ha t a s she knel t one d ay before th e crucix Chris t
bowed h is head i n ans wer to her prayers an d from t h a t t im e she was
h eld i n g rea t re verence by th e peo p le o f Corto n a S h e is painte d
young and beautiful her dress not al ways that o f th e n u n but u s u
ally wi t h t he cord for a girdle wh ich ind icates the Th ird O rder o f
H er attribute i s a dog w hich is seldo m om i t ted
S t F rancis
F ebruary 2 2 A D 1 2 9 7
S a n t a M a r i a M a d d a l e n a d e P a z z i was of th e n ob l e F lore n
S h e was a C arm el i t e n un
H er
t ine fam ily whose nam e sh e h e a r s
l ife was one of extreme san c t i ty and h u m il ity yet comparatively
uneven t ful M ay 2 7 A D 1 60 7
T h i s splend id ch urch at R om e is
M a r i a M a gg i o r e S a n t a
said to owe its origi n t o a v isi on related i n a l egen d called tha t

of the S now i n I talian della N e v e

G io vann i Pa t ric io a
R oman who wa s rich an d ch ildless prayed th e V irgin to d irect h i m
h ow he sh ould d ispose of h is w eal t h O n th e 5 t h of August A D 3 5 2
M ary cam e to h i m i n a dream and com m anded h i m to b ui l d a
ch urch i n h er nam e on the s p ot where h e sh ould n d sno w th e n e x t
m orn ing H is wife and th e Pope L iberi us each h ad th e sam e v is
ion ; and early nex t day th ey a l l went to th e E squili ne where t h ey
fo und m iraculous snow i n spite of th e h eat of th e season L iberi us
tra ced u pon i t with h is crosier the plan of th e ch urch and here t h e
ch urch was b uilt
M u rillo painted two beautiful pi ct u res of th is
legend called i n S panish S M aria la B lanca
The sad story of t hi s saint prese n ts a touch ing
S t M a rin a
ill u stration of self sa c r i c e and unbounded h um ili t y for w h ich sh e
was grea t ly re v ered H er fath er was an E astern h erm i t and when
h e rst went to the dese rt h e so l onged for h is daugh ter w hom
h e had left th at b e dressed h er i n m al e attire and charged h er
n ever to reveal h er sex
H e th en t ook her w ith h i m to h is re t reat
and th ere sh e gr e w u p as Brother M ari nu s S h e was freq uen t ly
sent to t he shores of th e R ed S e a w ith a wagon and oxen to get s u p
plies for the monks T h e man t o wh om s h e we n t b a d a dau gh t er
wh o was found to b e w ith ch ild and w h o w ickedly accused M arin us
of being h er sed ucer M arina d id not deny th e ch arge and t h e
a b bot ordered h er to be
sco urged a n d dri v e n o ut of the walls of
.

IL L US T R A T ED

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m onastery ; and t he w icked woman came w ith h er child an d

p u tt ing it i n t he arm s of M arina said T here as y o u are i t s fa t her
take care of it
T hen M arina cared for t h e ch ild
S h e rema ined
ou t side t h e ga t e of the convent and begged a support wh ich w a s
gi ven her wi t h m any ins ul t s as to a v ile sinner Bu t when she
died and the t ruth was discovered there was great m o urn ing o n
account of all sh e had end ured an d sh e was honored for her
h um ili ty S h e is re p resented with th e dress of a m on k an d th e
face of a beautiful woman wi t h a ch ild i n her arms J un e 1 8
E igh t h cent ury
S t M a r k (L a t S M arcus ; I t a l S a n M arco E v angelista ; F r
S t M arc ; Ge r D er Heilige M arcus )
T hi s E vangelist was n ot a n
apostle b u t a con vert an d beloved d isci p le of S t Pe t er according t o
the t raditio n of th e C a t h oli c C h urch He j ourneyed wi t h Peter even
to R ome where h e wrote h is G os p el ; an d m any believe i t to h av e
been dictated by S t Peter He went afterwards to preach i n E gypt
and after spend ing twel ve years in L ibya an d t he Th ebais he fo unded
th e churc h at Alexandri a O n account of h is miracles t h e h eathe n
accused h i m of being a m agician ; an d at length wh en celebrating
the feast of their god S erapis th ey seized S t M ark and dragged
h i m t hrough the streets w i t h cords until h e died Then i m me
d i a t e ly there fell a storm of hail an d a tempest of lightn ing cam e
w i t h it wh ich destroyed h is m urderers T h e C hristians buried h is
remains an d h i s tom b was greatly v ene r ated But i n A D 8 1 5
some V enetian m erchants des p oiled the tomb o f its sacred rel ics
and took them to V en ice where the splend i d cath edral of S a n
M arco was erected over them T here are many legends o f th is
saint w h ich have a ff orde d subj ects for re p resentations i n art O ne
day as he walked i n Alexandri a i t i s said that h e sa w a p oor cobbler
wh o had wounded h is hand so se verely w ith an awl that h e could no
longer su pp or t h imself S t M ark healed th e wou n d an d the man
w h o was called A n i a n u s was conver t ed and aft erwards be came Bishop
of Alexandria The famous legen d of the preservation of V enice i s
th us related : I t was o n the 2 5 t h of F ebruary i n 1 3 4 0
The
wa t ers had been rising for t h ree d ays ; and on th is n ight t h ere w a s
a fearful storm and th e h eigh t of t he water was three c ubi t s m ore
than e ver before
An old sherman w i t h d i fculty reached th e
R iva d i S a n M arco w ith h is l i tt le boat and determ i ne d to wai t
th e

21 8

S T OR I ES

L E GE ND S A N D

th e ceasing of t h e tem p est B ut there c am e t o h i m a

wh o entrea t ed h i m to row h i m o v er to S a n G iorg io M aggiore
m an
Aft er great p ersuasion t he sherman bel iev ing it to b e the w ill of
Havi ng arri ved at S a n G iorgi o the s t ranger landed
G o d consen t ed
and commanded th e sherman to awai t h i s return The fo r m er cam e
back b ringing w i t h hi m a young m an and t ol d h i m to ro w again t o
T h e sh erman d oub t ed h is abil i t y to d o thi s ;
S a n N iccol o di L ido
bu t his passengers assured h i m h e m igh t row boldly and stren gt h
would be gi ven h i m Th ey cam e at l as t t o S a n N iccolo d i L ido w here
th e two men landed Wh en th ey re t urned to the shore t here was a
They ordered the sherman to ro w beyond th e t wo
t h ird one al so
cas tles W hen t h ey cam e to the sea t h ey saw a barque ll ed wit h
fri g htful demons rapidly approach ing T hese were com ing to over
wh el m th e ci ty wi t h wa t er Th en the three m en i n the boat m ade
th e sign of t h e cross and bade t he demons de p art I ns t an t ly t h e
barq ue vani shed t he sea becam e calm and t he wa t ers began to
su b sid e T hen th e m en com manded t he b oa t man t o l a n d t he m at
t he p laces whence t hey h ad come H e did s o b u t i n s p i t e of t he
great wonder h e h a d seen h e demanded of th e t h ird t ha t he should

p ay h i m Then t h e man repli ed : T ho u art ri g ht ; go n ow t o t h e

D oge and to the Proc ura t ori of S t M ark t ell them wh at tho u h ast
seen for V en ice wo uld have been o ver whel med had i t n ot been fo r
I am S t M ark t h e E vangel ist t h e protector of t his ci ty ;
u s t h ree
the o t her i s t h e brave k night S t G eorge ; and h e w hom t hou d idst
take u p at t h e L ido is the holy bisho p S t N ich olas S a y t o t h e
D oge and t o th e Procura t ori t hat they are t o pay yo u and t ell t he m
l ikewise t ha t t h i s tem p est arose because of a certai n sch ool mas t er
d well in g at S a n F el i ce wh o d id sell h is soul to t he de vil an d aft er
T h e sherma n an swered tha t hi s s t ory
wards hanged h i mself
w ould not be bel ieved T he n S t M ark took from h i s fi nger a ring

and gave it t o the man saying

S h ow t hem th is and tell t he m
wh en t hey look i n th e sanctuary th ey will n ot nd i t
And h e
d isa pp eared T h e n ext m orn in g the sh erman d id as h e had been
com manded
I t proved as h e had been told and th e ri ng was n ot
fou nd
Then t h e m an was p aid a p rocession was ord ained wi t h
great sol emn i t y and t h e ci t izens gav e thank s t o Go d and th e t h ree
sain t s for t hei r m iraculo us del i v eran ce T h e sherma n recei ved a
pe n sion a n d t he ring was gi v e n to the Proc u ra t ori wh o rep l aced it
there

fo r

I LL

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th e san ctuary Anoth er legend relates that a certai n slave whose

m as t er resided i n Pro vence persisted i n going to t he shri ne of S t
M ark t o p ray for wh i c h he was condemned t o b e t or t ured As t h e
sen t ence was a b ou t t o be ex e cu t ed S t M ark d escended t o save his
v o t ary T h e execu t ioners were confounde d and t he ins t rumen t s of
tor t ure broken and m ade un t for use T h e tradition which m akes
S t M ark th e aman uensis of S t Pe t e r i s freq uen t ly ill us t ra t ed i n
p ai n t ings T h e at t ribu t e of S t M ark i s the l ion ei t her w i t h or
w i t h out t h e wings b u t generally with t hem T hi s enables one to
dis t inguish h i m fro m S t Jerom e w h o has t he l ion unw i n ged H e
oft en wears th e ro b es of a bish op A pril 25 A D 68
S t M a rt h a ( I t a l S anta M arta V erg i ne Al b ergatrice d i Chris t o ;
F r S t e M ar t h e la T ravailleuse )
S t M ar t ha is h i g hly v enera t ed
o n account of h aving p ersuaded her sis t er M ary t o listen t o t h e word s
of J es us t h us becom in g t h e i nstrumen t of her conversion T h e old

Whi ch
s t ory in I I Perfe tt o L egendari o goes on t o say of th is
th in g should not be accoun t ed as th e leas t of h e r meri t s see ing t hat
M ar t h a was a chaste and p rudent v irgin and th e o t h er p u b l icly
contemne d for her e vil l ife ; no t wi t hs t anding wh i ch M ar t ha di d no t
des p ise her nor rej ec t h er as a sister bu t w e p t for h er sham e and
ad mon i shed h er gen t ly an d w i t h p ersuasi ve words and reminded h er
of h er noble bir t h to whi ch sh e was a d isgrace and t ha t L azarus
th eir bro t her be ing a soldier would cer t ainly get in t o t rouble on h er
account S o sh e pre v ailed an d cond ucted her sister to the presence
of C hrist ; and aft erwards as it is well k nown sh e lodged and en t er
T h e Proven cal legends re l ate
t a i n e d t he S av iour i n her o w n h ou se
tha t M ar t ha was t he rs t wh o fou nded a con ven t for h er own sex
and t h e rst on e aft er th e Blessed V irgin wh o consecrated h er virgin
ity t o G od
Wh il e M ary M agdalene mad e converts i n M arseilles
M ar t ha m ade known th e F a i t h at Aix
I n t hose days there was
a fearful d ragon wh o inhabited t h e ri ver R hone and ravaged th e
coun t ry by night He was called t he Tarasque and on t h e scen e of
h is life th e ci t y of Tarascon n ow s t ands N o w M ar t ha S p rinkled t h is
mons t er wi t h holy wa t er and bound h i m with h er gird le and t hen
h e was s p eedily kill ed by t h e p eo p le
When aft er many years o f
labor dea t h a pp roach ed sh e desired to be b orne t o som e S p ot where
sh e could see th e sun i n t he heavens
S h e w ish ed t h e s t ory of t h e
Pa ss ion of O ur L ord to be read to h e r ; and as she died she said
in

220

E GE NDS

AND

S T OR IES

in t o t hy hands I com m end m y spiri t

Her attribute i s
a d ragon ; and she m a y b e known from S t M argare t by t he po t of
holy wa t er wh ile t h e la tt er has t h e cross S t M ar t ha al so bears
Pa t ron ess of cooks and ho usewi ve s
S ome t imes a cooking u t ensil
J une 2 9 A D 8 4
S t M a r t i a l was Bishop of L imoges S t V al erie or V al ere wa s a
beau t i ful v irgin who was con ver t ed by h is teach ing S h e refused to
l is t en t o t h e addresse s of t h e D uke de G uyenne T h is so enra ged

t he d uke t ha t h e l uy t tran cher la t es t e couronnan t s a v irg in i t

d un martyre b ien sign al car a la v en u e d un chacun elle pri t s a
tes t e e t la port a j usques a n p ied de l A u t e l o n S M arcia ] d i s e c t
la messe l e bo u rreau la su i van t pas a
pas m our u t dan s l E gl i s e
a p r es avoir clairem en t p ro t es t q u il voyo i t les anges a l en t our de
son cor p s
T h is legend is illustrated i n t h e ca t h edral of L im oges
Her fes t i val is
S h e i s represen t ed w i t h a streak arou nd the neck
D ecember 1 0
S t M a rt i n o f T o u r s (L a t S M artin us ; I t a l S a n M art ino )
was one of t he m os t p o p ular sain t s of t h e M iddle Ages H e was
b o r n a t S aberia in Pannon ia in th e t ime of C onstan t i ne th e G rea t ;
and t rad i t i on rela t es t hat on on e occasi on th e E mpress Hel ena wh o
was the d a u gh t er of a weal t hy lord of C a ernarv on sh ire pre p ared for
h im a sup p er w i t h h er o wn h a n d s and wai t ed on h i m w h ile h e ate
it li k e t h e h um blest servant ; and at the end gathered u p t he
cru m b s es t eem ing t h e m m ore p recious th an any m eal sh e could
ea t a t t h e em p eror s board F rom a ch ild S t M ar t i n was of a
rel igious d is p osi t ion b ut h e becam e a soldier before h e was bap
t iz e d
I n t h e arm y h e won th e lov e and respect of h is com rades
by t he grea t excellences of h i s charac t er and th e puri t y of h i s l ife
He was es p ecially n o t ed for h is bene volence and chari t y to t h e
poor The win t er of 3 3 2 was so severely col d that large n umbers
p erish ed i n the s t ree t s of Ami ens w here t he regiment of S t M ar t i n
was q uar t ered O ne d a y h e met at th e gate a naked man and t ak
in g p i ty on hi m b e d i vided hi s cloak (for i t was a l l h e had ) and g ave
half t o t h e b e gg a r T ha t n i g h t i n a dream Jesus s t ood before h im
and on hi s shoulders he w ore t h e h alf of t he cloak tha t M ar t in had
g i ven t he b e gg ar And he said t o t he an g els wh o a tt ended h i m

K now ye wh o hath t h us a rrayed m e ? M y servan t M a r t in t hough

yet un bap t ized ha t h done th is

Then M arti n was i m m ed iately

F ath er ,

' '

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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baptize d ; being at the ti me twenty three years ol d At fort y years

of age he desired to leave t he army tha t h e m igh t devo t e all
hi s t i m e to G od s servi ce
T he n the legend tells t hat J u l ian t h e
Apostate n o w emperor accused h i m of co ward ice saying t hat
h e wished to be dism issed to a v oi d a com ing ba tt le B u t M ar t i n
re p l ied he woul d be se t naked i n t he front of t he gh t armed only
w ith t h e cross and no t fear to mee t t he enemy T hen t he em p eror
com manded men to g u ard h im and see tha t t h is was don e ; b u t b e
fore the tim e o f bat t le peace was m ade and i t was no t at t empted
After leading a religious l ife for years he was made Bisho p of T ours
i n 3 71
He d id many m iracles h eal ing t he sick and even restoring
to life t h e son of a poor wi do w On e day as h e celebrated mass i n
h i s cathedral h e asked h is deaco n to clothe a naked beggar before
T h e deacon di d n ot com p ly readily and S t M ar t i n took o ff
h im
h is pries t ly robe an d gave it to the wretche d m an ; an d w hile h e
o f ciated at t h e altar a glo be of re was see n abov e h is head and as
b e elevated the Host hi s arm s (be ing exposed on account of the
absence of th e garment ) were covered b y a m iracle wit h c h ai n s of
gold and s ilver wh ich angels fastened u p on the m H is evenness of
t emper was a n especial v ir t ue and h e was n e v er angry neither spoke
h e e ver unkindly I n s p i t e of all h e was oft en greatly tem p ted an d
S atan on e day ri diculed h i m because he so soon recei ved the sinful
wh o re p ented S t M ar t i n repl ied 0 m ost m iserable t hat th o u art !
i f t hou also co uldst cease to persecute and seduce wretched m en if
thou also co uldst re p ent th ou also sh ouldst n d m ercy and forgi v e

ness through Jesus Christ !

I t is d ue to the wonderful energy of
S t M artin that p agan ism was rooted o u t of that p or t ion of G aul i n
w h ich h e ruled the Ch urch
He destroyed tem p les dem ol ished th e
i ma g es of t he gods an d w a s im p erviou s to all t h e threa t s an d da n gers
w hich h e i nc u rred by so doing T h e demons wh om h e th us d is
enthron ed often a pp eared to h im som e t i mes in h i deou s form s an d
agai n wi t h all th e beauty of V enus ; b u t he overcame all fear and all
tem pt a t ion an d steadfastly served Go d
At lengt h h e wearied of
th e p eo pl e wh o thro n ged about h im an d h e bu il t h i msel f a cel l
away fro m T ours between t h e rocks an d th e L oire F rom t h is t he
m onastery of M armoutier arose S t M artin no t only O pp osed h ea
the a i sm h e ba tt led agai nst bl ind su p ers t ition as well T here was
n ear Tours a chapel where the people v enerated a martyr as they
-

'

22 2

E GEND S

S T OR IE S

AND

b el ieved ; b u t M artin thought th em m istaken He we n t a n d st oo d

on t h e sepulch re and p rayed t ha t i t m igh t be re vealed t o h i m i f any
m artyr res t ed t here S oon a dark form appeared and t old S t M arti n
t hat he w a s a rob b er w hose soul was in hell and wh ose body rested
benea t h h im where h e s t ood Then the sain t destroy e d t h e cha pel
and al t ar as h e d id t hose of t he pagans H e was once i nv i t ed t o sup
w i t h t he emperor T h e c u p was p assed to M ar t in b efore hi s maj es ty
drank w i t h t he ex p ectation that he would touch i t to h is li p s as was
the cus t om But a poor priest s t ood beh in d M art i n an d to th e sur
pri se and adm iration of all the sai nt presented the fu ll goblet t o
h im t h us signi fy ing th at a servant of Go d deserved m ore honor
h owever h u m b le hi s station t ha h any m erely earthly p otentate
F rom t h is legend h e has been chosen th e patron of all innocent con
I t i s sai d that on an occasion whe n S t M artin sought a n
v ivia l i t y
intervie w w i th t he E m peror V alentinian h is m aj esty d id no t rise
from h is chair as t he sai n t a pp roach ed wh ereupon th e chai r took re
be n eath h i m and necessity com pelled hi m t o do what reverence had
no po wer t o e ffect Thi s un iq ue legen d has b een represented i n a r t
S t M ar t i n died aft er being bisho p more th an th irty years and many
h eard t he songs of th e angels who bore h i m to Paradise F rom t h e
time of h is death h e h as been an obj ect of extreme v enera t i on I n
art h e i s u sually re p resented w i t h a naked beggar at h is feet A
goose when in t rod uced all udes to the season of h is feas t wh ich
occurs at th e ti me w h en geese are eaten and i s called i n E ng
land M artinmas
tide
I n F rance th is fes t ival was ke p t l ike t he
last day of the C arn i v al a tim e of feas t ing
N o v e mber 1 1
.

A D
.

39 7

rt i n a was a R oman v i rgin

A ch urch d ed ica t ed to h er
stands at t he foot of the C a p i t ol ine H ill I t i s on t h e l eft as we
d escend to t h e F oru m from t h e Ara l
Here from v ery ancien t
i
t imes t here was a cha p el where th e peo pl e v enera t ed t h is sain t who
was mar tyred i n t h e t i me o f Alexander S e v erus
I n 1 6 3 4 whe n
repairing t h is cha p el a sarco p hagus w as d isco v ered bu il t in to th e
founda t ions wh ich con t ained t h e body of a young wom an wh ile the
h ead wa s i n a se para t e caske t T hi s b eing re garded as the b od y of
the sain t called the a tt en t ion of all R ome t o t h e place and e v en t he
po p e was lled wi t h enth usiasm a t th e d iscovery Card inal F ra n
cesco B arberin i u nd er t ook to rebu ild the ch urch an d Pietro da
St

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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223

Corto n a

v ery solemnly ded icated h is talents to th e work of adorn ing

th e same T h e church was given to t he A cademy of Pain t ers an d c o n

I t now bears the name of S a n

se c r a t e d t o S t L uke their pa t ron

P ie t ro da Cor t ona left all h is for t une t o t he

L u ca e S an t a M ar t ina
cha p el of S t M ar t ina wh ich h e h im self had p ainted S h e i s r e p r e
sented as young and beau t iful wi t h d i fferent instruments of t or t ure
signifyin g t he manner of h er dea t h J an uary 3 0
S t M a r y o f E gy p t (I t a l S an t a M aria E giziaca Pen itente ;
The
F r S t e M arie l E gyp t i e n n e L a G i p e s i e n n e L a J u s s i e n n e )
legend of t h is M ary E gy p t i a c a is m u ch older t han t ha t of M ary
M a g dalene It was i n a written form and fully bel ieved i n t h e six t h
cen t ury ; for a very ancien t t rad i t i on s t a t ed t ha t a fem ale herm i t had
T h e legend as n o w
dwelt for years in Pales t ine and there died
given rests o n th e authori ty of S t Jerome an d relates t ha t a woma n
named M ary wh ose w ickedness far exceeded that of t he M agdalen e
dwelt i n Alexandria
After seventeen years of abandonment t o
sin i n t h e year 3 6 5 as sh e walked on e day n ear th e sea she s a w
a vessel a b out to de part well lled w i t h pilgri ms O n inquiry she
found tha t t h ey were going to Jerusalem t o keep th e feas t of t h e
true cross
S h e was seized w i t h anxi e ty to go also b u t h ad n o
m oney to pay her passage T hen she sold h erself to the sailors and
pil gr ims and so accom p lished th e j o u rney Arriv ing a t Jerusalem
she thought t o en t er t h e ch urch w i t h t h e others ; but when she
reached the en t rance som e i nv i sible p ower h eld h er so that she could
n ot go in a n d as oft en as she tried to cross the th reshold so o fte n
w as sh e driven back T hen a sense of all h er sins came over h er
and sh e was overcom e w i t h sorrow and prayed to Go d for grace and
pardon ; where u p on th e restr a ining p ower was take n away and sh e
en t ered t h e ch urch on her kn ees S h e then b ought three loaves of
bread and went into th e deser t even b eyon d Jordan
H ere sh e
remained i i i d ee p est peniten ce S h e drank only w a t er and subsi sted
on roo t s and frui t s and her th ree loaves w h ich were constan t ly
renewe d by a m iracle
H er cloth ing wore out and d ro p ped from
h er ; then sh e p rayed G o d to cloth e h er and h er prayer was a n
s w e r e d for h er hair b ecame a cloak about h er or as others say a
heavenly robe was brought her b y an angel S h e h ad l i ved t h u s
forty seven years when she was found by Z osim us a p riest S h e
begged h i m to keep silence concern ing h er a n d to retur n at t he en d
.

2 24

S T OR IES

L E G END S A N D

of a year and bring wi t h h i m t he Blessed S acram ent t hat sh e m igh t

co nfess her s ins a n d rece ive com m un ion before her dea t h Z osi m us
com plied w i t h h er desires and re t urn ed to her i n a year H e was
n o t a bl e t o cross the J ordan and M ary w as m iraculo usly assiste d
t o cross t o h im Aft er recei ving th e S acram en t sh e req ues t ed h i m to
leave h er again to her soli t ary life and to re t urn at t he end of e u
o t her year V hen t he year was pas sed and h e w ent a ain t o m ee t
h er he found h er ly ing dead wi t h her hands folded as i n prayer
0 F ather Z osim us
A n d u p on th e sands t hese words were written
bury t he body of t he poor sinner M ary of E gypt ! G i ve a r t h to
e
ear t h and d us t to d ust for C hrist s sake I When he endeavored to
d o t h is he fo und h e had not s u fcient streng t h for he was an old
man T hen a l ion came an d assi sted h i m d igging w ith h is pa w s ;
a n d when t he body of M ary was i n t he grave the l io n went qu ietly
away an d Z osi m us re t urned home praising G od for th e mercy h e
h ad shown to t he peniten t woman S h e i s represented i n art as old
w orn and was t ed w i t h l ong h air an d three loaves of bread i n her
hand
W hen united w ith M ary M agdalene the con t ras t of a e
a pp earance and dress i s v ery striking The p ictures o f her penance
are som e t imes m istak e n for th e M agdalen e ; b ut if t h e vase sk ull an d
cruci x are wan t ing it is the M ar y of E gy p t A chapel in the ch ur c h
of S t M e rr y i n Paris i s painted w it h scenes from h er l ife Apr il 9
,

A D 4 33
.

r y M a g d a l e n e (L a t S M ari a M agdal en a ; F r L a M ade

leine L a S ain t e D emoiselle p cheresse I t a l S anta M aria M addalena
S p S an t a M aria M agdalena )
The wri t ings wh ich wo uld ll vol umes
the n um b erless sermons w h ich have exhausted th e talents of t he
p reachers an d t h e p a t ience of t he h earers t h e learned argum en t s o f
ton g ue and pen and t he wild i magina t ive legends wh ich h a ve each and
all essayed t o give and esta b l ish t h e t ruth about t h is sain t have le ft
her i n the h eart of t he world wh at t h e G ospel alone a n d unaided
th e r st sinn ing and re p en t ing wom an forgi ven t h rou g h
m akes her
t he love of Jesus a glorious b eacon of ho p e sh ining do wn th rough all
a g es silen t ly sayin g t o all o t h er M agdalenes
G o and sin n o m ore
It has n ever b een d ecided wh e t h er she was d i fferen tly s poken of as

M ary of Be t hany the wom an wh o was a sinner and she ou t

of whom J esus cas t seven dev ils or w h e t her sh e was b ut one o f
these ; b ut t he legend as i t i s ge n erally represented i n Weste r n art
St

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I L L US T R A T E D

225

is as follows M ary M agdalen e was the daughter of noble if not royal

paren t s and t he sis t er of M artha and L azarus S yrus t h eir fa t her
had vas t riches and at h is dea t h th ese were di v ided equally among
th e three T h e castl e of M ary called M a gd a l o n w as i n t he d is t rict
of M agdala on th e sh ore of the sea of T iberias L azarus was b y
profession a soldier M ar t ha was v irtuous a n d discreet ; but M ary
giv ing h erself u p to l uxury an d idleness becam e a t leng t h so w ick ed

as to be called T H E S I N N E R
M arth a lo v ing her sis t er and lled
w ith sorro w by h er sinful l ife con t in ually re b uked h er and nally
persuaded h er t o l isten to th e teach ings of Jesus Th e se ven ev il
spirits wh ich Jesus cas t out were th e seven deadly sins to wh ich sh e
h ad b een su bj ect before her con v ersion T h e en t ertainment of t he
S aviour a t the house of M ar t ha the sup p er a t th e ho use of S i mo n
the Pharisee t h e devo t io n of M ary to Jesus and t he scenes con
n e c t e d w i t h h is dea t h an d resurrec t ion are given in the legen d as i n
the G os p els It then adds t h a t aft er t he ascension of Chris t L azarus
and h is si sters w i t h t heir handmai d M arcella M axi m in wh o had ba p
t i z e d them and th e b lind m an to wh om Jesus had gi ven si g h t calle d
Cedon were placed i n a boa t w i t h no rudder t o s t eer and no oars nor
sail s to S p eed t h e m an d se t adrift Th is was done by t he h ea t hen
T hey were carried b y w i nds an d waves to a h ar b or wh ich p roved
to be t ha t of M arseilles T h e p eo p le of t ha t p lace were also hea t hen
and t hey refused to give th e cas t aways food or shel t er T he n these
found a res t ing p lace in t h e p orch of a t em p le and M ary be gan t o
tell of Chris t and t o urge t he p eo p le t o forsake t heir i dols ; and
bo t h t h e sis t ers did such m iracles t ha t many were con ver t ed and
ba pt ized When M axim in was dead L azarus was m ade rs t b isho p
of M arseilles B u t M ary desired t o li ve i n soli t ude and re t ired t o
a fri g h t fu l wilderness where sh e l ived t h ir t y years a life of p en i t ence
and sorro w for t h e sins she never ceased t o regret and b e wa il It
was su pp osed she was dead ; bu t a t lengt h a h erm it whose cell was i n
the sam e deser t as her own s a w a m iraculous sigh t wh ic h disclosed
t he tru t h t ha t sh e still l i ved I t a pp ears t hat oft e n i n her h u n g er
and d uring t he l a s t
a n d exha us t ion a n g els h a d m ini s t ered t o h er
years of her l ife they b ore her every day u p i n t o re g ions wh ere she
could h ear celes t ial harmonies and see the glory p re p ared for t h ose
I t wa s this daily ascension t ha t t h e
w h o re p en t and b elieve i n G o d
h erm it saw ; and he has t ened to t h e ci ty t o rela t e t he wonderful
,

15

2 26

EGEND S

S T O R IES

AND

v isio n
L egends disagree concern ing th e place and m anner of her
death
S ome rela t e t ha t i t oc c urred i n t he desert where angels
wa t ched over her a n d cared for her w h ile o t hers say sh e d ied i n a
ch urch aft er recei vi ng t he last sacramen t s fro m S t M axim i n T h e
scene o t her soli t ary penance i s said t o be t he si t e of t h e m onas t ery of
T
ain
t
e
Beaum
e
or
the
Holy
C
ave
b
e
t
ween
M
arse
illes
and
oulon
La S
cen
t
ury
som
e
remains
b
el
ieved
t
o
t
hose
of
b
e
h
I n t he t h irteen t
S t L azarus and S t M ary M agdalene were fo und a b out twen t y m iles
n or t h of T oulon at a place called S t M ax imin Her c a ch urch was
b u il t i n 1 2 79 b y C harles C o un t of Provence bro t her of S t L o uis
K ing of F rance A few years la t e r Charles was m ade prisoner by t he
K ing o f Arago n ; and b e ascri b ed t h e praise of h is l i b era t ion t o M ary
M agdalene who was h is chose n pro t ec t ress M any m iracles were
w rou gh t t hrough h er i n t ercessi on one of wh ich has been frequen t ly
re p resen t ed i n p ic t ures A cer tain prince of Pro vence cam e t o M ar
seilles wi t h h is wife t o sacri ce t o t he p agan gods T hey l is t ened to
t he ins t ruc t ions of M ary and were p ersuade d t o leave the servi ce of
the idols O ne day t he h us b and told M ary of h is strong desire to have
a son M ary asked h i m if he wo uld believe i f h is prayer were h e a r d
H e p rom ised t ha t h e would belie ve N ot long after th i s p rince de
cided t o g o t o Jerusalem t o see S t Peter and to ascert ain i f wha t
M a gdalene t old h i m agreed w i t h t h e preach ing of t h at sain t T h e
w i fe de t ermi ned to go also but h e said
H o w sh a ll i t b e p ossi b le
seein g t ha t t hou art wi t h ch il d a n d t he dan g ers of t h e sea are very
Bu t sh e so en t rea t ed h i m t h at b e gran t ed her req ues t and
t h ey de p ar t ed A ft er a d a y and n ight had p assed a t erri bl e storm
arose T h e p ains of ch ild b ir t h came u p on t he wom an and in th e
m ids t of t he t em p es t the b a b e was born and t h e m oth er d ied The
sailors w ished t o t hrow t h e body in t o t h e sea b elieving t hat t h e s t orm
would no t cease wh ile i t remained i n the sh i p ; b ut th e p rince p er
s u a d e d t he m wi t h en t reaties and m one y to retain i t awh ile
S oon
t hey arrived a t an island w here h e laid h is wife on the shore and
p lacing t h e ba b e on her b reas t h e covered t hem w i t h h is cl oak and

w e pt bi tt erly and said O M ary M a gd alene ! to my grief and sorro w

d ids t t ho u come t o M arseilles
Why didst tho u ask thy G od t o g i ve
m e a son only t h a t I m i g ht l ose b o t h son and wife toge t her ? 0
M ary M a g dalene ! h ave p i ty on my g rief and i f thy prayers may
a v ail sa v e at least the life of my ch ild !
The n he proceeded to
.

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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J er u salem , and remai ned there two years

227

H e was instructed b y
S t Pe t er and saw th e places wh ich had b een hallo wed by t he li fe
and dea t h of the S a v io ur N o w on h is re t urn h e landed at t he island
w here he h ad left the body of h is wife t ha t he m ight wee p a t her
las t res t ing place Who can tell h is surprise wh en h e s a w h is ch ild
runn ing about on the shore ? And when the infant s a w t he s t ran g e
m a n h e was afraid and h i d beneath t h e cloak t hat covered his de a d
m o t her T hen when t he fa t her approached the mo t her also o p ened
h er eyes and sm iled and pu t o u t h er arms t o embrace he r h usband
Then did the pri nce grea t ly rej oi ce and t hey all re t urned to M ar
seilles and thre w t hem sel ves a t t he fee t of t he M a gdalene an d were
ba pt ized T here are legends (though n ever accep t ed by t he Ch urch )
wh ich rela t e t hat an a tt ach men t exis t ed be t ween S t Joh n t h e
E vangelist and M ary M ag dalen e ; and even tha t the feas t whi c h
Jesus a tt ended at Cana of G alilee was on t he occasion of t h e mar
D o n a t e ll o s fam ous s t a t u e carved in wood
r i a ge of t hese t wo saints
s t ands above her altar i n the bap t istery i n F lorence It re p resen t s
her as t h e was t ed sorrowing pen i t ent and is strangely i n contrast
w i t h t h e loveliness of m any represen tat ions of her H er proper
a tt ri b u t e is th e jar of oin tment Th is signi es either th e ointment
wh ich sh e brake u p on th e feet o f th e S av iour or th at wh i ch sh e
pre p ared for the anointing of h is crucied body I t v aries i n size and
form i s us u ally ei t her in her ha n d or s t andi n g n ear h er th o u gh som e
ti m es borne b y a n attend ing angel T h e colors of t h e dress of t h e M ag
d alene are red ex p ressi n g lo ve v iole t peniten ce and mourn ing ; an d
bl ue cons t an cy S om etimes she wears a violet tuni c and red m an t le
S om e S p a n ish pi ctures represent h er wi t h dark h air ; b ut i t sh oul d
be l uxuriant fair and golde n
Pa t roness of frail a n d pen i t ent
wom en ; o f Prove n ce an d M arseilles J uly 2 2 A D 68
S t M a r y t h e P e n i t e n t (I t a l S anta M aria Pen itente ; F T S t e
T hi s M ary was th e n iece of t h e h erm it A b ra
M arie la P n i t en t e )
ham a n d her life was m ostly s p en t i n t h e desert s of S vr ia S h e t oo
w as a sin ner an d becam e a pen i t en t t o whose p rayers G od gran t e d
m iraculou s answers H er fa t h er h a d large rich es and li ved i n s p len
dor W hen h e d ied th e daugh t er was carried to her herm it u ncle
to b e rel igiou sly i nstructed S h e was seven years old w h en take n
to t h e desert Abraham bu il t a cell close to h is own an d openi n g
i n t o it by a w indo w and there placed th e ch ild Here he taugh t
.

228

E G E ND S

S T OR IES

AND

h er to pray to sing praises to reci t e p salms an d to despise th e

pleasures o f t he world T h us M ary l ive d un t il she was t wen ty y ears
old A t t his t ime t here came a yo ung hermi t to the cell of Abraham
to receive h is ins t ruc t ions T h e beau ty of the face wh ich h e beh eld
by chance t hrou g h t he windo w an d the m usi c of t he voice wh ich
chan t ed holy p raises so n ear h i m inamed h i s h eart wi t h love for
t he maiden ; and he t em pt ed her to sin forgetting his vows Whe n
she a t leng t h reec t ed on w ha t sh e h ad d one she so feared her uncle
t ha t she ed from h is sight and went to a re mo t e place wh ere for
two years sh e l i ved a shameless l ife of sin N ow on t he v ery n ight
tha t she ed Abraham dream ed that a h ideous dragon cam e to h is
cell and found there a whi t e dove and took i t away w i t h hi m When
h e awoke t he drea m troubled h i m Again wh en h e slep t h e saw t h e
same dragon ; an d h e crushed i ts h ead wi t h h is foo t and t ook th e dove
from its m a w and p u t i t i n h is bosom Th en t he dove cam e t o life
and s p reading its w ings ew to h eaven T hen t h e h erm i t kn ew tha t
th is dream referred to h is belov ed M ary H e t ook hi s s t a ff and went
for t h seeking her through all the land A ft er a long t im e h e found
her ; and wh en sh e was o vercom e w ith sham e and sorrow h e e n c o ur
a ged her a nd prom ised h im sel f t o do p enan ce for h er T hen sh e

c r ie d o u t
O my fath er ! if t ho u th inkest t h ere i s h ope for m e I
w ill follow th ee w h i t hersoever th ou goest and kiss thy foo t s t e p s wh ich
lead m e out of th is gulf of sin an d death !
Then h e com for t ed her
and leav ing beh ind all h er j ewel s and gay attire, she re t urned wit h
h im to t h e cell i n th e desert Here sh e m in istered to h er aged uncle
and l ived a l ife of con t rition and penan ce F o r m any years aft er
h i s d ea t h sh e s t ill con t in ued th e sam e l ife ; and so g rea t was t h e
sick wh o were brou g ht to h er were
v ir t ue of h er prayers that the
cu red wh en sh e p rayed Wh en sh e died sh e was h o m e by angels t o
p ara d ise C on ve rs i on of M ary the Peni ten t O c t o b er 29
S t M a tt h e w ( L a t S M at t heus ; Ge r D er H eili g e M a t th aus ;
F r S t M a tt h ieu ; I t a l S a n M a tt eo )
Am ong the E vangel is t s S t
M a tt he w h old s th e rst p lace on accoun t of having wri t ten h is G ospel
rs t I n re p resen ta t ion s of th e disci p l es h e is the seven t h or eigh t h
H e h a s not b een a p o p ular subj ect of art T h e S cri p ture a ccoun t
tell s only t h a t h i s nam e was L evi and his o fce t h at of tax gatherer ;
a H e b rew by bi rth When C hris t called h i m he i m m ed iately l e f t
all else to obey ; a n d h e also m ade a great feast i n h is h ouse at
,

'

'

IL L US T R A T E D

IN

AR T

22 9

w h ich Jesus wit h h i s d isciples sat w ith publ icans a n d sinners to th e

h orror of th e Je ws Aft er t he separa t ion of t he Apos t les M a t the w
preached t wen ty three years in E gypt a n d E t h iopia At t he cap i t al
of E t h iopi a h e was honorably en t er t ained by t hat e un uc h who m
Ph ilip had ba pt ized H e raised t he s o n of the K ing of E gy p t fro m
the dead and cured h is daughter called I phigen ia of le p rosy and
p laced h er at t h e head of a socie ty of yo ung maidens ded icated to
t he service of G od A h ea t hen k i ng de t erm ined t o t ake h er away
from th i s com m unity ; for w h ich imp ie ty h is palace was b urned
and he became a leper
W he n th is sai n t was i n E t h iopia a terrible
f ear wa s o v er the people on account of two skilful magicians wh o
p ut m any u nder t heir spells and a f i cted the m wi t h dreadful d is
eases S t M a t thew overcam e t h ese sorcerers and ended t heir power
by baptizing t he p eo p le All this is related i n the Perfetto L egen
dario
Th e m an n er of h is dea t h i s do ubtful T h e G reek le g end
says h e died a p eaceful death b ut t he Wes t ern tradi t ions declare t hat
h e su ff ered m artyrdom i n t h e t im e of D om itian H is proper at t ribu t es
are t he p urse when represented as an Apos t le ; the pen and book
w i t h an at t endant angel wh en th e E vangel ist T h e angel h olds
the inkhor n or the book or points t o hea v en or dic t ates G reek
pictures of h i s death sho w h i m dying peacefully wh ile an angel
sw ings a censer ; other re p resenta t ions gi v e the m artyrdo m by t he
sword S e p tember 2 1 A D 9 0
S t M a tt h i a s (I t a l S a n M attia ; F T S t M ath ias ; L a t S M at
t h ae u s) was the last apostle ch osen to take the place made vacan t
by the treachery o f J udas S t D eni s relates t hat he was selected
by th e A p ostles on accou nt of a beam of di v ine S p lendor wh ich
pointed t o h i m T h is has been re p resented i n art H e p reach ed
i n J u d ee a an d was m artyred by the Jews
H is a t tri b ute i s a lance
or an axe F e b ruary 2 4
S t M a u r e l i o or M a u r e l i u s was the rst bish op and i s the
patron sain t of F errara and I mola H is i mage is on the coins of
F errara
He was beheaded
S t M a u r i c e (L a t S M aurit i us ; I t a l S a n M aurizio ; Ge r D er
H eil ige M ori t z ; F r S t M aurice ) T h e legend of S t M aurice an d
th e T heban L egion is one of th e most an c i ent of all l egends and has
bee n so r e c e i ve d a s to ha v e almost the im p or t ance of a s t ri c t ly
h istor ical fact T h e Theban L egion was so called because levied
.

23 0

E GE ND S

S T OR IES

AND

i n t h e T hebai d I t w a s com p osed of

men a l l of wh o m
were C hris t ians I t w a s com manded b y M auri ce w ho w as of illus
This legion was so charac t erized by valor pie ty and
t r io u s descen t
deli t y t ha t i t had recei ved t he t i t le of F e l i x When M axi m i n was
a b o u t t o en t er G a ul he ordered t h is legion to accom p any h i m t h i t her
When t hey had p assed the Al p s t he legion was div ided : a part wen t
t o t he R h ine and t he remainder hal t ed on t h e banks of L ake G ene va
H ere M axi m in ordered a great sacrice to t he gods w ith all the
games and fes t iv i t ies whic h accompan ied t h e p agan ri t es T here
M aurice an d hi s soldiers se p arated t hemse l ves fro m t he army an d
p i t ched t h eir cam p a t a place n o w called S t M a urice , b u t t he n
M axim in then m ade it known t hat t h e pu rpose of h is
A ga n u m
ex p ed i t ion was t he exterm ination of t he C hristians and t hrea t ened
t he T heban L egion w i t h h is v engeance i f t hey did not j oi n i n t h e
sacrices T hey s t eadfas t ly refused to do so or t o assis t i n t h e p er
T hen M ax im in com manded t h e m en t o
s e c u t i o n of t h e C hris t ians
b e decima t ed T hose t o wh om t he l e t fel l rej oiced in being t h u s
ch osen t o t e s tify t o t he ir fai t h and t hose who w ere left were s t ill so
E ven w hen
d e t erm ined t hat t hey were deci ma t ed t h e second t i me

t he t hi rd s u mmons cam e M aurice re p l i ed

O Caes a r ! we are t hy
sold iers b u t we are also t he sold iers of Jesus Chris t F rom t h ee we
rece ive our pay bu t from h i m we h ave re c e ived eternal l ife To
t h ee we owe service to h i m obed ience We are ready to follow t h ee
agains t t h e barbarians bu t w e are also ready to su ff er dea t h ra t her
t han renounce our fai t h or gh t agains t o ur b re t hren
T hen M axi
m i n command ed t h at t he rest of t h e army should surro und t hese
m e n
and m urder every one w i t h t he s word H e was obeye d no t
one was left alive B u t som e were tram p led t o dea t h some han g ed
an d some sh o t wi t h arrows M aurice knel t down and was b eheaded
A t C olo g ne and i n o t her places, many m ore wh o bel on g ed t o t h e
T he b an L e g ion s u ff ered m artyrdom
S avoy Piedm on t and p ar t s of
G erm any a b o und i n t hese sold ier saints T h e nam e of M a urice

si gn ies a M oor and h e i s re p resen t ed as one i n some p i c t ures

H e is d ressed i n arm or an d bears t h e s t andard a n d the p a lm I n
I t al ian p ic t ures h e wears a red cross on h is b reas t wh ich is t he b ad g e
of t h e S a r d inian O rder of S t M aurice S e pt em b er 2 2 A D 2 8 6
S t M a u r u s w a s t h e son of a R om a n sena t or and wa s p laced
u nder t he care of S t
Bened ic t a t S ubi a o wh e n only twel ve yea r s
,

US T R A T E D IN

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AR T

23 1

old He became on e of th e m ost fam ou s d i sci p l es o f hi s great m aster

At one t im e M aurus ex p ressed his sa t isfac t ion a t th e dea t h of one
F loren t i n s who had a tt em pt ed t o p oison S t Benedict an d had com
m i t t e d many crimes wh ich disgraced h is o ff i ce
for
h
e
was
a
priest
(
)
t his ex p ression so shocked h is t eac h er tha t h e comm anded hi m t o
a t one for h i s sin b y a severe penance After t h e d eath of Bene
dict M aurus in t rod uced the Benedic t ine O rder i nto F rance an d
founded the m onastery of S t M aure sur L oire (then called Gl a n f e u il )
wh ere h e died Hi s a tt rib ute i s the book or censer January 1 5
.

A D 5 84
.

r c u r i a l e was th e rst B ishop of F orl i i n th e second cen

tury H is a tt ribute is a dragon re p resen t ing s in w h ich t he sain t
had v a n quish ed He i s patron sain t of F orl i

S t M e r c u r i u s ( Gr A y E pa s z signi cation
G od s messen
T h e re p resen t a t ions of th is sain t belong es p ecially to G reek
ar t He was an o fcer wh om J ul ian th e Apos t ate p ut to dea t h o n
acco u nt of h is C hris t i an fai t h
W hen J ul ian afterwards fought
against th e Persian s S t Basil h ad a v ision i n wh ich h e s a w a woman
sea t ed on a t hrone and surrounded by angels To one of these she

said
G o forth with and awaken M ercuri us w ho sleepeth i n the
se p ulchre, that he m ay slay J ulian the Apostate that p roud blas

and
against
my
As
S
on !
s oon as th e v ision
h
e m e r against m e
p
had p assed Basi l went to t h e t omb of M ercuri us but nei t her th e
body nor th e arm or wh ich h ad been buried w ith h i m were i n th e
tomb Bu t t h e next day th e body of t h e saint an d all th e arm or

F or
was as before except that the lan ce was s t ained w ith blood
on t h e day of ba tt le wh en th e wicked em p eror was at t h e h ead
of h is army an u nknown warrior bareheaded and of a pale an d
gh as t ly countenance was seen moun t ed on a wh ite charger wh ic h
h e s p urred for ward ; an d brandish ing h is lance h e p i erced J ul ian
throu g h th e body and th en van ish ed as suddenly as h e h ad
a pp eared A n d J ulian being carried to h is te n t he took a handful
of t h e blood w h ich owed from hi s w ound and ung it in t o t h e
ai r exclaiming w i t h h is las t brea t h T ho u hast conquered G ali
lean ! T ho u has t conquered !
T hen the demons received h is p art
ing s p irit
B u t M ercuri u s h aving p erform ed th e behest of t h e
Blessed V irgin r e en t ered h is tomb and laid h imself down to sleep

till th e D ay of J u dgment
St

23 2

S T OR I E S

AND

L E GE N D S

t h o d i u s S e e S t Cyril
S t M i c h a e l ( L a t S M i ch a el A ngelus ; F r M onsei gneur S t
S t M i c h a el
M ich el I t a l S a n M ichele S a m m ichel e A y M LXa vjA )

w hose name sign i es li ke u nto G o d o r M ichael the A rcha n gel is

rega rded as the rst a n d m ightiest of all created spiri ts He it w as
w hom G o d comm i ssio n ed to expel S at a n a n d the rebellio us angels
from h e a ven H is o f ce n o w is bel ie ved to be twofold i ncl ud i n g
that of patron saint of th e C hurch on earth an d L ord of th e souls of
the dead ; presen t i n g t he good to G o d and send ing th e e vil and
w icked aw ay to torment I t i s believed to h a ve been S t M i ch ael
w ho appeared to H agar (Ge n x xi
to A brah a m to forbid th e
sacri ce of I saac (Ge n xx i i 1 1 ) w ho brought the pl a gues on E gypt
led the I srael ites on th eir j ourney conte n ded w i t h S atan for th e body
of M oses (J ude
p ut blessi n gs instead of c urses i n B a l a a m s mouth
m
w
xxi
i
w
as
ith
Josh
u
a
at
Jericho
Josh
v
appeared
u
N
(
(
to G i d eo n (J u dges v i
bro ught th e pestilence to I srael ( 2 S a m
d e l iv
xxi v
destroyed the A ssyrian arm y ( 2 Chron xxxi i
ered the three Hebre w ch ildren fro m th e ery fur n ace ( D a n i i i
and sent Habakk uk to feed D ani e l i n th e l ion s den ( Bel and th e
T h e legends also r elate th at S t M ichael app eared
D ra go n
to the Blessed Virgi n to announ ce to h er th e time o f h er death
and that h e received h er soul a n d bore it to Jesu s A n d again
d uri n g th e sixth centu ry w hen a fearful pestilence was ragi n g i n
R ome S t G regory advised th at a procession sh ould h e m ade wh ic h
sh ould p a ss thro u gh th e st reets singing th e service w h ich since then
h a s been called the G reat L itan ies
Th is w as done for three days
a n d on the l ast day wh en th ey came opposite to th e tomb of H a
dri a n G regory beh el d the A r c h a n gel M ich a el h overi n g o ver th e city ;
a n d he aligh ted on the top of th e M ausole u m a n d sh eathed h is sword
w h ich w as d ri pping w ith blood
Th en the pl ague w a s stayed a n d
the Tom b of H a d rian h as been called the C a stle of S ant A ngelo
from that d a y and a chapel w as th ere consecrated the n am e of
w h i c h w as E c c lesia S a n cti A n gel i usqu e ad Coe l o s S t M i ch a el i s
a lso s a id to h ave ap e a red to com m a nd the bu ild ing of two ch urches
p
The rst was on the eastern coast of I taly a n d was c a lled th e ch urch
of M onte G a lga n o The legend rel a tes that in th e ft h ce n tury
there d welt i n S i p o n t e a m a n named G al ga n o w h o was very ri ch i n
h e rd s w h ich were p a stured on the mountain
A t o n e tim e a bu ll
St

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233

strayed away a n d G algano took h is servants and w ent to nd him

and w hen seen he w as on the very sum m i t of the m ou n tain
near th e mouth of a cave G al ga no was a n gry w ith the bull a n d
ordered a serva n t to k ill h im ; but th e arro w cam e back t o th e
bosom of h i m who sent i t a n d killed h i m i n stantly Then Galgano
bei n g troubl ed sent to t h e bishop to know w hat he should do Th en
th e bishop fasted an d prayed for three days at th e e n d of w h ich
ti me S t M ichae l appeared to h im and told h i m t h a t the spot w here
the bull h ad been seen w as especially sacred to h im a n d h e co uld n o t
perm it i t to be v iolated by blood an d h e commanded that a ch urc h
should be bu ilt there under h i s patro n age W hen they entered
th e cave th ey fo und a stream of water run n ing fro m th e rock wh ich
cured all m an n er of diseases ; a n d three altars w ere already bui l t
th ere a n d o n e was covered w it h a rich cloth embro id ered i n crimson
an d gold S o the fame of th is v ision spread thro u gh a ll E urope an d
th e ch urch w hi ch w as there b uilt became a pl ace of pilgrimage
A gai n in the reign of Ch i l d e b e r t
S t M ichael appeared to S t
A ubert Bishop of A vranches and comm a nded that a ch urch should
be b u ilt on th e su m mi t of a rock in the G ulf of A vran ches i n
Th is rock is inaccessible at h igh w ater and h as been
N orm andy
celebrated as an i mpregn able fortress The bishop w as also told
th at a bull wo uld be foun d concealed th ere and a spring of pure
water and the ch urch sh ould be m ade to cover as m uch gro und
as the b ull h ad trampled S t A ubert con sidered this as but a
dream ; b ut i t was repeated again and again a n d th e third ti me the
A rch angel pressed h i s th u mb upon the he a d of th e b ishop and left
there a m ark w h i ch never disappeared A fter th is a smal l ch urch
was b uilt w h i ch w as afterw ards replaced by a m agn icent abbey
beg u n by R i chard D uke of N ormandy and completed by Willia m
th e Co n qu eror M o n t S aint VI i c h e l becam e one of th e most cele
b r a t e d places of pilgri m age as it i s o n e of th e most pi cturesque
in sce n ery ; but th is legend seems o n ly a poor repetition of that of
M o n te Ga lga n o F rom th is tim e S t M ichael was greatly venerated
He w as selected as patron saint of th e country and of
i n F ra n ce
the order w h ich S t L ou is i n stituted in h is honor A n old F rench
writer also m akes h i m the a n gel of good counsel a n d says L e vrai
o f ce de M onseign eur S t M ichel est de faire grandes r e v e l a t i o n s
aux hommes en bas en le ur donnant moult sa ints conseils and
,

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AND

S TOR I E S

pa rt icularly s u r l e bon n o u r i s se m e n t que l e p re e t la m ere donnent

S t M ichael i s al w ays represe n ted as young and
a le urs e n fa n s

beautiful A s patron of the Church M ilitan t h e i s t h e w inged

w ith no attri bute save th e sh i eld and l ance A s conqueror
sa int
he stan ds in a rm or w ith h is foot upo n th e E vil On e w ho
o f S atan
is h alf h uman or l ike a dragon i n shape The angel i s abo u t to
cha in h im or to t r a n s x h im w ith the lance B u t the treatme n t o f
this su bj ect i s varied i n many ways all however easily re c ogn ized
A s lord of so uls S t M i ch ael is unarmed ; h e holds a b a lance a n d i n
e a ch scale a l ittl e n aked gure representing th e souls ; t h e be a t o
wh ile the rej ected one
u sually j oins th e ha n ds as in thankfulness
ex presses horror i n look a n d attitude F requen t ly a de mon is seizing
the fall ing scal e w ith a Pl uton i c hook or w ith h is tal o ns I n th ese
pict ures th e sa i n t is rarely w ith out w i n gs When introd uced i n
pi c tures of t h e M adonn a a n d C hild h e presents th e bal a n ce to C hrist
w ho seems to w el com e the h a ppy soul W hether w ith or w itho ut
th e balance h e is al ways the l o rd of so uls in pictures of th e d eath
assumption or glori catio n of the Blessed Virgi n ; for trad i t ion s a ys
th a t h e recei ved h er sp iri t and cared for i t u ntil it was reu n ited to
h er body a n d asce n ded to h er S o n
Th e old E n glish coi n called a n
a n gel w as so nam ed b e c a u s e i t bore t he i mage of th i s a r chan gel
A pparition of S t M ich a el M a y 8
S ep t ember 29
T he F lorenti n e legend relates that
S t M i n i a t o or M i n i a s
th i s sai n t was an A rmeni an prin ce who belonge d to th e R o m an
a r my and served under D eci us W h en t h at em peror was enca m ped
outside th e ci t y of F loren ce M in iato was denoun ced as a C hristian
and condemned to be thrown to th e beasts of th e amph itheatre A
panth er was rst set u pon h im b ut the saint was deli vered from
h i m in an swer to h is prayers He w as then hanged put i n boili n g
oil and stoned w ith ou t being destroyed ; for an angel d escended t o
comfort h i m and clothed h i m in a garmen t of l ight F inally h e
was beheaded I t is said th at th is occurred in 2 5 4 H e is r e pr e
se n ted dressed as a prince w i th a scarlet robe and a crow n H i s
attributes are th e pal m the l ily and j avel ins
S t M o d w e n a was an I rish v irgin w ho h ad po w er to h eal d is
e as es
K ing E gbert h a d a son wh o w as epileptic and no physici a n
of h is court co uld heal h im N o w th e k i n g h earing of the po w er of
M o d we n a se nt h i s son over se as to her w ith m an y a n d rich g ift s

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Th e virgi n refu sed the presents b ut sh e h ealed the sick boy Then
the ki n g sent for her to come to E n gla n d He was surprised at her
le a rn i n g a n d pie t y ; and he b uilt for her a co n ve n t a t Polesworth i n
W a r w i c k s h ir e a n d gave h is daughter E di t h i nto h er care
This
E dith of Polesworth as sh e i s called be c ame a holy n u n and w a s
can onized S t M o d we n a i s represented i n the bl a c k h a b i t of a B e n e
d i e tin e n un w ith a w h ite veil ; i n one hand a crosie r as rst abbess
of her m o n astery an d in th e other a book J uly 5 A D 1 38 7
S t M o n i c a (F r S t e M o n i qu e ) was the mo t her of S t A ugus
ti n e and a Christian w h ile h is fa ther was a heathe n
M onica was
sorely troubled at the dissipated life of her yo ung son she we pt
an d prayed for h i m an d at last sought th e ad vice and aid of t h e

B ishop of Carthage H e di s m issed h er w it h t hese w ords : G o i n

A t leng t h she
peace ; the s o n of so man y tears will not perish
h ad th e j oy to behold the baptis m of S t A ug u stine by the Bis h op
of M ilan in w hich city i t too k place S h e is venerated as the great
pa t roness of t h e A u gustini an n u n s S h e i s represented in m any of
the pictures illustrati ve of the l ife of S t A ugustine Her dress is a
black robe w ith veil or coif of wh ite or gray I n o n e picture i n F lor
e n ce sh e is seated on a throne and attended by tw elve n uns or sai n ts
M a y 4 A D 38 7
Th ere are som e legends concer n i n g
M o s e s T h e P a tr i a r c h
M oses so e n tirely outside a ll connection w ith the S c ripture accou n t
of h i m that the pictures wh ic h are pai n ted to represe n t them are
quite in comprehe n sible w ithout th e t r a d i t io n s A c cordi n g t o these
th e d a ughter of Phara oh Val id we n t to t he N ile i n order to h eal
some disease from w h ich sh e s u ffered by t h e u se of its waters
A n d w h en T h e r m u t i s (for so she w as c a lled ) t o u ch ed th e b a b e sh e
fou n d sh e w as i m m ed iately w ell On e lege n d rel a tes th a t the ki n g
h ad se ve n d a ughters all of the m l epers a n d that all were mad e
w hole by th e touch of t h e i n fa nt ; a n d th at th e r e f ore the k i n g a l
lo w ed t h e m to re a r th e ch ild i n the pal a ce But art re prese n ts th e
rs t ve r sion ; a n d th e l ege n d goes on to s a y th a t T h e r m u t i s havi n g
gre w so fond o f th e boy that she d esi r ed th a t he sh o u ld
n o child r e n
succe e d to t h e th r o n e o f E gypt N o w when t he ch ild w a s three
yea r s old she bro u gh t h i m to the k in o wh o c a r es ed h i m a n d spo r
M oses pulled it o ff and d a shed
t i v e l y pl a ce d th e c r o w n o n h is h e ad
i t to th e ground i t is said because it wa s e n graved w ith t h e gure s
,

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S TOR IE S

AN D

of idols w h ich even the n h i s s abhorred ; a gain it i s sai d that

it w a s the c o v e ri n g of the ki n g s h e a r d tha t he pulled off and thre w
do wn
B u t be i t as it m a y t hose w ho stood by looked u pon i t a s
a n d a d vised t h e k ing t hat the boy sho uld be slain ; bu t
a ba d o m e n
o t hers s a id he wa s too yo ung to kno w righ t from wrong ; w h ile
o t hers still t ho ught t here w a s som eth i n g very u n com mon in the

b a be T hen the third counsellor said L e t a ruby ri n g and a b u rn

i n g coal be set before h i m ; if h e should choose the ri n g it w ill
sho w t h at h e knows right from wro n g a n d so l et h i m be slai n ; but
i f he ch oose the coal it will show he i s too young to d isti n guish the
T h en th i s was do n e ; and t h e ring was
righ t a n d so let h i m l ive
Then at rst th e
t h e k i n g s signe t w hi ch was large an d sh ining
child re a c hed o u t for the ri n g ; but th e angel G abriel who took the
f rm of o n e of the attendants t urned h is h an d aside so that he
it i nto h is mo uth a n d h is tongue w as
t ook th e co a l a n d p ut
so b u r n ed th a t h e could never s peak d istinc t ly wh ile he li ved
but his life was spared T h is appears i n art from th e fourteenth
ce n t u ry
L ittle is known of th ese two saints
S t N a b o r and S t F e l i x
bey o n d t h e fa ct that they were Christi a ns and were martyred on
a c c o u n t of t heir faith i n the reign of D iocletian
They su ff ered at
M i l a n a n d were b uried by a Ch ristian n amed Ph il ip
A chapel
w a s b uilt over their remain s and i t w as in th is ch urch th at S t A m
b r ose prayed when h e had th e vision wh i ch led to the d iscovery of
the rel ics of S S G e r va s i u s and P r o t a s i u s T hey are repre sented i n
art b t h i n ar m o r and in secular costu me J uly 1 2
S t N a rc i s su s
S e e S t A fra of A ugsburg
S t N a ta l i a
S e e S t A drian
S t N a z a r i u s (I t a l S a n N azaro )
S e e S t C elsu s
S t N e o t wa s t he prece ptor as well as the k insm a n of K ing A l
fr ed He w a s a very learned m onk of Glastonbury I t i s s a id tha t

h e j o u r n e ve d to R o m e seven ti mes
H e is des c ribed as h u mble to
a ll
a ff a ble i n
con versa t ion w i se in tran s acti n g bus iness v e n erabl e
i n a s pec t severe i n cou n te n ance mo d erate e ven i n h is w a l k u pri g h t
c a l m t e m pe r a t e a n d ch a r i t a bl e
He d w el t at o n e ti m e i n a w ild
sol it u de i n C r n w a ll H e d ied i n 8 78
T w o t o w n s i n E n gl a n d
h e a r h is n a m e
H is attributes are the pilgri m s s t a and wallet
October 28
,

'

ILL US TR A TE D
St

e re u s

t
I
a l Sa n N e re o
)
(
.

I N

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23 7

S e e S t A ch ille a s

i c a i s e (L a t S N i c a s i u s) was bishop of R hei ms and wa s

famed for the succ e ss of h is preach ing When R heims was besieged
i n 4 00 by th e Va n d a ls S t N icaise wen t forth to mee t them
attended by h is clergy and singing hym n s A barbarian sol dier
struc k o ff the u pper par t of h is head b ut still the saint marched o n
and contin ued to sing unti l after a few steps h e fell dead He i s
represented i n h is bishop s robes carrying a part of his head u pon
w h ich is the m itre
D ecember 1 4
S t N i c h o l a s o f M y r a (L a t S N i c h o l a u s ; I t a l S a n N iccolo
or N i cola d i Bari ; Ge r D e r Heilige N i col au s or N iklas )
V ery
little of h istorical fact is kno wn of th is sai n t There w as a bishop
of th is name m uch venerated i n th e E ast as early as t h e sixth cen
t u ry a ch urc h was dedicated to h i m in Consta n tinople about A D 5 60
i n the G reek C h urch h e ranks next to th e great F athers He began
to be reverenced in the W est i n th e tenth cent u ry and since th e
t welfth has been one of t h e most popular of all saints in R ussia as wel l
as in I taly and i n all Cathol ic E urope But wh a t h istory does not tel l
i s more than s u pplied by trad ition The stories of S t N icholas are
n umberless and man y of them h ave been treated in art A ccordi n g
to these l ege n ds N i cholas w as born of ill ustrio us Christian pare n ts
after th ey had been m a n y years m arried w itho ut h aving ch ildren ;
an d it was thought that t his s o n was given by Go d as a reward for
the alms wh i ch they h ad besto wed upon th e C h urch and the poor as
w el l as for the prayers th ey had o ff ered Their home was i n Pan
t hera a ci ty of L ycia in A si a M i n or Th e very day of h is bir t h th i s
wo n derful ch ild arose in h i s bath and j oin ing h i s h ands praised G o d
th at h e had brough t h i m i n to th e world A n d fro m the same day h e
wo uld tak e th e breast o n ly o n ce on W ednesday and F rid a y ; th u s
k n ow i n g h o w to f a st fro m the t i me that h e kn e w h u n ger On
acco unt of h is holy d isposi tions h is pare n ts e a rly d ed ic a ted h i m to
the service of th e Ch urch Wh ile still you n g N i c holas lost bot h
father a n d moth er ; and h e regarded h imsel f as but God s ste ward
o ver th e v a st w ealth of wh i c h h e was possessed A cert a in nobleman
of Pa n thera w ho was very rich lost all h i s pr o perty an d becam e so
destitute that h e could not provide for h is three d augh ters and h e
feared th at h e should be dri ven to sac r i ce th ei r v irtue for money
to keep them from starvation Th e d aughters w ere lled w ith grief
St

L E G E ND S

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AND

S TOR IE S

and h aving no b read k n e w n o t where to look for aid N o w N ichol as

heard of th is a n d res o l ved to rel ieve th em S o he took a good s um
of gold and tied it i n a h a n dkerch ief and w ent to the house by nigh t
to try h o w he co u ld give it to t he m and n ot h e h imself seen A s h e
l ingered near the d w elli n g the moon shon e o ut brightly and sh owed
an ope n w i n do w Then N icholas thre w the gold inside th e ho use
and has te n ed aw ay The money fell at the feet of the u nh a ppy
fa ther ; a n d w i th i t he portioned h is eldest daughter an d sh e wa s
marr i ed A ga i n N icholas d id the same a n d the second d augh t er
received this s um B u t n o w the noblem a n resol ved to w a tch i n
ord er to know w ho was th us k ind to hi m ; and w hen N icholas went

th e th ird time h e seized h i m by h is robe saying 0 N icholas !

servant of G o d ! w hy seek to h ide thyself ?

Th en N ichol as m ade
h im promise th at h e w ould tell no m a n
Th is was but o n e of
the m any ch arities wh ich h e d id i n Panthera A t le n gth b e deter
O n th e voyage a sailor fel l overboard a n d
m i ned to go to P a lestine
was drow n ed bu t S t N ich olas restored h is l ife ; and w h en a storm
arose a n d they w ere about to perish the sailors fell at h is feet a n d
implored h i m to save them ; and w h en h e prayed th e storm ceased
A fter h is return from Palestine N i chol as d welt i n the city of M yra
w here he was unknown and h e l ived i n great h um ility A t le n gt h
the Bishop of M yra d ied ; an d a re velation w as made to th e clergy
to the e ff ect th a t th e rst m an w ho should com e to the ch urch th e
n ext morn ing would be t h e man whom G o d h a d ch ose n for their
bishop S o w hen N icholas c a m e early to th e ch urch to pra y as w a s
h is custom th e clergy led h i m i n to th e ch urch a n d consecrated h i m
bishop He sho w ed h i m self w el l worthy of h is n e w d ig n ity i n e very
way but especially by h is ch ari ties w h ich w ere beyo n d account A t
one time a d readfu l fam ine pre vailed i n h is d iocese ; a n d w hen h e
h e a rd that sh ips were in th e po r t of M yra l aden w ith wh eat h e r e
quested th e c a ptains to gi ve h i m a h u n dred h ogshe a d s of wheat
out of e a c h vessel But th ey dared not do th is ; for th e g r a i n w as
m easured at A l exa n dri a and wo ul d be again m e a sured at Co n st a nti
n e pl e wh ere they w ere to deli ver i t T hen N i chol a s said that i f they
obeyed h im i t woul d h a ppen by t h e grace of G o d that th e ir c a rgoes
sh o uld n o t be d i m in ished S o th e y com pl ied ; and wh en they w ere
arri ved at th e gra n a ry of the empero r th ey found as m uch wh e a t i n
their ships as w hen they left A lex andria A n d m oreov e r th at w h ich
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th ey gave S t N icholas w as m iraculously increased ; for h e fed th e

people so tha t they h a d e n ough to eat a n d still suffi c ient r e m a i n ed
to s o w their fi elds for the next year D uring th is t ime of h unger
as S t N icholas was travelling thr o ugh h is d iocese he d id one of h i s
greatest m iracles He slep t in the house of a m a n w ho w as a mos t
loy a l s o n of S atan ; for i n th is t i m e of w a nt h e was accustomed to
steal childre n to kil l the m a n d serve them u p a s m eat to those w h o
stopped a t h is inn N o w N icholas n o soo n er had th is abomin able
d is h placed before h i m than h e k n e w w hat it was a n d u n derstood
the horri ble w ickedness of the m a n Then b e accused the host a n d
w ent to the tub w here the ch ildren w ere salted do wn and made th e
sign of th e cross over i t w hen 10 three children rose u p w hole an d
w ell A l l the people were s t ruc k d umb at thi s miracle a n d the three
ch ildren w ere restored to their m other who was a w ido w A t one
tim e Constantin e sent certai n tri bunes to p u t do wn a r e bellio n i n
Phrygia
O n the ir j ourney they stopped at M yra and N ichol a s
i nvited them to h is table ; b u t as they were about to sit down he
heard that t h e prefect of th e city was preparing to execute three
innocent m e n an d the peopl e were g r eatly mo ved thereat Then
N icholas hastened to the place of e xecution follo wed by h is guests
When th ey arrived th e m en were already k n eeling w ith their eyes
bou n d an d t h e executioner was ready w ith h is s w ord S t N icholas
seized th e sword an d comman ded th e m e n to be released T h e
tribu nes look ed on in wonder b ut no one dared to resist the good
b ish op E ven the prefect sought h is pardon w hich b e gra n ted after
m uch h esitat ion A fter thi s when th e tribunes w ent on th e i r way
th ey d id not forget S t N ichol as ; for it happe n ed that w h ile th e y
were absent i n Phrygia their e n em ies poiso n ed the mi n d of Constan
ti ne agai n st th em so that whe n t h ey were returned to Co n st a nti n opl e
b e acc used them of treaso n and thre w the m in t o priso n ordering
the ir e xec u tion on t h e follow i n g d a y Then th ese tribu n es c a lled
T hat same
u pon S t
N icholas a n d prayed hi m to deli ver them
n ight h e appeared to Const a n ti n e i n a dream a n d commanded h i m
to rel ease those whom h e had imprison ed a n d threatened h im w it h
Co n sta n ti n e n o t o n ly released the m
G od s wrath if b e obeyed n o t
bu t h e se n t th em to Myra to thank S t N ich olas and to present h i m
w ith a copy of th e Gos pels w h ich wa s writte n in letters of gold a n d
bo und i n covers set w ith pearls and rare j ewels A lso certain sailors
.

L E G E ND S

24 0

S TOR IE S

AN D

who w ere i n danger of sh ipwreck on the E ge a n S e a called u pon

J esus t o deli ver the m fo r t he sake of S t N icholas ; and im med iately
the s a i n t appeared to the m say ing L o here I am my sons ! p ut
your trust i n G o d w hose servant I am a n d ye shall be saved
A nd
the sea wa s c a lm and h e took the m in t o a safe h a rbor N o w th e
fame of these m iracles so went abroad t h roug h th e world that since
that ti me those wh o are i n peril invoke th is sain t an d nd aid in
h i m A n d so h is li fe was spent i n doing a l l man ner of good works ;
a n d when he died i t was in great peace an d j oy and he was b uried
i n a magn i cent ch urch i n Myra
T h e m iracl es attributed to S t
N icholas after h is death are qu ite as m arvello us as those h e did
w h ile yet al ive A m an who greatly desired to h ave a son m ade a
v o w that if this w ish w ere rea l ized the rst ti m e he took h is chil d
to ch urc h h e would gi ve a cup of gold to th e altar of S t N icholas
The son w as granted and the fa th er ordered th e c up to be made b ut
w he n i t was nished i t was so beaut iful that h e decided to retain it for
h is ow n use and he h ad anoth er less val uable m ade for S t N i cholas
A t length he w ent on the j ourney necessary to accom pl ish h i s v o w
and w h ile on the w ay h e ordered th e l ittle ch ild to bri n g h im w ater
i n the cu p wh ich h e had take n for h i mself
I n obeyi n g h is father
the boy fell i n to th e w ater an d w as d rowned Then the father
repen ted sorely of his covetousness a n d repaired to the ch urc h of
but w he n it w as placed u pon
S t N ich olas and o ffered the second cu p
the altar i t fell off a n d rolled on the gro und and thi s it d id the second
and th ird ti me and w hile all looked on amazed behold th e drowned
ch ild stood on the steps of the altar w ith the beautiful cu p i n h is
h a n d ; and h e told h o w S t N i cholas h ad rescued h i m from de a th and
brought h i m th ither Then t h e j oyful fa th er m a de an o ff ering of both
cu ps and returned h ome full of grati t ude to the good S t N ich ol as
This story h as often been t ol d i n prose a n d poetry as well as r e p r e
sented i n art A ga i n a J e w of C a l a bri a h a ving heard of all th e
w o n derful d eeds of S t N i ch ol a s stole h i s i m a ge from the ch urch a n d
set i t u p in h is h ouse Whenever h e l e ft h is hou se h e p ut the care
of h is goods i n the hands of th e sai n t a n d thre a te n ed that i f a n v t h i n g
shoul d befa ll them in h is absence h e would ch astise the sa in t on h i s
O n e d a y the robbers c a m e a n d stol e h is tre a su res
retur n
Then
the J e w be a t the i mage a n d c ut i t also That n igh t S t N ichol as
appeared to th e robbers all wou nded and bleeding an d comm and e d
.

I L L U S TR A T E D

I N

AR T

24 1

them to r e stor e w h at they had stolen ; an d they being afraid at the

v ision di d as h e bad e them Then the J e w w as con verted by th is
m iracle and was baptized A nother rich C hristian merchan t w ho
d wel t i n a pagan co u n try had a n only s o n w ho wa s m a de a capti ve
O ne
a n d was obliged to serve the k ing of the count r y as cupbe a rer
d ay as h e lled the king s cup h e remembered that i t was S t N i c h
ol a s d a y and h e wept Then th e king demanded the cause of h is
grief ; an d w hen the young man told h im h e a nswere d G reat as is
thy S t N icholas he can not sav e th e e from my h and
A n d i n stantly
th e pal a ce w as shaken by a w h irl wi n d a n d S t N i cholas appeared
i n th e m ids t of h is
a n d caught the you th by th e h air a n d s e t h i m
own family w ith th e ki n g s cup still in h is h an d A n d it happe ned
t h a t the very moment w h en he came th ere was tha t i n w h i c h h is
f ather was giving food to th e poor and aski n g th eir prayers for h is
capti ve s o n
I t is necessary to keep these tradition s in m ind w hen
reg a rding the pictures of S t N i cholas ; for in two d i ff erent pictures
there appears a boy w ith a cu p so that it i s i m portan t to d isti n guish
them by th e accessories S o metimes it i s a d aughter wh o i s rescued
fro m captivity T h e to m b of S t N i c holas was a famou s resort for
pilgri m s for cent u ries I n 8 07 th e ch urch was attack ed by A c h m e t
comma n der of th e eet of Haroun A l R aschid But th e wa t chful n ess
of the monks preven ted h i m from d oing any h arm ; and p u tting to
sea h e and h is w hole eet w ere destroyed i n pu n ishme n t for th eir
sacrilegious attemp t Th e re m ai n s of th e saint rested i n Myra u n til
1 08 4 although several attemp t s w ere m ade by d iffer e n t c i t ies an d
ch urch es to possess themsel ves of th ese holy reli cs A t l e n gth i n
the year mentioned some merchants of B a ri w h o traded o n th e co a st
of S yria resol ved to obtain th ese remai n s of w h ich they had heard
so grea t w o n ders A t th is t im e M yra w as desolated by t h e S ara
cens an d th e ru ined church w a s guard ed by thre e m onks T h e
remai n s w ere take n witho ut difculty and carried s a fely to B ar i
wh ere a splendid church was erected for th eir resti n g place Th e
Ve n etians ho wever clai m th at th ey h ave t h e tr u e rel ics of S t N ich
ol as brought hom e by Venetian merchants i n 1 1 00 But th e cl a i m s
of Bari are generally ackno w ledged a n d the saint i s bes t k now n as
S t N i ch ol as of Bari
I n G reek pic t ures h e i s dressed l ik e a G reek
b ishop w ith n o m itre th e cross in place of the crosier and t h e em
hl e m s of th e Trinity embroidered o n h is cope
I n W e stern art h e has
,

16

L E G END S

24 2

S TOR IE S

AND

the bish op s dress the m itre the c e pe ve ry m u ch orn am e nted th e

crosier and j e w elled gloves \H i s attribu tes are th ree b a lls w h ic h
are o n the book a t h is fee t or i n h is lap They are said to represent
th e three purses of gol d w h ich he thre w i n to the w i n do w of the poor
no b lem a n ; or three loaves of bread emble m ati c of h i s feed i n g the
po o r ; or a g a i n the persons of th e Trinity T he r st i n terpretation
i s th e m os t general He i s ch ief patron of R ussi a patron of Bari
Ve n i ce a n d F r e i be r g as W H E R E ; other t ow n s and citi es
nu m bers of th em being se a port pl aces
H e i s protector a gainst
robbers and losses by violen ce H e is patron of children an d sch ool
bo ys i n p a r t icular ; o f poor maidens of sailors travellers a n d
merch ants D ecember 6 A D
S t N i c h o l as o f T o l e n t i n o w as born i n th e li ttle to wn of
His parents h ad prayed ear n estly
S t A n gel o n e a r F er m o in 1 2 3 9
to S t N i c holas for a s o n a n d a s th ey bel ieved th at th is s o n was gi ven
throu g h the i n tercession of th is s a in t th ey named h i m
t o th e m
A t an
N ich o l a s a n d ded i cated h i m to th e service of the Ch ur c h
early a ge h e took th e hab it of a n A u gustine friar ; a n d so gre a t w a s

the aus t eri t y of h is life that i t has been said th at h e did not l i ve
b u t l a n guished through life
H e w as s uccessful as a preacher a n d
h is m iracles a n d v isions are n u mb erless H e n e ver allo w ed h i m self
to t a ste an im al food ; and w h e n h e w as v ery w eak he refused a dish
of doves that h s breth ren brought h im and waved hi s h a n d above
th e dish when the doves rose u p and e w away Tradi tion rel a tes
th a t a t t h e h o u r of h is bir t h a brilliant s tar sh ot th rough t h e heavens
from S ant A n gelo w h ere h e was born and rested over th e city of
Tol e n ti n o wh ere he afterwards l ived I n th e year 1 60 2 a pl a gu e
v isited th e c ity of Cordova and accordi n g to the lege n d the governor
caused th e im a ge of S t N ich olas of Tol entino to be ca r ried through
th e city i n solem n procession on the d a y wh ich was observed as th e
festi v a l of that s a in t F a ther G d e U a va s beari n g a cru c ix m e t
t h e pro c essi o n w h en the gure of Chris t s t o o ped fro m
th e cro ss an d
embra c e d that of S t N ichol a s and i mmed i a tely th e pl a gue w a s
s t a yed He i s also represented i n a r t as restoring a ch ild t o l i fe
a n d d o i n g m a ny oth er m i ra c l es
He i s p a i n t ed i n th e black h a bi t
of h is o rder w i th a st a r o n h is bre a st ; h e oft e n bears a c ru c i x
w rea t h ed w i t h l il ies typical of the p urity an d austeri t y o f h i s life
S e pt e m ber 1 0 A D 1 3 09

ILL US TR A TE D
G r o tt a F

of

IN

AR T

24 3

r r a t a (I t a l S a n N il o ; F r S t N i l l e
a s co n nec t ed w ith m a ny interesti n g e ven t s in
w
S
t
N
e uu e
i
l
us
j
)
R oman h istory i n l ife and si n ce hi s de a th i s ass o ci a ted w i t h a r t i n
an interest ing m anner He was a G reek born near T a r e ntu m
It
w as not u ntil after th e loss of h is w ife w hom h e loved devot e dly
that b e e m braced a religio us vocation
He took the h abit o f th e
G reek Order of S t B a sil and w as soon m ade th e s uperior o f h is c o m
m u n ity on acco u n t of h i s worth a n d l ear n ing
The ch an c e s of w ar
drove h im to th e west of I taly and h e ed to th e co n vent of M onte
C assi n o at Capu a w h ich wa s of t he Bened icti n e O rder
He w a s
recei ved w it h great k indness an d a small con ve n t a ssig n ed to h i m
A t th i s tim e C a p ua was gover n ed
a n d h is followers by th e abbot
by A l o a r e wh o was th e w idow of the Prince of C a pua a n d reigned
Th i s w i c ked moth er h ad
i n th e n ame an d right of her t w o sons
i n uenced her ch ildren to mu rder their co u si n w h o w as a powerfu l
and worthy nobleman N o w sh e wa s sei zed w ith th e agony of r e
a n d sough t S t
N il us to co n fess h er crim e and entre a ted
m orse
absol ution at h is hands H e refused th is except upon condition that
sh e should gi ve u p o n e o f her sons to the f a mily of th e m urdered
1
man to be dealt w ith as they s a w t
This sh e woul d not consent
to do Then S t N i l us d enounced h er unforgiven an d told her that
w h at sh e would n o t gi ve Heaven wo uld soon exac t of her
Sh e
offered h i m large sum s of mo n ey and begged h i m to pray for h e r ;
but h e t hrew do w n h er money i n scorn a n d left h er N o t lo n g after
thi s t h e younger son k illed the elder in a ch u rch an d for this do u ble
crim e of fra t ricide an d sacrilege he was p u t to death by command of
H ugh Cap e t N ilu s afterwards went to R ome and l i ved i n a con
vent on the A ventine w h ere l arge n umbers of s ick people v isited
A mong others h is c a r e
h i m and h e d id m any and great m iracles
of an epilepti c boy forms a subj ect for art Cresce n ti a s was co n sul
at th is ti me an d h ad set u p P h i l a ga t u s Bishop of Placenti a as
agai n st G regory V w ith th e t itl e of Joh n XV I
Then
a nti pope
Otho I I I cam e to R ome to expel th e anti pope and lai d siege to th e
castle of S t A ngelo to w h ich Crescenti a s had retired A fter a short
siege the castle was gi ven u p on honorable term s ; bu t not h eeding
St

ilus

Th i s

sa n

t ;

sp i r i t

an

i n ci d e n t i s

d t h e pl e dge

n ot

m en

xa c te d

ti

on e d

of

the

in the R

th e r

m o

e v.

c om

Al ba n B u t l e r s s k e t ch o f t h e
i
h
h
e Ch r i s t i a n
o
r
s
n
o
t
t
t
w
t
p

244

S TOR IE S

AND

L E GE N D S

th ese O tho ord e red th at Crescenti a s sh oul d b e th rown h e a dlong

fro m the walls and S teph a n ie h is w ife gi v e n up to th e o utrages
of th e sold iers S o great was th e inuence o f N il us i n R om e at t h is
ti m e th a t h e i n terceded to good e ff ect w i t h both Pope and E m peror
i n behal f of t h e anti pope claiming th at h e shou ld be treated w ith
m ild n ess as h e was a b ishop The saint then left R om e an d w ent
first to a cell near G aeta b u t soon after to a cave n ear F r a s c a t i
c a lled th e Crypta or G rotta F errata O t ho w ent o n a pilgrimage to
M o n te Ga lg a n o W hen return ing h e vi sited N il u s and on h is knees
besought hi s prayers H e o ff ered to erect a con vent and endo w i t
w ith l a uds b ut th is N il us refused ; an d wh en Otho demanded wh at
boon he could gran t h im the saint stretched o ut h is h and and replied

I ask of thee b ut th is th at th o u w o uldst mak e reparation for thy

cri mes before G o d and save th ine own soul !
S oon after Oth o
returned to R ome h e w as obl iged to y from th e fury o f th e peopl e
th e w ido w o f Cr e sc e n t i u s Wh e n
a n d w as poisoned by S teph an ie
S t N il us d ied he desired h is brethren to b ury h i m immed iately a n d
to keep secret the place where they laid h i m Th is th ey did ; but
h is disciple Bartolomeo built th e con vent w h ich N il us h ad n ot
w ished to do an d rece ived th e gi fts h e h ad refused
Th e m agn i cen t
con vent and church of S a n B asil io of G r e t t a F errata w as b u ilt and
S t N ilus i s regarded as its founder
Th e rule i s that of S t Bas il
and the priests say mass i n G reek b ut th ey w ear th e Benedi ctine
h a bit as a dependency of M onte Cassino The nest G reek l ibrary
i n a l l I taly w as h ere and is now in th e V ati can ; and J ul i us I I
chan ged th e con vent to a fortress
I n 1 6 1 0 D omen ich ino w as
e m ployed by Cardi n al Odoardo F arnese to decorate th e ch apel of
S t N il us w h ich h e did w ith paintings from the life o f the saint
S epte m ber 2 6 A D 1 002
S t N o r b e r t (I t a l S a n N orb e rto F ondatore de P r e m os t ra t e s i ;
Ge r S t ift er der P r a m o n s t r a t e n se r O rden )
This saint w as a relative
of He n ry I V He was born at Cologne and early dedicated to th e
Ch urch But h e l ed a d issol ute l ife as a you ng man A t last as h e
w as one d a y rid ing h e w as overtak en by a tem pest and a b a ll of re
fell from h eaven and ex pl od ing at t h e fee t of h is h orse s ank into th e
earth He w as terri ed wh e n h e reected u pon wh at h is state wo uld
h ave been had he been k ill ed by i t and b e resol ved to l ead a d i ff er
ent life from that ti m e He bestowed h is mon e y o n t h e poor a n d
,

LL US TR A TE D

IN

AR T

24 5

det e rmin ed to be a m issionary He o n l y reserv e d a m ul e to carry

th e sacred utensils for the altar an d th e vestments and ten mark s of
sil ver H e dressed h i m self i n sk ins w ith a cord as a girdle a n d th us
h e w ent forth to preach A fter preach ing for some ye a rs there were
m any w ho desired h i m
to form a community and lead the m i n a l ife
of austerity and severe d iscipl ine H e prayed to th e Blessed Virgin
for d irectio n and sh e pointed out to h i m a spot called P r m o u t r
M
o n st r a t u m
Pratu
m
) i n th e valley of Cou cy w here h e shoul d
(
establish h i s mon astery
The V irgin also d irected w h at h ab it h is
m onks should wear ; th at it should be a coarse black tu nic w ith a
w h ite woollen cloak in i m itation of a n gels w ho are clothed i n w h ite
and a fo ur cornered cap of wh ite also but i n form l ike the beret of th e
A ugustinian canons
The rule was that of A ugustine in extreme
severity S t N orbert w as m ade Bishop of M agdebu rg a n d before
h is death h is order embraced twelve h undred so uls A ccording to
t h e legend one day w hen h e h ad consecrated the h oly w ine and was
abou t to d ri n k it h e saw a large an d poisono us S pider i n the cu p
F o r a mom ent he h esitated ; b ut h e reected th at h e co uld not
so h e drank it
S pill th e consecrated wine i t would be sacrilege
an d remained unh armed
Th i s was considered a m iraculou s rec
of
h
is
f
a ith
and
i
s
often
represented
i
n
art
When
at
om
e n se
p
A ntwerp there was one T a n k e l i n w ho preached most h eretical doc
trines saying that th e sacraments w er e unnecessary the priesthood
a cheat an d a comm un ity of w ives as well as goods the true doc t rine
S t N orbert confronted this h eretic opposed h im and tri umphed over
He wears in pictures th e dress of an arch
h i m w ith great ho n or
bi shop w ith m itre crosier and cope S omet i mes he bears the sacra
He also h as i n som e instances
m ental cu p over wh ich i s a spi der
a demon at h is feet representing the sin and error wh ich he had
overcome M ay 6 A D 1 1 3 4
He w as a m er
S t O m o b u o n o was a citizen saint of Cremona
cha n t and marri ed to a good and prudent w ife ; so th ough a saint
l
F rom h is youth all h is a ff airs prospered
h e w a s n o t monk or priest
greatly and h is w e a lth was equ alled only by h i s charity He not
only fed and clothed but h e comforted th e poor and tried to e n c o u r
age th e erri n g ones to repent a n d lead virtuous l i ves His w ife often
feared l est h is generosity shou ld make h is children poor but h is
.

S a n c t i t y e ve n
,

in

h e ro i c

d e gre e

is

t i bl e

at a n a

in

ve ry st a te

of

lif

L E G E ND S

24 6

S TOR IE S

AN D

oney se e med to be m iracul ou sly i ncreas ed ; a n d it is related that

bei n g on a j o u rn e y w ith h is fam ily h e gave all the wi ne a n d bre ad
h e had provided for t heir u se to som e poor pilgri m s w hom he m et ;
but when h e took h i s w i n e a s k s to a spring and fi ll ed th e m w ith
w a ter m ost excellen t w ine was pou red fro m them a n d h i s bags w ere
lled w ith bre a d by angels H e d ied peacefu lly w hi le kneeling b e
fo re a cru ci fi x in the ch urch of S t E gid io j ust as th e ch oir sang the
H e i s represented clothed i n a loose tu n i c and
G loria i n E xcelsis
a c a p both of wh ich are trim med w ith fur H e usually d istrib utes
al m s to the poor ; w ine a sk s stand near h i m
He
S t O n u p h r i u s ( Onofrio H o n o f r i o O n u p h r e ) was a hermit
we n t out fro m Thebes and p a ssed si xty years in th e d e ser t d uri n g
w h ich ti me he never u ttered a word except in prayer nor saw a
h u m a n face His cloth i n g was of l eaves and h is h air an d beard were
He was th us seen by P a phn uti us w ho w hen h e rst s a w h i m
u n cut
w a s lled w ith fear bel ieving h i m to b e some stra n ge w ild beast ;
bu t when h e s a w that i t w as a man h e fell at h i s feet lled w ith
revere n ce for h is sanctity
Then O n u ph r i u s reco un ted al l h e had
e n d ured in h is sol itude : h o w h e h a d been tem pted ; h a d su ff ered
fr om cold h eat h unger th irst and sick n ess ; and h o w Go d h ad sent
a n gels to comfort stre n gthen an d m in ister u nto h i m
Th en h e
begged Paphn uti us to remain w ith h i m as he w as near to death I t
was not lo n g before h e d ied an d Paphn utius covered h is rem ai ns
w ith o n e half of h i s cloak Then h e had a revelation th a t he should
go into the worl d and m ak e kno w n th e wonderful l ife and merits of
h i m w ho h ad died M any con vents w here sil ence and sol it ude are
especi a lly practised are placed under the protect ion of th is s a i n t
T asso d ied and is buried i n the con ven t of S t O nofrio i n th e Tra ste
vere in R o m e S t O n u ph r i u s is represe n ted as m e a gre and old ; a
stick i n h i s hand and a b r a n c h w ith le a ves tw isted about hi m I n
m a n y old pictures he looks more th e beast th an th e m an S metimes
m o n ey is l y ing at h is feet to sig n ify h is scorn of i t
J un e 1 2
O rde a l
Th e tri a l by ordeal w as used for th e decision of cases
w h ere the oath of th e a ccused person w as not co nsidered worthy of
I t w as c a lled th e great purgation
rel iance
The word o r d e a l i s
fr o m two S axon word s o r gre a t ; and d e a l j u dgme n t There were
th r ee tests u sed i n these t r i a l s : ( 1 ) By I e d h O t iron ; th is th e pe r son
held in the h a nd or walked on barefoot
By boiling water ; the
m

I L L US T R A T E D

IN

AR T

24 7

person d ipped th e hand to the w rist or th e a r m to the elbow and took

o u t a sto n e
3
By
cold
w
this
a ter or compell ing pers o ns to swi m
)
(
;
w a s ch iey u sed f r d etecting w i t ches an d was also em ployed not
o n ly b y j udges but at le n gth by th e people and especi ally by foresters
to discover cri m inals
Thes e tests h ad their origin among th e
n o i t h e r n n a tio n s but were condemned at R ome
w henever any noti ce
of t hem reached th ere Where certain b ishops san ction ed these trials
exampl es are recorded of G od s favor sh ow n to th e good faith and
p ie t y of t h e innocen t ; as for instance i n the case of the mon k Peter
s ur n amed I gn e u s at F lorence i n 1 067
S t O sw a ld
T his k ing bei n g moved w i th a desire to l i ve a
truly C hristian life asked that a t eacher might be sent to ins t ruc t
h i m an d h is people
Th e rst m an w ho w as sent w a s severe i n
d isposition and had no s uccess w ith th e u nlearned
Then A idan
cam e and by m eans of hi s m ild n ess an d great discretion h e h ad
m u ch inuen ce with th e king and h is people A ida n w as afterw ards
A ccord ing to th e legends it h appen ed t hat as
prior of M elrose
Os wal d sa t a t dinner one E aster D a y w it h A idan by h is side h e was
told th at th ere were those at h is door who begged for bread N o w
there was before h i m a sil ver d ish lled w ith del i cate and savory
meat O swald told th e servan t to give the begga rs th e meat a n d
then to break the dish an d d iv ide i t am ong th em Then A idan took

A n d h is
h i s right hand sayi n g
M ay th is h and n ever w ither !
prayer was granted ; for at Os wald s death h is heathen enemies cut o ff
his head and hands and set th em on stak es but h is h ead w as taken
to t h e ch urch of L indisfarne and b uried i n S t Cuthber t s tomb b e
tween th e arms o f th at sai nt : h i s right hand was carri ed to Bam
borough Castle wh ere i t was a lo n g t im e pre s erved free fr om decay
At
A t on e t ime Os wald w as dri ven fro m h is thron e by Cad wallader
H e ra ised an ar m y ;
l e n gt h h e deter m i n ed to regain h is ki n gdo m
and w h en in sigh t of h is enemies he ordered h i s men to mak e a l arge
w ooden cross and hi m self h elped to pl a ce i t in the ground T hen
h e cried out L e t us all kneel down an d beseech the l i vi n g G o d to
d efend u s from th e h augh ty an d erce e n e m y for h e knows th a t w e

A n d wh en
h ave u ndert a ken a j ust war for th e safety of our n ation
th e y fought O s w al d was v ictorio us T h e gre a test proof of h is ch arity
of heart is shown in the fact that as he d ied h e prayed for t hose wh o

k illed him
M ay Go d hav e mercy on th eir souls as Oswald sai d
,

'

L E G E ND S

24 8

S TOR IE S

AN D

w he n he fell w a s a proverb for m a ny ye a rs in E n gl an d A n d th e

lege n d t ells t h a t i n t he pl a c e w here he w as k illed by th e p a ga ns
gh t i n g fo r h is c ou n t r y i n r m m e n and c a ttle are he a led t o t h i s
d a y ; nor is i t to be wo n dered at tha t the si c k sho uld be h ealed i n
the pl a c e w here he d ied for wh ilst he l ived he never ce a sed t o pro
v ide fo r the poor a n d i n rm an d to bestow al m s on th em a n d a ss is t
t he m
H is remains w ere carri ed to Bard ney i n L incol n sh ire by
O s t h r i d a and aft erwards to S t O swald s i n G lou cestersh ire by
H e i s dressed as a k ing
E l c d a the daughter of K ing A lfred
A ugust 5
i n h is pi c t ures ; h e w ears a crown and carri e s a cross

64 2

w as th e bl ind d a u gh ter of th e D uk e of A lsace H er

fa ther w h o was a pag a n comm a nded that on account of h er inrmit y
sh e should be l eft o u t a n d exposed to d eath H er n urse then ed
to a mo n astery w ith th e ch ild Th e n E rhard a bishop of Bavari a
w a s told in a v ision th at he sho uld go to a certai n m o n astery w here
h e would n d a l ittle girl of noble birt h w ho was bl i n d H e was
co m m a n ded to baptize her and call h er name O t t ili a and prom ised
th a t her si g ht should be gi ven h er A l l th is w as done accord ing to
the v ision H er father repe n ted of h is w i ckedness before h is d eath
and gave her a l l h is w ealth
Then Ottili a know i n g that for h is
cruel t y her fath er w as tormented in purga t ory d eterm i n ed t o del i ver
h i m by prayers an d penance
S h e b ui lt a con ve n t a t H ohe n b urg of
w h ich she was a bbess an d th ere she gathered one h und red a n d thirty
n u n s S h e is re presented i n the bl a ck Benedi c t ine habi t H er a t t r i
butes are the pal m or crosier an d a book u pon w h ich are two eyes
S h e is p a tron sai n t of A lsace a n d es pecially of S trasburg
S h e is
also protector of all who S ii e r w ith d iseases of the eye D ecember
St

O tt i l i a

I
t
a l
(

Pan crazio ; F r S t Pancrace ) Th is

saint w h en only fo urteen years o l d d ied a m artyr s de a th He
boldly defended the C hri sti a ns and th eir f aith before D iocle t i a n an d
was behea d e d I l is rem a ins were b uried by Christian women His
ch urch at R ome n ear the gate wh i ch bears h is n a m e wa s buil t i n
th e year 5 00 F ren ch k i n gs formerly confi rmed t heir treaties i n h i s
n a m e ; for he w a s re g a rded as the ave n ger of fa lse swe a ring a n d i t
w as belie ved th a t al l wh o s w ore fa lsely in h is nam e were im mediately
and visibly pun ished M ay 1 2 A D 304
St

Pan

c ra s

San

ILL US TR A TE D

IN

AR T

24 9

t a l e o n o f N i c o m e d i a (I t a l S a n Pan taleone ; Gr A y
I I a V r a Ae wV ) w as born (according to tradi ti o n ) at N icomedi a i n B ithy n ia
He was remarkable for h i s personal beauty and elega n t man n e rs on
account of w h ich after completi n g th e study of m edicine h e becam e
th e favorite physician of t h e E mperor G a l e r i us M a xi m i a n T h e
fa th er of Pantaleon was a pagan and h is mother a Christian but at
th e heathen court the s o n forgot all th e instruc t ions tha t h is m other
had carefully given h i m A t le n g t h h e heard a pries t H e r m o l a u s
preach an d was co n ver t ed When th e persecution broke out h e
k n e w h e could not con ceal h imsel f and he prepared to su ffer a cruel
m artyrdom
He went abou t to th e sick and n eedy and w el l ear n ed
the title of th e a l l merciful w h i ch is th e G r eek sign i cation of h is
n am e
When accused before the e mperor h e was condemned to be
beh eaded toge t her w ith the a ged a n d venerable H e r m o l a u s wh o was
a ppreh ended at th e hou se of Pa n taleon
Th e latter was boun d to an
ol i ve tree and as soon as h is blood ow ed to th e roots of th e tree i t
b urst forth w ith leaves and fruit
He i s especially venerated at
Ve n ice There have been some w ho doubted h i s existence a n d b e
l i e v e d hi s name to have been deri ved fro m the w ar cry of th e Vene
t ia n s Pi anta L eon e ( Plant th e L io n ) ! B ut Ju stin ian erected a
ch u r ch u nder h is patronage i n Con stantin ople an d h e w as celebrated
in th e G reek C h urch at that ti me w hen V enice w o uld have been
more l ik ely to introd uce his veneration from th e E ast th an to have
origin ated it in any oth er way Patron of physicians H e i s r e p r e
sented as young beardless and h andsome A s a martyr he i s bound
to an ol ive
tree w ith h is h ands n ailed to it above h is head a sword
at h is feet W itho u t observation h e m igh t be m istak en for S t
Wh e n h e i s painted as patron he wears th e physi c i a n s
S ebastian
robe and b e ars th e olive or palm or both
J uly 2 7 F o urth
century
S t P a t r i c k (L a t S P a t r i c i u s) was th e son of Christ ian pare n ts
H e was carried a capti ve to I rela n d when a boy a n d tended th e
herds of h i s m aster H e was greatly moved at th e ig n ora n ce a n d
h eathen ism of the people abo ut h i m ; and when at l ast he m ade h i s
escape and returned to h is hom e h e had vision s i n w h i c h it appeared
that th e ch ildren of I rel a nd not yet born stretched forth th eir h a n d s
to h i m and cried for sal vation Patrick resol ved to become a m is
H e recei ved h is mission
s i o n a r y an d prepared hi mself f o r h is labo r
St

Pan

'

L E G E ND S

25 0

S TOR IE S

AND

fro m Pope Cel e stin e and retu r ned to I reland He labo r e d th ere
fo r t y years He gained many disciples an d preached w ith t h e
greatest s ucc e ss H e bap t ized t h e k ings of D ubl in and M unster
H avi n g foun d I rel a nd
a n d the se ve n sons of the K ing of Conna u ght
under the sp irit u a l sway of th e D ru ids h e left it Chris t ian ized w it h
school s whi ch becam e famo us and sent forth m a n y learned schola r s
The fa m iliar story o f th e expulsion of the reptiles from I reland by t h is
s a i n t h as t h e mean ing of m any other legends and allegories an d fi g
u res probably th e tri umph of goo d over evil H e d ied and w as b uried
at D own i n th e provi nce of U lster H is resting place i s still vene
rated by th e people and h is rem ains were preserved m any years ;
b ut h is ch urch at D own w as d estroyed i n th e reign of Henry V I I I
a n d such rel ics of hi m as re mained were scattered either by th e sol
d iers of E l iz abeth or by those of Crom w ell Vl h e n represented as
bishop h e w ears th e u sual dress w ith th e m itre cope and crosier
w hile a n eophyte regards h i m w i t h re verence A s t h e A postle of I r e
l and h e sho uld wear a h ooded gown and a leathern girdle T he sta ff
w allet standard w i t h th e cross and the G ospel are all h is proper
attri butes S erpe n ts are represented as running fro m h i m at the
motio n of h is crosier M arc h 1 7 A D 4 64
S t P a u l (L a t S P a u l n s I t a l S a n Paolo S p S a n Pablo ; F r S t
Paul Gr A y H a Ao s) S t P a ul a n d S t Peter occupy th e rst pl a ce
among th e A postl es S t Peter more especi ally represented the con
v erted Jews a n d S t Paul th e G entiles ; together they represent t h e
U n i vers a l Ch urch There a r e f e w legends co n nected w ith S t Paul
b ut th e scenes of h is l ife as gi ven in th e G ospel hav e furnished
i n exhausti ble subj ects for th e ill ustrations o f art S t Paul is so oft en
re presented w ith S t Peter th at i t i s n ecessary to be able to d istin
guish the on e from th e other A ugustine a n d other early wri ters
all u de to por t raits o f S t P a u l as existing i n their ti me ; a n d it is
s u pposed t h a t the trad i t ionary picture o f h i m wh ich is so strictly
fo ll o w ed had its origi n i n those portraits H e i s small of stature
w i t h h igh fo rehead sp a rkling eyes a n d aqu il ine nose H is hair and
h e a r d are bro wn and the l atter long an d o wing
L ater artists h av e
varied th e head of S t P aul more than that of S t Peter b u t the most
an cient pi c t ures a r e exa c t in these parti culars When t h e t w o A postles
are toge t her their proper place i s o n e a ch side of th e S a viour or of
the Virgi n e n throned Their picture s should be placed on each side
.

'

"

ILL US TR A TE D

I N

A R T

25 1

th e altar or of th e arch over th e choir Th e dress is th e s a m e for

both a bl ue tun ic a n d w hite man t le in Greek pic t ures a bl ue or
green t un ic a n d yellow m antle i n later work s of art P a ul bears t h e
s w ord i n a d ouble sense sig n ifying h is spiritual w arfare a n d th e
manner of h is death He also has a boo k or scroll and someti mes
t w el ve rolls re presenting h is ep istles When h e leans on h is s word
it i s h is death wh ich is represented ; w hen h e holds i t aloft i t sig n ies

th e good gh t w h i ch h e fought I f t wo swords are g i ven h im

b o th th e m anner of h is death and that of h i s l ife are sig n i ed T h e
events in th e l ife of this A postle are so well known to a l l that th ey

are easily recognized in art Th e ch urch called S a n Paolo delle

Tre F ontane near R ome is bu ilt ov er three fo u n tains w h ich are
sai d to h ave sprung u p at the three places w here the h ead o f S t Pau l
fell and bounded after being ou t o ff by th e executio n er I t i s said
that the fo u ntain s vary i n th e warmth of the w ater th e rst or
the o n e w here the head fell b eing th e hottest ; the next or that of
the rst bound cooler a n d the th ird still cooler b ut probably time
has e qualized the temperature for I coul d not distingu ish th e d if
ference F ormerly a magn i cent monastery existed here b ut three
old ch urches an d ruins w ith a f e w sickly look ing monks are th e
only remains of its former splendor T h e body of S t Pau l w a s
interred wh ere the ch urch of S a n Paolo fuori l e m ura stands b e
t ween th e Os t i a n Gate and the A qu a S alvias ; b ut trad itions relate
that they were remov e d w ith those of S t Peter to th e Catacombs
d uring th e reign of Hel iogabal us T wo
a n d laid in the same tomb
h undred years later th e Ori e n tal Christi ans endeavored to possess
th emsel ves of them b u t the Western Chri stians co n tended for the m
w ith success a n d they removed them to th e ch urch of the Vatican
and placed them together i n a magnicent shrin e
S t Peter a n d
St
Paul J une 2 9 Conversion of S t Paul J une 3 0 S e e also
S t Peter
Hermit S e e S t A nthony
St Paul
S e e S t John and S t Paul broth ers
S t P a u l and S t Jo h n
S t P a u l a (GT A y H a k a ) was a noble R oman m atro n a pupil
and disciple of S t Jero m e Though desce n ded fr om the S cipios a n d
th e Gracchi and accustomed to l uxuriou s self ind ulge n ce she pre
ferred to follow h er saintly teacher to Bethleh em and devote herself
to a religiou s l ife T he ch urch dedicated to S t Jerome at R ome i s
.

L E G E ND S

25 2

S TO R IE S

AND

said t o be u pon th e S pot w here th e h o u s e of Paul a stood in w h ich

she e n t er t a i n ed t h a t holy m a n d uri n g h is stay i n R o m e A D 38 2
t h e S cri p t ures bet t er
s
t
d
ied
Hebre
w
order
to
u
nderstand
i
n
u
S he
B
h
r
t
a
b
uil
a
m
n
s
t
ery
hospi
l
and
t
h
ee
n
unn
eries
at
e
t
n
a
o
a
t
S he
l ehe m
Her d a ughter S t E u s t o c h i u m w a s w it h her T he rule for
these co n ve n ts wa s very stri ct and her o wn austerities so severe that
she w as repri ma n ded for them by S t J erome
Her gr a n dd a ug h
ter Paul a w as sen t to h er at Bethlehe m to be ed ucated and suc
h
e
T
h
er
as
s
u
perior
of
th
e
monastery
elder Paula d ied
c e e de d
h
t
e
ki
g
the
sign
th
e
cross
on
her
lips
and
was
b
uried
i
n
o
f
n
m a
ch u rc h of the Holy M anger w here her em pty tomb is now see n
near th at of S t Jerome Her reli cs a r e said to be at S ens J a u
u a ry 2 6 A D 4 04
601
E
R
l
was
sen
t
from
om
e
to
ngland
i
n
k
f
Y
r
o
S t P a u in us o
to assis t S t A u gustine i n h is m ission He became the rst Pri mate
of Y ork w h ere he founded t h e cathedral Wordsworth gi ves a
w ord
picture of h i m thu s
,

h ou l d e rs c u r ve d
Bl a c k h a i r a n d vi v i d e ye a n d
H i s p ro m i n e n t f e a t ur e l i k e a n
Of

t t u re t a l l
m e a gr e c h e e k
e a gl e s b e a k
an

s a

"

By th e preach ing of Paulinus Co i th e D ru i d and h igh pri est of

Thor w a s co n verted K ing E dw in h ad renounced idolatry and
given P a ul i n us l ice n se to preach W hen t h e k ing asked Co i wh o

w ould destroy the idols th e priest answered I ! for w ho can m ore

properly th an mysel f destroy those th ings w h ich I worsh i pped through
ignoran ce !
I t was not lawful for th e h igh priest to ride except on
a mare or to bear arms ; but no w h e asked E d win to gi ve h i m a horse
and a sword T his was done and he rode to the temple and th rus t
h is spear in and comm a n ded the templ e and idol s to be burn e d
P aul in us is often seen in p ictures of S t A ugustine October 1 0
A D 64 4
S t P e r p e t u a was one of th e martyrs wh o suffered at Carth a ge
d u ring t h e persecution o f S everus Th is saint man i fested m irac a
lou s for t itude i n subm itti n g to h er fate S h e was tossed by a w ild
cow in the am ph itheatre bu t w a s not q u ite k illed and after g reat
tortures wa s put to death in the s pol iari u m or place w here th e
w ounded wer e despatched by the glad iators S h e h ad a v ision of a
-

TE D

I L L US T R A

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25 3

n arrow ladd e r wh ich reach ed to heaven beset w ith spikes an d a

dragon lay at the bottom on w hose head she m ust tread in order to
m oun t th e rs t step One scene from her life represented i n modern
art is h e r farewell to her infant ch ild T here are many incidents
i n h er story w hich would be most interesting subj ects for th e artist
that as yet remain w ithout representation I n her p ictures a cow
stands by her side or near her M arch 7 A D 203
S t P e t e r (L a t S Petrus ; I ta l S a n P ietro or Piero F r S t

Pierre ; S p S a n Pedro : signi cation a

S t Peter and S t
Pau l are so associated i n h istory th at it is qu ite i m possible to sepa
rate them i n o ur m inds or entirely to do so i n desc r iptio n s of th em
and i n works of art th ey are constan tly associated S t Peter is a
stro n g m an old w ith gray h air a n d curling silvery h e a r d a broad
forehead and an expression of co urage and con dence S ometi mes
h e i s bald ; t h ere i s a legend th at the G entiles sh aved h is h ead i n
m o ck ery
and that from th is originated th e tonsure of the priests
H is dress i s a bl ue tun i c a n d wh ite m antle in th e oldes t pictures and
m osaics b u t in later art i t i s a bl ue or green t uni c w ith a yello w
m antle
I n the earl iest p ictures Peter bears only a scroll or book
and th ere i s noth i n g to distingu ish hi m fro m Paul except the d if
ference i n the head and features Th e keys are not assigne d as h is
attri bute until th e eigh t h cen tury He h as usually t wo keys one
golden and on e sil ver ; th ey are interpreted as sign ifyi n g h is power
to bin d and to loose or again on e as th e key of heaven the other
of hell w hen the rst is of gol d and th e second iron and sometimes
a th ird is added to express dominion o ver earth also Wh en th e
traditional d iffere nc e s in th e two m en are well represented th e con
trast is m arked and impress i ve I n som e ear ly representations fro m
th e m i ddle to the end of th e fo u rth century Peter bears a cross a n d
stands on th e left of Christ w ith Pau l on th e right T h is cross i s
said to be the emblem of th e death h e should die When S t Peter
and S t Pau l occu r together i n stri ctly de votio n al pict ures t hey are
represented as the founders of th e U n i versa l Ch urch The Ch urch
reveres S t Peter as its v isible head and S t Paul as th e A postle of
the G entiles When S t Peter is represented in company w ith all
th e A postles h e frequently has a sh w h ich i s th e symbol of h i s
early avocatio n ; b ut if the fi sh is given h i m w hen alone it i s
symbol ical of Chri stian ity a n d the S acrament of Baptism When
,

L E G E ND S

25 4

S TOR I E S

AND

re presented as th e Head of the C h urch h e is seated on a t h ron e

w h i le i n the other h e holds keys
o n e h a n d r aised i n benediction

often a book or scrol l inscribed Tho u a r t Peter and on

an d
S ometim es h e w ears the pap a l
th is rock h a ve I bu il t my Ch urch
t iara Whe n a noth er sa in t w ithout attrib u tes i s seen w ith Peter it
i s M a r k w ho wa s h is i nterpreter and amanu ensis at R o me ; a n d a
tra d i t io n relates that S t M ark s G ospel w as written after th e d ie
T he h istorical pict ures or those w h ich represen t
t a t i o n of Peter
sce n es i n th e life of Peter a r e of great interest and alm ost n umber
less b ut all easily recogn i zed Of the legendary pi ct ures those con
T he story is th at S imon
n e c t e d w ith S i mon M a g u s a r e i mportant
H e d id wonderful
w a s a magician of great fam e am ong t h e J e ws
things at Jerusalem an d greatly astonish ed th e peopl e ; b u t the
m iracles of Peter far e xcell ed the inventions of the sorc erer Then
S i mon endeavore d to buy from th e A postles th e secret by w h ich
these m iracles w ere done T hese o ffe r s m u ch enraged Peter w ho
rej ected them w ith great i ndign ation S im on then thre w a w ay h is
wand and casting hi s book s into th e D ead S e a h e ed to R om e
w here h e becam e a favorite of C laud i us and again of N ero P eter
also came to R ome and afterward s Paul S imon asserted th a t h e
w a s a god and co u ld raise t h e dead
Peter and P aul ch all enged h i m
to prove h i s sk ill before the em peror H is arts fail ed ; and not only
t h en b u t many ti mes h e w as vanq uished by t h e A postles A t l a st
S i mon attempted to y to h eaven in th e sigh t of th e em peror and
al l R ome He w as cro w ned w i th laurel and su pport e d by d emon s
and th us precipitated h imsel f from a tower H e appeared to o at
i n th e air for a ti me ; b u t Peter knelt and com manded th e demo n s
to let go th eir h old of h i m w h en he fel l to th e earth w as severely
1
h urt a n d d ied a few d a ys l ater i n rage and co n fusion Th is lege n d
is n o t wi t h o u t sol id fou n d a tion i n h istory as th ere exis t ed a S am a ri
t a n magi c ian by th at n a m e wh o a s s u m e d to be G o d
l ren aeu s calls
h i m the fa ther of a ll h ereti cs He c a rri ed abo ut w i t h h i m a bean
tiful woman called Helen a w ho w as h e said th e fi rs t conception
of h is di vine m ind H e presented h er as being t h e res uscitation of
,

I t re sts

Cy ri l
an

of

on

f J e ru s a l e

t h e pa ga n

t s t i m o n y f Ch r i s t i a n F a th e r s
m
A ugus t i n Ph i l a st r i u I s i dor e o f l
wr i t e r D i o n Ch rysos t o m u s
th e

as

s,

S ts J u s t i n

l us i um

A m b ro se

T h e o do re t ,

e tc


I N

I L L US T R A TE D

AR T

25 5

Helen of T roy I n th e ch urch of S t F ran cesca R omana at R om e

there are two sto n es let i nto th e wall bearing a double depressi on
made it i s said by S t Peter s kneeli n g o n them w hen S imon M agu s
was attempting h is h eavenward ight A nother lege n d relates tha t
after the burning of R om e N ero accused the Christians of h aving
red th e city Th i s w as the origin of th e rst persecution Th e
Ch r i s t i a n si i g so u g h t S t Peter to s a ve h i m se l f b y igh t w h ich h e a t
length consented to do H e departed by t h e A pp ian Wa y and w hen
abou t two m iles from the city he met a v ision of O ur S aviou r Peter

L ord w h i t her goest tho u ?

L ook ing sadly upon h i m
exclai med

Chris t replied I go to R ome to be crucied a second ti me

P e t er
N
u n d e r s t o dd th i s as a war nin g that he ought to r eturn t o R Om e
w h i ch
h e did
Th is i s called the
wh en ill ustrated
I n the li t tle ch urch erected on th e spot san ct ie d by
T h iS m I raEl e is
sho wn a sl ab containing footprints said to be those made by the feet
of Christ as he talked w ith P eter A fter P eter s return to R om e h e
preached and labored as usual until he was seized w ith S t Paul and
thro w n i nt o t he M am ertine Prison H ere th e centurions wh oguard d
th em Processu s a n d M a r t i n i a n an d many prisoners were converted
Whe n S t Peter wish ed to baptize them and there was no w ater h e
pray ed to Go d and a fo u n tain sprung u p from th e stone oor
w h ich m ay still b e s een I t was n o t lo n g till th e two A postles we re
martyred T he trad itions d isagree i n regard to th e place where S t
P e t e r s u ff e r e d
A ccording to one h e was crucied w ith h is h ead
down w ard i n th e courtyard of a m ilitary statio n on the su m mit of
M o n s J a n i c u l a w here the ch urch of S a n P ietro in M ontorio n o w
stands ; b ut according to anoth er h i s cru ci x ion took pl ace in th e
C ircu s of Caligula at t h e foot of the Vatican T h e lege n ds m ake
T h e church of
S t P eter th e keeper of th e entra n ce to Paradise
S a n P ie t ro i n Vin c oli at R ome was bu ilt by E udoxi a wife of Val en
t ini a n I I I and i n it w ere preserved the chains w ith w hi ch S t Peter
w as bo u nd at Jerusalem Th e ch ai n s are preserved in a b r onze
tabernacle in the s a cristy a n d are shown to th e peopl e on the fest ival
of S t Peter in Vinculis on th e rst of A u gust S t Peter and S t
P aul J une 2 9
A ccord
S t P e t e r o f A l c a n t a r a was n o t ca n o n ized u n t il 1 6 6 9
ing to th e legend h e walked on th e sea by faith I n a picture i n the
M unich G allery he not only walks h imself but a lay brother goes
.

'

25 6

DS

L E GE N

S TOR IE S

A N D

w ith h im whom Peter seems to encou ra ge by pointing to h e a v e n

O ctober 1 9 A D 1 5 6 2
S t P e t e r E xo r c i s t a a n d M a r c e l l i n u s (I t a l S S Piet r o e
M a rcellino )
T hese s a ints a r e a lw a ys represented together
Ao
cording to th e l egend they were i mprison e d during th e l a st pe rs e c u
tion of Diocleti a n T h eir j a iler A r t e m i u s h a d a d a ughter P a ul in a
w ho wa s sick Peter p ro m is e d to restore h e r t o he a lth i f A rtem i a s
w ould believe i n G o d T h e n A r t e m i u s rid iculed h im s a ying I f I
put thee into th e deepest d ungeon a n d lo a d thee w ith he a v ie r ch a ins
T h en Peter told h i m th a t it m a t
w ill thy Go d then del iver thee ?
t e r e d l ittle to G o d w hether h e bel iev e d or not 3 but th a t Christ m ight
be gl ori ed h e d esired t h a t i t should b e don e
A n d i t wa s so a n d
i n the n igh t Peter a n d M a rcellin us d ressed i n sh in i n g w h ite ga r
men ts c a m e to A r t e m i u s i n h is own ch a mb e r T hen h e believ e d
h is fa m il y a n d three h undred ot h ers
a n d w a s b a ptized w ith a l l
W hen the s a ints were to d ie i t wa s ord e red th a t t h e exec ution e r
should t a k e th em to a forest thre e m il e s from R om e i n order th a t
the Christi a ns should not kno w of the i r buri a l pl a ce S o wh en th ey
wer e com e to a solit a ry pl a c e a n d t h e e xecution e r pointed i t
o ut a s t h e s pot w h e re they were t o d ie they the msel ves cl e a red
a n d died e ncour a ging e a ch
other
a n d d ug th e ir gra v e s
a sp a ce
T hey a r e r e p re sent e d i n pri e stl y h a b its be a ring p a lms J un e 2
a bou t 3 04
S t Pet e r th e D om in ic a n (I t a l S a n P ietro
S t P e t e r M a r ty r
or
Pier M a rt ir e ; F r S t P ierr e 1s Domin ic a in M a rtyr)
T his
s a int i s est e em e d next to S t D o min ick by h is order H e wa s born
H i s pa ren t s were of t h e hereti c a l sect c a lled
a t Veron a a bout 1 205
H e wa s b e a ten a t
C a th a ri b ut Peter w e nt to a C a tholi c school
h ome for reciting th e cre ed S t D om inick foun d h i m a ze a lous
d isciple w h e n a t V e ron a a n d b e pers u a ded h i m to un it e w ith h is
order a t t h e e a rly a ge of ft e e n Pet e r w a s a su cc e ssful pre a cher
a n d a ddress e d h imsel f e a rnestly to t h e
con version of t h e C a th a ri
H e wa s m a de I nqu isitor G ener a l under Pop e H onori us I I I T h e
C a th a ri h a ted h i m a n d h ired a ss a ssins w h o wa tched th a t th ey
m igh t k ill h i m in a forest w here th ey knew h e w ould p a ss n u
a c com p a ni ed
s a ve by a single monk When h e a ppe a red o n e of
t h e m urderers stru ck h i m dow n w i t h a n a xe
T hey then pursued
a n d k ill e d h is a ttend a n t
When they r e turned t o S t P e t e r h e wa s
,

I L L US T R A T E

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25 7

r e citing t h e A postles Creed or a s others sa y wa s writing i t on t h e

ground with h i s blood wh e n th e a ss a ssins comple t ed th eir cruel work
F r a B a rtolomeo p a inted th e he a d of h is bel oved J erom e S a von a r ol a
as St
Peter M a rtyr H e is represented in t h e h a bit of h is order
H is more p e cul i a r a ttribute is
a n d be a rs the cruci x a n d p a l m
or a g a s h from wh ich t h e blood
e ither the a xe stuck in h is he a d
trickles A pril 2 8 A D 1 25 2
S t P e t e r N o l a s c o (Sp S a n P e dro N ol a sco ) w a s a con vert of
Wh e n young h e enl isted in t h e crus a de a g a inst
S t Joh n de M a th a
H e wa s th e son of a nobl e of L a ngu e doc a n d b e
t h e A lbig e nses
c a m e the t utor of the yo ung King J a m e s of A ra gon or D on J a yme e 1
Con qu ist a dor B ut b e ing m uch moved a t the consider a tion of t h e

su ff erings of c a ptives h e founded a n e w order c a lled T h e Order of

Our L a dy of M ercy (N u e s t r a S e o r a de l a M erc e d ) A t rst t h e ord e r
wa s m ilit a ry consi sting of knights a n d gentlem e n a n d th e king pl a c e d
h i msel f a t their h e a d a n d ga ve them h is a rms a s a d evic e or b a dge
T h e ord e r wa s v e ry po p u l a r a n d soon e xt e nd e d its e l f on a l l sides
P e t er N o l a sc o wa s t h e sup e rior a n d sp e nt h i s l ife i n e xp e d iti o ns to
th e prov inces un de r t h e M oors from wh i ch h e brought b a c k hun
dre ds of r e d e e m e d c a ptiv e s In tim e t h e ord e r ch a nge d its ch a ra ct e r
fro m th a t of a m il i t a ry t o th a t o f a re l igious i nstitut ion A ccord
ing to tra dition w h e n P e t e r wa s o l d h e wa s t a ken fr o m h is c e l l
by a ngels a n d born e t o a n d from t h e a l t a r w h e r e h e r e c e i v e d
th e H oly E uch a rist
H e i s repre s e nt e d a s o l d with a wh it e
h a bit a n d t h e sh ield o f King Ja m e s on hi s bre a st Ja n u a ry 1 3

A D
.

1 25 8

r R e ga l a t o
T hi s s a int a pp e a rs i n t h e l a t e r It a l i a n
a n d S p a nish pi ctures of t h e F r a nci sc a ns to wh i ch ord e r h e belonged
H e w a s e speci a lly distinguish e d for h is sub l im e gift o f pra yer
M a rch 30 A D 1 4 5 6
P e t r o n i l l a (F r S t e
St
P e rnel l e ) wa s t h e d a ugh t e r of S t
Peter When a t R om e with h im s h e wa s d eprived of th e u se of
her li mbs by sickness On e d a y w h e n som e of his d iscipl es s a t a t
dinner w ith th e A postle th ey a sk e d wh y it w a s th a t wh e n h e he aled
others h is own ch ild rem a ined helpless Pet e r repl ied th a t it wa s
good for h e r to be ill ; b ut t h a t the glory of Go d should b e m a n i
fest he com m a nded her to rise a n d serve th e m T h is sh e d i d a n d
when the dinn e r wa s ov e r l a y down hel pless a s b e for e
Y e a rs a fter
St

P e te

17

25 8

DS

L E GE N

S T OR I E S

AND

wh en sh e h ad b e c om e perfected by s u ff ering sh e w a s m a de w e ll i n
N o w Petronill a wa s very be a utiful
a nswer to her e a rnest pra yers
V a leri us F l a c c n s desir e d to m a rry her S h e
a n d a young noble
a n d prom is e d th a t i f h e r e turned i n thre e
w a s a fr a id to refuse h i m
d a ys he should c a rry her home S h e t hen e a rnestly pr a y e d t o b e
d eli vered from this m a r ri a g e ; a n d w hen t h e l over c a m e w ith h is
friends to cel e bra t e the m a rri a g e h e foun d h e r d e a d F l a c c u s l a
T h e a ttend a nt nobl e s bor e h e r t o h e r gr a ve in w h i ch
m e n t e d sorely
th ey pl a ced her crowned w ith roses M a y 3 1
S t P e t r o n i u s w a s bishop o f Bo l ogn a a n d distingu ished h i mse l f
by h is ze a l a g a inst the A ri a n h e resy H e wa s a R om a n of a n
il l ustrious fa mily Hi s p i ct ur e s a r e con n e d to Bologn a ; a n d th e re
is in th a t city a be a utiful ch urch d e dic a ted in h is n a me He i s
represented in episcop a l robes w ith m itre a n d crosier He h a s a
th ick bl a ck h e a r d i n a n a ncient represent a tion but g e nera ll y i s w ith
His a ttribut e i s a model of Bol ogn a w h ich h e holds in h is
o u t it
h a nd October 4 A D 4 3 0
St
S t P h i l i p (I t a l S a n F ilippo A post o l o ; F r S t Ph il i ppe )
Ph il i p wa s born a t Beth s a id a Beyond t h e fa ct th a t h e w a s th e rst
c a lled to follo w the S a vio ur l i ttle is told of h i m in th e G ospel Af ter
th e a scension of C h ri st he pr e a ched in S cythi a t wenty ye a rs T h en
going to H ie r o p ol i s i n Phry gi a he found th e p e opl e w orsh ipping a
h uge serp e nt or dra go n w ho m they though t to b e a p ersoni c a tion
of M a rs T hen Philip took pi ty o n th eir ignor a n ce H e h eld u p
th e cross a n d com m a nded th e serpent to d is a ppe a r I mmedi a tely it
gl ided from bene a th t h e a lt a r a n d a s it moved i t sent forth s o dre a d
ful a n odor th a t m a ny d ie d a n d a mong th e m the son of the k ing ;
b ut Ph il ip restored h i m to life T hen th e priests of th e serpen t were
so wroth w i th the A postle t h a t they cru cied h i m a n d w hen h e w a s
f a stened to the cross th ey ston e d h im
T h e S criptur e s s t a t e th a t
Phil i p h a d four d a ughters wh o di d proph e sy (A cts x xi
St Ma
r ia m n e
h is sister a n d h is d a ugh t e r S t H e rm ion e a r e m a rtyrs i n t h e
G reek C a lend a r
S t Ph il i p i s represented a s a m a n of middl e a g e
sc a nty be a rd a n d be n e volent fa c e
H is a ttribu te i s a cross w h ich

a
i
n
v ries
form
sometimes a sm a ll cross in h i s h a nd ; a ga in a
h igh cross in th e form of a T or a st a ff w ith a sm a ll c r o s s a t t h e
top I t h a s three s ig n i c a t io n s : i t m a y represent the pow e r o f t h e
cross wh ich h e h e ld b e fore th e dra gon ; or h is m a rty r dom ; or h is
,

I L L US T R A T E

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25 9

m ission a s a p re a ch e r of t h e cross of Christ P a tro n of Bra b a nt a n d

L uxe mbou r g M a y I
It is n ecess a ry to d i s
S t P h i l i p D e a con ( Gr A y
I t wa s Ph il ip t h e de a con wh o b a p
t i n g u i s h h i m from the A postl e
T h is b a ptism h a s been
t i z e d th e ch a mb e rl a in of Q u e e n C a nd a c e
be a uti fully i ll ustra ted in a r t J une 6
S t P h i l i p B e n o z z i ( I t a l S a n F ili ppo Ben iti or B e n i z z i ) st a nds
He
a t the he a d of the Order of the S ervi or S erv iti a t F lore n ce
w a s not t h e fo under of t h e order not h a ving j oined it u ntil fteen
y e a rs a ft e r its e st a blish ment bu t he i s its prin ci p a l s a int
T he
h istory of t h e origin of th is ord e r i s full of i nterest a n d a n outl in e
of i t m a y be given in fe w words I t origin a ted a bout t h e y e a r 1 23 2
S e v e n ric h F lorenti n e nobles in t h e prime of life wer e a cc u stomed
to m e e t e very d a y in the Ch a pel of the A nn unzi a t a to sing the A ve
or even ing serv i c e in h onor of t h e Blessed Virgin w h om they espe
T h e y bec a m e so wel l known for th e s e pio u s a c t s
c i a l l y v e n er a t e d

th a t t h e wom e n a n d ch ildren cried out a s th ey p a ssed Behold t h e

G u a rd a t e i S e rvi d i M a ri a
serv a nts of th e Virgin
A t le n gth
they r e solved to d isp e ns e th e ir goods to th e poor a n d fors a k e the
T hey retired to M onte S e n a r i o a bout si x m i l e s from F lorence
world
w h ere t hey b u il t h uts a n d li ved for th e service of th e Virgin T heir
rst h a bit wa s p l a i n w h ite i n honor of t h e i mm a cul a te purity o f
M a ry ; b ut o n e of t h e n u mber w a s w a r ned in a v ision th a t th ey
should ch a nge i t to b l a ck in re membra nce of h e r m a t e rn a l sorro w
T hese men b e ing a ll ied to th e
a n d the de a th of h er D i vine S on
prou d est fa mil ies of F lorence d r e w m uch a t t ention to th e i r order
S t Phili p B e n o z z i h a d studied
a n d th e city b e c a me proud o f the m
m edicine a t t h e U n iversities of P a ris a n d P a d u a a n d wa s a very
le a rned m a n ; but a ft er receiving hi s degrees a n d commen ci n g t h e
pra c t ice of surgery i n F lorence h e bec a m e gre a tly w e a rie d a n d
O ppressed w i th t h e sigh t a n d knowledg e of h um a n su ff ering O n e
d a y a s he l i stened to the serv i ce i n t h e ch a pel of the A nn unzi a t a h e

Dra w n e a r a n d j oi n thysel f to t h e
w a s i mpressed by th e words
ch a riot
He w ent h om e f u l l of thou gh t u pon t h ese words a n d
w h en he slept h e h a d a visio n of th e V irgi n se a ted i n a ch a riot a n d
sh e told h i m to dra w ne a r a n d join her serv a nts T he n h e retired
to M onte S e n a rio ; b u t such wa s h is modesty th a t it wa s l o n g before
g
n
i
i
h
t h e br e thren understood t h e exten t of h is le a rning
s
f
t
{ g i l hi
.

'

260

L E GE N

DS

A ND

S T OR I E S

h ims e l f a s a pre a cher b u t fa r more a s a pe a cem a k er for h e di d m u ch

to reconcile the then op posing fa ctions of T usc a ny He obt a ined t h e
conrm a tion of h is order a n d pre a ched w ith gre a t success through
H e wa s G en era l of h is ord e r a t t h e t ime of h is
I t a l y a n d F r a nc e
d e a th
T h e pictures of A ndre a del S a rto i n t h e clo isters of t h e
A nn unzi a t a a t F l orenc e h a ve st ill fu r th er i mm ort a l ized th is s a int
T hese w ere p a i nted a fter h i s b e a t i c a t io n by L e o X A D 1 5 1 6 ;
bu t h is c a noniz a tion did not t a ke p l a ce until 1 6 7 1 A ug u st 23
,

1 28 5

i l i p N e r i (I t a l S a n F il ippo N e ri ) t h e founder of t h e
Order of the O r a tori a ns wa s a F loren tin e a n d bor n i n 1 5 1 5 H is
fa ther wa s of on e of t h e old e st T u sc a n fa m il ies a n d a l a wye r When
eighteen y e a rs of a ge Ph i l ip w ent to R om e a n d b e c a m e a t utor i n
By h is i ntellect eloquence a n d puri ty o f ch a r a cter
a noble fa mily
h e bec a me very inuenti a l i n t h e religio us movements of h is ti m e
H e wa s th e in ti m a te friend a n d a l moner of S t Ch a rles Borrom e o a n d
H e wa s e ver e mplo y ed in work s of
i n this c a p a city did m uch good
ch a rity a n d g a thered a bo u t h i m young men m embers of th e nobility
a n d of the le a rned professions w ho w en t a bo ut re a d ing a n d pr a y ing
w ith th e sic k a n d n eedy fo und ing a n d v isiting hospit a ls a n d doing
v a riou s ch a rities T hey w e re bo und by n o vo ws a n d were not sec l uded
from th e world T h ey c a lled themsel ves Ora tori a ns a n d fro m the m
1
a rose the P e r e s de l O r a t o i r e
o f F ra n c e
S t P h ilip N e ri w a s t h e
spiritu a l a dviser of the M a ss i m i fa m i l y ; a n d it is r e l a ted th a t wh en
the son a n d he ir of P rinc e F a bri zio M a ssi m i d ied o f a fever S t
Phil i p c a me i nto the ch a m b e r w h ere th e fa mily w e re l a menting o ver
h is de a d body Phi l i p l a id h is h a n d on th e he a d of t h e boy a n d
c a lled his n a me ; h e op e n e d h is e yes a n d s a t u p Ph ilip t h en s a id

A r t th o u u nwill ing to d i e ?
N o rep l i e d t h e boy
A r t th o u

resign ed to yield thy sou l to Go d ?

I am
T h e n go sa id Phil ip ;
a n d th e boy s a n k b a c k a n d expired w i th a sweet sm il e u pon h is fa ce
O n th e 1 6t h of M a rch t h e P a l a zzo M a ssi mi a t R ome i s d re ssed for
a festiv a l i n honor of th is e ven t a n d services a r e held in t h e ch a pel
at
which someti mes t h e Pope o fc ia t e s A picture illustra ti ve o f
this m ira cl e is i n t h e ch urch of S M a ri a de l l a V a ll icell a w h ic h
St

Ph

1
e
o
p

so,

the

O r a to r i a n s

t a n d a s c e ti c wr ite r

of

was ,

E n gl a n d ,
an

f wh o m

d Ca rd i n a l N e wm

th e
an

l te
a

is,

F re de r i c

d e v o te d

Wil f r i d

m em

be r

F a be r,

I L L US T R A T E

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2 61

gi v e n t o t h e O ra tori a ns w hen t h e ir order wa s co n rmed

In
t h is ch urch a ch a pel wa s dedic a ted to S t P h ili p N eri a n d a mos a i c
copy of G u ido s picture of th i s s a int w a s pl a ced there by N ero d e
T h e bed t h e cruc ix t h e books a n d oth e r relics
N eri of F lo r ence
of t h e s a in t a r e preserved in the or a tory M a y 26 A D 1 5 9 5
T h is s a int li ved i n
S t P h o c a s o f S i n o p e (I t a l S a n F oc a)
H e h a d a cott a ge a n d g a rd e n ne a r t h e G a te of
t h e th ird century
H is cott a ge wa s op e n to a l l w ho needed sh elter
S inope in Po n tus
a n d lodging a n d t h e prod uc e of h is g a rden w a s distribut e d to t h e
poor a fter h i s o wn sl igh t w a nts w e re supplied A s h e s a t a t supper
one n ight som e stra ngers knock e d a t h is door He a sk e d th e m to
L a ter in t h e
e nter g a v e the m w a ter to wa sh a n d s e t food for them
e ven i n g they told h i m they h a d be e n sen t to n d P hoc a s wh o h a d
be e n a ccused a s a C hristi a n a n d t hey h a d been comm a nded to k il l
h i m wh e rever h e sh ould b e fo und T h e s a int betra yed no e motion
When a l l were a t rest
a n d g a v e th em a ch a mb e r in w h i ch to sle e p
h e went to h is g a rd e n a n d m a de a gra ve a mo n g the ow e rs he lo ved
I n t h e m orning h e a n n ounced t h a t Phoc a s wa s found T h e guests

rej oic e d a n d s a id Wher e is b e ?

B ut w h e n h e a nswered I a m

they w e re unw illi n g to b e tr a y th eir host T hen h e s a id S ince

be
i t is t h e will of G o d I a m w i l l ing to d i e in h is c a u s e
T h e n th ey
b e h e a ded h im on t h e bord e r o f t h e gra ve a n d buri e d hi m T h i s
s a int i s repr e s e nt e d on l y in Byz a ntin e a r t H e is in th e ga rb of a
g a rden e r a n d h a s a sp a de a s h is a ttrib ut e P a t ron of g a rdens a n d
g a rde n ers J uly 3 A D 303
S t P l a c i d u s w a s t h e son of T ertu ll us a R om a n S e n a tor who
pl a ced th is ch ild u nd e r t h e c a re of S t Benedict a t S ubi a co w hen
onl y ve y e a rs of a ge Pl a c i d u s w a s sent by h is superior t o pre a c h
in S icily w h e n he wa s still qui t e you n g A ccording to tra d ition h i s
sister F l a vi a a n d t wo young brothers joined h im a n d t hey dwelt i n
T h is wa s a tt a ck ed by briga nds w ho m a s
a conv e nt n e a r M essin a
s a cred P l a c i d u s a n d F l a v i a w ith th irty of th eir comp a nio n s T h e
l a ter Ben edi ctin e writers do not believ e th e a ccoun t of this m a ss a cre
He i s represented in th e bl a ck h a bi t of h is order or w ith th e rich
d a lm a tic a a bove a bl a ck tun ic T h e p a l m i s h is a ttribut e J a nu a ry
wa s

P la n t i lla
r e se n

t a t ion

though not a c a nonized s a int is seldom om it t e d i n rep

of t h e m a rtyrdom of S t P a ul A ccord ing to t h e legend
,

262

DS

L E GE N

AND

S T OR I E S

om a n m a tron a n d o n e of t h e con vert s o f S t P e ter a n d

S h e pl a c e d herself on th e w a y by w hich s h e kne w th a t
S t P a ul
S t Pa ul would p a ss to h is m a rtyrdom i n order to s e e h i m f o r t h e
l a st time When h e c a m e she besough t h i m to bless h er a n d wept
gre a t l y T hen P a ul seeing h e r fa ith a sked h e r to giv e h i m her v e il
t h a t h e m ight bind h is eyes w ith i t w hen h e w a s behe a ded a n d
pr mi s ed th a t he wo uld ret urn it to her a fter h is de a th T h e n a ll
w h o he a rd mocked a t th is promise b ut Pl a n till a g a v e h i m th e v e il ;
P a ul di d indeed a ppe a r to h er a n d g a ve h e r
a n d a fter h i s de a th S t
a g a in t h e veil w h ich wa s st a ined w ith hi s blood
S e e S t E ph esus
S t P o t i t u s of Pis a (I t a l S a n Potito )
S t P r a x e d e s a n d S t P u d e n t i a n a (I t a l S a nt a Pra ssede e S a nt a
When S t Peter
P u d e n z i a n a ; F r S t e Pr a ss ede e t S t e P o t e n t i e n n e )
c a me to R ome h e d w e l t in th e h ouse of P n d e n s w ho w a s a p a trici a n of
gre a t we a lth N o t long a fter th e com i n g of the A postle P udens a n d
S a b i n e l l a h i s w ife w ith N ov a t a s h i s son a n d h is t wo d a ughters
Pra xedes a n d P u d e n t ia n a w ere a l l con verted a n d b a pti zed S oon
a fter the p a rents a n d broth er die d
a n d the sisters l e ft a lon e inherited
a l l the riches of t h e fa mily
T hey h a d houses a n d publ ic b a th s a t
th e foot of th e E sq u il ine T hen beg a n th e rst gre a t persecution
i n w h ich S t Peter perished N o w the sisters determ ined to de vote
themsel ves to th e reli ef a n d c a r e of the s u ff ering C hristi a ns a n d to
the bury ing of the bodies of such a s w er e sl a in T hey h a d the a ssis t
a nce o f a holy m a n n a m e d P a st e r n s w ho w a s de voted in their servi ce
T he y shr a n k from noth ing th a t c a m e in th e w a y of thei r self imposed
d uties T hey sought ou t a n d recei ved into th e ir h ou ses s uch a s w ere
torn a n d m util a ted by tortu re s ; T h ey v isited a n d fed such as w ere
in prison T h e y took u p t h e bodi e s o f t h e m a rtyred on es wh ich
were c a st out w itho ut b uri a l a n d c a r e fu ll y w a sh ing a n d shroud ing
t h m th ey l a id the m reverent l y i n th e c a ves bene a th th eir hou ses
A l l the blood t hey collected w ith sponges a n d deposit e d in a cert a i n
well T hu s boldly they show ed forth t h e fa i th w h ich wa s i n th em ;
a n d y et th ey esc a ped persecution a n d m a rtyr d om a n d d i e d
e a ceful l y
p
a n d wer e buried in t h e cemetery of Priscill a
P a st e r n s wrote a h istory
of their deed s a n d v irtu es T hei r h ou se wh ich w a s m a d e holy not
only by t h ei r l i ves but by th e pre a ch ing of S t Peter w a s consec ra ted
a s a pl a ce of Christi a n worshi p b y Pop e Pi u s I
T h eir ch urch e s a r e
a mong t h e int e re sting rem a ins of a nci e nt R ome
In t h e n a v e o f t h e
sh e

wa s a

I L L US T R A T E

IN

AR T

263

ch urch o f S a nt a P ra ssede is a wel l in w hi ch sh e wa s s a id to h a v e

p ut t h e blood of those w ho su ff e re d on the E squiline wh ile the
holy spong e is preserve d in a silver shrine in the s a cristy I n t h e
ch urch of S t P u d e n t ia n a th ere i s a well s a i d to cont a in t h e rel ics
T h e s e sisters a r e pictured a s richly
of thre e thous a n d m a rtyrs
dra ped a n d t h e sponge a n d cup a r e th e ir especi a l a ttrib ut e s July 21
,

an

d M a y 1 9, A
S t P risc a

148

ch urch o f th is s a int a t R ome on t h e A v e ntin e

i s suppos e d to occu py t h e s p ot on whi ch stood t h e hous e of A quil a
a n d Priscill a w her e S t
P e t e r lodg e d ; w h i ch site wa s tho ught to be
a lso th a t of th e T e mp l e of D i a n a
founded by S e rvi us T ull ius A n d
h er e i s sho wn t h e font i n w h ich S t Peter b a pti zed the e a rl iest con
A ccording to t h e
v e rt s i n R om e a n d a mong oth e rs S t P risc a
l eg e nd s h e w a s a v irgin of i ll ustriou s f a m ily a n d wa s exposed t o t h e
be a sts of the a mp h ithe a tre wh en bu t th irteen ye a rs of a ge A erc e
l ion wh o wa s let loos e u pon her h umbly l icked her f e et to the j oy of
th e C hris t i a ns S h e wa s th e n behe a ded a n d a n e a gl e wa tch ed o ver
h e r body u nti l it w a s b uried
S h e is represented be a ring a p a l m w ith
the lion beside her a n d sometimes t h e e a gle th us being honore d by
the kings of both be a sts a n d b irds a s t h e legend rem a rks T h e
n a m e of S t Prisc a is ret a in e d i n the A ngl ic a n c a l e nd a r J a nu a ry 1 8
.

The

A D
.

2 75

St

P r o c o p i u s wa s

K ing o f Boh e m i a H e re linqu ished h is cro wn

a n d b e c a m e a herm it
M a n y ye a rs p a ss e d w ithout his being known ;
b ut a t l e ngt h a s a cert a in Princ e U lric h w a s h unting h e p ursu e d a
b i n d w h ich ed for s a fety to th e a rms of S t Procopiu s a n d s o
t h e s a int wa s d iscov e red
O n a ccou nt of t h e si mi l a ri ty of t h e a t t r i
b a t e h i s pictur e s a r e som e tim e s m ist a ken for thos e of S t G iles
J uly 8 A D 303
S t P r o c u l u s is t h e m i l it a ry p a tron of Bolog na
In t h e tim e
o f t h e tenth persecution a cr u e l m a n n a med M a rinus wa s sent to
Bologn a to enforce th e e dict of th e em peror P r o c n l u s wa s so lled
w it h indign a tion wh ich m ight p e rh a ps be c a lled holy th a t h e entered
the hous e of M a r in a s a n d k ill e d h im w ith a n a xe wh ich a xe is t h e
a ttribut e giv e n the s a int i n a r t
H e someti mes c a rries a h e a d in h i s
1
h a nds w h i ch m a y be e ith e r th a t of M a rinus or h is o wn
S t P r o t a s iu s o f M i la n
S e e S t G e r va s i u s
.

Th i s

l e ge n d o f S t

Pr oc n l us i s

a m on

g the

un a u

th oriz e d l e ge n ds

264

L E GE N

St

P u de

tia n a

DS

S T OR I E S

AN D

I
t
a l S a nt a P u d e n z i a n a
(

Fr

S t e P ot e n t ie n n e )

Pra xed es
t
r
o
o
r
A
ccord
ing
n a t i or t h e F o ur Crowned Broth ers
C
o
a
t
u
Q
to tra dition these were four Christi a n broth e rs work e rs i n wood a n d
ston e w h o dwelt i n R o me i n the time of D iocleti a n T hey r e fuse d
to employ their a r t i n fa sh ioning gods or b uilding temples for them
S om e w er e scourged som e h e
a n d for th is s u ff ered m a rtyrdom
he a ded a n d som e p ut i n iron c a ges a n d c a st i nto t h e s e a T h e

C inq u e M a rtiri w ere a lso of the s a me tr a des a n d th e ir fa te t h e

s a m e T h e n a m e s of the Coron a ti a r e gi ven a s S S C a rp ophorus
T h e churc h dedic a ted to the m
S e ve r u s S e ve r i a n u s a n d Vi c t o r i a n n s
i s on th a t p a rt of t h e Coeli a n H ill w hich extends from t h e L a ter a n to
the Colis e um It i s s a id th a t thei r rem a i ns w e re foun d h ere d uring
T h eir title of Coron a ti a lludes to t h e crow n of
t h e fo u r th century
m a rtyrdom T h e ve m a rtyrs (I C in que M a rtiri ) a r e h onored a t
the s a me t ime a n d pl a c e w ith the Coron a ti a n d they a r e represent e d
i n a r t w ith t h e i mple m ents of the ir tra de , t h e m a llet ch isel
squ a re a n d rul e b e a ring p a lms a n d w e a ring crowns N ov e mb e r 4
Se e St

A D
.

4 00

St

h
n
w
a
s
t
e
H
i
n
t
i
son
of
Z
eno
b
c
a m e conv e rt e d
e
e
a
n
d
Q
g a ve u p a high comm a nd wh ich h e h e ld in the R om a n a rmy in ord e r
to pr e a ch H e l a bored e sp e ci a lly i n Belgi um a n d a t A m iens H e
w a s a ccu s e d b e for e t h e p r e fect B i otins V a rus a n d s u ff ered d e a th by
being i m p a l e d o n a n iron spit T his instru ment of h is torture i s h is
a ttribute wh ich i s not a l wa ys r e pr e s e nt e d
Octob e r 3 1 A D 28 7
S t Qu i r i n u s wa s a so l di e r in t h e a rmy of A ure l i a n
H e b e ca me
a Christi a n a n d pre a ch ed so op e n l y a s e sp e ci a l l y to e x a s p er a t e h is
o i c e r s wh o were p a g a ns
H is m a rtyrdom wa s extrem e i n cru e lty
Hi s t ongue w a s rst t a k en out a n d thrown to a h a w k H e wa s th en
d ra gged to de a th by horses H e is repre sent e d in a rmor w ith a h ors e
a n d a h a w k a n d a sh ie l d
w ith n in e b a l l s a s we ll a s th e m a rtyr s
pa l m
S t Qu i r i n u s B ishop o f S iss e k in Cro a ti a
H e w a s m a r tyr e d by
being drowned w i t h a m i l lston e a bou t h i s n e ck O n e of t h e e igh t
gu a rdi a n s a ints o f A ustri a J un e 4 A D 3 09
S t R a d e g u n d a w a s th e d a ughter of t h e K ing of T h urin gi a
B e r t h a i r e a n d th e w i fe of Cl o t h a i r e V of F ra nc e who r st c a rrie d
her c a ptiv e with a l l h e r fa mi l y a n d a fterw a rds m a rried her T h i s
u

I L L US T R A TE

I N

AR T

265

qu e en w a s d e vot e d to pr a y e r a n d a l msgi ving a n d often w e r e be n e a th

h e r roy a l g a rments a robe o f pen itenti a l h a ir cloth
O ne d a y a s s h e
w a lked i n her g a rd e n she h e a rd the prisoners wh o we r e sep a r a ted
from her only by a wa ll weep ing a n d i mploring pity S h e thoug h t
of h er own sorro ws i n t h e p a st a n d she pra yed e a rn estly for th em
n ot know ing h o w else to a id t h em ; a n d a s she pr a y e d their fetters
burst a s und e r a n d th e y we r e fre e d fro m c a ptivity
L a t er i n li fe
R a degund a took t h e religious h a b it a n d founded a mon a stery a t
Poitiers S h e is r e pre s e nted w ith t h e roy a l crown a n d bene a t h it a
long veil A c a ptive kneels b e for e her wit h h is broken fe tt e rs i n h is
h a n d A ugust 1 3 A D 5 8 7
S e e S t E d mund
R a gn a r L o d h r o g
S t R a n i e r i (I t a l S a n R a n ieri ; F r S t R e gn i e r)
T h e wh ol e
l ife of th is s a int w a s full of poetry a n d mystery H e wa s born in
or a bout t h e ye a r 1 1 00 H is fa mily w a s th a t of the S e a c c i e r i of
Pis a I n h is youth a n e a gl e a ppe a red to h i m be a ri n g in his be a k a

I come from Jerus a le m to enligh ten th e

bl a zing light a n d s a id
n a tions
B ut R a n i eri l i v e d a life d e vot e d to ple a sure A t length
h e o n e d a y pl a yed t h e lyr e surrounded by be a ut iful d a msels a
as
h oly m a n p a sse d by who t urned a n d looked on R a n ieri a n d there
w a s so m u ch of sorro w i n h is g a z e th a t t h e yo ung m a n thre w
down h is lyre a n d followed t h e m a n of G o d bew a il ing a n d w eepi n g
S oon h e e mb a rked for J e ru
h i s own si ns a n d h i s w a sted life
s a lem wh e r e h e too k o ff h is ow n ga rments a n d wore t h e sch i a vin a
o r sl a ve sh irt a n d th i s h e w e r e e ver a fter for person a l h umili a tion
H e l iv e d th e life of a h e rmit i n t h e des e rts of P a lestine for twenty
y e a rs D uring this t i me h e h a d n u merous v isi ons On o n e occ a
sion h e fe lt h is vow s of a bstin enc e to be a lmost more th a n h e co uld
k e ep
H e th en h a d a v ision of a gold e n v a se set with precious
stones a n d full of oil pitch a n d sulph u r T h e s e w e re k indled to r e
coul d quen ch t h e a mes T hen th e re wa s p ut i nto h is
a n d none
h a n ds a sm a ll e w e r o f w a ter a n d w hen h e turned on but a f e w drops
T h is v ision h e beli e ved to signify the
t h e re wa s extingu ished
h um a n p a ssions by th e p itch a n d s ulph ur ; bu t the wa ter wa s th e
e mblem of t empera nce He then determined t o li v e on bre a d a n d
w a ter a l one H is reverenc e for w a ter w a s very gre a t a n d most of h is
m ira cles were performed thro u gh th e u s e of it so th a t h e wa s c a lled
But w hen h e t a rried w ith a host w h o
S a n R a nieri dell A cqu a
,

266

L E GE N

DS

S T OR I E S

AND

ch e a t e d h is gu e sts by putting wa t e r i n h i s w in e t h e s a int did not

h esi ta te to ex pose t he fra ud for h e re ve a led t o a ll present the gure
of S a t a n sitting on one of t h e w in e ca s ks i n the form of a h uge c a t
w ith th e wings of a b a t H e did m a ny m ira c l es a fter h is return t o
Pis a a n d m a de conv e rts by t h e s a n ctity of h is l ife a n d ex a m pl e
Wh en he d ied m a ny m ira cu l o us m a n ifest a tions bore w itness to h i s
em inent holiness A l l the b e l ls in Pis a w e re spon t a neou sly tolled a n d
th e A rchbishop Vi ll a n i w ho h a d been sick in be d for two ye a rs w a s
A t t h e pl a c e i n t h e R equi em M a ss
cured to a tt e nd h i s fun e ra l
w here it i s the custo m to omit t h e G lori a i n E xcelsis i t wa s sung
by a choir of a ngels a bove t h e a lt a r w h il e the orga n a c co mp a n ied
them w ithout being pl a yed by a n y perceptible h a nds T h e h a rmony
of th is c h a nt wa s so ex qu isit e th a t those wh o h e a rd it though t th e
very h e a vens w ere open e d He wa s buried in a tomb i n t h e D uomo
A fter the pl a gue i n P is a i n 1 3 5 6 t h e l i fe o f thi s s a int wa s p a int e d i n
the C a mpo S a nto by S imone M e m m i a n d A ntonio Venezi a no T h e se
frescos a r e most i mport a nt i n the h istory of a r t a n d consist of e igh t
scenes fro m t h e li fe of S t R a n ieri : ( 1 ) H is Con version ;
He em
b a rks for P a lesti ne ; (3 ) He a ssum e s the Herm it s D ress ; (4 ) He h a s
m a ny T e mpt a tions a n d Vision s i n t h e D e sert
He
r
t
urns
to
is
5
e
P
a
( )
6
H
h
F
e
a u d of the Innkeep e r
e
t
exposes
r
H
is
De
th
F
uner
l
a
7
a
n
d
a
)
(
( )
Obsequies ; (8 ) H is M ir a cles a ft e r D e a th J ul y 1 7 A D 1 1 6 1
R a ph a e l
St
t h e A r c h a n g e l (L a t S R a ph a el ; I t a l
San
R a ff a ello ; F r S t R a ph a el ; Ge r D e r H e il ig e R a fa el : si g n ic a tion
R a ph a e l is considere d t h e gu a rdi a n a n ge l
the med icin e of G o d
of h um a n ity H e wa s s e nt to wa rn A d a m of t h e d a nger o f s in a n d
i ts unh a ppy c o ns e quen ce s
B e s t ro n g live h a ppy a n d l o ve
b u t rst o f al l
H i m w h o m t o l o ve i s t o o b e y a n d k e e p
H i s g r e t c om m a n d ta k e h e e d l e s t p a ss i o n s wa y
T h y j u dg m e n t t o d o a u gh t w h i c h e l s e f r e e wi l l
Wo u l d n o t a d m it t h i n e a n d o f a l l t h y s o n s
T h e w e a l o r woe i n th e e i s p l a c e d b e w a r e
,

h e ra l d who bore to t h e sh e p h e r ds t h e good tid ings o f

gr e a t j oy wh ich sh a l l b e for a l l p e ople
H e i s e spe ci a lly the p r o
te ctor o f th e young t h e pilgri m a n d t h e tra v e ll e r I n the S cripture
H e wa s t h e

T h e Ch urc h

i n c l ude s t h e

B o ok

of

T o bi as

a m on g

th e

i n spi re d writi n gs

I L L US T R A T E

I N

AR T

267

h is w a tchful c a re of the yo ung T ob i a s d uring h is eventful j ourney

is typic a l of h is benigni ty a n d lovi ng condescension to wa rds those
w hom he protects
H is counten a nce i s represented a s full of
benignity
Devotion a l p ictures portra y h i m dressed a s a p ilgri m
with s a nd a ls ; h is h a ir bo und w ith a di a de m or a ll e t ; the st a ff i n
h is h a nd a n d a w a llet or p a n e ti er e h ung to h is belt A s a gu a rd i a n
Sp irit h e h e a r s t h e s word a n d a sm a ll c a sket or v a se cont a in ing th e
L

shy ch a rm (T obit v i 6) a ga inst e v il spirits A s gu a rdi a n a n ge l

h e usu a lly le a ds T obi a s T h e pi cture of M urillo in the L e u chtenberg
G a llery repres e nts h i m a s t h e gu a rdi a n a ng e l of a b isho p wh o a ppe a rs
S e p t e mber 1 2
a s a vot a ry below
On a ccount of t h e circu m
S t R a y m o n d (Sp S a n R a mon )
st a nces of h is birth this s a i nt i s styled N o n n a t u s He belo n ged to
t h e Order of M e rcy a n d l a bored for th e c a pti ves a mong the M oors
By the M a hom e t a ns a mong w hom h e w a s long a c a pti ve for t h e
r a nsom of h is Christi a n brethren h is lips w ere bored through w ith a
iron a n d fa st e n ed w ith a p a dlock
He l a ter wa s m a de a
r e d hot
c a rdin a l a n d t h e G e nera l of h i s order H e presided a t a ch a pter
held a t B a rcelon a
P e p e G regory I X a n d King J a mes of A ra go n
A u gu st 3 1 A D 1 24 0
a ssisted a t h is fu ner a l obsequies
S t R a y m o n d o f P e a f o r t e wa s born a t t h e c a stl e belongi n g
to h is fa mily a t P e a f o r t e in C a t a lon i a H e w a s a ll ied to th e roy a l
hou se of A ra gon a n d h is fa m ily were of B a rcelon a He e a rly e n
t e r e d u pon a r e ligious life a n d bec a m e a model i n h is ze a lous de vo
tion to t h e Ch urc h a n d h is ch a rity to t h e poor
He a ssumed
the D omin ic a n h a bit a n d wa s t h e th ird Ge nera l of th a t order
H is ze a lous pr e a ching a ga i n st t h e M oors wa s tho u ght t o be t h e
A
rst c a use of th e n a l e xp ulsion of the i n d e l s from S p a in
m ira cle w h ich he i s s a id to h a ve p e rform e d a n d wh ich is a ttested to
i n the h u l l of h is c a non iz a tion i s rel a ted thu s : R a ymon d w a s t h e
spiritu a l director of K ing J a m e s of A ra gon (s l C o n qu ist a dor ) T h i s
k ing w a s a n a ccompl ished gentlem a n a n d d id not incl in e t o a llo w
h is confessor to interfere w ith h is ple a s u res N ow he wa s gre a tly i n
love w ith a be a utiful wom a n of h is court from whom R a ymo n d
v a inly a ttempted t o sep a ra te h im T h e k i n g su mmon ed the pri est to
a ttend h i m to M a j orc a b ut h e refused to go unless th e l a dy rem a ined
behind J a mes a ff ected to comply bu t th e l a dy a ccomp a nied h i m
in t h e dress of a p a ge R a ymond soon discov e r e d t h e d e c e it a n d
.

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r e monstra ted severely w ith t h e k ing w ho w a s v e ry a ngry T h e

priest thre a tened to return to S p a in b ut J a mes forb a d e a n y v e ss e l to
le a v e t h e port a n d p a ssed sentence of de a th upon a n y w ho should

A n e a rthly
S t R a ymond then s a id
a i d R a ymond to go a w a y
k ing h a s deprived u s of th e m e a n s of e sc a pe b ut a H e a venly King
T h e n w a lking u p to a rock w h ich proj ected into
w i ll s u pply them
th e s e a h e spre a d h i s clo a k on the w a ters a n d setting his st a ff
u pright a n d tying one corn e r of t h e clo a k to it for a s a il h e m a de the
sign of the cross a n d boldly e mb a rked i n th is n e w k ind of vessel H e
w a s w a fted over t h e surfa c e of t h e oc e a n wi th su ch r a p id ity th a t i n
si x hours h e r e a ch ed B a rc e lon a T hi s m ira cl e w a s a ttested to by
ve h undred persons w ho sa w h i m l a n d a t B a rc e lon a a n d t a ke u p
h is clo a k perfectly dry fro m the wa t e r a n d wra p it round h i m a n d
then w ith gre a t h u m ility retire to h is c e l l D on J a ym e ov e rcom e
b y th is m ira cl e rep e nt e d of h is obstin a cy a n d a fterw a rds govern e d
h is k ingdom a n d h is life by t h e a d vice of S t R a ym ond H e is r e p
resented i n th e h a bit of h is ord e r a n d k ne e ls on h i s m a ntle w h il e
h e i s borne over the s e a or els e the m i ra c l e is r e p res e nted i n t h e
b a ckground J a n u a ry 23 A D 1 2 75
S t R e g u l u s w a s a n A fric a n b isho p
H e e d from h is dioces e
in the time of the cont e ntio n s betwe e n th e A ri a ns a n d t h e C a thol ics
He c a me t o T usc a ny a n d l i ved t h e l ife of a n a nch or e t I n t h e i n
v a s i o n of T otil a h e w a s beh e a ded
A ccord ing to tr a d iti on h e too k
u p h is he a d a n d proceeded tw o st a di a w hen h e s a t down Being
found th us by two of h i s di sci ples h e g a ve th e m h is h e a d a n d th ey
b uried h i m th er e w ith gre a t re v e re nc e a n d (wh a t i s n o t stra nge )
w i th u n sp e a ka bl e a we
S t R e p a r a t a wa s a virgi n of Ces a r e a in C a p p a d oci a
In t h e
perse cution under Deci u s s h e w a s m a rtyre d though only t we l ve
ye a rs old A s sh e di ed h e r spirit wa s seen to issu e from h e r mouth
i n sh a pe l ike a dove a n d to y to he a ven T h is s a int wa s for s i x
h undred ye a rs the ch ief p a troness of F loren ce a n d t h e D uomo wa s
ded i c a ted in h e r n a me ; bu t i t wa s r e dedic a ted to S a nt a M a ri a del
S h e i s re presented in v a rious colored robes a n d b e a rs th e
F iore
crown p a l m book a n d a b a nn er w ith a red cross on a wh i te ground
S t R o c h ( L a t S R och us ; I t a l S a n R occo ; F r S t R och or
R oque ) w a s the s o n of nobl e p a rents
M ontpel ier in L a ngu e doc
wa s h is birth p l a c e
Wh e n he wa s born there wa s a sm a ll r e d cro ss
.

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26 9

on his bre a st H is mother int e rpre t e d th is a s a sign th a t h e shou ld

be consecra ted to G od s service a n d sh e e d uc a ted h i m with gre a t c a re
T h e s a in t too wa s of t h e s a m e m ind ; b ut b e inclined to fol low th e
e x a mpl e of Jesus
to go a bou t doing good i n preference to th a t
of m a ny holy men w ho e e fro m the w orld to serve G o d Hi s p a r
e nts d i e d wh e n h e w a s less th a n twenty ye a rs o l d a n d l e ft h im v a st
est a t es H e sold a l l a n d g a ve th e money to hospit a l s a n d t o th e
poor H e th e n w e nt on foot to R ome i n t h e g a rb of a p ilgrim
When h e a rrived a t A qu a p e nd e nt e a t e rribl e pl a gue wa s ra ging th e r e
He wa s espe
S t R och o ffer e d to a ttend th e sick i n the hospit a ls
c i a ll
succ
ssful
in
h
i
s
c
a n d it a pp e a re d
e
a r e of the pl a gue stricken
y
t h a t some pecul i a r bl e ssing a tt e nded hi m ; so prev a lent w a s thi s ide a
t h a t consid e ring h is yo u th a n d gentleness the peopl e w e r e re a dy to
bel i e ve h i m a n a n gel a n d h e h i msel f w a s not w itho ut t h e t hought
th a t a speci a l b lessing w a s on h is e ff orts He th e n went to Ces e n a
a n d R im ini w h er e h e l a bored i n th e s a m e m a nn e r ; a n d t hen h e a r
ri ved a t R ome i n t h e m idst of a fe a rful pestilen c e a n d for thr e e y e a rs
more d e voted h imself to t h e most hopel e ss c a ses He const a ntly
pra y e d th a t G o d m ight nd hi m worthy to d i e a s a m a rtyr to
this c a re for others Y e a rs p a ssed t h u s a n d h e w e nt fro m city to
city wh e re v e r h e h e a rd of a n y dre a dful d ise a se a n d suffering A t
l ength a t Pi a c e nz a h e wa s h imself stru ck do wn by a n unknown
epidemi c th e n r a ging t h ere O n e nigh t h e s a nk down i n t h e hospit a l
w e a ry w ith n ursing a n d fe ll a sleep Wh e n h e a wok e h e foun d h im
self p l a gu e strick e n w ith a horribl e ulc e r on h i s th igh t h e p a i n of
H e fe a r e d l e st h e shoul d
w h i ch com pelled h i m t o shrie k a l oud
dist urb others a n d cra wled into th e street ; but h e wa s not a llo wed
to rem a in ther e H e th e n dra gged h i mself to a wood outside th e
city a n d l a y dow n t o die Bu t a littl e dog w hich h a d a ttended h i m
i n a l l h is w a nderings n o w c a red for h i m a n d brought h i m every d a y
A ccording to t h e l egend a n a ngel a lso dressed h is
a lo a f of bre a d
w ound a n d c a red for h im ; b ut th i s is questioned a n d it i s st a ted
th a t a m a n n a m e d G oth a rd did this for hi m bu t be thi s a s i t m a y
Wh e n h e
a s soon a s t h e s a int w a s a ble h e set out for h is home
a rrived a t a l ittl e vill a ge ne a r M on t pel i e r wh ere t h e l a nd b e longed
to h i s est a tes a n d t h e people were th e v a ss a ls of h is fa m ily n o o n e
kn e w h im a n d th e y r e g a rd e d h i m so suspi ciously th a t they took h i m
b e for e t h e j udg e a s a spy T h e j u dg e wa s h is uncl e b ut e v e n h e did
.

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n ot r e cogn iz e h i m a n d condemned h i m to b e i m p rison e d S t R och

reg a rded a l l th is a s the w ill of Go d a n d s a id noth ing desiring th a t
sho uld d irect S o h e wa s c as t into a
a l l sho u l d be a s Providenc e
d ungeon T h e re wa s no o n e to ple a d for h im a n d h e a d here d to h is
resol ve of silenc e ; th us h e r e m a ined ve y e a rs O n e m orning w h e n
th e j a iler went to h is c e l l i t w a s ll e d w ith a glory o f l ight a n d t h e
prisoner l a y d e a d w ith a p a p e r b e sid e h im wh ic h to l d h is n a m e a n d

these words a lso : A l l thos e wh o a r e stric k e n by t h e p l a gu e a n d

w ho p ra y for a i d thro ugh t h e m e rits a n d int e rc e ssion o f S t R och t h e
s e rv a nt of G o d sh a ll b e h e a l e d
T h e n t h e j udg e w h e n h e s a w th is
p a per we pt a n d wa s lled w ith r e mors e T h e sa i nt wa s honora bly
buri e d m idst t h e pra yers of t h e who l e city N e a rl y a c e ntury e l a psed
b e for e S t R och wa s h e a rd of o utsid e h is n a ti v e city w h e r e h e wa s
he l d in t h e gre a t e st possib l e ven e ra tion B ut a t t h e t i m e of t h e
gre a t ch urch council a t Const a n c e t h e pl a g u e bro k e ou t i n th a t c ity
a n d p riests a n d p e opl e w e r e in cons t e rn a tion wh e n a G e rm a n m onk
wh o h a d be e n in F ra nce a dvis e d th a t t h e p ow e r o f S t R och sh ou l d
H is co uns e l wa s fo ll ow e d a n d t h e
b e t e st e d i n th is e merg e ncy
i m a ge of t h e s a int wa s born e throug h t h e city a ccom p a n i e d by a
sol e mn p rocession with pr a y e rs a n d l it a n i e s T hen t h e p l a gu e c e a s e d
incre a s e d v e n e r a tion o f S t R och m a y b e tra c e d
a n d to th is t h e
T ow a rds t h e clos e o f t h e ft e enth c e n tury t h e V e n e ti a n s wh o w e re
es p e ci a l ly e x p os e d to t h e pl a gu e fro m th e ir com m e rci a l int e rcours e
w ith t h e E a st r e so l v e d t o poss e ss i f possib l e t h e re l ic s o f S t R och
T h e men a p p ointed to a ccompl ish t h e p ur p os e w e nt to M ont p e l ier a s
p ilgri ms T h e y succ e e d e d in c a rrying a w a y t h e s a cr e d rem a ins a n d
were r e c e iv e d w ith j oy by a l l Ven ic e fro m t h e Dog e down to t h e
poore st b e gga r T h e n t h e spl e nd id ch urch of S a n R occo w a s bu ilt
u nder t h e a uspices of a society w h ich a l re a dy e xi sted i n Veni c e for
the c a re of the s ic k a n d wh i ch h a d b e e n form e d under h is prot e ction
I n t h i s society m a ny of t h e nob il ity e nroll e d th e msel v e s
M a ny
votiv e pictures a r e se e n of th is s a int i n w h i ch h e is repre s e nted as
i nt e rc e d ing for t h e s ick person wh o i s in trod uced in th e p a inting
I n devotion a l p ictures S t R oc h is repre sented a s a m a n i n m idd l e
a g e of ren e d a n d del ic a te fe a tures w ith a n e xpr e ssion of b e n e vol e nc e
a n d k indness
He is dressed a s a pilgri m w ith th e cockle shel l on
h is h a t the st a ff in h is h a nd a n d t h e w a llet a t h is sid e W ith o n e
h a nd h e p oints to t h e pl a gu e s p ot on h is sid e or l i fts h is robe to
.

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2 71

sho w it H is dog a lso a tt e nds h im P a tron of a ll who a r e in p rison

of a l l s i c k p e rsons in hospita ls but esp e ci a lly of thos e a f ict e d by t h e
p l a gu e A ugust 1 6 A D
S t R o m a i n w hose w hole h istory i s p a inted on th e w indows
of the c a th e dra l of R ouen wa s b ishop of th a t city i n the ti me o f
Clovis 1 H e i s considered a s th e gre a t a postl e of N orm a ndy for h e
pre a ched ther e w ith rem a rk a ble ze a l a n d ov e rthre w p a ga nism T h e
S e i ne a t on e time so o ve r o we d its b a nks a s to thre a ten t h e d e s t r u c
tion of the c ity S t R om a in com m a nded t h e w a t e rs to retire b ut
of t h e slim e a n d m ud w h ich r e m a in e d a poisonous dra gon wa s born

c a ll e d by t h e F rench l a G a rgouille
T his monster spre a d conster
n a tion a l l a long the shore s of t h e ri ver T he n t h e s a int by t h e a i d of
a w ick e d m urd e rer w e nt forth a n d sl e w the b e a st
F rom th is t i m e
it wa s t h e privileg e of t h e ch a pt e r of R ou e n to p a rdon a cri min a l
cond e mned to d e a th ; a n d t h i s wa s so unti l t h e t im e of t h e R e vo l u
F e bru a ry 2 8 A D 639
t ion
S t R o m u a l d o wa s born a t R a v e nn a of t h e nobl e fa m ily of t h e
On e sti a bout t h e ye a r 9 5 6 He w a s tr a ined like oth e r yo u n g nobl e
m en
a n d l ov e d t h e ch a s e ; b ut often a s h e rod e on th e h unt i n t h e
forests of R a venn a h e wa s sooth e d a n d ch a rmed by the be a u ty of
t h e sc e n e ry a n d w ould sl a ck e n h is p a ce a n d b e com e a bsorbed in t h e
t hought of t h e qu iet p e a c e of those who d we lt a lon e w ith N a tur e
T hen h e would bre a th e a pra y e r a n d return t o h is bu sy l ife of
pl e a sur e B ut hi s fa ther S e rgi us w a s a m a n of v e ry d i ffe re n t
m e tt l e
H e wa s p rou d a n d se l f w ill e d a n d co uld brook no opposi
tion H a ving d is a gre e d w i th a r e l a t ive conc e rning t h e succession
of a c e rt a in p a sture h e ch a ll e ng e d h i m to comb a t a n d slew hi m
R om u a ldo wa s presen t a t t h e tim e a n d wa s so ov e rpowered w ith
horror th a t h e b e l iev e d it h is duty to e xpi a te h is fa th e r s crim e
H e retir e d to a mon a stery ne a r R a venn a S a nt A pollin a re i n Cl a sse
Bened ictin es But h is e nth usi a stic
a n d a ssu med t h e h a bit of t h e
a n d sensiti ve temper a me n t s u ffer e d m u ch from th e irregul a riti e s of
cert a i n monk s ; a n d b e concei v e d t h e i d e a of est a bl ish ing n e w mon a s
tic instit utions a ccord ing to the pure spirit w hi ch h e fel t sh ould
control th e m a n d o f reform ing t h e old on e s a n d ra ising th e m to t h e
s a m e st a nd a rd H e nc e fort h h is l ife w a s a continuous b a ttl e H e
.

Th e re

a re n o a u

th e n ti c

a c s of

th e

l i fe

of

St R
.

oc h .

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S T OR I E S

h a t e d a n d reviled by un worthy monk s e v e ryw h e re a n d e v e n his

l ife wa s i n d a nger fro m the bittern ess of their e n mity t o hi m But
h e scorn ed a ll d a nger a n d despised a l l pers e cution a n d fought most
bra vely by pra yer a n d l a bor for t h e c a use he h a d undert a k e n t o
m a i nt a in H is rst mon a stery w a s fo unded n e a r A rezzo i n th e
A pennines ; in a glen c a lled C a m po M a l d o l i from t h e n a me of th e
fa mily to w hom i t belonged F ro m th i s t h e ne w orde r wa s c a lled
th a t of the C a m a ldoli T h e m embers o f th is order a r e cons e cra ted
to perpetu a l service to Go d ; th e y strictly pra ctise solitude silen c e
but ev e ry o n e
a n d contempl a tion ; th e y do n o t e v e n e a t together
l i v e s i n a sep a ra te b ut with h i s own ga rden in order to comply
T h e C a m a ldolesi a r e a mong
w ith t h e requ ir e m e nts for m a nu a l l a bor
th e most sev e re o f a ll monks a n d a r e in fa ct herm its in societies
A ccording to the l egend t h e color of t h e h a bit of h is order was
ch a nged i n thi s w i se N o t long b e fore h is de a th th e s a int fell a sle e p
b eside a fount a i n not f a r from h i s cel l a n d h e beheld a v ision of a
l a dder re a ch ing from e a rth to h e a ven on w h ich t h e brethren of h is
order a scended by twos a n d thre e s a n d a l l dressed in w hite S o h e
i mmed i a tel y ch a ng e d t h e color wh ich h a d b e e n bl a ck a n d wh it e h a s
ever since b e e n worn by t h e C a m a l dol e si T h irty y e a rs a fter h is
secession from h is rst con v e n t h e h a d b e c o m e fa mo us througho ut
the north of I t a ly a n d h a d com m un iti e s of r e form e d m onks n u mber
ing h undreds He is represente d w ith a l o o s e w h i te h a bit a n d a ful l
be a rd wh i ch fa l ls to h is girdl e h e l e a ns u po n a cr u tch F e bru a ry 7
w as

1 02 7

l o (L e t S R om u l us ) wa s a nob l e R om a n w hom
a ccord ing to t h e legend S t
Pet e r sent t o p re a ch t o t h e p e o pl e of
F iesole wh ic h wa s th e n a m ost i mport a nt E trusc a n city
A ft e r th us
being the a postle h e bec a m e t h e rst bi shop of F i e so l e H e wa s a t
l ength a ccu sed b e fore t h e praetor a s a Christi a n a n d wa s s e ntenced
to su ff er de a th T h is wa s in t h e t i m e of N ero A fter su ffering th e
m ost cruel t orture s h e w a s sl a in w ith a d a gge r T h e old c a th edra l
o f F i esol e i s ded ic a ted to S t
R om ulo
H e i s r e pr e s e nt e d i n t h e
e piscop a l robes a n d be a rs th e p a lm
J uly 23
S a n t a R o s a d i L i m a wa s born a t Li m a i n Peru a n d is t h e only
c a n on ized fem a le s a int of th e N e w World S h e w a s d istinguished by
h er extreme h a tred of v a nity T h e sev e riti e s of h er li fe a lso w ere
v e ry gre a t S h e wa s e sp e ci a lly be a utifu l i n h e r com pl e xion ; h e n ce
St

om

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her

273

name
S h e rejected many su itors and at l ast destroyed her
great charm w ith a compound of pepper and qu icklime W hen h er
mother commanded her to wear a wreath of roses she so arranged it
that it was in truth a crown of thorns Her food was principally
bitter herbs S h e was a model of l ial devotion and maintained her
parents by h er labor after th ey had become poor toiling all day i n
her garden and all night w ith her needle S h e took the h abit of
T h e Peruvian legend r elates
the T h ird Order of S t Dom in ick
th at wh en Pope Clement X w as asked to canonize h er h e refused

exclai ming I ndia y S anta ! asi como ll ueven rosas ! ( I ndia an d

saint as l ikely as that i t should rai n roses
Instantly a shower
of roses co m menced in the Vatican and d id not cease till the Pope

acknowle dged h is m istaken incredulity S tirling s Artists of S pain

th us speaks of S anta R osa : Th is ower of S anctity whose fra

granee h as lled th e w hole C hristian world i s the patroness of
America the S t Teresa of Tran satlantic S pain
In a picture by
M urillo she is represented w ith a thorny crow n 3 holding in her
h and the gure of the Infan t S avi our w h ich rests on ful l
b l own
roses August 3 0 A D 1 6 1 7
S t R o s a d i V i t e r b o w as a m ember of th e Third Order of S t
F ranc is
S h e li ved in th e th irteenth century and was remarkable
for the inuen ce sh e exercised in V iterbo as well as for her exten s ive
ch arities and the e l oquence of her speech S h e lived a life of great
austerity S h e is now th e patroness of that city to w hi ch wh ile
l iving she w as a bene f a ctress S h e i s represented in a gray tuni c
w ith knotted girdle and a chaplet of roses M ay 8 A D 1 26 1
S t R o s a l i a o f P a l e r m o whose statue towers upon th e su m
mi t of M o nte Pellegrino overlo o k i n g the M edit e rranean a n d cheer
ing th e m ariners who con sider her their pro tectress was a S icil ia n
virgin of noble birth W hen scarcely si xteen years old sh e wi th
dre w from her home and friends secretly an d l i ved in a cave i n
M onte Pellegrino near th e su mmit S h e had rej ected m any suitors
an d longed for th e s o l itude wh ere noth ing co uld d istract her mind
from t h e service of G o d S h e d ied w ith o ut having been d isc o vered ;
and twice after she h ad ascended to h er heavenly bridegroom sh e
interceded fo r Palerm o and saved it fro m th e ravages o f the pesti
lence At length her re mains were d iscovered lying in h er cave ; an d
such w as th e purity of th is unsullied virgin that they remained
.

18

27 4

L E G E ND S A N D

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u nc o r rupted even i n death Her nam e was inscri bed above h er i n

the rock and on her head was a crown m a d e of th e roses o f Parad ise
and plac e d there by angels H er cave has become a chapel t o w hich
pilgrims res o rt
S h e i s usually represented reclin ing i n h er cave
w hich is bright with celestial light ; angels crown h er w ith roses and
she h o lds a cruci x upon h e r breast Again sh e is seen stand ing
and inscribing her n ame upon th e rock S h e wears a brown tun i c
sometimes ragged and h er hair i s loose about h er
S eptember 4
.

A D
.

1 1 60

ry T h e
Th e beads used by Cathol ics and called by this
name are so often represented i n a r t th at a n expl anation of their
Th e u se of beads to
u s e an d sign i cation w ill not be out of place
assist th e memory in regard to th e n u mber of prayers recited i s of
very ancient date an d of E astern origin
Th ey w ere employed by
th e an cient anchorites an d also by t h e Bened ictines before th eir
became general i n the C h urch T he rosary i n i t s present a o
u se
Dom in ick He in vented a n e w
c e p t e d form w as instituted by S t
arrangement of th e beads and dedicated i t to th e Blessed Virgin
T h e festival of the R osary was instituted by G regory X II I after th e
battle of L epanto A D 1 5 7 1 and fro m th is ti m e i t becam e p o pular
as a subj ect of art and th ere are large n u mbers of p ictures w h ich
relate to its instit ution A complete rosary has one h undred and fty
small beads and fteen l arger ones T he l atter represent th e Pater
nosters and the former the Ave M arias Th e large beads d i vide th e
rosary into fteen decades each one con sisting of ten Ave M arias
preceded by a l arge h e a d or Pater noster and all concl uded w ith a
F i ve decades m ak e a ch aplet wh ich i s a th ird part
G lori a Patri

o f a r o sary To th ese beads a cru ci x is added T he M ysteries of

the R o sary consist i n th e assign ing of a certain event i n th e l i fe
o f the Virgin or i n the l ife of th e S aviour to each decade There
are ve j oyful mysteries w h i ch are th e Annun ciation t h e Visita
tion th e Nativ ity th e P urication an d Christ found i n th e Te mple ;
ve d o lorous or sorrowful m y steries O ur L o rd i n th e G ard en
of G eth s eman e th e F l a gellati o n C hrist C rowned w ith Thor ns the
Processi o n t o Cal vary a n d th e Cru ci xion ; ve glorio us mysteries
th e R esurrecti o n th e A scension t h e Descen t of the Holy G h o st th e
Assu m pti o n of o ur L ady and h er C o ro nati o n The rosary in th e h and

r
e
o r about the person of a s a i n t signies th at they obtained aid
p
R

osa

IL L

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intercessione dell S acratissi mo R osario

When h eld before the
M adonna i t ind icates that by the use of it sh e i s to be hon o red i n
short the rosary was intended to excite and assist devotion i n various
ways and its representations ill ustrate the same idea F esti val of the
R osary rst S unday in October
S e e S t J ustina of S ev ille
S t R u n a
S t S a b i n a to whom a ch urch is dedi cated at R ome w as a nobl e
matron w ho su ff ered martyrdom during th e reign of H adrian T h e
ch urch wh ich dates from the early part of the fth century i s said to
occupy the site of h e r house and t h e altar piece represents a s o ldier
dragging the saint u p th e steps of a temple w ith a sword i n h is
hand W ith her S e r a ph i a a Greek slave w ho had converted S a
b ina was also executed Her attrib ute i s the palm August 2 9
second century
Th i s i s th e t itle gi ven to th e house i n w h i ch th e
S a n t a Ca s a
Blessed Virgin was born at Nazareth According to th e legen d this
h o u se was threatened w ith profanation or destruction at the t im e of
the invasion of th e S aracen s w he n four angels took i t and bore it
over sea an d land to th e coast of D almatia ; but there i t was not
safe an d the angels again removed it to a spot near L oretto ; but
here th e brigands i nvaded it an d i t was again removed to the
spot w here i t now remains sai d to h ave b een done in 1 29 5
The M adonna di L oretto i s represented as holding the Infant S a v
i o u r and seated u pon th e roof of a house w h ich is borne by
four angels
L oretto becam e one of th e most celebrated places of
p ilgrimage an d many chapels h ave been dedicated to O ur L ady of
L oretto
V ery l itt l e is kno wn of th i s saint
S h e was th e
S t S c h o la st i c a
sister of S t Benedict and fo l lowed hi m to M onte C assino and there
gathered about h er a smal l commun ity of n un s Benedict v isited
h er b ut once every year At one time wh en h e arose to take leave
of her sh e begged h i m t o remai n longer and wh en h e refused sh e
bent her head and prayed that G o d wo uld interfere to detain h er
brother w ith her Then i mmed iately a furi o us storm arose and h e
was forced to remain for several hours T h is was their last parting ;
f o r t wo days after S t S cholastica died and Bened ict saw h er soul
ascend to h eaven in t he form of a dove wh ile h e was praying i n h is
cell S h e is represented in a b l ack h abit w ith a dove at her feet or

2 76

E G E ND S A ND

IE S

S T OR

F ebru ary 1 0
pressed t o h er bosom an d a l ily i n h er h and
about 5 4 3
S t S e b a l d i s one of th e most distingu ished among the early G e r
man saints and is especially venerated i n N uremberg Th e l egends
relate that he was the son of a Dan i sh k ing and l eft E ngl an d w ith
His name i n E ngl ish i s S ew ard S i ward or S ig wa r d
S t Boni face
He travelled through the north of G ermany preach ing as a m i ssion
ary and at last l ived permanently i n N uremberg Wh il e h e d wel t
i n a cell not far fro m th e city he w ent th ere al most d aily t o teach
the poor H e w as i n th e h abit of stopping to rest in th e b u t of a
cartwrigh t O n e day w he n it w as v ery cold h e fou n d t he family i n
the b u t n early frozen and th ey h ad n o fuel T hen S ebald com manded
th em to bring in th e i cicl es wh i ch h ung fro m the roof and u se them
to feed the re They obeyed and w ere t hu s m iraculo usly warmed
Again the saint desired sh for a fast day an d sent th e same cart
w right to b uy it Now th e L ord of Nu remberg h ad com mand ed th at
no pers o n sh o u ld b uy sh unt il th e castl e w as su p pl ied ; so th e p o or
m an was punish ed by h aving h is e yes p ut o ut B ut S t S ebald r e
stored h is sight His wonderful sh rine in th e ch urch at N uremberg
w as m a d e according to i ts inscription by Peter Visch er an d h is ve
sons These sons with their fam il i es all d welt w ith th e fath er Peter
and shared al ike h i s labors h i s re wards and h is fam e I t was com
ni sh ed i n 1 5 2 3 and remains und isturbed T he
m e n c e d in 1 5 08
sain t i s represented in h is statue by Peter Vi sch er as a pilgri m w ith
shell in b a t rosary staff and wall e t He holds i n h is h and a model
of h is ch urch About A D 7 70
S t S e b a s t i a n ( L a t S S c b a s t i a n u s ; I t a l S a n S ebastian o or
Bastiano ; F r S t S e bastien S p and Ge r S ebasti an ) Th e legend
o f th is saint th o ugh very old h a s th e ad vant a ge o f being better
authenticated by h ist o ry th an m any anti qu e trad itions S ebasti an
w as descended from a noble fam ily w h i ch had been h on o red w ith
h igh o fces in th e empire He was born at Narbonn e and wh en still
q uite young was m ad e com mander of a com pany of th e Praetorian
G u ards a n d was th us al ways n ear th e em peror D i o c l etian w i th
w h om he was an especial favorite N o w S ebas tian was secretly a
C hristian and wh ile from th i s very fac t h e c o nscientio usly fullled
all h is d uties to th e em peror h e also protected the Chri stians and
ende avored to make converts an d i n th is last h e wa s very successfu l
.

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277

Among those whom he had thu s in uenced w ere two young soldiers
of noble fam ily called M arcus and M arcel l in us Th ey were accused
as C hristians and condemned to the torture this they rmly end ured
an d w er e led out for execution Th en th e ir famil ies their w i ves an d
ch ildren besought the m to recant and l i ve That wh ich th e tortures
coul d n ot effect these prayers and tears were about to do they
w ave r ed ; then S ebastian regardless of hi mself rushed forward an d
el o quently exhorted the m that they sho u ld not betray their R e
deemer S o earnest w as he and so great was h is power that th e
two s o ld iers w ent boldly to their death w h ile th eir friends many of
the guards and e ven th e j udge h imse l f were also converted a n d
secre t ly baptized N o w S ebastian s ti me h ad come ; but before h is
u b l i c accu sation the emperor so loved h i m that h e sent for h im to
p
see if pri vately h e could not in uence h im to sav e h is life And h e
said Have I not al ways h onored th ee above th e rest of m y o fcers ?
W hy h ast tho u disobeyed my commands and insulted my gods ?
T hen an swered the young saint w ith courage b ut also w ith meek
n ess
O C aesar I h ave ever prayed in the n am e of Jesus Christ for
thy prosperi ty and h ave been true to thy servi ce ; b ut as for the
gods who m tho u wouldst h ave m e worsh ip th ey are devils or at
bes t i dols of wood and stone
After th is D iocletian ordered th at
S ebastian sho ul d be bound to a stake and shot to death w ith arrows
bu t t h at it should be inscribed on th e stak e that h e had no fault but
that of being a Christian Then th e arch ers d id the ir d uty an d h e
w as left for dead being pi erced with many arrows At night Irene
th e w idow of one of h is friends wh o h ad been martyred came w ith
her compan ions to tak e h is body away to buri al And 10 ! it was
foun d th at h e was still alive for none of th e arrows had entered a
v ital part Then Iren e took h i m home and carefully tended h i m
unti l h e was w el l again W h en h i s friends sa w h i m they begged
that h e would y from R om e an d save h is l ife b ut S ebastian went
to th e pal ace and stood wh ere h e kne w th e emperor m ust surely see
h i m and h e pl eaded fo r certain condemned ones an d plainly t o ld
the emperor of h is cru elty an d w i ck edness T hen D iocletian being

amazed exclai med Art t h e n not S ebastian ?

And he said I am
S ebasti an whom G o d h ath del i vered from thy h and th at I m ight
testify to the faith of Jesus Christ and plead for h is servants
Then
w as D iocletian doubly infuriated and h e commanded that S ebastian
,

278

E G END S A ND

IE S

S T OR

shoul d be tak en t o the c ircus and beaten to death w ith c l ubs an d

h is b ody thr own i nto the Cl o aca M axi ma and th us h idden from h i s
friends But in spite of a ll th is a l ady named L u cina w h o w as a
C h ristian found means to obtain hi s remains an d they w ere laid w ith
reverent care i n the C atacombs at th e feet of S t Peter and S t Paul
Apollo was th e h eathen god wh o i t w as believed a f icted m e n by
the pla ue ; an d b e i t was w ho m men invoked a gainst i t an d the
arro w w as the emble m of pestilen ce I t woul d see m th at from th e
association of the arrow w ith S t S ebastian th e bel ief arose that h e
w as especially powerful to obtai n ai d again st th is curse ; for there
are accord ing to trad ition m any ci ties w h ic h h ave been saved fro m
the plague by h is intercess ion A century after the great pl a gue i n
the ti me of Gregory th e G reat another fearfu l pestilence ravage d
R ome In th e ch urch of S a n Pietro i n V incol i i s an ancient mosaic
of S t S ebasti an an d on a t a b l e t th e fol l ow ing in scription in L atin :
To S t S ebast ia n M artyr d ispeller of th e pest ilence In the year
of sal vation 68 0 a pern iciou s and severe pestilence in vade d the c ity
of R ome I t was of three m onth s d uration J uly August an d S e p
tember S u ch was the m ultitude of the dead th at on the same
bier paren ts and ch i l dren h u sbands an d w ives w ith brothers and
sisters w ere borne ou t to b uri a l p l aces w h i ch everywh ere ll ed
In add ition to th is nocturn al mirac l e s
w ith bodies h ardly su f ced
al armed th em ; for two ange l s o n e good and th e ot her evi l went
through the city ; an d this last bearing a rod in h is hand as m any
times as h e struck the doors so many mortals fe ll i n t h e s e h ouses
Th e diseas e spre a d for a length of t i me u nti l i t w as announced to a
h oly man that th ere w ould be an end o f th e calam ity i f in th e
ch urch of S t Peter ad V incula an altar sh o u l d be consecrated in
the nam e of S ebasti an th e M artyr ; w h ic h th ing being done i m m e d i
ately th e pestilence as i f driven back by h and was c o mmanded to

F ro m
cease
th is ti me S ebasti an became th e un i versal patr o n
against pestilence wh ich h onor h e h as shared in l ater years w ith
S t R o ch
The pictures of S t S ebastian are innu merable an d n u
m istakable
He i s young beautiful w ithou t d rapery bound to
a tree and pierced by arrow s
H e l o ok s to h eaven w h ence de
scends an ang e l w ith pal m and crown He i s th e favorite sai nt
o f Rom an w omen
and indeed of the women of al l I taly Jan u ary
,

I L L US T R A T E

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279

especially venerated at Asti is one of th e saints

of the Theban legion S e e S t M aurice
S e v e n J o y s T h e and T h e S e v e n S o rr o w s o f t h e B l e s s e d
The subj ects
V i r g i n are often represented in series of pictures
o f the se ven j oys are : ( l ) T he Ann unci ation ; (2) The Visitati o n ;
3
The
Adoration
of
the
M
agi
4
Th
e
Presen
t
ation
i
n
th
e
Temple
; ( )
( )
6
C
hrist
foun
d
by
M
ary
d
ispu
ting
w
ith
the
Doctors
Th
e
5
;
( )
( )
Assu mption ; ( 7) Th e C oronation T h e seven sorrows represent
1
2
F
Th
e
Prophecy
of
imeon
The
l igh t into E gypt ; ( 3 ) C hrist
S
; ( )
( )
lost by h i s M oth er ; (4 ) The Betrayal of C hrist ; ( 5 ) The C ru cixion
( only S t J oh n and th e Virgin present ) (6) Th e Tak ing down fro m
the C ross ; (7) Th e Ascension of Christ leaving M ary on earth
S e v e n S l e e p e r s o f E p h e s u s T h e ( I t a l I S ette D ormienti ;
F r L e s S ept D ormants L e s S ept E nfants d E ph e s e ; Ge r
D ie
Th is traditio n i s of great anti quity
G ibbon
S ieben S c h l af e r )
says it can be traced to w ith in fty years of the ti me of the miracle
it relates T here i s scarcely a writte n tongue in wh ich i t is not
found S yriac L ati n and S candinavian relate i t and the wri ter
of th e Koran h as given it a place In th e ti me of the persec u tion
of D eci us there dwelt i n E ph esus seven yo ung men wh o were Chris
tians Their names were M a xi m i a n M alch us M arcian D ionysi us
J ohn S erapion and C onstantine Having refused to o ff er sacri ce
to the gods they w ere accused before the tribunal They ed to
M t Coelian a n d h id i n a cave T hey were p ursued and d iscovered
Then i t was ordered that great stones sho uld be rolled against the
m outh of the cave and they should thus be left to die of starvation
Th ey resigned themsel ves to th i s dreadful fate and embracing each
other went to sleep Time rolled on until one h u ndred and n inety
si x years had passed Then i n th e reign of Theod o si us a her e sy
ar o se denying the resurrection of the dead T h e emperor greatly
aficted at th is retired to h is palace and dressed h i mself in sackcl o th
an d sprinkled ash es on h is h ead ; and G o d fo r h is sake restored
th ese seven sleepers F o r a certai n man of E phesus went to M t
C oelian to bu ild hi m a stable and h e disco vered th is cavern and
rolled t h e stones a w ay When the l ight entered there the sleepers
awok e and though t th ey h ad slept but for a nigh t Then i t w as
determined th at M alchu s sh oul d venture int o E ph esu s to obtain
H e went w it h fear and caution and was surpri s ed to nd t h e
f ood
St Se
.

c un

du s ,

'

280

L EGE N

D S A ND

IE S

S T OR

gates of th e city surmounted by crosses Then w hen h e entered

w ith in the walls he h eard the nam e qf C hri st w h ich h e had bee n
accustomed to sigh fo rth o nly w ith h is breath bo l dly spoken e very
He bel ieved h i mself in a dream He entered a baker s sh ep
w here
and in payment for h i s loaf h e o ffered a coi n o f th e time of Deci us
H e was regarded w ith great aston ish men t and s uspected of h aving
robbed som e h idden treasure W hen accused h e kne w not w hat to
say an d h e was dragged to the bishop w ith contu mely and reproaches
W hen th e bishop had talked w i th h im th e truth was d iscovered
Then w ent o ut the emperor th e governor th e bishop and hosts of
th e people an d th e six other s l eepers were foun d i n th e cave Th en

w h en th e emperor w as com e one of th e m sai d Beli e ve in u s 0

E mperor ! for w e h ave been rai se d before the D ay of J udgm ent i n
order th at tho u m ightest trust i n th e resurrection of th e d ead !
Th en they all bowed their heads and gave u p th e ghost R e p r e
se n t a t i o n s of th is legend are very common among works of art of th e
th irteenth and fourteenth century i n glass m ini atures and sculpture
Th ey are u sually extended i n th eir cave side by side Th eir nam es
are i nscribed above their h eads and th ey h ave the martyr s pa l m
J u ne 2 7
w ere proph etesses w ho foreto l d th e com ing of
S ibyl s T h e
C hrist to the G entiles as th e proph ets d id to th e J e ws T hey are
i n th e art of the L atin C h urch wh at the sages of an tiqui ty were to
th e Greeks and a r e i n fact a k in d of w itnesses to th e truth of Chris
I t m ay b e sh own th at th e C h urch m ad e u se of the w itness
t i a n it y
D ies Irae
sai d to
o f the s ibyls by an extract from th e hymn
h ave been written by Pope Innocent I I I It i s translated th us i n
th e E ngl ish version of th e M issal :
.

'

d df l d y t h d y f i
S h ll k i dl t h
v gi g
A
d t h x piri g w rld
A d E rth
S i byl
i d f ld
A d
t h p r ph t k i g f r t ld
S h ll b i r i h rl d
T he

re a

e a

r ou n

e e

as

en

re

re

sa

u n

as

o e

"

Their origin was obscure ; th ey w ere regarded as h o l y v i rgins w h o

l i ved i n caves an d grottos Th ey w ere bel ie ved to h ave th e power
to read th e future and were interro gated by the ir v o taries u po n i m
ortant
m
atters
and
their
ans
w
ers
were
considered
authoritati
ve
p
,

I L L US T R A T E D IN
V arro ,

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28 1

w ho wrote about one h undred years B

gi ves th eir n umber
as ten and their n ames as taken from th e locali ties o f thei r ha b ita
t ions : The S i bylla Persica fro m Persia ; the S ibylla L i by c a from
L i bya ; th e S ibylla D e l ph i c a fro m Delph i ; the S i byll a E r y t h r wa
fr o m E rythraea ; th e S ibylla C umana from C um ae ; the S ibylla S am ia
from S amos ; the S ibylla C i mmeria fro m the Black S e a ; the S i bylla
T iburtina from Ti vol i the S ibylla H e l l e spo n t i n a fro m the Hellesp o nt
the S ibylla Phrygia from P hrygia T wo others called th e Agrippa
or the Hebraica and th e E ur opa were added i n later ti mes a s well
as others seldom referred to S ometi mes the Queen of S heba is
represented as one of these wonderfu l beings There h ave been
serious d isagreements in th e O p in ions of th e F ath ers of th e C h urch
S o me
regarding t h e sibyls and th e wort h o f th ei r pr o phecies
of th e early F athers considered th em agents of Beelzebub wh ile
others incl udi n g S t J erom e an d S t Augustine bel ieved the m to be
inspired of Go d T h e t wo most interesting trad itions of th e sibyls
i n th i s connection are those of th e C um aean and Ti burtine S ibyls
w h o appeared to K ing Tarqu i n and t h e E mperor A ugustus The
rst th e Cu m aean presented herself to Tarqu in w ith n in e bo o ks
w h ich sh e desired to sell hi m They contained S ibyll in e Oracles
Tarquin refuse d her request S h e w ent away an d b u r ned three of
the m an d returned w it h six Again h e refused ; again sh e burned
three and again returned w it h the three re m ai ning Then Tarquin
sought the ad vice of the soothsayers an d th ey assured h i m that th e
destinies of the world depe n ded upon the preservation of th ese oracles
S o th ey were bought an d for cen turi es after were consulted on all
gr e at em ergenci es of t h e R oman nation They w ere preserved i n the
Capitol under th e care of priests but during th e w ars of M ariu s an d
Then messengers w ere sent far an d w ide al l
S ylla they perish ed
thr o ugh the empire to collect the scattered S ibylline leaves and as
many as w ere found were again carefully preserved Th e id ea of th e
ancien t R omans as recorded by Tacitus and S ueton i u s th at those
w h o sho uld rul e the worl d should come o ut from J ud aea is bel ieved
to have been deri ved from th ese S ibyll in e leaves Again wh en the
R oman S enate decreed d i vine honors to Augustus he consulted the
T ib urtine S ibyl wh ether h e ough t to receive th em S h e repl ied that
i t w as m ore beco m ing for h i m wh o se power was decl ining to go a w ay
from h er si l ently for a Hebre w ch ild wo uld be born w ho wo uld
.

28 2

L E G EN

DS

AN D

IE S

S T OR

reign over th e gods th emsel ves ; or that a k ing wo u ld come from

h eaven wh ose k ingdo m would n e ver end Another version relates
th at th e h eavens w ere opened an d a v ision o f the Virgin w ith the
Infan t S aviour in h er arms standing on an altar was sh o wn h im and

a voice wa s h eard saying H ae c ara l i i De i ( Th is i s the al tar o f

T he emperor adored th e v i sion and reported it t o
t h e S o n of G o d )
th e S enate A n d i n rem embrance of it b e erected u pon th e Capit o l

an altar inscribed Ara primogeniti D ei

O n th is spot stands th e

ch urch of S anta M ari a in C a p ito l io o r th e Ara c aeli

A passage of
i s also quoted as proving that th e
V irgil w ho wrote forty years B
advent of C hrist was foretold in S ibyll ine proph ecy
It is th us
tran slated
Th e l ast age of th e C um aean son g n e w approach es ; th e
grea t series of ages begin s again ; now ret u rn s th e Virgin (Astraea )
n o w return th e S aturn ian k ingdoms n o w a n e w progeny is sent fro m
h igh heaven Be b ut propitiou s chaste L u cina to th e boy at h is
birth through w ho m th e iron a ge w i ll rst cease an d th e golden age
d awn on the wh ole w orld
Th e S iby l s do not appear i n th e earl iest
art They w ere not represented in th e Catacombs In the fou r
t e e n t h century th e v ision o f Augustu s was emp l oyed as a symbol
of the appearing of th e star to the M agi or t h e man ifestation of
C hri st to the G entiles Th ey were employed i n the cycl ical decora
tions of ch urch es w ith the pr o ph ets O ften th ey were about th e
principal entrance or if inside n ear th e door ; their position being

typical of their having been forer u nn ers of th e L ord

T heir

I n the E a stern C h urch th ere i s b ut one l a sa g e

n u mber vari es
Th ey sh ould b e recogn i zed by their scr o lls ; b ut th e i n
S i by l l a
s c r i t i on s h ave been so v ari ed th at th ey are not al ways gu ides
Th
e
p
s ibyls of M ichael Ange l o on th e ceil ing of th e S istin e C hapel are too
w ell know n to need any description and i t h a s been said that th ese

representations are the h igh est h onor that art has rendered to th e

sibyls
Their variou s attribut es dress an d age as nearly as i t i s
possible t o give th em are as follows :
T h e S i by l l a P e r si c a w as s upposed to be a daughter in l aw of
M oses S h e predi cted th e com ing of th e M essiah S h e i s old ; a n d
h er attributes are a serpent beneat h h er feet and a l antern in her
h an d
T h e S i byl la I / i bg/ca proph esied th e m an i festati o n o f Christ to t h e
Gen ti l es
S h e is twenty four years o l d an d bears a l ighted torch
.

IL L US T R
l
i
b
S y la

The

E r y t h r ce

A T ED I N

AR T

283

is t h e pro ph e tess o f D i vine vengean ce

S h e pr e d i c t e d t h e T r oj an War ; i n this charact e r s h e h o lds a naked
sw o rd But i t is al s o said t h at she fo re t o ld t h e An n unciati o n and
in this r e pr e s e ntation she has a w hite r o s e
S h e is o ld
T h e S i by ll a D e lp h i c a
H er attri b utes are a horn or the cro wn of
th o rn s
T h e S i by l l a S a m za
Attrib utes a reed or a cradle S h e l ived it
i s su pp o sed i n the ti me o f I saiah
T h e S i by l l a Ci m m e r i a proph esied the Crucixion
S h e is eightee n
years old and has a cross o r a cruci x
T h e S i by l l a Cu m a n a i s fte e n years old ; and h er attribute i s a
m anger she h aving fo r ese e n the Nati vity in a stable
T h e S i by l l a H e ll e sp o zt i n a pr o phesied the Incarn ation and also the
Cru ci xion H er attributes a r e th e cruci x and a budding r o d
Attri b utes a
T h e S i by l l a P h r yg i a prophesied the R esurrection
banner and a cross
T h e S i by l l a T i bu r t i n a symbolizes th e mocking an d th e a g e ll a t i o n
of Christ S h e is dressed in sk ins and bears a rod
Attribute a scou rge ft een years old
T h e S i by l l a A g r ip p a
T h e S i by l l a E u r op a pro ph esied th e M assacre of the Innocents
Attribute a sword f teen years old S o meti mes all the sibyls h ave
book s i n wh ich th ey read ; or they bear torches or lanterns ; an d
some h ave a sun on the head
S t S i g i s m o n d o f B u r g u n d y (I t a l S a n G ismond o ) was the
son of Go n d u b a l d and the cousin o f S t Clotilda wi fe of C l o vis K ing
of F rance G o n d u b a l d wa s an Arian and h ad m urdered the parents
of Cl o tilda
S igismond w as a de v o ut C ath o l i c ; bu t he fell into
grievou s sin by putting to death h is eld e st s o n o n the accu sat ion
of h i s sec o n d w ife w ho hated an d falsely accu sed the son of h e r
pr e d e cess o r
S igismond later was seized w ith remorse and sorely
re p ented h is cri me H e prayed th at h is deserved p un ishment m igh t
be in icted i n th is world rath er than i n the next and his pray er was
granted ; fo r Ch l o d o m i r th e barbaro u s king of the F ranks in vaded
h is kingd o m t o ok h i m prisoner a n d nally dro wned h im in a well at
C o lu melle fo ur leagues fro m O rl eans His b o dy wa s a t l e ngth fo und
an d rem o v e d t o the conv e n t of S t M aurice In a ch ap e l d e dicated
to S t S i g ismond i n Cremona F ran c e sco S fo rza was m arri e d to
B ianca Viscont i and in witness of h is l ove and gratit u de he adorn ed
a

'

28 4

E G E ND S A ND

S T OR

IE S

th is chape l w i th great beau ty S t S igismond is represented in the

splen d id altar p i e ce by G i ul i o Camp i H e is patr o n sa int of Cremon a
.

May 1 ,

A D

im

e on

in

5 25

T h

P roph

Se e

the M adonn a

T he Presentation

em ple
S t S i m o n Z e l o t e s or T h e Z e a l o t ; S t J u d e T h a d d e u s
or L e b b e u s ( It a l S a n S imon e S a n T addeo ; F r S t S i mon l o Z e lc
S t T h a d d e ; Ge r J ud as Thadd a us )
S t S imon is surna m ed the
Canan aean or C anaan ite an d Zelotes or the Zealot t o distingu is h
h i m fro m S t P e ter and from S t S im eon the brother o f S t James

t h e L e ss
Th e name Canan aean has in Syro C haldaic t he same

m eaning w h ich t h e w o rd Zelotes bears i n G reek S t L uke trans

lat e d i t ; but the other E vangel ists retained th e original n ame for

Ca n a t h i n S yro C h a ldaic or m o dern H ebre w signi es

zeal
St
J ud e is d istingui shed fro m th e Iscariot by the surname of Thaddeus
a n d also b y that of L e b b e u s
H e w as brother to S t Jam es the L ess
also t o S t S im e o n of Jeru sal em and a certain Joses ; all of w ho m
w e r e k i nsmen of Chri st their m o th er being th e sister of the Blessed
V irgin
S t J u de wrote a Cath o lic or general epistle to all the
ch urches of th e E ast We h ave n o au thenti c rec o rd of the labors
of th e se Ap o stles nor of th e mann er of th e ir m art yrdom It i s
S i mon was sawn asunder and S t J ude k illed
t h o ugh t that S t
They therefo re bear the s a w and h alberd as th eir
w ith a halberd
attributes Th ey are som eti mes represented as yo u n g and again as
old a cc o rding to th e trad iti o n w h ich the arti st follows I n G reek
art J ude and Th adde us are d i ff erent persons J ude being yo ung an d
T haddeu s o ld
Th e y have rar ely been represented as m embers of th e
S acra F amigl i a and w hen s o intr o d u ced h ave th eir n am es in th e
glori e s ab o ut the ir h eads B o th sain t s are honored on O ct o ber 28
S t S i r o o r S y r u s w h o se statu e i s i n th e cath edral of Pavia
w a s rst bish o p of th at city an d governed the ch urch ft y six years
H is e fg y ap pe ars o n th e coins of Pavia
S t S t a n i s l a s K o t z k a a young Polish n o bl eman was among
He was d istingu ish ed fo r h is
t h e earl i e st pu pil s o f th e Jesu i ts
p iet y as a ch ild His m o th er ed u cated h i m u ntil h e was fo urteen
wh e n he w en t t o V i e nna He entered th e S o ciety o f Jesu s th ro ugh
He d ied at R o me w h en b u t seven
t h e in fl uenc e o f F r a ncis B o rgia
teen Once he fel l si ck at V ienn a and being apparently near death
t he T

IL L

A T E D IN

US TR

A R T

28 5

desired th e Wa t i c u m
The l and l ord a L uth eran wou l d not su ffer i t
to be brought p ubl icly to the house w hereupon th e saint seemed
i n a vi si o n to receive comm union at the hands of a n angel He is
represented i n art on a co uc h w it h a n angel at h is side He is one
of th e patron saints of Poland and as s uch h is attribute i s the lily
No ve m ber 1 3 A D 1 5 8 9
S t S t e p h e n P r o t o m a rt y r (L a t S S teph an us ; I t a l S a n S t e
fano ; F r S t E tienne ; Ge r Der Heilige S tefan ) L ittle has been
added to th e S cri pture account of this holy deacon by tradition or
the fancy of his votaries H is name i s sign i cant of faith devotion
z eal and end uring l ove
; i t com mands the veneration of th e world

stand ing as i t does at the head of t he great and noble army of

martyrs
He was chosen deacon d uring the rst m in istry of Peter
and d id great wonders an d m iracles He was falsely accu sed of
speak ing b l asphe mously of th e Tem ple and th e J ew ish law F o r
th is h e was condemned to death and stoned by the peopl e o utside
of th e gate at Jer u sal em now called by h is n ame The legend con
cern ing h i s rel ics relates th at i t was not known for four h undred years
w hat h a d become of h is body Then a certain priest of Ca r s a ga m a l a i n
Palesti n e name d L u ci an had a v isio n in wh ich G amaliel the sam e
w h o h ad in structe d Pau l i n a l l th e learning of th e Jews appeared to
h i m an d revealed th e burying p lace of S tephen G amal iel h imself
h ad taken up the body and had p l ace d it i n h is o wn sep ul chre w here
h e had also interred N icodemu s and other holy m e n an d saints Th is
dream or v ision was repeated a secon d and th ird time Then L ucian
w ith the sanction of th e bishop d ug in a garden th at h ad bee n
pointed out and foun d th e reli cs of S t S tephen a n d their wonderfu l
sanctity was pro ved by m any m iracles They were rst placed i n the
ch urch of S ion at Jer u salem ; th en carrie d by Th e o dosius to Con
e re
s t a n t i n o p l e ; an d l astly b
Pope
Pel
agi
us
to
ome
wh
ere
th
ey
w
R
y
deposited i n th e sam e tomb w ith those of S t L aurence T h e l e gend
adds th at when the s a r c 0 ph a g u s was O pened to recei ve these sacred
remains S t L auren ce m oved to th e left thus givin g th e h o norabl e
r ight hand to S t
S teph en
O n th is account S t L aurence is called

by th e p o pulace of R o m e 1 1 cortese S pagnu olo ( the court e o us

S t S teph en i s represen ted as young and beardless
in t h e dress o f a deac o n The dal matica i s square and straight at
t h e bottom w ith large sleeves and h eavy gol d tas sels h anging fr o m
.

father and mother were bapti z e d l ate in l ife by S t Adel bert the N orth
u mbrian m issionary
T hey gave th eir son the name o f the P ro t o
S tephen was th us t h e rst C hristian k ing of H unga ry
m artyr
He
found h is country i n ignorance and heathenism h e not only Chris
b ut he s ubd ued oth er pagan nations abou t h i m and
t i a n iz e d it
br o ught the m also into the C h urch H e sent to R om e requesting
th e pope to gr a n t h i m the titl e o f king an d to gi ve h i m h is bened ic
tion The pope sent h i m a cro wn and a cross to be borne before h is
army M aria Teres a w as crowned w ith th is diadem w h ich was pre
served at Presburg S t S teph en m arried the sister of S t H enry
c a lled G ise l a No ch ild survi ved h im a n d h is s o n S t E meri c i s
associated w ith h i m in th e veneration of the H ungarians H e i s rep
resented i n armor with h is crown A s apostle of H ungary h e h e a r s the
standard w ith the cross and th e sword S eptember 2 A D 1 03 8
S e e S t Veron ica
S u da r i u m
S t S u s a n n a was th e d augh ter of G a b i n i u s brother of Pope
S h e was r e
Ca i n s an d nearly related to th e E mperor D iocletian
m arkable for her beauty b ut more so for h er l earn ing
D iocletian
desired her as a w ife for h is adopted son M a x im u s S h e h ad m ad e
a vo w of ch astity and refused even thi s tempting o ff er
T he n
D iocl etian desired hi s e mpress S erena to try her inuence w ith th e
m aiden
B ut S eren a was herse l f a Christian and sympathi zed w ith
A t length D i o cleti an becam e e xa s
S usann a in h e r d eterm ination
e r a t e d at her rmness
and
sen
t
an
exec
uti
o
ner
who
k
illed
h
er
i
n
p
h er o wn ho use H er attributes are the sword and palm August 1 1
.

A D
.

200

Th e illu strations of th e h istory of S usann a are o fte n

seen am o ng w o rk s of art ; indeed

i s seen
S usanna at the Bath
at l east on ce i n al m o st every picture gallery of any si ze S h e w as
o f Babylon the daughter of Ch e l c i a s an d of exceed ing beauty
S he
S usa n

n a

T h e Ca th o

gi ve n ,

am on
g

li

th e

i c l ud e s
i n sp ire d writi n gs

Ch urc h

t h e B ook

of

D a n ie

in

wh i c h th is

h i s to ry is

IL L U S TR

IN

A TE D

AR T

28 7

was m arried t o J o a c i m a very rich man and greatly respected ; and

u nto
T here w a s a fair g a rden
h is h o use a ll th e Jews res o rted
adj o ining this house and there S u sanna was often seen walk ing w it h
h er maids N o w there were two j udges e lders of th e pe o ple and
bot h w icked men w h o came each day to J o a c i m s h o use ; and th ey
both desired to possess S usanna for her beauty h ad inamed the i r
h earts S o it happened that o ne day wh en all the pe o ple departed
at noon they departed also b ut they both r e turned and went into
the garden to w atch for S usanna ; and w he n they m e t there , b e ing
surpri sed they eac h questioned t h e other of w hat h e so ught Th e n
they acknowledged their w icked p urposes an d agreed togeth er that
they would h ide and w ait fo r th e c o ming o f the w o man Then came
S u sann a w ith two maids and i t was warm and sh e th inking th e
garden empty save of herself sent h er maids to bring oil a n d wash
i ng balls that sh e m ight bathe there S o they left her to bring these
th ings and th ey sh ut the door of th e garden as she had also t o ld
them Th en the two j udges l aid hol d of her and they told her their

w icked designs upon h er and th ey said If you consent not unto us

we w ill accu se you and say that w e saw a yo ung m an w it h yo u here
and th e doors w ere sh ut and the maids sent away
Th en S usann a

sighed and said

I am straitened on e very side : for if I do th i s
th ing it is deat h unto m e ; and if I do it not I cannot escape your
hands It is better for m e to fall into your h ands and not do it than
to sin i n the sight of th e L ord
Th en sh e cried o u t and the elders
cried out against h er and they open ed th e do o r and the servants of
th e h o use rush ed in ; then the elders d ec l ared against her and all

were sorrowful for th ere was never su ch a r eport m ade o f S usann a

N o w t h e next day wh en al l t h e people were assembled these elders
came ; and they called for S usann a an d J o a c i m was there and h is
w i fe cam e w ith her ch ildren and her parents and friends Then the
elders made accusati o n against h er that they h ad seen her w ith the
young man and that h e had escaped bu t h er they had retained
And th ey compelled her to raise h er veil and expose h e r beauty to
the peo ple N o w the assembly bel ieved the accusation and she was
c o ndemned to d eath and all her friends were weeping and lled w ith

grief ; but sh e raised h er eyes to heaven and cri ed O everlasting

G o d ! th at knowest the secrets and kn o west al l th ings be fo re they
be ; tho u knowest th at they h ave borne false w itness against m e and
,

28 8

E G E ND S A ND

S T OR

IE S

beh ol d I m ust die wh ereas I n ever did such th ings as th ese m en

h ave mal iciously invented against m e
Then th e L ord h eard her

cry and there aro se a yo ung man called Dan iel and cried o ut
I
am clear from the blood o f thi s woman
Th en the people asked th e
m ean ing of h is words an d h e declared th at i t w as no t j ust to con
d e m n a daughter of Israel w ith o ut exam ination and h e begged the m
to return again to the place of j udgmen t S o they returned ; and
D aniel desired that the elders m ight be separated that he m igh t ques
tion rst on e and th en the other An d i t was so ; an d tak ing them
separately Dan iel asked th em of th e place w h ere th ey h ad seen that
And they contradicted each other
o f wh ich they accused S usann a
for one said it was beneath a mastic tree a n d th e other said t he tree
w as an holm Then D an iel said that hav ing th us l ied th ey c o uld
not be trusted and th e w hol e acc usation was false an d he desired
that they might be p unish ed for their false w itness according to th e
S o they w ere put to death e ven as they h ad intended
l a w of M oses
to k ill S usanna
Then th e fam ily of th e w oman and J o a c i m h er
h usband rej oiced greatly becau se th ere w as n o d ishonesty found i n
h er and Dani el from that d ay forth had great rep utation in th e sight
of th e people
S t S w i db e r t wh o w as a Benedictine monk l eft E ngl and to lead
He
t h e li fe of a m issionary i n F riesland an d th e D uchy of Berg
b u ilt a large m onastery i n Ka i s e r we r d t (abou t six m iles belo w D u s
H e i s represented as a bishop h old ing a
s e l d o r f ) on th e R h ine
star wh ich pr o bably sign ies th e rising ligh t of the G ospel wh ich h e
preach ed to th e pagans M arch 1 A D 7 1 3
S t S w i t h e n was associated w ith S t N eot in ed ucating Alfred
th e G reat H e w as Bishop of W in chester I t i s told of h i m that
w hen su perintending th e bu ild ing of a bridge n ear Winchester 8
poor w o m an com plained to h i m that a w orkm an h ad br o k en the eggs
i n her basket w h ereupon S t S w i then m ad e th e eggs w h o l e H e
wen t to R ome w ith Alfred He d esired th at h is body sh ould be

b uried w ith the p oo r pe o pl e o utsid e th e ch urch u nder the feet of

th e passenge rs and exp o sed t o th e droppings of the e aves fr o m
When the clergy attem pted to rem o ve h i s b o dy to a more
abo ve !
h o n o rable t o mb insid e t h e ch urch th ere came o n a storm of rain
w h ich pre vent e d their d o ing s o ; and th is contin ued fo rty days unti l
the proj ect w as abandoned It wou l d seem th at there cou l d h ave been
,

IL L US T R A T E D IN

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28 9

necessi ty for su ff ering from want of rain i n W inchester in those

ti mes S t S withen is repr e sented as a bish o p J uly 2 A D 8 6 2
S t S y l v e s t e r P o p e (I t a l S a n S il vestro ; F r S t S ilvestre )
He i s represented in p o n t i c a l robes w it h the plai n m itre or the
tri ple tiara w ith the book and crosier as bishop H is pr o per attribute
i s th e bull w hich crouch es at h is feet ; h is dress d i stinguishes h i m
from S t L uk e w h o h as th e ox S ometimes he holds the portraits
of S t Peter and S t Paul December 3 1 A D 3 3 5
F o r legends see Constant in e E mperor
S t T e r e s a ( I t a l S anta Teresa F ondatri ce de i S cal zi ; F r S t e
Th e r e se d e Jsus des Ca r m e s D c h a u ss s Sp L a N u e s t r a S e r a c a
M adra S anta Teresa d e Jesus ) T h e father of th i s saint was Don
Alph onso S anchez de Cepeda and h er m o th er w a s named Beatrix
S h e h erself is called Teresa d A v i l a on account of the place of her
birth w hich w as Av ila i n C astile S h e was born M arch 28 1 5 1 5
and w as one of twel ve brothers and sisters
H er father was ex
exceedingly pious and h er mother extremely rom anti c U nder these
two in uences th e character of th e sai nt was formed A mong her
brothers was one of ardent temperam ent sym patheti c w ith her own
w hom sh e dearly loved
They especi ally delighted i n read ing the
l i ves of th e saints and m artyrs an d they! conceived a passionate
desire to obtai n the crow n of martyrdom th emselves Wh en bu t
eight or n in e years of age they sou ght to go into th e country of th e
M oors h o ping to be taken and sacri ced by the i n d e l s They were d is
appointed in th is proj ect and the n resol ved to become hermits b u t were
prevented from th u s pleasing themsel ves But they besto wed all their
pocket m on ey i n al ms ; and w hene ver they played w ith oth er ch il
dren th e y al ways took th e characters of m onk s and n uns
walk ed
in processions and sang hymns Wh en Teresa w as twel ve years old
h er m oth er d ied D uring her girl h o od she seems t o h ave forgotten
her religi o us i mpressions and to h ave gi ven h ersel f u p to dress and
pleasure pride of position an d self love S h e ardently longed t o be
loved an d ad mired Her fath er saw th e dangers wh ich surrounded
her an d placed her i n a con vent commanding that she should be
strictly secl uded fro m the world Agai n h er rel igi o us n ature was
aro u sed and s h e fe lt that a c o nvent was her o nly haven of peace
an d safety
A marriage w h i ch was disagreea ble had been pro
posed to her The con ict between her differing tastes and inclin a
no

19

29 0

L E G E ND S

IE S

A N D S T OR

tions was so serio us th at she fell ill Again o n h e r rec o very th e

struggl e was renewed a n d a sec o nd ti me sh e was pr o strated by sick
n e ss A l l t h is sh o w s t he extreme sensiti v e ness and ard o r o f her n a
tu re At length t h e writings of S t J erome decided h er to l ead a
rel i g i o us l i fe H e r father c o nsented ; bu t again h er m ental s u ff erings
o n parting from her family nearly c o st h er h e r life S h e entered
the convent o f Carm e l ites at A vila at the a ge of t wenty H ere h er
m ind b e cam e more settled though not at rest and h er h ealt h w as
S h e h erse l f writes th at for twenty years she did
l o ng enfeebled

B ut sh e adds At
n o t nd th e repose for w h ich she had h o ped
length Go d took pi ty on me
I read th e C o nfession s of S t A u
gustine
I saw h o w h e h ad been tem pted h o w he had been tried
and h o w h e had at length conqu ered
F rom th is tim e th ere was
a ch a nge i n h er l ife and feeling Abou t t h e y e a r 1 5 6 1 Teresa set
h er min d u pon refo rm ing th e Order of M o u nt Carme l F rom the
people of Av ila she o btained m oney an d th ere sh e founded h er con
vent S h e dedi cated it to S t Joseph w hom she had chosen fo r h er
patr o n saint W h en sh e entered h e r con ven t sh e had b ut eigh t
n un s w ith her ; befo re h er death there w ere t h irty con vents estab
S h e m et w ith great d i ffi c ul ties bu t
l i s h e d accord ing t o her rule
sh e overcam e them ; and d uring th e l ater years of h er l ife sh e
travelled from con vent to con vent promulgat ing th e refo rm ed rul e s
of h er order and settling all points of d ii c ul t y H er labors w ere
n o t for n unneries al o ne ; sh e also e ff ecte d ch anges in m onasteries and
indeed fo unded fteen con vents for m e n
I t was sh e w h o made th e

Carmelites go barefo ot or sandalled H en ce arises th e term Bare

foot C armel ites

I n I taly th ey are called S cal zi ( th e U n sh od )

and also Padri Teresiani

S t Teresa wrote m any essays and ex
h ortati o ns fo r h er n uns ; som e mysti cal an d poetical w ritings an d
a h istory o f h er l i fe at th e com m and of h er spiritual d irect o rs
S h e n e ver rec o vered th e perfect u se of h e r l i mbs after th e repeated
sicknesses of her youth an d w i th years h er i n r m i t i e s increased
S h e was at t acked w it h h er last illness at th e palace of th e D uch ess
of Al va S h e d esired t o be removed to h er o wn con vent of S a n J o s

In h e r last m o ments sh e re peated th e text fr o m the M iserere

A
br o k en and c o u t r i t e h eart 0 L o rd th o u w il t n o t despise H er shri ne
at Avil a i n th e ch urch o f h e r con vent i s a v ery holy place and many
pi l grims v is it i t T h e n uns of th e con vent a l ways si t o n the s tep s
.

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an d not on the seats of th e choir becau se th ere is a tradition that

th e angels occu pied these seats w henever S t T eresa attended mass
S h e i s represented kneeling ; and a a m e tipped arro w pierces h er
breast a symbol of the fervor of D ivine l o ve w hi ch possess e d her
soul S ometi mes sh e i s gaz ing upwards towards th e h oly dove a
symbol of inspiration a d ivine gift n ever clai med by S t Teresa
Ph ilip I I I chose her for th e second patron saint of S pain rank ing
h er nex t to S antiago The Cortes conrmed h is choi ce October 1 5
,

l 5 82

l (I t a l S anta Tecla ; F r S t e T h c l e ; Ge r D ie Heilige

Thekla ) Although more especially honored by the G reeks Thecla h as
also been accepted and reverenced in the L atin Ch urch S t John pro

n o u n c e d the book called th e

Acts of Pau l and Th ecl a to be spurious ;
but in the earliest days of th e C h urch it was thought the h ighest praise
of any woman to compare h er to S t Thecla T h e l egend rel ates
that when S t Paul preached i n the ho use of Onesiphorus at I con i um
Thecl a coul d hear h is sermons i n h e r ow n house by sitting at the
w i ndo w and she became so entranced by what sh e h eard that s h e
w o ul d not turn h er head or leave th e w indow for any purpose N o w
sh e was betrothed to Th amyris wh o loved h er w ith great de votion
Her mother T h e oc l e a sent for th e youth an d tol d h i m how intent the
m aiden was upon the w ords of Paul that sh e would neith er eat nor
drink and seemed to care for noth ing b ut wh at she heard fro m th e
Apostl e Then Th amyris also entreated her w ith words of love but
sh e would not h eed hi m Then h e com plained to th e govern o r and
th e governor i mprison ed Paul u ntil h e should h ave t ime to h ear h i m
i n h i s own d efence But Thecl a w ent to the prison and bribed the
t urnkey w it h h er earrings an d th e j ail er w ith a s ilver lo o k ing glass
and so gained admission to Paul S h e sat at h i s feet and listened
to h is instructions and kissed h is chains in h er d elight W hen t h e
governor h eard all th is h e commanded th at Pau l sh o uld be scourged
and dri ven ou t of th e city an d that Th ecl a sh ould be burn e d S o
th e young people of the city gathered w o o d for the burning of T hecla
and sh e was brought naked to th e stake wh ere her beauty moved
the hearts of all and even th e govern or wept at the thought of th e
death she was to su ffer B ut when the re was k indled alth o ugh
i t was very large th e ames d id not tou ch h er a n d sh e remained i n
the m idst of i t un inj ured At lengt h the re was extinguished an d
St T he

c a

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sh e m ade h er escape Th en Pau l took her to Ant ioch w he r e she

was again accused before the g o vern or w ho condemned h er to be
th r o wn to the beasts of th e am ph itheatre W hen th is sentence w a s
k no wn i t created great indign ation and th e peopl e cried o u t saying

B ut Thecla s u b
T h e j udgm ents declared in th is city are unj ust
only ask ing o f the governor that her
m i t t e d w ithout reproaches
chastity m ight be respected un t il t h e ti me of h er m artyrd o m No w
w hen the time arri ved th e am ph itheatre was cro wded w ith spectators
Th ecla was depri ved of h er garments and a girdle fa stened about
her w aist and t he beasts w ere l et i n u pon h er M urm urs of rage
and d isapprobation arose from the populace The w omen cried out

O unrighteous j udgment ! 0 cruel sigh t ! Th e w ho l e c ity ought to

su ffer for su ch cri mes ! and a woman named T r i s s i n a w ept al o ud
B ut a erce l ioness bou nded towards T h ecla and wh en sh e reach ed
h er lay down at h e r feet ; all the bears and the l ions al so stretch ed
themselves out as i f asleep Then th e go vernor called l h e c l a an d
asked W ho art thou w oman th at not one of th e beasts w ill to uch

th ee !
And Thecla repli e d
I am a servant of th e l i v ing G o d

and a be l i ever i n Jesu s Chri st h is S o n

And th e governor ordered

th at h er garments sh ould be bro u gh t and say ing to h er P ut on

thy apparel h e released h er
Th en T r i s s in a took Thecla to h er
o wn home
B ut T hecl a desired m u ch to see Paul and determ i ned
to go i n search of h i m T r i s s in a gave h er m u ch money and clothing
for th e poor i n order that Paul m igh t be a ided i n h is w ork Th ecl a
found h i m at M yra in L ycia w h ere he preached an d labored for th e
con version of th e peopl e T hecla returned to I con i u m an d after
years spent i n th e serv i ce of C hrist sh e w as l ed by th e S pirit to
retire to a m ountai n n ear S ele ucia wh ere sh e l i ved in sol itude an d
w a s beset w ith great temptations
W h ile sh e li ved in th i s mou ntain
sh e w ro ugh t m any m iraculou s cures ; so th at when th e si ck w ere
br o ugh t to h er cave th ey were h ealed an d th e physi cians of S ele ucia

w ere of no account Th en th ey consulted an d said Th is wom an

m ust be a priestess of Diana I t is by h er ch astity sh e does these
cures I f w e c o ul d destroy th at h er power wo uld be overthro wn
S o th ey sent ev il men to do h er vi olen ce
A nd Thecla ran fr o m
th em praying fo r aid from Heaven ; and lo ! a great rock O pened b e
fore h er leaving a space large enough for h er to enter ; and w hen sh e
w ent in it cl osed and sh e was seen no m ore but her ve il w hi ch o n e
.

'

"

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of the men had seized remained in h is hand The l egend adds :

Th us su ff ered the blessed v irgin and martyr Thecla w ho came from

I coni u m at eighteen years of age and afterwards partly in j o urneys
and travels an d partly i n a monastic l i fe in th e cave li ved seventy
t wo years so that sh e was n inety years of age w hen the L ord trans
late d her
Thecla is honored as the rst female martyr i n the G reek
Ch urch
S t M arti n of Tours greatly venerated h er and greatly
promoted de votion to her in th e L atin C hurch S h e i s represented
i n brown or gray drapery and bears the pal m Wild beasts are abo ut
her Patron ess of Tarragona S eptember 23 F irst cent ury
S t T h e o d o r e (L a t S Theodorus ; I t a l S a n Teodoro ; Ge r Der
He il ige Theodor ) T h i s i s a w arrior saint He held a high rank
He w as con verted to C hristi an ity and set
i n th e army of L icin i us
on re th e temple of Cybe l e S om e legends state that h e w as burned
al ive ; others th at h e w as beh eaded H e i s represented i n armor
w it h a d ragon beneath hi s feet
H e w as patron sai nt of Venice
before S t M ark
T here is another S t Theodore som etimes r e pr e
sented in G reek art c a ll ed S t Theodore of Heraclea H e is painted
as an arm ed knight on horseback The V enet ian saint i s represented
i n th e more ancient pictures as young and beautiful and often i n
company w ith S t G eorge Janu ary 1 1 A D 3 00
S t T h e o n e s t u s was one of the sain ts of th e Theban L egion
S e e S t M auri ce
S t T h e o ph i lu s
6 t A0 9 3 L a t S Th eoph il us ; I t a l
and S p S a n T e o l o ; Ge r D er He il ige Th eoph il us G ottlieb ; F r S t

T h o p h il e : signication
a lover of
S e e S t D oroth ea
S t T h o m a s (I t a l S a n T o mmaso ; Sp S a n Tom ) was a G al i
lean sherman ; h e is called D idym u s the tw in and is th e sevent h
i n the ranks o f t h e A postles
F rom th e S cripture h is character a p
pears to be affectionate and sel f s a c r i c i n g : L e t u s go also th at we
m ay die w ith h i m
But so great was h is incred ul ity th at h e has
always been re membered for that rather than for h is other ch arac
Accord ing to tradition he travelled very far into the E ast ;
t e r ist ic s
fo unded a ch urch in Indi a and m e t the three M agi whom h e bap

t ize d
The legend called that of L a M ad o nna della Cintola r e
lates that w hen the Virgi n ascended to heaven Thomas was not
present w ith the other Apostles Three days later wh en h e r e
turned h e cou l d not bel ieve their account and desired her t o mb to
.

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be opened It w as em pty ; then th e V irgin th at h e m igh t be sati s

S
ee
also
the
e d dropped her girdle to h i m from the heavens
(
M adonna ; th e Assumption ) Acc o rding to anoth er legend w hen
Thomas w as at C aesare a h e h a d a v isio n i n w h ich C hrist appeared
and told h im tha t Go n d o fo r u s t h e k ing of the Ind ies had sen t h is
provost to nd an arch itect to b u ild h im a pal ace m ore gorgeou s
than th at of the R o man E mperor An d J esu s desired S t Thom as to
go and u ndertake th is labor Th en Thomas wen t an d G o n d o f o r u s
gave h i m m uch treasure an d commanded the b uild ing of th e m a g
a n d went to a d istant country
and remained two
n i c e n t palace
years Thom as b u ilt no pal ace b ut gave al l th e rich es w ith w h ich
W h en th e king r e
h e h ad bee n intrusted to the poor and sick
t urned h e was v ery wroth and ordered th at S t Thomas sho uld be
cast into prison an d reserved for a terrible death N ow at th is tim e
th e br o ther of th e king d ied and four d ays after h i s death h e sat

Th e man w hom thou w ouldst

u prigh t an d spoke to th e k ing saying
tort ure i s a servan t o f Go d : beh o ld I h ave been i n Parad ise an d
the angels showed to m e a won drous palace of gol d an d sil ver and
precious stones ; and th ey said This is th e palace that Thom as
th e arch itect h ath b uilt for thy br o ther K ing G o n d o fo r u s
The
k ing ran to th e prison to l iberate Thom as Th en th e A postl e said

K no west t h e n not that those w h o w o uld possess h eavenly th ings

h ave l ittl e care for th e things of th is earth ? T here are in h eaven
ri ch palaces w ith o u t n u mber w h i ch were prepared from th e begin
ning of the w orld for th o se w h o purch ase th e possession through
fai th an d charity Thy ri ches 0 king m ay prepare the wa y for
th ee to su ch a palace bu t they cannot fo ll o w th ee th ith er
Ac
c o rd ing t o trad ition th e Portuguese fo und at M e l i a p o r e an inscri ption
sa y ing that Thomas was pierced w ith a lance at the foot o f a cross
w h i ch h e had erected in th at city and that h i s body had been re
m o ved to G o a i n 1 5 23
W h en represented as an Ap o stle h i s
attrib ute is th e b u ilder s rul e or square As a m artyr h e h e a r s
t h e lance
The t wo prin cipal scenes i n wh ich h e i s represented

T h e l ncred ul ity of T h o m a s
and th e M adonna d el la Cintola are
easil y rec o gn ized Patr o n o f P o rtu g a l a n d Parm a Dec e mber 2 1
S t T h o m a s a B e c k e t S t T h o m a s o f Ca n t e r b u r y ( L a t S
Th o mas E pisc Ca n t u ar i e n s i s e t M art y r ; I t a l S a n T o mm a s o ( a n
t u a r i e n se ; F r S t Th o mas de Ca n t o r b e r i )
M rs James o n i n her
,

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L egends

of th e M onasti c Orders gives a summary of the princi pal

events i n th e l ife of th is saint wh ich is at once so c o n cise a n d s o

c o mpr e hensi ve th at I cannot do better than to quote it :

T he
w h o le o f h is va r ied l ife i s rich in materials for the h istorical painter
o ff e ring all that co uld possibly be desired i n p o mp i n ci rcum s tance
i n scenery in costu m e and in character What a series it would m ake
of beautiful subj ects beginn ing w ith the legen d o f his m o ther the
dau g ht e r o f the E m ir of Palestin e who when h is father G ilb e rt a
Becket was taken prisoner i n th e C rusade fe l l i n l o ve w it h h im
d e l i vered h i m fro m captivity an d afterwards fo ll o wed h i m t o E n g
land knowing no words of any W estern tongue except G ilbert a n d
w ith th e aid of wh i ch she found h im i n Ch eapside ; t h e n
L c n do n
h er baptism ; her marriage ; the birth of the fu ture sain t ; h is intro
d uctio n to th e k in g ; h is mission to R o me ; h is splen did embassy to
Pari s ; h is single h anded combat w ith E n gl e r a n de Trie the F rench
knight ; the K ing of E nglan d and th e K ing of F rance at h is bed
side w hen h e w as sick at R ou en h is consecration as archbishop ;
h is assu mption of the Benedictine h ab it ; h is m idnight penances
wh en he walked alone i n th e cloisters be wail ing h i s past sins h is
w ash ing the feet of the pilgrims an d beggars ; h is angry conferen ce
w it h the king ; their reconcil iation at F r i a t vi l l e
h is progress through
th e city of L ondon w he n th e grateful an d enth usiastic pe o ple ung
the msel ves in h is path and ki ssed th e h e m of h is garment ; h is
interview w ith the assassins ; h is m urder on th e steps of th e altar ;
a n d nally th e pro ud king kneel ing at midnight on th e sa m e sp o t
submitting to be sco u rged i n penance for h is cri me
His m ar
t y r d o m made h i m a saint ; i t gi ves h im also a pl ace in art
When
h e was m ade archbishop h e ceased to b e chancellor and becam e
a d i ff e rent m an especially i n h i s relati o n s t o Henry I I He main
t a i n e d h is rank as spiritual father of th e k ing and pe o ple w ith
great determin ation Henry was at last desperate at th e contin ued
opposition of th e courageous priest an d in a m o ment of m o re than
usual temper exclai med Of th e cowards that eat my bre a d i s th ere
none that w il l rid m e of th is upstart priest ?
Th is was en o ugh a s
p o werful as a death warrant and four N o rmans attendant u pon the
ki ng bo und themsel ves by oath to m urder t h e arch bish o p T hey
w ent to Canterbury ; and from th e ti me o f their a ppearance befo re
h im h e divin ed thei r awfu l errand At rst they were not arm ed ;
,

29 6

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sp o ke to th e m w ith great spirit and d ecl a re d th at h e feared not

th i r s wo rd s a n d w o uld d i e s oo ner than r e tra c t what he h ad sa id
or d o n e
T h is enraged them and they rush e d ou t t o summ on
thei r fo ll o wers
T he n was heard the singing o f th e Vespers an d
h i s friends urged B e cket to g o int o the ch urch as a place o f safety
He o rd e red th e cr o ss of C anterbury to be b o rne befo re h im and
passed through th e cloister into th e ch urch H is fri ends barred the
gates behi nd h i m b u t h e comm anded them to be reopened say ing
that G o d s ho use should never be fo rti ed as a pl ace of defence A s
h e ascended t h e steps of th e cho ir th e four k n igh ts w ith twel ve a t

Where i s th e trait o r ?
t e n d a n t s all arm e d b urst in to th e ch urch

demand ed one of the n umber All w as silent

Where i s th e arch
bish o p ? asked R eginald F itz urse Th en Beck et r e pli ed Here I am ;
the archbish o p bu t n o traitor ! R eginald I h ave granted th ee many
favors ; w hat is thy obj ect n ow ? I f thou seek est my l ife let that suf
c e ; and I command th ee in th e name of G o d n o t to to uch one of
my p e o ple
H e was then told that he m ust absol ve the Archbishop
of Y o rk and th e Bishop of S al isbury wh om he h ad excom m uni cat ed

Ti ll they m ake satisfacti o n I w ill not absol ve th em h e rmly

answered
T hen d ie !
said Tracy The rst blow ai med at h is
h e a d was brok en in its force by h i s cross bearer so th at h e w as b u t
sl igh t ly w ounded F eel ing th e blood on h i s f ace h e bowed h is head

and said In th e n am e of C hrist and for th e d efence of h is Ch urch

I am ready to d ie
The assassin s th en w i sh ed t o remove h i m fro m
the church i n order to lessen the horrible sacrilege they w ere co m

I w ill not stir ; do h ere w ha t you pl e ase

m itting ; b u t B eck e t sai d

or are c o mm an d ed
H e a d ded
I h umbly com mend my spirit t o
a n d instantly b e was struck down and w a s s oo n
G o d wh o gave i t ;
dead ; but so many bl o w s w ere l avish ed on h i m that h i s brain s
strewed th e pavemen t befo re th e altar H is monk s buried h i m i n
th e crypt at C anterb ury Acc o rd ing to trad i tion as they b o re h i m
to th e t o m b angel s w e re h eard singing th e beginning of the S ervice
of th e M artyrs L ae t a b i t u r j ustus
The m o nks w ere fo r a m o ment
amazed ; t h e y ceased their funeral hymn ; th e n as if inspi red they
j o in e d th e ir v o i ces w ith th e ang e l ic hymn and b o r e t h e great bish o p
in tri umph t o h is g rav e I n d u e ti m e h e was can o n ized l l is remains
were encl o s e d i n a spl e ndid shrin e and v o tari e s fr om all p a rts o f t h e
B ut l ater
world m ade pilgrimages to the scene of h i s martyrdom
he

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the

power of the kings of the earth burn ed h is re l i cs and thre w the

ashes into the Thames
Thomas a Becket was f t y two years ol d
w hen he was m artyred
He is represented as a bishop w it h th e
crosier and th e G ospels in h i s hand as a martyr he i s w ithout the
m itre and a sword or axe i s stru ck into h is head or the blood trickles
from a w ound over h is f ace D ecember 2 9 A D 1 1 70
S t T h o m a s A q u i n a s (I t a l S a n Tommaso d i Aqu ino D ottore
Angel ico ) was born at Belcastro i n th e year 1 22 6 His father was
Count of Aqu ino L ord of L oretto and Belcastro Thomas was grand
nephe w of F rederick L and a kinsman of th e emperors Henry V I
and F rederi ck I I
Th e sweetness of temper for w h ich as a ch ild
h e w as remarkable h e preserved through l ife
When ten years
old th e teach ers at M onte Casino declared they could instruct h i m
no further so great was h is learning H is moth er the C o untess
Theodora desired that h e should h ave a pri vate tutor but h is father
pl aced h i m at the U n i versity of Naples Hi s own inclin ation and
h is m other s counsel s kept h im free fro m th e tempt a tion s around h im
At seventeen he ass um ed the Dom in ican h ab it at Naples
H is
mother hastene d to persuade h i m not to take th e na l vows F ear
ing h e could not resis t h er a ppeal s he ed towards Paris : but h is
brothers L an dol fo a n d R inaldo seized h i m near Acqu apendente ;
th ey tore o ff h is monk s h abit a n d took h i m to h is fath er s castle of
R o cca S ecca
Th en h is mother came ; an d when h e r entreaties
w o ul d not prevail sh e h ad h i m guarded an d allo wed no one to see
h i m save h is two sisters wh o were instructed to persu ade h i m to
gi ve u p th e idea of a rel igiou s l ife Th e result was that Thomas so
i nuenced h is si sters that th ey sympath i zed w ith hi m and aided h i m
to escape He was lowered from a windo w in a basket s o me m o nk s
w aited for h i m below an d not a l ong time elapsed befo re h e to o k h i s
nal vows He w as as eminen t for h is h umility and the simpl icity
of h is mann ers by wh i ch he concealed h is acqu irements a s fo r h is
learning He w as surn amed Bos the O x O n one occasi o n when
i t was h i s d uty to read i n the refectory the superior c o rrected h im
an d tol d h i m to read a word w ith a false quantity S t Thomas kne w
that h e w as righ t and th e superior wro n g b ut h e d id as d irected
instantly Being told that h e should not h ave yielded he repl ied

The pron un ciation of a word is of l ittle i mportance but h um ility

and obedience are of th e greatest Pope Clemen t I V desired to mak e
,

L E G E ND S A ND

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S T OR

h im an arch bi shop b u t h e decl ined all preferment s

He was t h e
1
m o st learned m an o f h is time i n the Ch urch B e ing sent o n a m i s
sion to Naples he was taken ill at F ossa No va on his j o urn ey He
w as carried to a Cisterc ian abbey w here h e d ied Before extrem e
un cti o n was administered to h im h e requested to be laid on ash es on
the oor He is represented i n the Dom in i can h abit H is attrib ute s
are : a b o ok or b o oks ; the pen or inkho rn ; th e sacramenta l c up o n
account of h is h av ing com posed the O f ce of th e Blessed S acr a ment ;
on h is breast a s un and someti mes an eye w ith i n it ; frequently h e
l ooks u p at a dove or w rites M arch 7 A D 1 2 74
H e wa s
S t T h o m a s o f V i l l a n u e v a s urnam ed th e A l mon er
born i n 1 4 8 8 H is parents w ere o f moderate fort une b ut d is
Th ey suppl ied seeds for the elds of
t i n gu i s h e d for th eir chari ties
th e poor and len t their mon ey w it h o ut interest The son inh erited
their charity to an i ntense d egree As a ch ild h e w ou l d tak e o ff h i s
o wn clothes t o gi ve away to ch ildren i n th e street
H e sho wed fro m
h is i nfancy a singular tness fo r th e m in istry of th e C h urch H e
studied fo urteen years at Alcala and S alaman ca an d entered th e
A ugustinian Order at th irty years o f age I n h i s l ife i t is related
th at h e pronounced h is vow s i n th e sel f
same h o ur i n w h ich L u ther
publ icly renoun ced h is He passed two years in penan ce and prayer
and the n became an eloquent and d istingu ish ed preacher Ch arles V
th e E mperor o f S pain h el d S t Thomas i n great v eneration ; an d
w hen he wo u ld not l isten to th e entreati es of friend s or th e requests
o f h is son Don Ph i l ip h e
ielded
to
Thomas
saying
th
at
he
con
S
t
y
s i d e r e d hi s req uest as a d ivine command
In 1 5 4 4 C harles n amed
Th o mas Archbish o p of Val encia H e rel uctantly accepted th e o ffi ce
and arri ved i n Valencia s o p oo rly clad and provided for that h is
can o ns sen t h i m fo ur thousan d cr o wns t o buy h i m an o ut t ; h e
thanked them and sent i t to th e h ospital fo r th e sick ; and this
w h e n h is o nly hat h a d be e n worn twen ty si x years ! H is whol e l ife
w as b u t a grand seri es o f benefi cent deeds H e d ivided th e p o or
int o six class e s : ( 1 ) T h e bash ful po o r w h o h ad been indepen d ent
and were ashamed t o be g ; (2) Th e p o or girl s whose poverty exp o sed
th em t o temptati o n to si n and sh ame ; (3 ) The poor d ebtors ; (4 )
.

li

L a te r
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P o pe L e o X I I I

n ot
.

A n ge li c D o ctor S t T h o m
.

pro

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as

a ll

A qu i n as

h is

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e c c e s as

uc h

cs

the

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a
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;
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su

h is
tho

IL L

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2 99

Orphan s an d fo u ndlings ;
The l ame sick and inrm ; (6) S tra n
gers a n d travellers w ho came to th e city w ithout th e means to pay
for food an d lodging F o r these he had a large k itchen al ways open
w here they could h ave fo od ; rooms wh ere they could sleep ; and i n
addition a smal l s um of mon ey when they went on the ir way Amid
all these cares h e d i d not forget h is d uties as a S piritu al teacher
Wh en the hour of h is deat h came h e had gi ven aw ay everyth ing
except the pallet on w hi c h h e lay a n d th is was to be given to a j ailer
w h o assisted h i m i n executing h i s ben evolent design s S o strange
w as it that in sp ite of all he had given away h e s t i l l left no d e bts
that it was bel ieved that h is money had been m iraculously i n creased
accord ing to h is w ants Thousand s of poor people foll o wed h i m to
h is grave W he n he was b e a t i e d it was also decreed that h e sh o uld
b e represent e d w ith an open purse i n place of th e crosier ; bu t th e
l atter i s not al ways om it t ed He i s usually surr o und ed by poor
people kneeling Th e nest p ictures of th is saint are S panish One
of M urillo s of great beauty represents h i m as a ch ild di viding
h is clothing among four ragged l ittle on es The one cal l ed th e

Charity of S a n T o mas de Vill a N ueva M uril l o called h is own

pi cture and preferred it to all h is other works In th i s the sain t
stands at the door of h i s cath edral relieving a lam e beggar kneel ing
before h im S eptember 1 7 A D 1 5 5 5
April 1 4 S e e S t C ecil ia
S t T ib e r t iu s
T ob ia s t h e S on o f T ob i t
The pictures of th e Arch an g el
R aphael are s o often ill ustrati ve of h is j ourney w ith th e young T o bias
th at the story of their companionsh i p rightly bel o ngs h e re N o w
T o bi t was a rich man a n d j ust ; and h e and h is wi fe Ann a w ere car
ried a way into captivity by th e Assyrian s H e then g ave alms t o a l l
h is brethren th at he co ul d h el p and l ived a j u s t l ife not eating th e
bread of th e G enti les Bu t i n on e way and another h is mi sfo rtunes
were increased and h e became bl ind ; and n o th ing w as left t o h i m
bu t his w i fe a n d h is s o n T o bias And h e was so a ffl i cted that h e
prayed for d e ath
At thi s same ti me there dwel t in th e city o f
E c b a t a u e a m a n called H a g u e ] an d h e h ad a n only daught e r S ara
w h o had h ad sev e n h usbands an d they w ere all k ill e d by the ev il
spirit Asm o d e u s a s s oo n as th ey were m arried to her H e r m a i d
repr o ached h er and said s h e had strangl e d h er h usbands S ara w as
so wretched a t th is th at she too prayed for death that she m ight
,

3 00

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IE S

be at peace S o Go d sent h is angel R aphael that h e m igh t ta k e

a w ay t h e blindness of l o bit and the reproach of th is unh a ppy w o man
Th e n T o b i t remembered that b e had g iven to G a b a e l i n M ed ia ten
tal e nts i n trust a n d b e d e termi ned to send T o bias t o as k fo r th is
m o ney S o he called h i m and gave h i m directions con cern ing i t

Th e n T o bias said But h o w can I recei ve the m oney seeing I kn o w

h i m n ot i
T hen T o bit gave h im the h and writing a n d c o m manded
h i m to s e e k for a gu ide wh o wo uld sho w h i m the w ay S o T o bias
s o ugh t a guide and R a ph ael o ffered t o go w i th h i m ; and it h appened
that T o bias knew n o t t h a t h is gu ide wa s an a ngel S o h e took h i m to
h is father and th ey agreed u pon t h e w a ges of the guide ; and Tobi t
a xe d irecti o ns fo r their j o u rney and they departed
Ann
a
was
m
uch
g
grieved t o part from her son T o bi a s At e ven ing the angel an d Tobi as
came to the ri ver Tigris and l o dged t hereabo ut ; an d when the latter
went t o wash h imsel f a sh leaped o ut at h im And th e angel t o l d
h i m t o take the sh and tak e o ut the heart a n d th e l iver and th e gall
and preserve th em carefully This T obias d id and they roasted th e
sh and ate i t Then Tobi as asked the u se of th e parts t h e v h ad
k ept ; an d th e angel s a id the h eart and th e l iver w ould cure any o n e
vexed w ith an evil spi ri t if a smoke w ere made of th e m before th e
pers o n and the gall w o uld tak e aw ay blind ness from o n e w h o had
wh it e ness in th e eyes N o w when they w ere co me n ear to R ages the

ange l sai d Bro th er t o day w e sh all l o dge w ith B a gu e l w ho i s thy

c o usin ; h e al so hath on e only daugh ter nam ed S ara ; I w ill speak
fo r h e r th at sh e m ay be given thee fo r a w ife
And he added th a t
acc o rd ing t o th e l aws s h e bel o nged to Tobias and a s sh e w as fair and
w ise h e c o uld marry h er o n th e ir return Th en T o bias sai d h e h ad

h e ard that sh e h a d b e e n m arri ed t o seven h usbands w ho all d ied

in t h e brid a l chamb e r ; a n d he fe ared th at h e too should d ie and th u s
brin g h is p a re nts to th eir grave in s o rr o w since h e was th ei r o i m
so n
But R apha e l a ssured h im t h at sh e w a s th e w i fe intend e d fo r
h i m by th e L o rd and h e sh o uld be preserved i f w h en h e cam e into
the m arri a ge chamb e r h e sh o uld m ake a sm o k e w ith th e h eart and
l i ver o f t h e sh fo r at t h e smell o f i t th e d evil w o ul d e e away

N o w wh e n T o bias h ad h e ard th ese th ings b e l o ved h e r

fo rever
and h is h e art w a s e ffe ctu a lly j o in e d t o h er
S o w h e n th e y were
c o m e t o E c b a t a n c th e y m e t S ara and she t oo k th em t o the h o u se o f
R ag ue l her father ; and w hen they made th emse l ves kno wn u nto h im
,

'

IL L U S T R A T E D IN

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h e rejoiced to see them an d w ept to h ear of th e b l indness of h is

cou sin Tobit ; and E dna h i s w i fe and S ara w ept also A n d they k illed
a ram of th e ock and pre pared a supper ; bu t Tobias said u n to
R aphael S peak of those th ings of wh ich thou didst talk i n th e w ay
and let this b usiness be despatched
S o th ey asked R aguel for S ara
that h e should give her to Tobias as h is w i fe Then R aguel answered
and told of th e fate of the seven h usbands sh e h ad h ad already ; bu t
h e could not deny th e request of Tob ias for by th e l a w of M oses
S ara belonged to h im
And so i t was settl ed before th ey d id eat to
gether an d R aguel j oined their hands and blessed th em The n E dna
prepared th e marriage ch amber and brough t her daughter i n th ith er
an d S ara w ept ; b ut h er m oth er comforted her and blessed h er Then
w hen Tobias wen t in he took h eed to m ak e the sm o k e w i th th e heart
and l i ver of th e sh as R aphael had d irected ; and when th e evil
spirit percei ved th e odor thereof he ed away to return no more
Th en Tobias and S ara knelt down and Tobias prayed as R aph ael h ad
commanded h im an d S ara sai d Amen And i n th e morning R a guel
w ent out and d ug a gr ave ; for h e co u nted Tobi as as one dead and
h e desired to bury h i m qu ietly th at none sh ould kno w what had taken
pl ace And he sent a servant to see if he were dead ; and th e servan t
found h i m an d S ara qu ietly sleeping Then d id R aguel an d E dna
rej oice an d they prepared to keep th e m arri age feast of their daugh ter
And th i s feast laste d fourteen d a ys M eanwh ile t h e angel wen t to
G a b a e l an d recei ved from h i m t h e money th at Tobit h ad left w ith
h im
An d w hen th e feast w as ended Tob ias w ith S ara and th e ange l
departed to go to h i s fath er A n d R ague l and E dn a blessed th em
an d gave the m h alf of th eir goods servants cattle an d m o ney
N o w as th ey approach ed to th e city of N ine veh t h e angel said to

Tobi as L e t u s h aste before thy w ife an d prepare the house and

tak e in th ine han d th e gal l of th e sh
S o they wen t an d the l ittl e
dog wh ich th ey took away went w ith th em Now Anna was w atch
ing for them ; and wh en sh e saw th e m sh e told T obit that they were
coming and th ey were exceeding glad fo r they had both been
troubled at the ir long absence and feared lest some evil h ad e ver
t aken th em Then said R aph ael to Tobias I k now th at thy fath er
w ill open h is eyes ; therefore ano int t h e n h is eyes w ith th e gall an d
being pricked therew ith he shall rub and th e w h i teness shall f a l l

away and he shal l see thee

Then Tobias d id so an d it was as th e
,

3 02

L E GE

AN D

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IE S

S T OR

angel said and t h e sigh t of Tobit was restored to h im Then th ey

all rej o iced and blessed Go d an d T o bias recounted what h a d hap
pened to h im And they went o ut to meet S ara and th e se rvan t s
an d all that he had brough t w ith h i m And th e people wondered
w h en th ey saw that T o bi t w as no longer bl ind An d t h ey brought
in S ara an d made a feast w h ich th ey kept for se ven days Th e n

T o bit said to h is son S e e th at the man h ave h is wages th at w ent

fo rth w i th thee and tho u m ust give h im more
And Tobias a n

O father ! i t i s n o h arm to m e to gi ve h i m ha l f of those

s we r e d
th in g s wh ich I have brough t ; for h e h ath brought m e again to th ee
in safety a n d made whole my w ife and brought m e th e money and
l ikew ise h ealed th ee
And Tobit said It i s d ue unto h im
So
they called R aph ael and made known u nto h i m th eir intenti o ns
Then told h e them to praise G o d and glorify h im fo r all th is g oo d
And h e t o ld T o bit th at all h is acts and h is g o odness h ad been k no w n
in h eaven and h is w eariness of li fe and h is desire fo r death and also
th o se of S ara w ho had so great troubles Then h e said And n o w
I am
G o d hath sent m e to heal th ee and S ara thy daughter i n law
R aph a el on e of th e seven h oly angels wh o presen t t h e prayers of
the saints and wh o go i n and o ut before the glory of the Holy One
T hen were th ey b o th troubled and fell upon th eir faces ; for th e y

feared B ut h e said u nto them

F ear not for i t sh al l go well
w i th you ; praise G o d therefo re
After a fe w more w ords h e van
F rom th is ti me
i sh e d a n d wh en they arose they could see no one
fo rth all did go well w ith Tobi t and Ann a h is w i fe w it h R ague l
and Ed n a h is w ife and w ith their ch ildren And w h ile th ey l i ved
they n ever ceased to praise Go d for all th e wonderfu l th ings h e had
sh o wed them And w hen T o bit an d Anna were dead T o bias t oo k h is
w ife and ch ildren and went t o E c b a t a n e t o Ra guel h is fath er i n l aw
When R a g uel d ied T o bias inh eri ted h is riches and ab o de in h o n o r ;
and l i ved t o hear o f t h e destructi o n of N in eveh and died at E c b a t a n e
bein g an h undred and s e ven and t wenty y ears old
Acc o rd ing to the
S t T o r p o r T o r p e t i s a Pisan saint
l egend h e was a R o man a n d served in th e gu ard s of Ner o H e was
c o n verted by S t Paul He was b e h e aded When th ere w a s n o water
in th e Arn o a n d all w ere su ffering fo r wan t of rain th e h ead o f t he
sa int as c a rrie d in p r o cessi o n ; and s o e ffe ct ual was h is in t ercession
th at t h e rain fe ll in oods and swept away a portion of th e procession
.

IL L

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and m i r a bzl e d i c t a the h ead of the saint also ! The people kne w
not wh at to do whe n two angels appeared d i ved beneath th e water
a n d brought again the h ead of the saint and gave i t to the archbishop
F o r a ti me th e
S t Torp e was t he patron of P isa before S t R an ieri
latter sain t was th e more popular but S t Torp e s fam e rev ived i n
the seventeenth cen tury H e i s represented as a R oman so l d ier and
bears a wh ite banner w ith a red cross
A long time after Ada m was
T r u e Cr o s s H i s t o r y o f t h e
driven out of Paradise h e gre w so w eary of h is l ife of toil and hard
sh i p that h e longed for dea t h an d he sent h is son S eth to the ange l
w ho guarded th e Tree of L ife to ask h i m to sen d h i m the oil of mercy
wh ich Go d had prom i sed h i m w hen h e was d ri ven ou t of Paradise
After hi s father h ad pointed o u t the w ay S eth w ent ; an d w he n h e

asked the angel for the oil the latter repl ied Th e oi l of m ercy wh i c h
Go d promised to A d am can only be gi ven after ve tho usand ve
h undred years shall h ave elapsed ; bu t take these three seeds th ey

w ill bear fruit for th e good of mank in d

Then h e gave h i m three
seeds bel ieved to h ave been from th e same tree of w h ich Adam had
eaten And the an gel told S eth th at h i s father shoul d die after three
days an d comm anded that after h is death these seeds sho uld be p ut
u nder hi s tongue Then Adam w as j oyous for h e m u ch desired to
And o n th e th ird day h e died and S eth buried h i m i n th e
die
These
V alley of Hebr o n an d th e three seeds were u nder h is t o ngu e
seeds soon sprung u p ; and th e th ree sapl ings th u s formed un ited
into on e th u s becoming a symbo l of t h e T rin ity I t w as w ith a
part of thi s tree that M o ses s weetened t h e waters of M arah ; and w it h
it also he struck th e rock w ithout call ing on Go d for wh i ch fault h e
w as fo rb i dden to enter th e Prom i sed L and D av id also did miracles
w ith th is tree and at last bro u ght i t to Jeru salem and placed it i n
W h en S o lomon w as building
h i s garden an d bu ilt a w all abou t i t
t h e Tem ple he saw that th is tree was good and str o ng and i t was
cut d o w n fo r a beam ; b ut th e workmen could n ever mak e i t t in
any place sometim e s it was to o l o ng an d agai n too short so at last
i t w a s gi ven u p and thr o wn aside
After some y ears a woman
S ibylla sat d o wn u p o n it an d im mediately her cl o thes t o ok re an d
sh e pr o phesi e d c o ncerning i t t h at it w o uld be fo r t h e destructi o n o f
the Jews S o me men who were n ear by cast i t int o a p o nd and it
rose to the surface of th e w ater and formed a bri d ge upon wh i ch
'

3 04

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any p a ssed But w h en the Queen o f S heba c a me to v isi t S o l omon

as she neared th is bridge she had a v isi o n o f i ts future and sh e
w o uld n o t step u p o n it b u t knelt d o wn and venerat ed i t ; and sh e
to o k o ff h er sandals and w alked thr o ugh th e strea m and sh e told
S o l o m o n that O n e sh o uld h ang on that tree w ho w o ul d redee m the
T hen S olomon t o ok it and c as ed i t i n silver and g o ld
h uman race
and p ut it above the d o or of the Templ e th at al l w ho cam e i n m igh t
bless i t B ut w hen Abij ah the son o f R ehoboam reigned h e desired
the g o ld and silver and he to o k the m away and buried th e wo o d dee p
i n th e earth N o w after a time a w ell w as dug o ver th e spot wh ere
the Tree of M ercy was b uried and its waters were p o we rful to heal
the sick and i t was called th e Poo l of Bethesd a As the t i me for th e
death o f Jesus dre w n ear th is beam w as cast u p to the surface of th e
w aters and the J e ws took i t an d m ade from it T h e Cr oss and so th e
tree wh ic h had grown fro m th e seeds from Para d ise and wh ich h ad
been no urish ed by t h e decaying body of Adam became at length the
tree o f th e death of th e second Adam An o ther le gend relates that
th e Jews bel ieved that th e b o dy o f Jes u s would hang as l o ng as the
cr o ss would l ast and th at i t w as m ade of four di ff erent kind s o f wood
b u t the ste m was of cypress w o od becau se t hi s w o uld not decay i n
earth or water After the cru ci x ion the cross w as b uried deep i n
t h e earth a n d th ere r e m a i n e d f o r more th an three centuries u nti l
C o n stantine and hi s m o th er th e E mpress Helena w ere converted to
Christian ity ; and th e latter m ade a pilgrimage to J erusalem w here
s h e w as seized w ith an unc o ntroll able d esire to d iscover the Cross of
C hrist H el ena th erefore c o m manded that al l the w ise m en of th e
Jews sh o uld c o me to h er palace Th ey w ere al armed an d q uestioned
on e w i th an o th er why th is sh ould be
B ut there w as o ne named

J udas wh o said K n o w m y brethren th at th e em press hath c o me

h ith er t o d isc o ver th e cr o ss on w h ich J esus Christ su ff ere d T ak e
h e e d th at it be n o t reveal ed fo r in the h ou r th at t h e cr o ss c o m es to
l i g ht o ur anci e n t law i s n o m o r e a n d th e trad iti o n s of o ur p e o ple
are destroyed M y g rand father Z a c c h e u s taugh t th is t o my fath e r
S im o n and my fath e r S im o n h a th taugh t i t to m e M o reo ver h e t o ld
m e th at h i s br o th e r S t e ph e n had been st o ned fo r b e l i ev ing i n h im w h o
w a s cruci e d and b e b a de m e b e ware o f blasph eming C hrist o r any o f
h is d isci pl e s
T h e J e ws o beyed th e inj un cti o n o f J udas ; and wh en
th e empre ss questioned the m th ey al l d eclared th at they kne w not
m

A T E D IN

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3 05

where th e cross w as h idden S o Helena commanded th at th ey should

all be buried al i ve T hen were th ey alarmed and they said Here

i s a j u s t man a d th e son of a prophet w ho knoweth al l th ings per
tain ing to our a w and w ho w ill answer al l questions
Th en she
released the others b ut J udas she retained And w hen sh e ques
t i o n e d h im h e exclai med
Alas ! h o w sho uld I kno w of these th ings
w h ich h appe n ed so long before I was born ?
Then th e empress
w as so lled w ith wrath that she declared h e shoul d be starved to
death and for that p urpose he was cast into a dry w ell Here h e
end ured h unger and thirst for si x days ; b ut on th e seventh day h e
y ielded and led th e em press t o the templ e of Ven us w hich Hadrian
had bu i l t above th e place w here th e cross was b uried Then Helena
com manded th at the temple should be d estroyed After t hat J udas
began t o d ig and w hen h e h ad dug twenty feet h e foun d three
crosses ; bu t they w ere al l al ike an d no on e kne w w h ich was that
of Jesus As Helena an d M a c a r i u s the Bishop of J erusal em w ere
consulting as to wh at should no w be done beho l d a dead m an w as
carried past to h is burial M a c a r i u s desired th at th e corpse sho uld
be laid on th e crosses and i t was done N o w wh en h e w as pu t
u pon th e rst and the second he stirred not but wh en h e w as pu t
u p o n the th ird h e was restored to li fe and th e dem on s w ere heard to
lament i n t he air abo ve becau se S at an w as overpowered and Christ
reigned w h ile th e man raised from th e dead wen t on h i s w ay rej oicing
Then was J udas baptized w i t h th e name S yriacus or Qu i r i a c u s B ut
the n a ils of the cross w ere still w anting ; a n d when H ele n a prayed for
th em th ey appeared on th e surface of th e eart h sh ining l ike gold
The n Helen a d i vided th e cross an d l e ft a part at J erusal em and a
part sh e carried to C onstantinople C onstantin e kept a portion of it
w h ich was inserted into a statue of hi mself ; and th e rest w as carried
to R ome wh ere the ch urch of S anta Croce i n G erusalemme was
b u ilt to rece ive and preserve it One of th e nails th e empress placed
i n the crown of C on stantin e ; anoth er sh e m ade into a b it for h is
horse ; and a third she thre w into a w h irl poo l i n th e Adriatic and
I n the year 6 1 5 Ch o sr oe s K ing
i mmed iately th e sea was cal m
o f Persia came t o Jerusalem and carried away the portion th at had
been left t here Then t he E m peror Heracli us gathered h is army
together an d de ed Ch o sr o e s to battle W hen they m e t th e k ing
and the e mperor dec ided to settle their d i fcu l ties by singl e combat
.

20

3 06

E G E ND S A ND

IE S

S T OR

He racl i us overcame Ch o s r o e s and w h en th e l atter re fused to be bap

Then the em peror returned to J erusa le m
t i z e d c ut o ff h is head
i n great tri um ph bearing the cross w ith h i m ; but w hen h e w o uld
h e c o uld not enter for th e w alls w ere all closed u p by a m iracle
He w a s ast o ni shed at this and an angel cam e to h im and said

When the K ing of Heaven an d E arth e ntered through th i s gate t o

suffe r fo r the sins of the w orld he entered n o t w ith regal pom p
but barefo ot an d m ou nted on an ass
The n Heracl i us w ept that
pride sh o uld have so blinded h i m ; an d h e descended to the earth
to o k o ff h is crown and also h is shoes and took the royal robes o ff
e ven to his shirt Then h e p u t the cross on h is sho ulder and the
wa l l opened t hat h e m igh t pass in
Then w as th e cro ss e xalted o n
an altar and d ispla y e d to the peopl e Th ere is scarcely a p o int in
th is legend w h ic h has not been t he subj ect of art I t is als o r e lated
i n the legends th at T h e T i t l e of accu sation w as foun d an d sen t t o
R ome by S t H elen a ; that it was placed on an arch i n the ch urch
of S anta Croce and w as there fo und i n a leaden b o x i n 1 4 02 The
inscripti o ns i n the Hebre w G reek and L atin w ere i n red l e tte r s
w h ile the w o od on wh ich th ey were painted was w h ite S ince t hen

it h as faded and the words J es us an d J u d ze o r u m are eaten a way

The board i s n o w only n in e inches l o ng b ut was originally ab o ut
twel ve T /ze S p o n g e w h ich w as u sed for th e v in egar to wash th e
1
wounds of Chri st as was the c usto m i n c r u c i xio n s i s preserved
w ith great v eneration at th e ch urch of S t Joh n L ateran at R ome
T h e L a n c e wh ich pierced h is side i s also at R ome b ut th e poin t i s at
A ccord ing to vario us authorities the lance
S ainte Ch a pel le in Pari s
was buri ed with the cro ss S t G regory o f T o urs an d Venerable Bede
a gree that in t h ei r day th is lance was at J erusalem
I n order to
g u a rd i t fr o m the S aracens i t w as buried at Anti o ch ; and th ere i t
w as fo und in 1 0 9 8 when by use of i t w ere wro u gh t m any w onderfu l
mi ra cl e s I t w as th en carri ed t o Jerusale m and th ence to Constan
t i n pl e
Bald wi n I I sen t the poin t of i t to Ven ice i n order to raise
m
n e
f
o
r
h
is
necessities
ou
is
of
ran
ce
o
btained
i
t
by
paying
S
t
L
F
y
the s u m Bald wi n had rece ived The rest of th e l ance remained at
,

full
h is

vi n

m on

m a ed

ft rw rd s

"

th

e
.

J e s us

sa

id

I t h irs t

ll

N o w t h e r e wa s

ve sse l

se

t the

re

d t h e y p u t a sp o n ge f u o f vi n e ga r a bo u t h yss o p a n d p u t it t o
Wh e n J e s u s t h c i e fo re h a d ta k e n t h e vi n e ga r, h e sa i , I t is c on s um

ga r

S t

an

J oh n xix 28 3 0
.

IL L

A T E D IN

US T R

AR T

3 07

Constantinopl e after it was taken by th e T urks u ntil 1 4 9 2 whe n

the S ultan B aj a z e t enclosed i t in a beautiful case and sent an a m bassa
dor w ith i t to R ome to present it to P o pe Innocent VI I I
T h e Cr o wn of T h or n s was gi ven to S t L o u i s by Baldwin fo r m e
t i ve s of grati t u de and friends h ip and also because Constantinople was
no longer a safe place for i t S t L ou is w ith h is mother i h l a w h is
brother and many priests a n d me m bers of h is co urt met the ambas
ve leag u es from S ens S t L ou is an d
s a d o r s w ho carried i t to h i m
h is brother R obert of Artois were barefoot an d in their sh irts th u s
th ey bore th e crown of thorns to S ens and to th e cath edral of S t
I t was take n
S tephen where it was recei ved w it h great ceremony
to Pari s w ith equ al honor a n d S t L ou is bu i l t for its recepti o n the
S ainte Chapelle to wh ich was attach ed a ric h fo undation for a ch apter
of canons S t L ou is also recei ved th e portion of th e cross wh ich was
at Constanti nople and oth er rel ics w hi c h S t H elena h ad gi ven her
son S om e of the th orns from th is crown h ave been gi ven to other
ch u rch es and they have been i mitated many ti mes They are very
long
T h e N a i l s of th e cross have already been spok en o f
Th ese h av e
been multiplied by i mitation and many made i n th is way and touched
to the true nails are considered holy
T h e P i ll a r to wh i ch C hrist was bound t o be scourged or a portio n
of it is preserved at Jerusalem T he inscription above i t says that
i t was placed th ere i n 1 22 3 by Cardinal Co l u n m a
T h e B l o o d of Ch r i s t
Th e R ev Alban Butler says th at th is rel ic

wh ich i s k ept in s o me pl aces of wh ich th e m o st famous i s th at of

M antua seems to b e w hat h as sometimes issued from t h e m iracul o us
bleeding o f some cruci x wh en pierced i n derision by Je ws or Pagan s
instan ces of wh ic h are recorded in auth entic h istori es
R e pr e se n
t a t i o n s of all these di fferent rel ics of circumstan ces connected w ith
their discovery of the ceremon ies w h ich h ave taken place on their
account an d of th e m iracles performed through them , are very
n u mero us i n works of art
S t U m i l i t a o r H u m i l i t y w as th e w ife of U go l o t t o Ca c c i a n e
m i ci of F aenza S h e was th e foundress of th e Vallombr o san n uns
S h e h ad desired to remain a v irgin but was com pelled to m arry o n
account of th e avaricious interests of h er f am ily Her h usband was
also v irtuous and pious N o t long after their m arriage R osane (for
,

308

L E G E ND S

A ND

S T OR

IE S

this was h er name ) th us addressed h er h usband

Dost t h e n not fee l
that we can fi n d n o real permanent happiness h ere on earth and
sho uld we n o t aspire t o that peace an d bliss w h ich w e c a n attain i n
h e a ven ? L e t u s there fo re separate fo r a w h ile and i n th e silence of
s o me cl o ister make a sacri ce of oursel ves to Go d fo r o ur country
o ur k indred and fo r all those w hom w e love
T i me eets by w it h
l ightning speed an d w e sh al l so o n be reun ited i n th e k ingd o m o f
h eaven wh ere w e sh all enj oy all th at fel i ci ty w h ich has been d en ied
u s h ere bel o w
U go l o t t o consented and t h ey b o th l i ved strict li ves
according to the Vallombrosan rule Th is l egend has been ill ustrated
i n a series of ele ven pictures by B u fa l m a c c o One of the m r e p r e
sents R osane persuading her h usband to th e separation H er face
i s alight w ith th e inspirat ion of th e pr oj ect of self s a c r i c e she h as
conceived wh i l e that of U gol ot t o is sad at the thought o f parting
w ith h er
S t U r s u l a a n d h er Virgin C ompan ions (L a t S ancta U rsula ;
F r S t e U rsul e ; I t a l S anta I r s o l a )
This l egend wh ich fro m its
v ery i m probab il ity and surpassing strangeness is so fascin ating c a n
be traced to th e year 600 All th e d iscussions as to its s ign i c a
tion h ave not (h appily ) ch anged th e legend and th e C ologne ver
sion i s th e on e followed by most painters w ho h ave atte mpted to
depi ct its wonderful incidents The manner i n w h i ch th is legend is
told is so ch arm ing in i ts quaintness of though t and expression th at
even w hen I c o nsider t h e brevity th at is here desirable I cannot n d
i t in my he art to do oth erwise th an give i t ve r ba t i m e t l i t e r a t i m

Once on a ti me th ere reigned in Brittany a certain king w hose n ame

w a s T h e o n o t u s and h e w as m arried t o a S icil ian princess w hose nam e
w as Dari a Both were Chri stian s an d th ey w ere blessed w ith one
dau ghter whom th ey called U rs ula and w h om they ed ucated w it h
exceed ing care W hen U rsul a w as abou t ftee n h er moth er Queen
Daria died leaving th e k ing al most inc o ns o l abl e ; bu t U rsula th o ugh
so young su p pl ied th e place of h er m o th er in th e court S h e w a s
n o t o nly w o nd erfully beautifu l and gifted w ith all th e external graces
of h er sex but acc o m plish ed in all th e l earn ing of th e ti me Her
m ind w a s a perfect st o re h o use o f w isd o m and kn o wle dge : sh e had
read ab o ut t h e stars and t h e c o u rs e s o f th e w in d s ; all th at had
e ver h a p pened in th e w o rld fro m th e d ays of A dam sh e h a d by
he a rt ; the poets and the ph i l osophers w ere to h er w hat ch ild ish
,

IL L U S T R A T E D IN

AR T

3 09

recreation s are to others ; b ut above all sh e w as profoundly versed

in theology and school d ivinity so that the doctors were aston ished
an d confo unded by her argumentative powers To these acc o mpl ish
ments w ere added the m ore excellent gifts of h um ility piety and
charity so that sh e w as esteemed the most accomplished princess of
th e tim e Her father w h o loved h er as th e l ight of h is eyes de
But th e
s ired noth ing better than to keep her al ways at h is si d e
fame of h er beauty her v irtu e and her w ondro us learn ing was
spread thro u g h al l th e n eighboring l ands so th at m any of th e
n eighboring princes desired her
i n m arriage ; b u t U rsul a refused
every o ffer Not far fro m Britta ny on the other side of the great
ocean was a country called E ngland vast and powerful but the peo
ple were stil l i n the darkness of paganism ; and the king of th i s
country had an only son w hose n ame was C onon as celebrated for
h is beauty of person h is warli ke prowess an d physical strength as
H e was n e w old
U rsula for h er piety h er graces an d her learn ing
enough to seek a w ife ; and h is father K ing A gr i pp i n u s hearing of
th e great bea u ty and v irtue of U rsul a sent ambassadors to deman d
h er i n m arriage fo r h is son W hen th e ambassadors arri ved at the
palace of th e K ing of Brittany th ey were very courteously recei ved
b ut th e k ing was secretly m uch embarrassed for h e kne w that h is
daugh t er h a d m ade a v o w of perpetual ch astity h aving ded icated
herself to Christ ; at the s a m e tim e h e feared to o ffend the powerful
monarch of E ngland by refusing h is requ est ; therefore h e delayed
to give an answer and h av ing commanded th e ambassadors to be
s u mptuously lodged and entertained h e retired to h is ch amber and
l eaning h is h ead on h is hand h e meditated w hat w as best to be
done ; but he could th ink of no h elp to deliver h i m from th is strai t
W h ile thu s h e sat apart in do ubt and sadness the princess entered
an d learning th e cause o f h is m elan choly she said w ith a sm ile
Is th is al l ? Be of good cheer my k ing and father ! for i f i t
pl ease you I w ill mysel f answer these ambassad o rs
And her
father repl ied As th o u w ilt my daughter
S o the n ext d ay
w hen the ambassad o rs w ere agai n in t rod uced S t U rsula w as seated
on
a throne by h er father s side an d having recei ved and returned
their salutations w ith unspeakabl e grace and d igni ty she th u s a d
d ressed them : I th ank my L ord the K ing of E ngland and C o n o n
h is prin cely son and h is noble barons and you , s irs h is honorable
,

L E G E ND S

31 0

AN D

S T OR I E S

amba s sa dors for the ho n or ye h ave done me so m u ch greater th an

de
hold
m
y self bou n d to yo ur k ing as to a se con d
I
se rvi n g
m
y
fa ther a n d t o the pri n ce his son as to my brother and bridegroom
B ut I have to a s k three th ings
f o r t o n o other w ill I ever l isten
F i rst he sh a ll gi ve for m e as my lad ies and compan ion s ten virgins
of t he n o b les t blood i n h is kingdom and to each of th ese a thou
s a n d at t e n d a n ts an d to m e also a thousand m aiden s to wait on m e
S e c o n dly he sh a ll perm it m e for th e space of three years to honor
my vi r gin ity and wi th m y compan ions to v isi t the h oly shrines
w here repose the bod ies of the saints A n d my th ird dem and i s
that the prince and his court sh all receive baptism for other th an a
N o w yo u sh all understand th at
perfect Christian I ca n not w ed
th is w ise prin cess U rs ul a m ade these conditions th ink ing i n h er
h eart ei ther the K ing of E ngland w ill refuse these dem ands or if
he grant them then ele ven thousand v irgins are redeemed and ded i
Th e ambassadors being d ism issed
c a t e d to the service of G o d
w ith honor returned to the ir own country w h ere they m a de such a
report of the unequ alled beauty and w isdom of th e princess that
the king thought n o cond itions too h ard and th e prince h is son was
i n a m ed by desire to obtain h er ; so h e com manded h i mself t o be
forth w ith b a pti zed ; and th e k i n g wrote letters to all h is vassals i n
h i s k i n gdom of F rance in S cotland and i n the province of Corn
w a ll to a l l h is princes d ukes counts barons and n oble kn ights
d esiring th at th ey shou ld send h i m th e requ ired n u mber of m aidens
spotless a n d be a uti ful an d of n obl e birth to w ait on the P rincess
U rs ul a who w as t o w ed h is heir the Prince Conon ; an d fro m all
p a rts these nobl e virgi n s came trooping fa ir an d accompl ished in a l l
fe m ale lear n i n g and attired in rich garments w e aring j ewel s o f gol d
a n d sil ver
Bei n g assembled in Brittany i n the ca pital of K ing
T h e o n o t u s U rs ul a rece i ved them not only w i t h great gladne s s and
c ou r t esy
but w ith a sisterly tenderness and w ith th a n ksgi ving
pra isi n g G o d that so m any of her o wn sex h ad been redeemed fro m
the world s v a n i ties ; and the fa m e of this noble assembly of v irgins
h avi n g go n e fort h to a l l the countri es ro und abo ut th e barons an d
kn igh t s w ere gath e red toge t h er from east and w est to v i e w this
spe c t a c l e a n d yo u m a y think h o w m uch they were am a zed a n d ed i
e d by the sigh t of so m u c h be a uty a n d so m uch devotion
N ow
w hen U rsula h a d co llected a l l her v irgins togeth er o n a f re s h a n d
,

I L L US T R A T E D

IN

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31 1

fair morning i n th e spring time sh e desired th em to m eet i n a

m eado w near the city w h i c h meadow was of freshest green all o ver
enamelled with t h e brightest owers ; an d she ascended a throne
wh ich was raised i n the m ids t and spake to all the ass e mbled
v irgins of things concerning the glory of Go d an d of h i s S o n our
L ord an d S aviour w ith wonderful eloquen ce ; a n d of Chris t ian
chari t y and of a pure a n d holy l i fe d ed icated to h ea v en A n d a l l
th ese v irgins being moved w i t h a holy zeal w ept and l ifti n g u p
thei r hands and their voices prom ised to follo w her wh ithersoever
she sh o uld lead A n d she blessed the m a n d comfor t ed them ; a n d
as there were many amo n g them who h ad n ever recei ved b a ptism
s h e ordered th a t they sho uld be bapt i zed i n th e clear stream w h ic h
owe d through th a t o wery meado w Th e n U rsula called for a pe n
and wrote a letter to her bridegroom th e s o n of the K ing of E n g
land saying that as he h ad compl ied w ith all her wi shes and ful l l ed
all her demands he had good leave to wait u pon h er forth w ith S o
h e as became a true k night came i m mediately ; a n d sh e received
h i m wit h great h onor ; an d i n presence of h er father she sai d to
h im S i r my gracious prince and consor t i t h as been revealed to
m e in a v ision that I m ust depar t hence on my pilgrim a ge to visit
th e shrines i n the holy city of R om e w ith these my compan io n s ;
thou m ean wh ile shalt remain here to c o mfort my father and assist
h i m i n h is govern ment till my return ; or i f G o d sho uld dispose of
otherwise thi s k ingdo m sh all b e yo urs by right
m e
S ome say
that th e prince remained but others rel ate that h e accompani ed h er
on her voyage ; however th is m ay b e the glorious virgin embarked
w ith all her maidens on b o a r d a eet of sh ips prepared for th e m
and man y holy prelates accompanied t h em There were no sailors
on board and i t was a wonder to see w ith wh at sk ill t hese w ise vir
gins steered th e vessels and managed th e sails bei n g m iraculously
taugh t ; w e must th erefore s uppose that i t was by no m istake of
th eirs b u t by t h e providence of G o d t h at th ey sailed to the north
instead of th e south a n d were dri ven by th e w inds i nto the mo ut h
of the R h ine as far as th e port of Cologne Here th ey reposed for
a brief time d uring w h ich i t w as revealed to S t U rs ul a that on h er
return she an d h e r companions should on that spot su ffer m artyrdo m
for the cause of Go d all w h ich sh e m ade know n to her compan ions ;
a n d th e y all to geth e r l ift e d u p their voic e s in hymns of t h a n k sgi xi
-

I '

L E G E ND S

31 2

S TOR IE S

AN D

hat th e y should h e found worthy so to d ie S o th e y p r oc e eded o n

their voyage u p the river till th ey cam e to the city o f B as il ; there
they disembarked and crossed over the h igh m ountains into the
plains of L ig n r i a O ver the rocks and snows of th e A lps they w ere
m iraculously co n ducted ; for si x angels w ent before the m perpetually
clearing the road fro m all i mped i ments throwing bridges o ver the
mountain torr e nts and every n igh t p itching tents for the ir sh e lter
a n d refresh ment
S o th ey came at length to th e ri v e r T i ber and
d esce n d ing the ri ver they reach ed R om e that famo u s city w h erein i s
the holy shrine of S t Peter an d S t Paul I n those days was Cyr i a
cus B ishop of R o me he w as famo us f or h is sanctity ; and he aring of
th e arriv al of S t U rsula and all her fair and glorious company of
maidens h e w as as yo u may suppose greatly amazed an d tro ubled
i n m ind not know ing w h at i t m ight portend S o h e w ent o ut t o
m e et them w ith al l h is clergy in procession When S t U rsula
kneel ing do wn before h im explained to h i m th e cause o f her co m ing
and i mplored h is blessing for h erself and her companions w ho can
express h i s admiration and contentment
H e not only gave th em
h is blessing but commanded th at th ey should be honorably l od ged
a n d e nterta i ned
an d to preserve th e ir m aidenly honor and d ecorum
tents wer e pitched for th e m o u tside th e w alls of th e city o n th e
plain towards Ti voli N ow it h appen ed th at th e valian t son o f K ing
A grippin a s w ho had been left in Brittany became e very day more
and more im patient to learn som e t idings of h is princess bride ; and
a t length b e resolved to set o ut in search of her
and by a m ir
acle h e arrived in th e city of R om e o n th e sel f same day but by a
different route B eing happily re un ited h e k nel t w ith U rsula at the
feet of Cy r ia c u s and recei ved baptism at h is h ands ch anging h is
name from Conon to th at o f E t h e r e u s to express th e purity and
regeneration of h is soul H e no longer aspired to th e possession of
U rsula bu t xed h i s h ope on sh ari n g w ith h er th e crown of m artyr
d o m on earth look ing to a perpetual reun ion i n h eaven w h ere n either
sorro w nor separation should touch them mor e A fter th is blessed
company had d uly performed their de votion s at the shrine of S t
Peter and S t Paul the good Cy r i a c n s w ould fain h ave detained
the m longer ; but U r s ula showed h im that i t was ne c e ssary th ey
s hould depart in order to recei ve th e cro wn
al r eady lai d u p for th e m
in h ea ven
When the bi shop hear d thi s b e r e s ol v e d t o ac com pa ny
t

ILL US TR A TE D
her

IN

AR T

31 3

vain h is clergy represented that i t d i d not becom e th e

pope of R ome and a man of venerable years to follo w a com pany
of maidens h owever im maculate they migh t be Cyr i a c u s h ad been
counselled by an angel of Go d and he made ready to set for t h a n d
embark w it h them on the ri ver R hine N o w i t happened that there
w ere at R ome in those days two great R oman captains cruel h ea
the n s w ho com manded all the i mperial troops i n G ermania T hey
being aston ished at th e sight of th is m ul t itude of virgins said o n e
to the oth er S hall w e s u ffer th is ? I f w e allo w these Christian
maidens to return to Germania th ey w ill convert the w hole n ation ;
o r if th ey marry h usbands then they w ill h ave so m any ch ildren
no doubt all Christians that our empire wil l cease therefore let
u s tak e co unse l w hat i s best to be done
S o these w icked pagans
consul t e d togeth e r and wrote letters to a certain barbarian k i n g of
th e H uns w ho was then besieging Cologne and instructed h i m w hat
M eantime S t U rsula an d h er virgins w ith her h us
h e should d o
band and h is faithful knights prepared t o embark ; w ith the m went
P ope Cy r i a c u s a n d i n h is train V i n c e n z i o and G iacomo cardinals ;
and S ol n o A rchbishop of R avenna and F ol a t i n o Bishop of L u cca
and th e Bishop of F a e n z a and th e patriarch of Gr a de and many
other prelates ; and aft er a long and perilous j ourney they arri ved i n
the port of Cologne They found the city besieged by a great army
o f barbarian s encamped on a plain outs id e the gates
These pagans
seeing a n u mber of vessels lled not w ith erce warriors but beau
tiful virgins unarmed youth s an d venerable bearded men stood s t i l l
at rst staring w ith amazement ; b ut after a short pause remem
bering their instructions th ey r ushed upon th e u nresisting v ictims
O ne of th e rst w ho perished wa s Prince E t h e r e u s who fell pierced
through by an arrow at the feet of h is beloved princess Then
Cyr i a c u s the cardinals an d several barons sank to the earth or
peri shed i n th e stream When the m en were despatched th e erce
barbarians rush ed u pon th e virgins j us t as a pack of gaunt h ungry
wol ves m ight fall on a ock of milk w h ite lambs F inding that th e
noble v irgins resisted their brutal ity their rage was excited a n d
th ey drew th eir swords and m assacred th em al l Then was it wor
thy of all admiration to be hold these illu strious vi r gin s w h o h ad
struggled to defend th eir virtue now meekly resign e d and ready a s
sheep for the slaughter e mbracing and encouraging each other ! O b
I

31 4

L E GE N D S A N D

S T OR I E S

th en h ad you se e n th e gl ori ous S t U rsul a w ort h y t o b e th e cap t a in

and leader of t h is army of virgin martyrs h o w sh e e w from one to
the other h earten i n g them w i th brave words to d ie for their faith
I nspired by h er voi ce h er aspect they d id not quail
a n d honor !
b ut o ffere d th emsel ves to death ; an d th us by h undred s and by thou
s ands they perish ed and th e plai n w as stre wed w ith th eir l imbs an d
B u t the barb a rians awed by t he m a
r a n in ri vers w i th th eir blood
l
U
rsu
a
h
ad
no
po
w
er
to
strike
h
er
but
carri
ed
i
c beauty of S t
t
e
s
j
h er before their prince wh o look ing on h er w it h adm iration said to
h er We e p not ; for tho u gh tho u h ast lost thy comp an ions I w ill be
thy h usband and thou sh alt be th e greatest queen in all G ermany
To wh ich S t U rsula all glow ing w ith i nd ignation and a holy sco rn
repl ied O th ou cruel m an ! bl ind an d sensel ess a s tho u art cruel !
th inkest thou I can w eep ? Or dost tho u hold m e so base so cowardly
th at I w ould consen t to surv i ve my dear c o mpan ions and s isters ?
Tho u a r t decei ved 0 son of S atan ! for I defy thee and h i m
w h o m tho u servest !
W hen t h e prou d pagan h eard th ese words
h e w as seized w ith fury a n d bend i n g h is bow wh ich h e h eld in h is
h an d h e w ith three arrows trans xed h er pu re breas t so th at she
f el l dead an d h e r spiri t ascended into h eaven w ith all the gloriou s
si sterh ood o f martyrs w ho m she h a d led to death and w ith h er
betrothed h u sb and and h is co m pan ions ; and there w ith palm s i n
th eir h an ds an d crowns u pon their h ead s th ey stan d aro und th e
t hrone of Christ and l ive i n h is l igh t an d i n h is approv ing sm il e
blessing h i m and praising h i m fore ver A men !
I t h a s been v ery
troublesome for the a r ti sts wh o h ave represented th is l egend to d e
v ise any means by w h ich th ey coul d repres e nt the idea o f th e eleven
thousan d virgins ; and i n spite o f all the ir i ngenu i ty several th ousands
still remain to w hom j ustice has never been don e Th e attributes
of S t U rsul a are the crown of t h e prin ce ss th e sta ff of th e p ilgrim
t h e arrow a s a m artyr ; the w h it e banner w ith the red cross a s
th e vi ctorious Christian ; and t h e do ve becaus e a dove d isclosed
h er buri al place to S t Cun i be rt S h e is frequently represented a s
spreading o ut h er broad man tle u nderneath w h ich m any v irgins
clu ster There are m an y series of paintings gi ving th e sc e nes o f her
l ife P atroness o f al l young m aidens ; especially of sch ool girls and
1
f
o such women as instruct t h e young o f the ir o w n s e x
O c t ob e r 2 1
.

Of t h e U rs ul in e

n un s, e s pe c a ll y.

ILL US TR A TE D
St

V a l e ri a n

Se e St

I N

AR T

31 5

Cecil ia
S e e S t M artial
S t V a le rie
V e ra I c o n T h e
S e e S t Veron ica
S t V e r d i a n a is seen i n F lorentine pi ctur e s
S h e is in th e h ab it
of a Vallombrosan nun an d bears a basket from w hi ch serpents feed
.

1 222

ic a

Veron ica ; F r S t e Ver o n i qu e ) There

are two qu ite di ff erent legends concern ing this saint The mos t a n
cient relates th at sh e was th e woman w ho was h ealed by tou ch ing
C hrist s garment and t hat she greatly desired a pi cture of h i s face
S h e rst too k a cloth to S t L uke and h e painted a pi ct u re that both
h e a n d Vero n ica thought to be l ike Christ ; b ut when next sh e saw
h im s h e fo u n d h i s face q uite di fferent Then th e S av iour sai d to

h er U n less I come to your h elp all L uke s art i s i n v a i n for m y

Then h e told h er to go
f ace i s know n only to H i m who se n t m e
to her hous e and prepare h i m a m eal and before th e day ended h e
woul d come to h er Veron ica di d th is j oyfully an d wh en C hrist
came h e rst desired water to wash V eroni ca gave h i m thi s w ith a
cloth w h ereon to w ipe He pressed th e cloth to h is f ace a n d h is
image rem ained on it He then gave i t to Veron ica saying Th is i s
like m e and w i l l do great th ings
A bo u t thi s ti me the E mperor of
R o m e w as ill of a dreadful d isease
S om e say th e em peror was Ves
pasian and oth ers Tiberi us ; that h e h ad w orm s i n h i s he a d or a
'
wasp s nest in hi s nose I t wa s a fearful sight N o w he h ears that a
grea t physician perfo rms wonderfu l cures in J u d ee a S o h e se n ds hi s
m esse n gers to Jerusalem and nds t h at J esus the p h ysici a n had been
slai n three years before Th en Pilate is lled w i t h alarm and a ccuses
th e Je w s of t h e deed wh ile th e y i n turn m ak e h i m responsible f o r i t
Then t h e messe n ger inquires for th e fo l lowers of Jesus and a t l a st
Vero n ica is brought to h im He then desires to see the portrait
A t rst she denies h avi n g i t b u t at l e n gth acknowledges that sh e
tre a sures i t w ith great care and bri n gs i t to hi m The messe n ger
d e sires to t ake it t o R om e bu t sh e w ill not consent u nless sh e go e s
als o T hey there f r e dep a r t and arrive a fter a very short a n d p r os
e r o u s v oya ge
W h e n a l l i s e xpl a i n ed to h i m of t h e death of Jesus
p
th e m i r a c l e o f t h e pi c t u r e a n d i ts i n h ere n t vi r tue th e emperor regards
it b e l ievi n g a n d is he a led Pil a te w h o h a s been brought to R ome
i s then cas t into prison h e k ills h i mself and h is body i s throw n into
St

Ve

ron

I
t
a l S anta
(

L E G END S A ND S TOR IE S

31 6

T iber w h ere demon s att a ck i t Th en t h e emp e ror det e rm ine s

to avenge the death of Christ u pon Jerus a l em He besieges the ci t y
sl a in that t hey c a nn o t be buried C a pti ves
a n d so m a n y J ews a r e
are cru c i ed ; the thie ves w ho d iv ided the g arments of J esus are cu t
i n q u a r t ers and m any are sold for thirty pence each N o w th i s

cl o th w hi c h is the subj ect of th is lege n d i s th e Volto S anto o r

G od s i mage an d these words were used a s an i m precation i n the

M iddle A ges
Vera I c on another n ame for i t sign ies Th e S acre d
P i cture and i s the same as the nam e of the sai nt ; and i n fa c t the

I t is w ell to compare th is
picture is some t imes called a Veron ica
legend w ith that of K ing A h ga r u s as they probably came from th e
s a me source and are very l i kely d i ff erent versions of one legend
T h e la t er legend of S t Veroni ca does not m ak e her the h eale d
w oman but m erely a woman of J erusale m wh ose house C hri s t passed
w he n bearing h is cross S eei n g his sufferings sh e p i t i e d h i i n and gave
When h e returned i t to h er it w as
h i m h er v e il to w ipe h i s bro w
i m pressed w ith the sacred i mage Th is lege n d is recog n ized b v t h e
Ca t h o l ic Ch urch Th e house of S t Veron ica is shown at J erusal em on
th e Vi a D olorosa Th is l a tter legend also takes Veronica to R om e
bu t the emperor has d ied before her arriv a l an d she remains w ith S t
Peter and S t Paul and at last su ff ers m artyrdo m under N ero S till
another version mak e s h er go to E urope w ith L azarus a n d h is sisters
T he i mage i s the Vera
a n d suff er death i n P roven ce or A qui t a ine
l c o n or th e tru e i m a ge a n d the clot h i s the S udari u m ( I t a l I l
S u d a rio ; F r L e S a int S u aire )
A ch apel in S t P eter s at R om e i s
d ed icated to th is sai n t ; and t h erei n i s th e face of Christ i mpressed on
a l inen cloth th e veri t able V era I con S t Veron ica is unm istak able i n
art as sh e is represented hol d ing th e n a pk in T he festi val of S t V e ro
n ic a ( F r L a S ainte F ac e de J esu s Christ ) is h el d on S hrove Tues d a y
S t V i c t o r o f M a r s e i l l e s (I t a l S a n V ittore ) wa s a s o l d ier
u nder D ioclet i a n and s u ffered martyrdom i n th e tenth p e i s e c u t io n
H e end ured terrible tortures w i t h wo n derful strength and d evo
ti o n I n t h e m idst of the m a m i n i at ure al t ar was brought h i m o n
wh ich to sacrice to J upiter a n d th u s save h imself but h e d a shed
d w n th e i m a ge a n d destroy ed i t
H e was then c r a sh ed w i t h a
m illst o n e a n d aft er w a rd s beheaded
Whe n h e d ied angels w ere

heard t o sing Vi c i sti Vi ctor be a te v icis t i

He i s represente d
as a R oman soldier w ith a m illstone near h im J uly 2 1 A D 303
the

ILL US TR A TE D
St

V ic tor

M i la n

of

I
t
al
(

AR T

IN

31 7

w as another R oman
soldier w ho su ff ered also in the te n th persecution He was a nati v e
of M auritan i a b u t su ff ered at M ila n w here th ere is a ch urch ded i
c a t e d to h im
He i s the favorite m ilitary sai n t of northern I taly
I t i s said that he was thrown into a he a ted ove n and a n oven w it h
ames bursting out is someti mes near h i m i n pictu r es b u t h e is m ore
frequently represented as th e Victoriou s so m e t i m es on horseback and
always in th e dress of a sold ier M ay 8 A D 3 03
S t V i n c e n t D eacon an d M artyr ( L a t S V i n centi us L e v ita
I t a l S a n V i n c e n z i o D iacono S a n Vi n cenzi no F r S t Vi n cent)
Th e
pri n cipal facts concern ing th is saint are so est a blished by good
authorities th at th ey cannot be den ied ; b ut imagin ation has had
great li cense in the legend as it i s i llustrated by those w ho paint ;
w h ether i t be w ith brush or pen artist or poet
I t i s as follows :
Vincent was born i n S aragossa A t the ti me of th e terrible perse
c u t i on
u nder D iocletian h e was about t wenty years old and already
a deacon Th e proconsul D aci an caused all th e Christians of S ara
gossa to be brough t t ogeth er w ith a prom ise of i mm u nity and then
ordered the m all to be m assacred S t Vin cent d id al l in h is pow er
to encourage and su stai n the people of G o d a n d at length was h i m
self arrested and brough t before th e tribu n al Wi th h i m w as h is
bishop V aleri us When th ey w ere accused Valeriu s an swered rst
b ut h e h ad an impediment i n h is speech and w as moreover old an d
feeble so that h is ans wers w ere al most uni ntelligible ; then Vince n t
excl aimed How i s th is my father ? can st tho u not speak alou d an d
defy th is pagan dog ! S peak that all the w orld may hear or suff er
m e w h o am only thy servant to speak in thy stead !
When th e
b ish op th erefore gave h i m leave h e proclai med h is fa i th aloud an d
deed al l tortures an d su fferi n gs Th en w as D aci a n v ery wroth
an d h e comm anded that th e young man sho uld be reserved to th e
t ortures b u t th e old man sentenced o n ly t o b a n ish ment from the
city T h e most fearful tortures were i nvented for Vi n ce n t to w h ich
h e subm itted w ith m iraculous strength Prudenti us says i n h is cel e

W hen h i s body wa s l acerated by iron

b r a t e d h ymn to S t L awren ce
forks h e only sm iled on h is tor m entors th e pa n gs they inicted
w ere to h im del i g h t s ; thor n s w ere h is roses the ames a refresh i n g
A fter h is terribl e
bath death itself was but the entran ce to l ife
s u fferings they laid h i m on t h e oor of h is d ungeon strew e d w ith
.

S a n V ittore )

L E G END S

31 8

S T OR I E S

AND

potsh erds ; bu t a n gels c a me and m ini stered to h im and when h is

j ailers looked i n th ey beheld the place lled w ith celestial l igh t and
a sweet perfu me came o u t from i t ; th ey heard t he songs o f angel s
i n w h ic h Vincent j oi ned w i th th anksgiving ; an d he called to t he
j ailers to come i n and partake of h is bl iss Then these fell on their
knees and were con verted A fter th is D acian being con vinced that
tortures co ul d n o t conquer h i s S pirit resol ved to try th e seductions
of l uxury
He h ad t h e sain t placed on a bed stre wn w ith roses ;
h is friends w ere ad mitted a n d every th ing w as done to e a se h is pain
B u t n o soon er cam e these sed uctions than h e d ied and angels bore
h is so ul to glory Th en t h e furio us D acian ordered h is body to be
thro wn to the w ild beasts ; bu t G o d sent a raven to guard it and
Then t h e consul com manded
i t rem a ined untou ched for m any days
th at i t shoul d be sewed u p i n an c x h id e as was don e to the
bod ies of parricides and thrown into t h e sea S o i t w as th us pre
pared and carried o ut in a boat an d thrown o v e r w ith a m il l
stone attach ed to i t ; b ut lo wh e n the boatm e n reach e d th e shore
i t was returned before them and l ay u pon t h e s a n ds !
Then th ey
ran away terri ed ; and the w aves ho l lo wed ou t a grave a n d b uried
i t Here i t remained for m any y e ars unt i l at last i t was m i ra c u
l o u sl y revealed to certain Christian s o f V alen ci a and th e y remo ved
th ese h oly re m ains to th eir ow n ci ty When the Christi ans o f V alen
ci a ed from th e M oors th ey bore w ith the m these bl e ssed relics
The v essel in w h ich th ey were was driven u pon a promontory o n t h e
coas t of Por t ug a l wh ere th ey stopped and interred t h e body ; and
that point has been called Cape S t Vincen t fro m that d ay Here
too th e rave n s guarded the remains ; and a por t ion of th e cape is

called in remembrance of th em e 1 M onte de las Cu e r va s

Wh en
i n the year 1 1 4 7 A lonzo I remov e d t h e remains to L isbon two
cro ws accom pa n ied t h e vessel on e at the pro w an d one at th e
stern ; these crow s m ultiplied greatly in L isbon u nti l rents were
a ssigned to t h e chapt e r for th eir su pport
Vincent has been sur
n am ed t h e I n vi n c i bl e both on acco un t of hi s ch ara cter and th e
sign i cation of h is n ame
S t V incent i s re presen t ed as yo u ng
and beau ti ful in a deacon s d ress and h is proper a ttribute i s
a cro w or rave n
Patron of L isbon Val enci a a n d S a ra gossa ; of
M ilan ; of Cb a l o n s and m any other places i n F rance J a n uary 22
A D 3 04
,

ILL US TR A TED
St

V in

AR T

I N

31 9

t F e r r a r i s was born at Valenci a i n 1 3 5 7 Hi s

parents de n ied the m selves greatly in order to ed ucate h i m a n d h is
brother Boniface He w as a D om inica n and took th e h ab it w h e n
only eighteen He became o n e of th e mos t celebrated preach ers a n d
m issionaries
He w ent all through S pain I taly and F ran ce a n d by
i nvitat ion of Henry I V to E n gland H e so m oved th e h earts of h is
hearers th at h e was often obliged to pause that th e sobbing and weep
ing might s ubsi de H e d id m an y m iracles ; a n d it is related that
w hen h e preached in L atin he w as understood by al l who heard h im
of w h ate ver n ation learned or u n learned He spent the last two
years of h is l ife in Brit t any a n d N ormandy and died at Va nnes
Jeann e de F ran ce D u ch ess of B rittany washed h i s body and pre
pared it for the grave w ith h e r own h ands H is proper attrib ute i s
the crucix w h ich h e holds aloft i n reference to h i s labors as m is
H e sometim es h as w ings as symbols of h is fervor b u t
si o n a ry
A pril 5
w ith th e D om inican h abit they h av e a strange e ff ect
.

ce n

1419

t d e P a u l i s loved an d ven erate d not o n ly in h i s

n ati ve F ra n ce and by Catholi cs every w here b ut also by th e m a j or
ity of non C atholi cs
H e was b orn in 1 5 76 at P uy i n G asco n y
H i s father w as a farmer a n d V incent tended th e ocks B ut h is
temper w a s so sweet and h is m ind so acti ve that h is father
desired an ed ucat ion for h im ; so h e w as sent to a convent of
A fter h e was w ell a d
Cordel iers F ranciscan F a t h ers at A c qs
i n h is studies h e accepted th e pl ace of a t utor th a t h e
v anced
m ight contin u e h i s studies w ithout being burdensom e to h is poor
pare n ts H e nally attain ed to th e priesthood in 1 600 H e went to
M arseilles on bu siness and w hen retur n ing by sea w as seized by

frica
pirates
and
carried
into
sl
avery
H e remained thu s t wo
A
n
ye a rs and h a d several masters Th e w ife of th e last one p iti ed
h i m and w hen sh e spok e to h i m w as ch armed by h i s conversat ion
O n e d a y sh e ask ed h i m to sing and h e b ursting i n to tears sang

By th e w aters of Babylon w e sat down and w ept a n d the n t h e

gloriou s S alve R egi n a

Th is woma n w as con verted a n d i n h e r
turn instructed h er h usband w h o also recei ved th e truth Then
th ey all escaped and ca m e to A i gu e s m o r t e s Vi n ce n t placed h i s
companions i n a rel igiou s house and w ent h i mself to R ome w he n c e
he w as sent by the pop e to Paris Th is was in 1 609 H e h ad been
St

V in

ce n

'

L E G END S A ND S TOR IE S

3 20

gre atly moved at t h e sigh t of th e su ff erings of th e g a lley slav e s H e

h ad been in captivi ty H e w as not able to do m u ch for them b u t
h e preached to the m and com forted the m as mu ch as possible H e
t h en t urned h is attention to the M agdalenes of P a ris and founded

th e hospital of L a M adal eine

He also fo unded the Congrega
tion of t h e S isters of Ch arity and establ ish ed a fo undl ing hospital
T his i s no place w h e re in t o speak of all the good he th us d id ; and
indeed who can tell it ? H e was a friend of R ichel ie u until his de a th
He was called to th e side of L ou is XI I I i n h is last moments D ur
i n g the w ars of the F ronde h e m in istere d to th e s u fferers and
greatly desired to do someth ing for the Cath ol ics o f I reland wh o
w ere s u e r i n g cru el oppression
I n short h e h as been n am ed by
general consent L I n t e n da n t d e l a Providen ce e t P er e des Pau vres
He d ied at S t L azare He i s represented i n th e cleri cal cassock
w ith a n ew born infa nt in h is arms an d a S ister of C harity kneeli n g
before h im J uly 1 9 A D 1 660
S t V i t a l i s o f R a v e n n a w a s th e f ath er of S t G e rv a s i u s an d
S t P ro t a s ius
H e was conde mned to be b uried al iv e for having tak en
u
and
cared
for
th
e
body
of
a
Christian
m
artyr
He
was
a
sold
ier
p
i n th e army of N ero and had b een con verted by th e preach ing of
H i s w i fe Valeri a ed w ith h er two sons to M ilan T he
S t Peter
ch u rch ded icated to h im an d e rected o ver th e spot w h ere he was
buried is a re mark abl e mon ument o f B yzantine ar ch itecture Th e
fa m e of this sai n t extended al l over E urope He i s represented as a
soldier w ith the m artyr s cro wn and som e ti m es on a w h ite ch arger
w i t h th e standard of vi ctory A pri l 28 abo ut 6 2
S t V i t u s (I t a l S a n V ito ; F r S t V ite or S t G u y ; Ge r D e r
H eil ige Ve it Vit or V i tus ) was th e son of a nobl e S icilian w h o
w as a paga n ; b ut th e n i r s e a n d foster father of V itus w ere secretly
Christia n s an d th ey bro ugh t h i m u p i n th e faith and had h i m b a p
t iz e d
When o n ly twel ve years o l d h e declared h i msel f a C hristia n
w h ic h so e nraged h is fath er and the governor that th ey attem pted to
com pel h i m to retract T h e y shu t h i m in a d ungeon after bea t ing
h i m ; bu t wh en h is fa ther lo o k ed through t he k e y hol e h e saw h i m
d a n c i n g w ith seven beau tiful a n gels a n d so dazzli n g w a s th e sigh t
th at the fath er wa s m a de bl i n d a n d wa s rest o red to sight o n ly through
t he intercessio n of his son
A ft er th is h e once more persecuted
V i t us w ho ed w ith h is n u rse and her h usband in a boa t , w h ich wa s
.

ILL US TR A TE D

AR T

I N

321

te e re d by an angel to I taly B ut h er e th e y wer e agai n accused as

Christi ans an d were thro wn into a caldron of boiling oil He i s r e pr e
sented as a beautiful boy H e has many attributes : t h e palm ; th e
caldron o f o il ; a lion because h e was once exposed to l ions ; a wolf
because h is remain s w ere guarded by on e ; an d a c o ok th e reason of
w h ich i s not known bu t on acco u nt of w h ich h e i s invoked a gainst
drowsiness H e is one of the fourteen N oth helfers or patron saints
of Germany
H e i s patron saint of dancers an d actors ; and i s
i nvoked against t h e n ervou s d isease S t Vi tu s dance
Patron of
S axony Bohemia and S icily
J un e 1 5 A D 303
S t W a l b u r ga w hose A nglo S axon name is th e sam e as the

G reek E ucharis and signi es

grac iou s i s also called Walpurgis
W albo urg Va l p u r ge G u a l b o ur g and A va n g o ur Wh en h er un cl e
S t Bon iface and h e r brother S t Willibald determ in ed to tak e a
company of religious women from E nglan d to the con tinent to assist
i n teaching the pagans Wa l b i i r g a left th e convent of Wi nburn
w here sh e h ad l ived t wenty seven years an d w ent w ith ten other
n uns to M ayence S h e was after wards m ade rst abbess of th e con
vent of Heidenh eim A fter th e death of W illibald on account of
h er learn ing and t alents sh e w as called to E ichstadt and governed
th e t wo commu niti es there th e monks as w ell as th e nuns S h e
w rote a h istory of her brother i n L atin S h e had stud ied medici n e
and did some wonderful cures A fter her deat h sh e w as entombed
i n a rock near E ichs t adt fro m wh ich ex uded a wonderful o il
Th i s
w as though t to procee d fro m th e remain s of the saint ; a n d i t was
called Wal purgis oil an d m any re m arkable cures w ere e ff ected
thro u gh its u se
The c a Ve becam e a pl ace of pilgri mage a n d a
ch urch was b u ilt on th e spot O n th e n ight of her festi val VVa l p u r
gi s n ight the w itches were said to hold their orgies a t Blocksberg
The saint s ch ief festi val is on the 1 s t of M ay S h e i s represented
in th e Ben ed ictine h abit w ith a crosier and a ask ; th e l a tter a
symbol of th e Walpurgis oil M ay 1 about 778
T h i s lege n d is gi ven i n several d if
W a n d e r i n g Je w T h e
A ccord ing to M atth e w Pa r is an A rmeni a n archbishop
f e r e n t ways
came to E ngland to visit its shrines a n d w as enter t ai n e d at th e
m on a stery o f S t A l bans He w as questioned in rega rd to hi s o wn
cou n try and h i s travels a n d was asked i f h e had ever know n a n y
thing o f a m iraculou s p e rson w ho was present at t h e crucixion of
s

21

3 22

L E G E ND S A ND S TOR IE S

Christ and wh o st ill l ived T he archbishop testi ed that i t wa s tru e

t hat su c h a m a n l i ved an d that h e kn e w h im well He said he had
been the porter of Po n ti us Pil a te and was named Ca r t a ph i l u s W hen
t h e J e ws were dr a ggi n g Jesu s from th e j udgment h all Ca r t a p h i l u s

stru c k hi m w ith h is st saying

G o faster Jesus go faster ! w hy

d o st tho u linger ?
Then J esu s turned and said I indeed am going

bu t thou shal t tarry til l I co me

A ft erw a rds th e porter was con
v erted and baptized by th e n am e of Joseph A t the end of e very
century h e falls ill and is incurabl e at length h e goes into an ecst a sy
and w h en h e comes o ut of it h e i s th e sa m e a ge th at h e was wh en
C hris t d ied w hich was about th irty years He i s a grave and holy
m an
He reme mbers all the circu msta n ces of th e cruci x ion th e
resurrection and ascension of th e com posing of th e A postles C reed
an d the separation of the A postl e s w hen th ey w ent forth to pre ach
A nother lege n d gi ves h is name as A hasuerus a n d rel ates th at a s
Jesus wa s be a ri n g h is cross h e stopped before h i s door to rest an d
T hen Jesus tol d h i m th at
A h asuerus drove h i m away with curses
h e sho uld w ander u nti l h e came to j udgment ; and e ver since h e
w anders bowed dow n w ith grief and remorse and u nable to nd a
grave
S e e S t L u d m ill a
S t W e n c e s la u s of B oh e m ia
S t W e r b u r ga gures a m ong th e early Bened ictine sain ts i n
E ngland
S h e w as abbess of R epand u m an d h ad j urisd i cti on over
m onks as w ell as n uns S h e w as t h e ni ece of S t E t helreda and was
bro ugh t u p wi th h e r at E ly S h e fo unded several m onasteries and
h ad the care of them besides th at of R epton Weedon Trentham
a n d Hanbury
The cathedral of Ch ester w as ded icated t o her i n
8 00 and a part of h er sh rin e no w su pports a p e w erected for the
A n gl ican bish op of the d iocese
A bo ut 7 08
S t W i l l i a m o f A qu i ta i n e
S e e S t B en ed ict of A n i a n
S t Z e n o o f V e r o n a was bi shop of that city i n the fo urth
century a n d wa s rem ark abl e for t h e w isdom w ith w hich h e governed
h i s d iocese d uring t hose troublon s ti mes
He i s re presented i n one
picture h o l d i n g a lo n g s h i n g rod and th e l egend of V erona s a ys
h e w a s f o n d o f sh i n g i n th e A d ige ; but i t is q u ite probabl e that th e
sh wh i c h ha n gs fro m th e l i n e i s sy m bol i c a l of b a p t ism I t i s doubt
ful w hether h e wa s m a r t yred al t hough h e is s a id to h ave been by
J ul ian the A postate I t is related that K ing P epi n desire d t o be
.

ILL US T R A TE D

IN

AR T

3 23

b uri e d i n th e same grave w ith S t Z eno so great w as h is est e em for

h im A pril 1 2 A D 3 8 0
S t Z e n o b i o o f F l o r e n c e was the son of nobl e parents L u cian
a n d S oph ia but they w ere pagans
He was born i n th e last year of
th e reign of Constantine H e w as con verted w h il e at school and
su cceeded i n c o n ve r t i n g h i s parents H e l i ved i n R ome an d was
a deacon and the secretary of Pope D a m a s u s I
He w as sen t to
F loren ce i n a ti me of grea t d istraction but both Cathol i cs and A r ians
desired to h ave h i m for their bishop He restore d to li fe a m an w ho
h ad fallen down a m o untain pre cipi ce w hen on th e way to bri n g
som e sacred rel ics to h im sent by S t A mbrose A l ady on h e r way
to R om e s t e ppe d a t F lorence to see th is good m an of whom she h ad
he ard m u ch and sh e left h er son i n h is care unt i l she sh o uld return
The day before her return th e ch ild d ied ; b ut when sh e took it an d
laid it at the feet of S t Z enob io b e res t ored it to l ife He led a
most holy l ife an d d ied i n t h e reign o f Honori us When h e was
b eing borne to his grave th e people so pressed abo ut h i s b ier th at
in the Piazza del D uomo h is body was throw n agai nst th e trunk of
an e l m that w as w ithered I t i m mediately p ut forth b u ds an d leaves
H e i s represented in h is episcopal ro b es ; h is attri bute is fre qu e ntly
a tree wh ic h i s p u t t in g f ort h lea ve s M ay 25 A D 4 1 7
.

I N D E X

A RO N 1 9
A bbo n dio
A b d e l ra m

A b e l a rd

an

66

A ga th a S t 7 4 2 4 3 44
A ge n i n A qui t a i n e 1 1 1
A g l ae R o m a n l a dy 4 7

St

1 52

37

A h
A c qu a p e n d e n t e

39

n e

A i g u e sm
21 9
,
-l a

1 68

A u gsb urg 4 1
Bre sc i a 42
,

of

9 5 , 1 1 0, 1 1 1

2 1 7, 223 , 238

5 8 , 8 5 , 9 3 1 90,

A l e x a n dri a C l e m e n t o f 1 5 9
A l e x a n dri a S t C a th e rin e of
A l e xi s S t 4 7 4 8
,

A g a n um , 1 29 , 230
A a , 15

g r

of

Al x d r
Al x d r
F li i t
Al x d r
M r t yr
A l e x a n d e r VIII 1 8 5
A l e x a n dri a Bis h o p o f 5 6
A l e x a n dri a C i t y o f 5 1 5 6
.

A f ra S t
A f ra S t
A g a bu s

I E g e a n S e a , 24 0
lE g e us ,
I E m i li a , 4 9
E s c u l a p iu s , 90
43
I Etn a,

Mt

61

A lb
A lb
r t ord h r
A lb rt
A lb rt u M g u
A lbig s s
F ily
Al l

A l ba n o po l is , 60
a n , S t , 46
a n s , S t , i n He
f
s i e , 46
e
t , 28 , 4 6
, S
e
s
a n s, 47
e n e , t h e , 96, 2 5 7
am
o f, 67
A l bi z e s c h i
c a a , 9 5 , 29 8
A l d r o va n sk i , 1 4 5
e
an e
S e v e r u s, 222
e c a s, 1 1 2
e a n e , S on of
t , 4 0, 4 7
the
a
e an e
, S

32 2
, 9 1 , 24 7
or t e s , 3 1 9
,

A ix
A ix C h a p e l l e 65
l a C h a p e l l e C ou n c il of
A i x
A lb a n o Ca rd i n a l of 70
A lb a n o Pa i n t e r 9 6

h a s u e ru s
A id a n S t

269, 297

A g r i pp i n u s , 3 09

A c re 4 6
A c t s o f Pa ul a n d T h e c l a 291
A d a m 266
A d a m a n d E ve 1 6
A d a m a n d t h e T re e o f M e rc y 303
A d a S y m bol o f 1 2
A d e l a id e S t 3 9 4 0
A d e lb e r t S t 1 8 9 28 7
A dora t io n o f t h e M a gi 1 69 1 96 279
A dor a t io n o f t h e S h e ph e rd s 1 96
A dri n Ca s t l e o f 1 9 0
A dri a n E p e ror 1 1 1
A dri a S t 7 4 0 4 1 1 41
A dri t i c t h e 3 05
n ae i n C ili c i a 9 0
m

A c h i ll e u s, S t
c m e r, 2 4 1

A g n e s o f A us t ri a 1 8 3
A g n e s o f Mo n t e p ul c i a n o S t 4 5
A g s S t 4 44
A gn us D e i 21
A gos t i n o S a n t C h ur c h o f 30 31
A g r i c o l a u s o f S e b a s t e 69
A gri pp a 1 5 1 28 1

A c qs , 3 1 9

1 87

'

31 6

K i n g 1 1 3 7 39
A bi a th a r Pr i e s t 1 67
A bij a h 304
A bis h a g 1 9
A bra h a m 1 5 1 6 227 232
A c a d e y o f P a i n t e r s 223
Ac h a ia 5 0
,

A gla , S t , 4 4
A g la ide s 9 2

A h g a r us ,
,

76

3 26

I N DE X

A l fo n so S t 1 4 7
A l f re d t h e G re a t 1 01 1 32
A li
m o th r
f St Be
o
A l i e of G r a n y S t 39
A ll t o \
V s h i g t o n 28 4
Pre f t 78
A lm ach i
A lo n zo 3 1 8
A loysi us S t 3 4 1 8 5
.

ce

n n

us,

2 79 , 28 3

66

A
A

l pa i d e , 1 7 9
l ph e g e , S t

4 8 , 1 07

on

3 06

a la b e r g a ,

St

1 37

323

A e th y st Sy m boli sm o f 9
A m i e s 1 79 264
A n a c h ro n is m s 3 4
A a c l e t us 66
A n a i a s S e r va n t t o Ki n g A hga rus
m

A n a rgy r e s , 9 0
.

Ap olli re i C l a s se S n t 271
A p olli a ri s i n C l a ss e B a si li c a of 5 5
Ap olli a ris o f Ra ve n a S t 5 5
Ap ollo 1 29
A p ol lo Te m p l e o f 6 4
A p ol lo n i a o f A l e x a dri a S t 7 5 5
Ap ollo n i u s 1 38
Ap ollo n i us S t 1 1 1
Ap o s t l e s C r e e d t h e 24
Ap os t l e s t h e T we l v 4 24 3 1 204
A pp a ri t io n o f C h ris t t o t h e V i rgi n 203
App i a n Wa y 25 5
App l e 1 9
App l e s Sym bol s 9 8
Ap uli a 1 4 1
A qu a S a l v i a s 25 1
A quil a H ous e f 263
A q uil a i A bruzzi 68
A qui t a i e 1 1 1
A qui t i e D u k e o f 65
n

an

A n i a n , t h e , 65
A n i a n us ,
A n n i a n us S t
n n a , S t , 5 1 , 1 5 6,
n n e of
s
a , 1 45
.

A u t ri

A ra go n
A ra go K i g
A rb a t h e R i ve r 5 1
A rc h a n g ls 1 5 1 24
A r c h a n g l G a bri e l 5
A rc h a n g l R a ph a l 29 9
A rc h ilo h us 4 9
A rd e n n e s Fore s t o f 1 4 3
A rd e n ts S t G e e v i e ve de s 1 26
A re a di S a n D o m n i o Bologn a
A re zzo 9 7 1 4 2 272
A re zzo C a th e dr l o f 98
.

5 1 , 21 7

i , 1 9 0, 1 9 5 , 222 , 28 8
1 8 0, 1 8 7
n
o f , 1 06, 226

or

e ,

o ,

A ra l

a n

21 0

A n s t a si a S t 4 9
A n h or Sy m boli sm o f 8
A d e rn a c h 8 9
A n dre a d e l S a rt o 30 1 64 260
A n dr e a o f C ors i n i 5 0
A n dre a () rc a q u a 3 3
A dre a R i c c io 32
A n dr e w S t 25 5 0 1 33
A n dre w S t C ros s o f 3 5 0
A n g e l f Ju d g m e n t 1 8 2
A n ge li o d a F i e sol e 33
A ge l i c o F ra 3 3 5 5
A n g e lo Mi h a e l 3 0
A ge lo S t 2 1 2
A n g e lo S t C a s t l e o f 243
A n g ls Sy m bols f 1 4
A n ge lus S t 28 5 1
A gh i ri B a t t l e o f 5 0
A n giolo S t C h urc h of 1 1 5
A n gl e s t h e W e s t 1 09
,

32

29 2

na

A
A

A po l l i n a , 4 9

A m a n d o f B e lgi u m S t 61
A bois e C a s t l e o f 1 2 1
A m brogio M a ggiore S a n t Mil a n 1 3 1
A m bros e S t 4 8 4 9 5 7 71 1 30 236 25 4
.

51

A n t o n i o d i Pa do va C h urc h
A t o n io S t 5 4
A n t o n y S t 1 33 1 37
A n t w e r p 3 4 24 5
A n v il Sy m bolis o f 7
A o us t A rc h d e a c o n f 67
Ap o c a ly p s e W o m a n o f th e
Ap o a ly pt i c L a m b 4 3 22

Am

113

i us, 5 9
n
of
a

te m

St
58

A l ph o so D 1 5 1
A l ph o so K i g o f Le on
A ls a e D u k e o f 2 4 8
A l va D u h e ss o f 290
A l v a re 2 4 3
A l e i d a Pl i n o f 1 5 2
A l ve r a Mou t 1 20
A l vi n o i n T us c a n y 21 5
n

A n th o y P d u a S t 27 28 32 5 4
A n th o n y S t 30 5 1
A n th o n y S t C ross f 3
A n th o y S t O rd e r o f 60
A n t io c h 5 5 5 9 9 2 1 46 1 62 205 21 4

260

t h e , 5 , 6, 1 2 , 1 24 , 1 9 2, 274,

A n n u n zi a ta t h e
A n s a n o f Si e n a
A u s i c E n gl a n d

ec

248 , 290

An n u n c i a t io n

33

3 27

I N D E X:
A r gy r op ol i s , 4 1

A ri a n s t h e 60 1 25
A ri s t od e m u s 1 5 9
A ri u s 5 6
A r m e n i a 60
A r m or 1 6
A r n o 302
A r n old d e Bre sc i a
,

A v ra n c h e s 233
A wl a n d S h o e m a k e r s K n i f e
A xe Sy m bolis m o f 7
A a d u Pl e ss i s 1 4 9

25 8 , 268

A B Y L ON

A r oa s , 1 23

A r ph a x a d K i n g 1 73
A rrow Sy m bolis m o f
A rrows 8 2
,

A r t e m i u s , 25 6
n
A r t e s i us ,

Ba

B
B
B
B

C ou t 1 30
A rth ur K i n g 1 32

Ba

A rt is t s S p i n ( S t irl i n g ) 273
A r t ois Rob e r t o f 307
A r v i r a g us K i n g 1 3 2
A s c e n io n t h e 22 203 274 279
A s h C olor 29
A s m od e u s 299
A s pe rge s or R od 5 4
A s s Sy m bol 1 9 5
A ssisi 5 4 1 21
A ssisi C h ur h a t
A ssisi C l a r a o f 8 5
A ss u m pt ion t h e 2 8 29 204 207 274 279
A s syri a n s 1 73
A s t e ri us 1 1 0
A s t i 279
Ath a n a si u s S t ( Bis h o p ) 5 3 5 6
Ath e n s 60 8 5 9 5 1 36 1 77
A tt il a K i n g o f t h e H un s 1 25 1 26
A ub e r t S t 233
A udre y S t 1 09
A ugsburg C i t y o f 4 1
A ugu s t i n e o f Ca t e rbury S t 5 7
A ugus t i n e O rd e r 8 7 298
A ugus t i n e S t 1 27 30 5 6 63 72 9 6
,

a
a

1 66, 2 35 , 24 5 , 2 5 0, 2 5 2 , 2 5 4 , 28 1 , 2 90
n e , t h e , 3 0 33
,

A ugus t i s
A ugu st u s E m p e ror 28 1
A ure li a n 39 4 6 264
A ur e ol e Sy m boli sm of t h e 2
A us t ri a 1 66 264
Aut un 89
A va lo n I sl a n d o f 1 32
A v M a ri a G ra t i a Pl e n a 1 25
A v e M a ri a s 9 6 1 9 3 2 74
A v e n t i e t h e ( R o e ) 4 4 24 3
A v ig o n S t C a th e ri n e a t 76
A v il a 28 9
A vi l a S t J oh n of 1 71
.

Ca st l e

263

o f,

29,

24 7

ne

n a

en

na

an

ea

a,

a,

a ca

en

,
.

an

e -m u

ca o

r,

a m

er

n a,

m an

ea

B gor
B a r Sy bolis m o f 7
B a a h ie l t h e H l pe r 1 5
B rb ra S t 7 36 5 8
B rb ross a E p e ror 1 9 7
B rb e ri i C rdi l 222
B r e lo 1 1 0 267
B rd y 24 8
B r f oo t C a rm e l i t e s
S c a lzi
P dri Te re s i a n i 290
B ri 24 1
B r k i g i E s se x 1 08
B r h e rzig B rii d e 1 70
B r b s St 59
B r th olo e w S t 25 60 1 37
B r t olo e o 24 4
B a r t olo m e o F a 3 3
B a si l o S C h ur h o f 24 4
B a si li a s O rd e r f 60
B a s l i a of S a n P olo f uori l
ra 29
B a sil i f S t A brogio M ggior e 4 9
B a si liss 1 77
B sil S t O rd e r o f 9 3
B si l t h e G r t S t 60 1 36 231 24 3
B a s k e t wi th R o se s 98
B s l e 1 32
B a ssi Pa olo (i i 1 1 6
B th s h e b 1 9
B th s f C r ll a 79
B va ri 70 24 8
B von o f G h t S t 29 61 1 8 4
B s t s t h e F our 21
Be to I I 5 5
B e a t rix d Ce p e d a 28 9
B le 1 43
B d t h V n ra bl S t 61 306
B e e h i ve Sy m bol 67
a

am

a a am

az

nne

ar

B a m b o r o u gh
8
an
, 5

Ba bylo n i a s t h e 61
c c io d e l la Por t a 33
g n e a T us a y 69
j e t S ul t a n 307
l
1 9 6 2 32
lbi a S t 5 8
ldwi I I 1 86 306 307
b e rg i G e r
y Mo n a ste ry

1 42

A r t h u s i a , 1 62
of
a
,

28 8 ,

91

3 28

I N DEX

Be e s S t 1 43
B ga 1 4 3
Be gga rs 28
.

an

ra go n

61

B e l a s t ro 297
Be l
Mo a s te ry o f 34
B e lgiu 264
B e lgra d e Si e ge o f 1 62
B ll 5 4
B ll ro ph o 1 29
B ll Sym bolis o f 7
Be m bo C a rdi l 33
Be n e d e tt o d M i a n o 32
Be e di t B e n n e t B isc op
c

em

na

We a r m

65

St Be n n e t

or

o ut h ,

of

B e n e ve t o 1 5 3
B e n i i S t Ph ili p 3 0
B e e t B i sc op S t 65
B n e tt S t 29
B e o S t 65
B e r e n ga ri a o f C a st il e 1 1 3
z

231

nn

1 09, 1 1 5 ,

n n

39

B e r e n g a r i us

on

rn a r

a,

er

a r

e r

us

71

72, 1 44

acco,

3 08

'

By za n ti u m

41

93

Bui ld r s R ul e 25
Bull Sy bol 9 0
Burgos C th dr l o f 1 1 3
B ur y S t E d u n ds 1 01
Bu t l r R v A ll a 2 43 307

Bu t l e r s A l l a n
L i ve s of
e

B u fa l m

1 96, 25 1

an

an

a n

Bri t i 5 7
Brow n D a r k 3 1
Bru L e 1 8 7
Bru o S t 29 30
Bruss ls 1 37

B r ig n ol le s , 1 87

en

e m

a,

a e

um

na

ra

een

a o

na

1 1 1 , 1 8 4, 276,

m m

B e r e n g r C ou n t 5 1
B e rg D u c h y of 2 89
B e rga m o C i t y f 4 0
B e r n a rdi n o d a F l t ri S t 68
B e r rdi o o f Si e a S t 32 67
B e r a rd f C l a ir va u x S t 28 66
B e r a rd f M e t h on S t 67
Be
d e Pi t ro 1 1 7
B r a rdo P t ol o e i S t 29 67
B r a rd S t 1 9 2
B r a rd S t Mo s t e ri e s o f 67
Be rth f B i d e l b 1 03
f E gl a n d 5 7
B rth Q u
B t h i e K i g 2 64
or B y o t 1 27
B yt
B th a y M r y f 224
B th sd t h Pool f 304
Be th l h
2 4 1 38 1 5 5 1 5 6 1 68
Be th s id a 25 8
B th uli a 1 73
B t r y l f C h ri st 279
Bibi a S t 68
Birds 1 9
Bi th y n i a 40 5 0
Bl c k S e a 28 1
B l a k Sym boli sm o f 9 29 80
e

Bo i fa c e ( S t A g la e ) 4 4
e s L e s 1 22
E o s ho
Book 5 9 67 75 9 4 9 7
Boo k f D c r e e s t h e 5 5
Boo k Sy bolis of 7 1 6 20 27
Boo k t h S e l d 2 1
Borg h e se Sc i p io C r di n a l 5 0
Borgi a F r a c is 28 6
Borgogn o e 3 0
Bra b n t 1 27 25 9
Bra b a t D u k e o f 61
B n a c c i C h p e l 33
Mira c l e of 1 34
B a de
Br r a Mil a 9 3
Bre sc i C i t y f 4 2 1 1 1 1 76
Bri e S t 7 1 1 8 4
Brid e o f C h ri s t t h e 6 209
Bridg t o f I r e l d S t 7 1
Bridg e t o f Swe d e S t 27 30 71
Brigi tt i e s or Brigi tt a O rd e r o f 30
,

a,

3 1 9 , 32 1

n a,

33 , 5 1 , 5 4 , 76, 9 7, 1 07, 1 1 5 , 1 45 ,
2 5 8 , 2 63

n a,

na

Bols e C th e dra l o f 8 1
Bols e
L ke 8 1
Bo a v n t ur S t 2 8 3 2 69
Bo n i f a e S t 27 29 70 71

Bolog

B e di c t i e H a bi t 5 8
Be n e di c t i e O rd r 5 7 63 64 8 8
B e e di c t i n e s t h e 28 274
B e e di c t o f A n i a S t 29 65
B e e di c t S t 28 29 63 67 94
ne

s,

B o l e sl a us , 1 8 9
.

1 55

d t he D

an

Be l

Bl a i se o f S e b a st e S t 68
Bl c h e o f C a s t il e 1 48 1 86
Blo k s be rg 32 1
Bloo d f C h ris t t h e 307
Blu e M a t l e 9
Bl u e Sym bolis m o f 9
B lu e T u n i c 9
Bo a t m e P t ro n o f 1 78
Bod l i a n L ibra ry O x f ord 73
B g a ri K i g f Bulga ri a 9 3
Bo h e m i a 1 1 6 1 66 1 8 9 263

th e

S a in ts

I N DE
A D WA L L A D E R

24 7

C ae d m o n t h e Po e t 72
Ca e r n a rvo n s h ire 220
C ae s a r A ugu s t us 1 9 4
C ae s a r e a i n C a pp a doc i a 60 98 1 8 4 294
C a i 1 79
C a iro 200
C a i us Po p e 287
Ca l a bri a 72 1 05 1 21
C a ldro Sy m boli sm of 7
C a li s ta 98
Ca lo c e s t h e M a r t yr 4 2
Ca l va ry Pro c e ss io n t o 274
C a l vi n is t s t h e 70
C a a ldol e si t h e 28 3 0 272
C a m p o M a ld oli 272
Ca m p o S a t a Pis a 1 08 1 79 1 90 266
C a n a o f G a li l e e 227
C a n d a c e Q u e e n 25 9
C a n d e l a bru m S y m bolis m of 8
Ca n dl e s t i c k f Mo se s t h e 1 3
C a n t e rbury 5 7
C a n t e rbury A r c h bi s h o p of 4 8 99
Ca n t rbury C a th e dra l 4 8
C a p is t ra n o S t Jo h n 1 62
C a p i t oli n e H ill 222
C a pp a do c i a 5 0 1 27 1 33 268
C a p u a 24 3
n,

n ,

ru

Ca p u c c i n i , t h e , 1 1 3

e,

39 , 79

Ca r d uc h o , 3 0
Ca r i t a d , C h ur c h o f , S e v i ll e , 1 06
Ca r i t a d , t h e , 1 70, 1 72

D o n , 95
Ca r l s t e i n , 1 66

Ca r sa g a m a l a , 28 6
Ca r t a p h i l u s , 322

Ce r f r oy , 1 65

C e r t o s a a t R o m e 30
C e r t osa di Pa vi a 30
C e s a re a 268
C e s a r e a S t 1 36
C e sa r e o or Cae sa r i u s
C e s e n a 269
,

St

79

St

79

C ha lc is 1 5 4
C h a li c e Sy m boli sm o f 7
C h a li c e w i th t h e S e r p en t 25
C h a lo s 31 8
C h a m u e l t h e A r c h a n ge l 1 5 1 6
C h a n t t h e G r e gori a n 1 33
C h a n t a l I a M e r e 79
C h a ri t y Bro th e rs o f 1 70
C h a rl e a g n e 65 8 0 1 79 1 8 4
C h a rl e s Borro e o S t 8 0 260
C h a rl e s of Pro ve e 226
C h a rl e s V 1 5 5 298
C h a rl e s VIII 1 21
C h a rt re s 8 1
C h a rt r e s C a th e dra l of 1 3
C h a r t r e us e 1 4 4
C h a r tre u se L a G ra n d e 72
.

51

72

n c

C a rt h ge 92 235 25 2
C a r th a g e Bi s h o p o f 5 7
Ca r th usi a n s t h e 29 3 0
C a s i m ir S t 28 73
Ca s pa r 1 97
C a ss i a n S t 73
Ca ss i n o Mo n te 244
,

Ch a l c e d on i a , 1 1 0

C a r m e l i t e B a r e f oo t e d 1 72
C a rm e li t e ( S t An ge lu s ) t h e
Ca rm e li t e s t h e 33 4 6 204
C a r e l M t 33 1 68 204
C a r m e l M t O rd e r f 290
C a r m i e C h ur c h o f 33
C a r p o ph oru s S t 264
m

C h a d o f L i c h e ld
Cha i n s 5 8
C h a l c e do n 1 63

Ce s l a s , 1 4 5

Ca p uc h i n s t h e 3 1 1 1 3
C a r a c a ll a B a th s o f i n R om
C a r a c c i A n n ib a l e 96
C a rdi a l s H a t 28

C a rlo s

C a s t e l lo 1 8 5
C s t iglion e Ma rc h e se di 1 8 5
C a s t il e 1 48 1 70
C a s t il e a d L e o n 1 1 3
C a s t l e o f S t A n ge lo 232
C a t a lo n i a 267
C a t a lo n i a G o ve r n or of 1 23
Ca t a n i a 4 2 1 87
C a t e ri n a d e V i g r i S t 76
C a th a ri t h e 25 6
Ca th e ri n e S t 6 7 3 5 36 9 7
C a th e ri n e of A l e x a dri a S t 73 76
C th e ri n e of Bolog a S t 76
Ca th e ri n e of Si e n a S t 27 28 32 4 6
C a th e ri n e o f Swe d e n S t 77
Ca to 8 9
C e c i li a S t 6 7 9 36 77
C e c ili a i n T r a st e ve r e C h ur c h of 78
C e d a r of L e b a n o n 2 1
Ge dd ( S t C h a d ) 79
C e do 225
C e l e s t i n e Po p e 25 0
C e lsus S t 78 1 3 0
Ce m e t e ry o f C a l i x t u s Rom e 78
Ce n ta 1 71
a

3 29

76

I N D EX

ENBC
)

C h a r tre ux M o n a s t e ry a t
C h e ro n S t 8 1
C h rub t h e 22
,

Ch st r
e

the ,

C h ildr e n 28
C h i a 1 23
Ch l d o m i r K i n g
n

Ch o s r o e s , 3 , 3 05

283

Co i , 25 2

31 1

7, 8 1

Cl e o d o li n d a , 1 27 , 1 28

C l e o ph a s 1 5 3
C lo a c a M a xi a 278
C los d G a t e t h e 20
Cl t a i e I L K i g 1 07
Cl t h a i r e V o f F r n e 264
C lo t ild a S t 8 1 88 1 26 28 3
C loud S t 8 8
m

1 9 7, 23 7, 2 38 ,

C o n s ta n t i us Ch l o r us 1 38
C o n t i Sigis m u n d 2 1 2
C o n ve n t u a ls t h e 3 1
C o pe t h e 5 8
C o p e n h a ge n 1 5 3
C ord K n o tt e d Sy m bo l 31
C ord li e rs t h e 1 1 8
C ordo va 1 1 3 24 2
Co r f e C a s t l e 1 01
C or n E a rs o f Sy m bo l i s m of
C or n e li us S t 3 5
C or n w a ll 236
Coro n a ti th e 264
e

2 49 , 28 7, 3 05
Co us t a n t i u s , 1 76

1 2 5 , 1 36, 1 6 2, 1 63 ,

C o n s t a n t i n e Por ph yroge n i t us E m p e ror 38

C o n s t a n t i n o p l e 38 4 1 5 1 5 9 60 9 3 1 03

Co m t s d e Sa in t
G ill e s 1 3 1
C o n c ordi a 1 4 3
C o n gr e ga t io n o f Sis t e rs of C h a ri t y 320
C o n n a ug ht 25 0
C o n o n Pri c e or E t h e r e u s 309 3 1 2
C o n ra d C o f e ss or o f S t E liz a b e th 1 06
C o n s ta n c e 1 32 270
C o n s t a n t i a 4 5 1 34 1 66
C o n s t a n t i n e C ross o f 4
C o n s t a n t i n e E m p e ror 4 5 73 88 1 38 1 76

Co m p o s t e l l a , 72 , 1 5 1 , 1 5 3 , 1 70

C h ryso t o m S t Jo h n 1 62 1 78
C h urc h o f S a n t a C ro c e F lore n c e 68
C h ur c h Sy bol is m o f 7 1 1
C i li i a 60 1 78
C i a bu e 3 3 1 64
C i q u e M a r t iri 264
C irc u s M a xi m us 4 9
C i rc u s of C a ligul a 25 5
C is t e rc i a n s t h e 29 30
C i t e a ux Mo n a s t e ry o f 66
C i tt a D u a l e U m bri a 1 1 3
C i t y o f D a v id t h e 20
C l a irva ux A bb e y f 66
C l a ra o f Mo n t e F a l c o S t 8 7
C l a ra S t 28 32 8 5 1 1 8 1 20
C l a udi us 2 5 4
C l v ijo 1 5 2
C l e m n t o f A l e x a n dri a 1 5 9
C l e m e n t Po p e 9 5
C l e e n t I V Po p e 297
C l e m e n t X Po p e 273
Cle m e n t S t 8
C l e m e n t e S a n C h urc h o f 8 7 1 46
C l e m e t e S a n C o n ve n t of Se vi ll e 1 1 4
,

1 20
46
9 9 , 1 1 1 , 1 29 , 1 42, 230, 244 ,

,
,

S t , 3 6 , 82
Ch r y s a n t h u s , S t , 8 5
Ch ry s og o n us , S t , 4 9 , 5 0, 8 5
,

264.

C olog e C a th e dr a l f 3 1
C olog n e K i gs f 1 9 7
C olors Sy bol is m o f 8
C ol u e ll e 2 8 3
C ol u a Ca rdi n a l 307
C o m odus 1 09
C o m m u n io o f M a ry 204
C o m o C a th e dra l o f 3 7
C o p a n y o f J e s us t h e 1 4 7

C h ris t o ph e r

C olis e u 264
C oll e d I n f e rn o
C ol n t h R i ve r
C olog n e 72 9 1

C h ris t a d A b g a rus 37
C h ris t c row e d w i th T h o rn s 274
C h ris t i n t h e Te p l e 274
C h ris t los t by h is Mo th e r 279
C h r i s t t h e I n f a n t 27
C h ris t wi th t h e D o c t or s 279
Ch r i s t e t a 9 8
C h ri s t i n a , S t

1 38

C oe li Syri a

2 79

Ch i ld e r i c , 1 26
23 3
Ch i ld ibe r t
,

1 4, 1 6

5 8 , 322

C lo v i s Ki n g o f Fra n c e 8 8 271 283

C l ub 25
C l ub Sy m bolis m o f 7
C lu n i a c s t h e 29
Co a ts i n H a n d Sym bol 71
C oc k Sy m bolis f 8
C oe li a n H il l ( R o m e ) 4 7 1 33 1 66

Ch e m b l m

72

I NDE X

Coron a t ion
2 09

V irgi n

th e

of

1 3, 207, 208 ,

C oro a t io n t h e 274 279

C orr e ggio 3 5
C orsi c a 1 76
C or t e s t h 29 1
C or t o n a 5 5 2 1 5
C os m o S t 3 6 9 0
C os t zo S t 9 1
C os t is 73
C ou c y 24 5
C ou n illors o f G od 1 4
C o ve n t ry 1 32
C ra c o 1 4 5
C r e di t o D e vo n s h ire 70
C r e d of S t Ath a n a si us 5 6
C r e e d t h e Ap os t l e s 24
C re e d t h e N i e n e 1 4
C re o n a 30 34 21 5 24 5 28 3
C re m o n a C th e dra l of 4 6
n

an

61

a m

Cr i sp ia n u s S t
,

91

11.

a,

Cu n e g u n d a , S t , 9 1 , 1 4 1
Cu n ib e r t , S t , 9 1 , 3 1 4
.

C up t he 1 6
C u t h b e r t o f D urh a
Cyb l e 233
Cy p ss t h 2 0
Cy p ri S t 3 5 9 2
C y p rus 5 9
m

an

Cy r i a c a , 1 8 0

St

9 1 , 1 1 1 , 24 7

e a,

ne

"

s,

2 29

en

p osi t io n t h e 202 279

D e s c e t f ro
t h e C ross t h e 202
D e sc e n t o f t h H oly G h os t 203 274
D i a n a 29 2
D i a n a a t E ph e s u s 1 5 9
D i a n a T e p l e f 263
D i c e Sy boli sm of 8
De

D i d r on , 2, 3
D ym
29 3

D e
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ca
.

id us
i go A l l a
D ie s Ir
280
D ig
41
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95

i
D io l t i

D ia n a , S t
D j o n , 66
c

re

an

a,

na

ae

an

C ris p i S t 9 1
C ro a t i 264
C roc e S a t a C h ur c h of 68
C ro w e l l 25 0
C rosi e r 25 67
C ross S t A d re w s 25 5 0
C ross Sy bolis o f t h e 3 8
C ros s t h e G r e e k 21
C ross t h e T rue 3 1 38
C ro w n 75 8 2
C row o f R os e s Sy m bol 78
C row n Sy boli sm f 6
C row n f T h or n s Sy m b li sm of 8 27
C row n of T h or n s t h e 307
C royl a d A bb e y 1 37
C ru i x h e 27
C ru i xio n t h e 202 274 279 283
C ru c i fi xio Sy m bols o f t h e 8 1 0 1 2
C ru t c h 5 4
C t e si ph o 1 76
C u va s S a n t a M a ri a d e l a s 72
Cu
28 1
,

of ,

a,

C r e s c e t Sy boli sm

an

Cr e s c e n t i u s , 24 3 , 2 4 4
n

an

an e

am

an

84

a m a su

am

gob e r t K i g 9 1 95 1 07
D a l e A bb e y 9 4
D l ati
2 75
D
a sc us 1 76
Po p e 323
D
s
i S t 36 9 0 9 4
D
C o v t o f 86
D a ia o S
Da i
o S a n P e rugi a 1 1 7
119
D a i e tt
D
e g l t 1 02
i l 1 9 2 1 61 1 24 232
D
D
i l t h e Boo k of 288
3 08
D a ri
D ri
S t 8 5 94
D v id 1 3 1 9 3 03
D a v id R c e o f 1 5 6 1 67
D e a d N u s L e ge d o f 9 4
De d S
1 5 8 25 4
D e a th f Jos ph t h e 201
D e a th o f t h e V irgi
204
D e Bo o Mor t i s
th
71
D e i us E p e ror 4 2 2 3 4 268 279 280
D e c iu s P r se c u t io n f 1 1 1 279
D l ph i 28 1
D l ph i
S t 9 4 1 02
De o
t h e 67
De i
S t 3 6 81 9 1 9 4 1 00 1 32 1 4 3 1 36
Da

L yc i a

i g

A CI A N , 1 1 1 , 1 28
D a g n us, K n o f

ae

C yri l S t 93 25 4
Cyru s K i n g o f B a byl on

Cy r ia c u s , 3 1 2
,

3 31

95

an

9 0, 9 2 1 08 , 1 09 , 1 1 4 , 1 27, 1 28 ,
.

1 4 5 , 1 8 2, 1 8 7, 2 3 6, 24 8 , 25 6 , 264 , 276,

28 7 , 3 1 7

Pe rse c u t io of
D io n C h ry s o s t o m us 25 4

'

oc l e t i a n

4 6, 4 9, 5 1

3 32
D
D
D

I N DE

io n ysi u s 279
io ysi us K i g of Por t uga l
i o y i us t h A r o p gi t 1 4
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D i o s c o r us , 5 8
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1 06
9 4 , 207
,
.

in

om

m en c
m en

an

n ca n

n can

n can

n c

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229

c o,

D ra h o m i r a , 1 8 9

D rus ia n a

an

E l e d a , 24 8
E f a , 1 01
E lg i va , 9 9

loy

29 , 9 8 , 1 00, 1 01

ur r A l t
ur h
Bis h o p
urh
C th dr l
uss ldor

St

1 07

or E

E n u rc h us ,

v u r t i u s,

E ph e sus 1 5 9 2 04 205
E ph e s u S t 1 08
E ph r e m o f Ed e ss a S t
E p i ph a n y t h e 1 9 6
E ra s m u s o f F or m i a S t
E r c ol a n o S t 1 08
E re m i t a n i t h e Pa du a
E rh a rd 2 48
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Ea r of
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ea

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E c b a t a u e , 1 73 , 2 99
E w e A g n us D e i 4 1 5 8
.

1 08

E ry t h r ze

61

28 1

a,

31

E s c uri a l t h e 3 4 1 5 5 1 8 1
E sdr a s 1 5
E s p i n os a 1 8 5
Esq uili n e t h e 21 7 262
Es th e r 1 9
,

1 08

Ec l e i a s t i a l H is t ory S t B e d e
E d e ss a 3 7 3 8 4 7
E dg a r K i n g 9 9 1 01
c

M l h us Sy bol i sm
E rt h Sy b li
f 11
E b h f C ld g h
S t 99
E b b H d S t 1 09
E br t h 1 5 0

1 07

279

1 07 1 27

N oyo n

of

E ly C a th e dr a l o f 1 09
E m e ri c S t 2 8 7
E n c los e d G a rd e n t h e 20
E n gl a n d 1 8 1 1 8 2
E n n s t h e R i ve r 1 1 6
E n t o m b m e n t t h e 202

D u r a n d u s , 33
D e ,
b e r , 1 27
D
am ,
o f , 29
D
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a
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a of, 92
D
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f , 290

99

E lph e g e , S t
E ly , 322

ubli 25 0
D u s S o t us
D u st
St

1 60

1 49

o t or H i s pa n i ee

246

E lij a h t h e Pro ph e t 3 3 204

E lis a b e th S t 1 02
E liz a b e t h 1 5 8 1 9 4 201 25 0
E liz a b e th o f A us t ri a 73
E l iz a b e th o f H u n ga ry S t 6 28
E liz a b e th o f Port uga l S t 1 06
E liz a b e th Q u e e n 1 06
E l m o S t 1 08

St

l rid

1 09

Ki g

on

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ra

9 9 , 1 4 2, 25 2
23 5

S t , 1 01 , 1 1 4 ,

E gy pt 1 68 1 8 6 1 90 2 1 7 229
E gy pt i a n C ro ss 3
E i c h s ta d t 29 321
E is e n a c h 1 03
E l e a z a r d e S a bra n S t 9 4 1 02
E l e n ora o f S p a i n 1 1 4
E l e u th e ri u s 9 5

na

E g re g i us D

n a

rid

E g i dio

E dwi n K i n g
E gb e rt K i n g

1 60

i put
T p l t h e 201
1 45
D ie s te r t h
D g Sy bol 9 7 2 1 6
Sy bolis o f 2
D l ph
D
t i ll
F l vi 39
Do
i h i o 29 1 5 6 244
Do
i o S 1 90
D o i a t io s t h e 1 5
D o i e quo v dis ? 2 5 5
Do i i
N u s O rd e r o f 9 7
Do i i
O rd e r 4 5 77 267
Do i i
s t h 3 1 3 3 5 5 1 4 5
D o i i k S t 32 96 1 4 5 25 6 274
D o i i k S t C o ve t Si e n a 76
D
i i k S t O rd r o f 273
D o iti
E p e ror 39 8 7 1 5 9 1 62
D o i t ill 8 7
D o t e llo 32 227
Do
t o f A re zzo S t 9 7
D o a t o S i 36 1 4 2
D or t C ro s f 4
D oro th e a S t 5 28 98
D o tt or S
ti
I I 3 2 69
D o v 6 1 9 1 1 07 1 09 1 3 4 1 67
1 2 24 28
D o v Sy bol is
of 5
D w
25 0
D g
Sy bol i s m o f 4 1 3 28
em

E d i n burg h 1 3 1
E di th o f Pol e sworth 1 00 23 5
E di th o f W i l t o n S t 1 00
Ed m u n d K i n g 9 9 1 00
E d n a o f E c b a t a n e 301
E dwa rd K i n g a n d C o n f e s sor

32, 1 03

I N DE
E t h e lb e rg a , S t

1 08

E t h e l f ri d , 5 8
E e e , 1 01

57

F stiv l
F s t i va l

1 09 , 3 22

1 00

5, 1 10

E u st oc h i um

St

E n t ro p i a S t

25 2

E v e , 1 6, 1 9
E ve , e c n

12

Fa i r

th e

, S ts

1 4 , 1 9 , 21

am

A B E R F r e d e ri c W il f rid 260
Fa bi a n S t 1 1 1
F a bri c i us 98
F a c e i n t h e C loud s Sy m b oli sm of
F a i th S t 1 1 1
Fa l c on 61
Fa r e s e Ca rdi n a l 24 4
F a th e r of O rth odoxy 5 6
F a th e r s o f t h e C h ur c h t h e L a t i n
,

av

10

Fa u c o n 1 65
F a us t i n us S t 4 2 1 1 1
Fe l i c e S a 21 8
Fe l i i ta s S t 1 1 2
F e li x d e Ca t a l i c i o S t 32 1 1 3
F e li x d e Va lois S t 1 1 2 1 65
F e lix or F e l i c e S t 1 1 3
Fe lix S o n o f Fe l i c i ta s 1 1 2
F e lix S t 230 23 6
F e rdi a d of C a s t il e S t 1 1 3 1 49
F e rdi n a n d Pri n e 9 6
F e rd in a n d S t 1 4 9
F e rdi n a n d t h e C a th ol i c 1 46
F e r m o 24 2
F e rr a ra 5 9 96 229
.

1 07, 1 5 8
261 , 268

4 8 , 66,

a n

a,

a n o
n

ra

ra

an ce

ca

ra

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a-

a-

F lor
A r h bis h o p
F lor t i s
F lori S t 1 1 5
F low rs Sy m boli sm of 6 20
F olig o 9 1
F o t i e 66
F o t Bra d Si e n a 76
t e v a l d F r a n c e 29
F
F orl i 23 1
F or i 1 08
Foru t h 222
Foss N o va 298
Foss N o v C rdi a l di 97
F ou ta i t h e 20
Fou t i f M ry 200
F
A ge li o 33
F
B rt olo
o 33
F
F ri a 80
Fr
s R o a a S t 1 1 6 25 5
F r is 1 22
F r c is S t 27 28 31 32 5 4 5 5
m

1 63 , 1 64 , 208 , 227 , 234 ,

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n , 6 4 , 231
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on

s,

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27

om

28 1

28

na

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n an

an

S o d 21 0
E w ld t h e Bl a c k a n d E w a ld
111

am

am

69

a,

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v g lis t s
E v g lis t s Sy bol s o f
,

E u t y c h ia , 1 8 7
E an e
t h e , 1 6, 23, 3 1 , 1 5 7
,
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c
,

41 , 1 1 1

z ur z e ,

1 1 1 , 1 54

na o

E us e bi us 3 7
E u st a c e S t

or k sh ir e

Y
275

E up h r o s i n a , 9 7

25 5

S t Bl a is e i
f t h R os a ry
G io va i 69

1 80

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M gd l or M g da l 225
M gd l t h 9
M a gd l Pi c t ure s of t h e 1 8 7
M gd b urg 24 5
M a gi A dor t io f t h 1 69
M gu lo e L gu doc 65
M h o t s 267 274
M a i o B d tt o d 32
Ma iso s d C h a ri t 1 70
M a jor 267
M a l a 1 23
M l h us 279
M l
d
F or e st of 61
M a l rd e t 1 26
M l ta 4 2 4 3
M l t s e C ros s 4
M rt i Priso n 25 5
M a s s s 1 74
M a dorl t h e 2
M r s 1 47
M t l e Bl u 9
M t u 5 9 1 8 5 307
M r h 303
M a rbourg C i t y f 1 06
M r ll S t 1 5 5 21 4 225
M r lli us S t 21 4 256 277
M r i 279
M r o S 21 7
M r us 277
M r us A ur lius 9 1 1 1 2
M rg a r t S t 4 3 6 2 1 4 220
M a rg a re t o f C or t o n a S t 32 21 5
Ma ria d e l F io re S an ta 268
nn

ee

M a c h e r on t a , 1 5 8
n a, St
ac
60
,

59

cc

90

M a a b s Bo o k o f
Ma c c a b e e s t h S e v n 1 1 2

A CA R I U S , S t

Pro o n ul

ous
Ly s t ra

Ki n g o f , 84

L y c ia s ,
L _\
, 70

m a

Ly c i a

3 39

I N D E X:

N a vi c e l l a S a n t a 1 65
d ll V l li c ll a S a t a 261
i n C a p i t olio S t 2 8 1
i n O rga n o S a n t a C h ur c h o f
M a dd a l e a d e P a zzi 27 21 6
M ggior e S a n t a 21 6

M a r i a de l la

M a ri
M ri
M a ri a
30
Ma ri a
M a ri a
M ri
S t 25 8
M ri So p r Mi e r va C h ur c h 33
M ri T h re s 28 7
M ri S t 21 6
M a ri us 263
M a ri us d Syll a Wa rs o f 28 1
M r k S t 22 3 5 5 1 5 9 2 1 7 293
M rk S t C o v t f 33
M r ou t i r F r e 29
M r ou t i r Mo s t ry f 221
M rri g t C
201
M rri ge f S t C a th ri e L ge n d f 74
M rri g f t h e V irgi 1 92
M r 25 8
M rs il l s 1 8 2 1 8 7 2 1 9 225 227
M r t l C h rl s 70
M r th a S t 4 36 1 5 5 2 1 4 21 9 225
M r t i l S o f Fe li c i ta s 1 1 2
M rt i l S t 220
M r t i S t 222
a

am

a-

na,

e a

an a,

na,

5 7, 64 , 71 , 220,

an

a,

9 7, 201 , 203, 207,

M ry Mo th e r f S t J m e s 1 5 3
M ry o f E gy pt S t 223
M a ry S lo e 207
M ry t h e Pe n i t e t S t 227
M s io 3 3
M soli o 33
M ss r f t h e In n o c e n t s 1 48 28 3
M ss a T ow f 67
M ssi i F m i ly 260
M ssi i Pa l zzo 260
M ss f S t G re gory 1 34
o

M a t a r e a , 2 00

M t r A bilis 21 2
M t r A po t l o
203
M t r D oloros 21 0
M t e r S p i t i ae 1 9
M th a S t Jo h d e 1 65
M th uri s 1 65
Ma t i lda Q u e e n 1 31
a e

m a

a e

s o

a e

p e ror

1 1 3, 1 29 , 1 79, 230,

en ce

n ce
n c

an

am

70

M e l i a po r e 29 4
e , 24 7
e
M e m m i , i m n e , 33
en
e
117
c an
,
a e , S t , 231
e c
.

M lros

S o
M di t O rd rs
M r uri l
M rc uri us S t 1 77 23 1
M rc y t h e O il f 3 03
M r y t h O rd e r o f 30 267
M r y t h e Tre e of 303
M e rid 1 09
M rry S t C h ur h of 1 1 5 224
M
b e g C h ur h o f 1 41
M e so p o t a m i a 4 7 28 4
M e ss e ge rs of G od 1 5
M e ssi a 1 1 5 261
M th odi us S t 9 3 232
Mi h e l A ge lo 30 33
M i c h e l o f Pr a t o 207
Mi h e l S t 4 8 1 8 2
Mi h a l t h A r h ge l 1 5 1 6 206 232
Mil a 4 9 5 7 66 67 76 78 8 0 9 3 1 30
.

an

Mil a n Bi sh o p f 5 9
Mil D u k e f 68
Mills t on e Sy m bol 8 2
Mi i t o d e l Mo t e S a 1 63
Mi i t o or M i i S t 234
Mi i s t h 3 1 1 21
Mi s t r ls Pa t ro n o f 1 78
Miri a m 1 5 7
Mi se re r e 290
o

n a

1 9 7, 23 5 , 236 3 1 8 , 3 20

n a

n as,

en

r um

an

ac e o
,

M a xi i 225 226
M xi i Tyr t 75
M xi us 78 288
M y
3 21
M ye
C th e dr l f 3 1
M a y e e F irs t Bi s h o p of
M di c i F ily 9 1
M is se Bi h o p of 66

a a cc

e r se

21 9 , 223

1 58

229

s T id e 222
of
T ours S t

nm a

n o

M ry d Ma rth 1 8 2
M ry C l o ph s 207
M ry M gd l e e 35 36

M a r t i n i a n , 25 5

M a ry

60

2 93

ur

M xi

Ma rti
Ma r ti

M a xe n t i u s , 8 9
a
m a, 51
M a xi m i a n , E m
279
M a xi m i l l a , 5 0

ur -

n a

an c

en

M a ur S t F ra n c e 29
M a rus S t 29 64 230

an

M a u r i sa , 1 4 7

a,

a-

ne

M a tth e w S t 22 228 28 4
M tth e w S r G os p l f 5 9
M tth i a s S t 25
M ur lio or M a e l i s S t
M ure s Loire S t 231
M a uri c e O rd e r f S t 230
M uri c e S t 1 29 229

34 0

I N DE

e n

M o d we n a , S t

1 00, 234

Mo h
d 1 3 1 02
Mo h a
d s 1 24 1 73
Mol di G t 1 08
Mold u t h e 1 66
Mo h is Fou d e r o f 5 4
Mo s t ri s f S t B r rd 67
Mo s te ry o f N o va r a 67
Mo s t i O rd rs 26
Mo gib llo t h e V ol a o 4 3
Mo i S t 30 5 6 235
Mo r a l C h ur h f 1 8 6
Mo s J i l 25 5
Mo t Ca l v o 8 8
Mo te C ss i o 64 275 297
Mo t e C ssi o Mo a s t e ry of 29
Mo t e C lio 1 65
Mo t e Joy Mo a s t e ry o f 67
Mo t M yor 1 70
Mo t e P ll gri o 273
Mo t M r t r 9 5
Mo tp li r 268
M o t S a i t Mi c h l 233
M
t d e Pi t 68
Mo t s e rr t 1 4 7
Mo t s e rr t L a dy o f 1 4 7
M oo n Sy bol i s f 1 1 20
Moors t h 1 1 3 267
M oro o 5 4 1 1 9
am

an

ae

n ac

na

na

na

na

ca,

an cu a

n e

n e

on

cc

M o r se l le , 1 3 7
M o sc e t t a , 1 6 4
e

an

c,

274

ss o

267, 273 ,

Mus o v i t s t h 5 0
Myr 238 29 2
Mys t ri s f t h R o sa ry
Mys t i c Th orn 1 32
e

M us c i a t i n o , 208
a

29 9

n c

n n

nan

na

N e o t S t 236 290
N e p o m uc k S t Jo h n 1 65
N e r e us S t 3 9 237
N e ro 1 30 25 4 272 302 3 1 6 3 20
N e ro d e N e ri 261
N e n b e rg K lo st e r 1 8 3
N e wm a n C a rdi n a l 260
N i c a is e S t 2 37
N i c c olo d i L ido S a n 21 8
N i c c olo Pis a n o 3 3
N i c e C ou n c i l o f 5 6
N i c e n e C ou n c il 9 0
N i c e e C re e d 1 4
N i c h ol a s V Po pe 3 3
N i h ol a s o f Myra S t 23 7
N i c h ol a s o f T ol e n t i o S t 28 30
N i c h ol a s S t 36 2 1 8
N i c od e m us 202 28 7
N i c o m e di a C i t y o f 40 92
N il e t h e 235
N il us o f G ro tta Fe rr a ta 2 43 244
N il u s S t L i f e o f 29
N i m bus Sy m bolis m o f 2 26
N i n e ve h 1 73 301
N i n e ve h W i n ge d Bu lls 23
N is m e s 1 3 1
N o a h So n s o f 1 6
N o e ra Fort re f 8 6
N ol s c o S t P t e r 30
N o m e n ta n a V ia ( R o m e ) 4 5
N o n n a S t 1 36
n

1 36

a z i a n z um

Mos s 1 9 23 2 235 282 289

Mos e s t h C dl e st i k o f 1 3
Mo t h e r o f H u a i t y 209
Mo t h r o f W isdo 1 9 203
Mou t f O li v s e a r S e a 67
Mou t Si i 75
Mour i g Mo t h e r 21 0
Mug o 1 1 5
Mu i h G l l e ry 25 6
Mu s t r 25 0
Mur i a L o f ri E rl f 1 32
M uril lo 32 96 1 06 1 1 6 1 72

'

ai

A B OR a n d Fe l ix S t C h urc h o f 1 30
N N bor S t 1 1 3 2 36
N a buc h odo osor Ki n g 1 73
N ls o f t h e C ross 3 07
N a i ls Sy m bolis m o f 8
N a k e d B odi e s Li tt l e Sy m boli s m of 8
N a n t e rr e 1 25
N a p l e s 29 76 1 1 5 1 5 3
N a p l e s a n d Si c ily 1 8 7
N a p ol e o n Lord 9 7
N a rbo n n e 276
N a rc is s us S t 4 1 236
N a t a li a Wi f e o f S t A dri a n 40 4 1 236
N a t i v i t y t h e 1 2 1 69 1 9 4 274 28 3
N a t i v i t y C h ur h o f 1 38
N a t i v i t y o f t h e Bl e ss e d V irgi n 1 9 1
N a t i v i t y o f Jo h n t h e B a pt is t 1 5 8
N v o n a Pi a zz a ( Ro m ) 4 5
N a z a r e th 1 5 6 1 67 1 69 200
N a z a riu s S t 78 1 30 236
N a z a ro e C e l so S S C h ur c h o f 79
N a z a ro S a n C h ur c h o f Mil a n 79

Mis e ri c ordi a t h e 1 70
Miss a l t h 28 0
Missus E s t 66
M i t r 28 5 8 O7
Mod a 1 25 1 79
,

24 2

I N DE

N on n a t us 267
N orb e r t S t 244
N orc i a 63
N or f ol k 1 00
N o r i c a Pri n c e o f 72
N or m a n dy 2 33
N or th u m b e rl a n d 61
N or th u m bri a 1 00
N orwi c h 1 4 5
N o va ra 67 1 25
N o va t u s 262
N oyo n 1 07
N e ria 8 5
N i di a 5 6
N u n c D i m i tt is 1 99
N ur e m b e rg 1 8 2 2 76
N u t sa l l or N us c e l l a A bb e y o f
.

O r i e n t i us , S t

Ostia

um

n ,

um

25 1

O sw a ld S t 9 2 24 7
O th o E m p e ror 39
O th o III 24 3 244
O tt e r t h e Sy m bol 92
O tt ili a S t 2 4 8
O ur L a dy o f M e rc y O rd e r of
O x t h 22
O x Sy m bol 1 9 5
O x f ord L ibra ry 73
O zi a s 1 74
.

Ga t e

70

4 7 , 1 65

O st ia n

O st h r id a , 2 4 8

1 07

of ,

O rige n 5 8
O rl e a n s 1 26 1 4 9 28 3
O ro pe sa 1 70
O r S a Mi c h e l e C h ur c h
O r t ol a n a S t Cl a r a 8 5
O s c a or H u e s c a 1 8 0
O s m a Bi s h o p o f 9 6
O ss e rva n t i Ord e r of 68

78
1 80

34 1

O rg a n Sy m bol

A ugus t i n e s 5 8
O bs e qu i e s of S t E ph r e m Pi c t ur e

A K,

1 08

o f,

O bs e r va n t s t h e 3 1
Oc e a Sy m bolis m of 1 1
O ff a K i g 4 6
O ff e r o S t C h ris t o ph e r 8 2
O li ve Bra c h 1 25
O li ve Sy bolis o f 5 20
O li ve t a n i t h e O rd e r of 2 9

O n u ph r i u s , S t

c om

a,

c a

e -m

P ri s M tth e w
Pa rm a 35 1 42
a

an

25 9

D u 202
n a , 1 47
S t , 248

o i si n

an

ee

an

an

an

Pa p e l u
P n ra s
P n o i a 220
P ta l e o of N i e di a S t 24 9
P th r i L y i 237
Pa ol a 1 21
P a ol a d ll e T e F o n t n e S a n 25 1
Pa olo f uori l ur S 29 25 1
P olo S t C o v n t o f 8 6
Pa ph u t i us 24 6
P ra dis e R i v rs o f 21 24
P ri s 30 5 4 66
8 1 95 97
a

Pam

a m

a m

O ra t ori a n s O rd e r o f 260
O r t ory o f S t Ca th e ri n e Si e n a 76
O r c a g n a A dr a 33
O rd e a l T ri a l by 2 4 6
O rd e r o f M r c y 30
O rd e r o f O ur S a v iour 72
O rd e r o f S t A th o y 60
O rd e r of S t B a sil 9 3
O rd e r o f S t F r a n c is 1 02
O rd e r o f t h e B a sili a n s 60
O rd e r o f t h e B e n e di c t i n e s 63
O rd e r of t h e C a r th usi a s 72
O rd e r o f t h e H oly T ri n i t y f o r t h e R e de m
t ion o f C a pt i ve s 1 65
O rd e r o f t h e H os p i t a ll e rs 1 70
O rd e r o f t h e O li ve t a i 67
O rd e r o f t h e Poor C l a r e s 8 6 1 1 8
O rd e r o f t h e Vi s i ta t io n 79
Ore ste s 9 3
a

24 6

30, 67

O ly p i a s B a th s o f 1 81
O ob uo o S t 24 5
O n e si ph orus 29 1
O n i a s t h e H ig h Pri e s t 1 38
m

O ly b r i u s , 2 1 4

P dr
P a dro
P a du
P l ti
ill R o
P a l e r o 1 8 6 27 3
P l e s t i n e 1 8 6 223
P lliu t h 5 5 5 8
P a l 5 6 5 9 75 8 2
P l m S y m bol is f 5 20 27
P l
T r e e d P a l L e a ve s 5 4
P l T r L ge d o f 1 99

Sy bol

m
A D L O CK,
, 1 66
a
e S e r a c o, 32
n , 1 51
a , 29 , 3 1 , 5 4 , 1 79 , 2 5 9
a ne H
( m e ), 4 9

25 7

321

9 9 , 1 07,

'

34 2

I N DE

Pa sc a s i a s 1 8 7
P a s h a l 78
P a ssio n Sy m bol s of th e
Pa ss io t h e 22
P ssio W k 202
Pa s t ora l S t a ff 28
P a s t or s 262
P t r n os te rs 9 6 274
c

ee

1 80

Pa t ie n z a , S t

P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P

3 02

e a

es

r s a

en

n z a n o.
n

ec

em

en

om

a,

ac

a,

a,

e ne

a r vr ,

ca

,
.

P h i l t us
Ph ili p
25 9
Ph ili p
o
2 3 6 25 9
Ph ili p E p ror 4 2
P h ili p
K i g f S pa i n 95
P h il i p
29 1
P h il i p N ri S t 260
Ph i li p Proc o sul f E gy pt 1 09
f F l i it s 1 1 2
P h ili p S
P h i l i p S t 25 229 25 8
P h ili p t h Ap os t l 1 32
Ph i lis t i e s t h e 1 29
Ph o s f Si o p S t 261
Ph rygi 239 25 8 28 1
P i e z 29 269
Pi a ta L o e Wa r c ry 2 49
P i a zz d e l D uo o t F lor c e 323
Pi zz N a vo a ( R o ) 4 5
Pi e d o t 4 9 230
Pi e t a L a 2 1 0
Pi t ro d C ort o a 222
Pi t ro di P v i 1 64
Pi t ro i Mo t orio S a 25 5
Pi t ro i V i ol i S 25 5 278
Pi t ro M a t i S a 33
P ill r t h e 307
P il l a r a d C ord Sy m boli sm o f 8
Pill a rs f H e r ul 1 5 1
Pi e rs 5 6
Pi rs Sy bol i sm o f 7 8
Pi t uri h io 32
208 265
Pis 1 08 1 1 5 1 32
Pis o N i olo 3 3
Pi
Po p 263
Pi us I V Po p 8 0
Pius V I L Po pe 1 1 4
Pi us I X 2 1 0
Pl
t i 24 3
m

65

on o
.

o u th ,

na

Pa ul S t a n d S t Jo h n 1 66 25 1
P u l s O ld S t L o do 1 1 1
Pa ul s S t C a th e dra l o f 4 8
Pa ul s S t M o a s t e ry a t J a rrow
P ul t h e He rm i t 5 3 5 4 25 1
Pa ul V 209
Pa ul V ro e se 9 3
P v i 3 0 3 9 5 7 28 4
F a x V obis 1 5 1
P e o k Sy bol is o f 5
Pe p i g T
f C o v e n t ry 1 32
P e g S t 1 37
P l gi us Po p 1 33 28 7
P li a Sy b l is f 4 1 2
P brok E rls of 1 00
P t os t t h 5
L or zo 1 1 6
i
Pe
P p i d H e i t l 9 1 1 4 3 1 79
P p i K i g 322
P p i l e Bre f K i n g 65 70
P e r d P a u v r e s 1 71
P r f t t o L ge d a rio I I 21 9 229
P r p t u S t 25 2
P rs us 1 2 9
P rsi 28 1
P ru 1 8 5 272
P rugi 9 1 1 1 7 1 9 2
P rugi Bis h o p o f 1 08
P rugi o 29
P t r E x r is t S t 25 6
P t r Ig u
1 64
P t r M t S i 28 3 2 25 6
P t r N l s o S t 30 25 7
Pe te r o f A l n ta ra S t 25 5
a

8 8 , 9 0, 9 5 , 1 30,
1 3 4 , 1 62, 1 89 , 2 5 0, 25 3, 262, 28 6, 29 0, 2 9 1 ,
.

Ph il a g a t u s , 2 4 3
P h i la s t r i u s , 2 5 4
1 50
e
,
B e n oz z i, S t
De ac n , St
,

'

2 5 , 36 , 4 2, 5 5 , 58 , 88 ,

1 5 9 , 1 8 0, 205 , 2 1 7 , 226,

Pt r
Sword
P te rsburg S t 1 1 6
Pe t e r s S t 1 08 1 8 5
Pe t e r s S t Mo s t e ry a t We a rm
P t ro i ll a S t 25 7
Pe t ron i us S t 25 8

25 7

t os 1 5 9 1 61
tr s 5 0 1 89
a t ri a r h a l C ro s s 4
a t ri k
S t 7 1 24 9
a ul a
S t 1 5 5 25 1
a ul a r n e a r S e v i ll e
72
25 6
a ul i a
u li n u s o f Y ork S t 25 2
a ul
S t 2 5 30 4 7 5 9 8 7
a m

29

2 5 0, 25 3 , 262, 2 6 3 , 2 72, 286 , 29 0, 3 20

e e , St ,
of, 8

90

P e te r o f Cl u gn y S t
P t e r R gol t o S t
P t e r S t 7 9 24

ac

a,

nc

es,

cc

cc

ns

ace n

an

an

rc ,

n ce

nc

en

m e

ca

P la c i d u s , S t , 27, 29 , 64 , 1 1 0, 1 1 5 , 261
9 , 73
a
, 4
la n t ll a , 262
.

Pl t o
P i

65

I N DE

Pl e s s i s I e T our s 1 21
Poissy 1 8 6
Poi t i rs 1 4 2 265
Pol d 1 4 1 28 6
Pol d Pa t ro n of 73
-

an

Prov
Prud
Ps l

an

P ol e s m

23 4

a r t u,

Poly c a r p 1 4 6
,

an a e

n a

an o

P 0 11 I 0 1>8 , 1 4 5

3 22

79

an

ae

P r a xi d e s , S t

262

263

en

n o

nc
c

a,

a ac

on s ,

ce

P r oc i n o, 4 5

Pro c o p ius
P r o c u l us ,

Pro ph y

S t , 5 , 263
S t , 263
.

Si

on

279
78 , 1 30, 236, 263 , 320
m e

P r o t a si u s, S t ,
P ro te an e li on , t h e , 1 67
.

v g

na

na

oe

e o

ae a

am

a or e
,

ac

of

an

an

n n

ce

ae

ec

am

r
gu l
Ra gu sa Pa t ro of 69
R l ph I I f B urgu dy 39
R ir z K i g 1 5 2
Ra i e ri S t 265 303
R ph e l 3 1 32 202 2 1 4
Ra ph l t h e A r h ge l 1 5 1 6 266
R a ve a 5 5 79 1 61 271
R y o d o f P f t S t 267
R a y m o d S t 72 267
Ra zzi 33
R ed
d Bl k S y bo l i sm o f 9
R d Sy bolis
of 8
R ggio 1 21
R gi a A g l ru 6 1 25 1 93 209
R gi Co li 209
R gi C l i l t re A ll e l ui a 263
R gul us S t 268
R e h obo
304
Re i S t 8 8
Re p a n d um 322
,

e ,

43

d gu d

A D CL I F FE , M r s , 28 4
R a e n a , S t , 264
Ra gn a L o d b r og , 1 00 265
Ra e o f E c b a t a n e , 29 9

Pre h i g F ri rs 32
Mo t r 24 5
P
Pr e sburg 28 7
Pr s t t io i t h e Te p l e 279
Pr s e t t io f t h e Vi rgin 1 9 1
Pr i c do s t h 1 5
Pri i p li t i e s t h 1 5
Pris a S t 263
Pris il l a 263
P ris ill C t o b of R om e 1 1
Pris ill C e e t e ry f 9 0 262
Pris
1 10
Probus 4 0
Pro ssio f t h e S p iri t 1 4
Pro ssio t o C l va ry 202
Pro e ssus 25 5
ac

um

on s r

e ,

C oron a t i 264
Q u e e n of An ge l s 209
Q u e e n of H e a ve 6 209
Q i n t i a n s K i n g of Si c il y 4 2
Q ui n t i n S t 264
Q uiri a 1 8 5
Q uiri u s
264
Q uiri n u s t h e Pre f e c t 5 8

an

Poussi
Po v r o
Pow rs
Pr t ori G u a rd s 276
Pr gu e 1 66
Pr ss e d S ta C h ur c h of
Pra t o C th dr l o f 207
Pra t o Mi h l f 207
Pr t u M t a t
24 5
ae

UA T T R O

P o r z io n c u la , t h e , 8 6
P o t i t u s , S t , 1 08 , 262
n , 1 08
e e D n n e , 32
e
, th e , 1 5

i us

Pu r t
C bro T ol do
Pul i o Mo t
Puri t io
V irgi
Puri i t io
Purs e Sy boli sm o f 8
Purs t h e 25
Puy 31 9
Pyx t h e 8 6 1 4 5

Po t s 261
Poor C l a r s 32 76 1 1 7
Por ph yry 75
Port C l u sa 20
Port Pi a R o e 4 5
Por t S t S b s t i a o R om e
Por te M ggior e R o m e 68
Por t ug l 3 4 1 5 5
n

Pri
P t ol y Ph il d l ph u
Publi u Pr t

Po gr t 1 9 1 71
Po i rd Sy bolis of
Po th i e u Jo f 1 1 3
Po t i u s Pil t e 1 72 31 5
m

1 45
e n c e , 1 65 , 1 8 7, 227
ent
, 1 09 , 31 7
a m , t h e 1 1 4 t h , 206
P t o l om e us,
n c e , 60
em
a e
s, 1 98
e fe c , 1 1 2
s,
P n d e n s , 262
P ud e n t i a n a , S t , 2 62, 264
e
a de l
n,
am
e
1 83
,
n e , 46
c an ,
n of th e
c a
n , 1 98
f ca
n , t h e , 2 74

34 3

P rot u s, S t

3 44

I N DEX

R e p a ra t a S t 7 268
R p os e i E gy pt 1 68
R pos o f t h H oly F a m ily 1 99
R pt o 3 22
R pt o M s t e r y f 1 37
R surr c t io n t h e 22
R e ub T rib e o f 1 72
R h e i 2 37
R h i s C th e dr a l o f 1 3
R h e i s S h ool of 72
R h i e t h e 29 0
R h on e t h e 1 3 1
R i c io A dr e a 32
R i h a rd 1 29
R i c h a rd o f N orm a n dy 233
R i c h a rd S t 1 4 5
R i c h e l i e u 320
R i c t i s V a r s 264
R i i n i 1 25 269
R i n a ldo 29 7
R i p oso a 200
R i va di S a n M a rc o 21 7
R i ve rs o f Pa r a dis e 21
R obbi a L u c a d e l la 32
R oc c a S e c c 29 7
Ro c c o S a n 270
R oc h S t 35 36 268 278
R oll o f M u s i c Sy m bol 78
R oll t h e 1 6
R o m a i n S t 2 71
R o m a n C ro s s 3
R o a o t h e H e rm i t 64
R o m e 29 30 3 1 3 3 38 39 4 5
47
.

222, 232 ,

en

ce

a,

1 76

a o

1 4 1 , 24 1 , 275
299

2 30

S r t ia 5 0
S a r t o A n dre d l 30
S t Bl a c k Sy m bol
S a v i a 207
S a vo n a rol a 257
S a v oy 230
m a

of ,

,
.

S a w , t h e , 25

S xo y

70
S c a c c i e r i , 265
ca e , 1 6

S
S
S
S

a an

a,

S r 15
S a r c e s t h e 65
S r f Ec b t a n e
S rd i i a 1 08
S a rdi i a O rd e r
a

S a r g o ss a , 3 1 7, 3 1 8

S a p r i t i us , 9 8
4 9,

l s
pt r 1 25
h i ll r s F ridoli
1 07
h ol s t i a S t 29 64 94
S i ff F a v ori o 8 5
S i p io t h e 1 5 5 25 1
.

ce

'

s,

R o u a ldo S t 28 2 71
R o ulo S t 36 272
R os a di L i a S n ta 272
R os a di V i t rbo S t 3 2 273
R os a li a o f Pa l e r o S t 273
R os a ry t h e 96 202 274
Ro s a ry Mys te ri e s of t h e 21
R os e o f S h a ro n 6
Ro s e s 20 28
R os s Mira c l e o f t h e 1 05
R os s S y m bols 98
R ou n 27 1
R ub s 3 4 1 8 4
R u ti n a S t 1 78 275
R us t i c us 9 5
R u th 1 9

an

S por K i g

2 36, 2 4 3 , 3 1 2

72 , 77- 79 , 8 5 , 8 7,
5 7, 5 8 , 6 3 ,
9 0, 9 1 , 9 5 9 7, 9 9 , 1 1 1 1 1 4 , 1 1 6, 1 1 9 , 1 2 1 ,
1 2 4 , 1 3 3 , 1 4 5 1 4 7, 1 5 4 , 1 5 9 , 1 6 1 , 1 65 , 1 66,
1 8 0, 1 8 1 , 1 8 5 , 1 86, 1 9 0,

e z

een

S a 6n e , t h e , 70

an

an a

an

an

an

anc

am

an

am

ea

ac

a e

a am an c

a n

ec

a n

ac

Qu
gy pt 73
S br Co u t
S ro S p o Subi o 29
S i t B u
L a 226
S i te Ch O pe l l L 1 8 6 306 307
S l
a 29 8
S l s S t F r c is d e 79
S a llus t 1 8 1
S a l u t a t ion of E liz a b e th 1 9 4
S l u t a t io t h e 1 02
S l v i Mo a s t e ry o f 1 64
S a i a 28 1
S
i h l e 32
S os 8 4
S a s o 1 2 4 1 29
f N p l e s 1 02
Sa cha Qu
h
d e C pe d a D o n A l ph on so
S
S c i a n Isl d o f 1 23
D o m i go 1 8 5
S
S a Jos 29 0
S so v i o 3 2
S t C a s a 27 5
S a t C ro Ro e 68 1 61 305
S a t M a ri N o ve ll F lor e n c e 33
S t i a go 1 5 0 1 5 2 291

S a bi n e l la , 262
Sa b i ne ll a ,
e e n of E
a
an ,
n
o f , 1 02

on a

e n

AB E RI A
S bi a S t 1 45 275
S a bi e S t C o n ve n t o f 9 7

S c la von i a , 1 4 1 , 21 4

275

I N DE

S c o t i s ts 9 9
Sc otl d 5 0
S ourge Sy m boli sm of 7 8 28
S roll 1 25
S rolls Sy m bol i sm o f 24
S y th i 5 0 258
S e l d Boo k t h e 2 1
S l t i l t h Pr y i n g S p iri t 1 5
S e l e ss G a r m e t Sy m boli sm o f
S e b ld S t 276
S e b a st e i C a pp a doc i a 69
an

a e

ea

am

en

S e rra c i n a , 1 33

S r vi
S e rv i
S e rv i
S e th
Se v
S e ve
S vn
e

the

21

Joy s o f t h e Bl e sse d V irgi n 279

Ma b e s 1 1 2
S l e p rs f E ph e s u s 279
So s o f S t F e li i t s 1 1 2
Sorrow s o f t h e Bl e sse d V irgi
,

cca

1 3,

S e v e r i a n us , 264
S e e ri n o , S a n , C h urc h
n

e o

n e

r bi s h o p

1 48

an

279

S is se k 264
S is t o S 1 90
Si st o S M a do n di 29
Six t u s II 1 80
S ix t us IV Po p e 1 21
S k ull Sy bolis o f 7 1 2
Sl v s wi th Bro k e n C h a i s
S yr a 1 4 6
So i e t y of Je su s 1 8 5 286
So r te s 9 3
Soisso s 9 1
Solom on 303
,

an

28 4

38

v
o f 29
S e ve ru s E p e ror 1 09 1 30 25 2 264
S v ig e M a d a e d e 79
S v ill e 72 1 06 1 4 9 1 70 1 72 1 78
S e v ill Ca th e dr l o f 1 1 4
S e v i ll e I sidor f 1 4 9
S wa rd Siwa rd or S igwa r d 276
S f orz a F ra n c e sc o 28 3
,

S i p on t e , 23 2
S i si be r t o , A c h

en

S e ve n
S ve n
S e ve
S v
S ve n
e

25 9

s T ullius 263
d t h T r e o f M r y 3 03
t h e Mys t i c N u b e r 1 3
C h urc h e s 1 5 9
Joy s a d Sorrow s of t h e V irgi n
,

an

5 , 1 2, 1 9

30

na

ena

or S e rv i t i O rd e r of

en

en

a,

es

am

en

ca,

a,

ca

ne

44 , 4 5

S e r ph i c O rd e r 69
S e r ph i c t h e 1 1 6
S r ph i t h e 1 4 1 6
S e r a p io 279
S e r p is 21 7
S e r a E p re ss 288
S rgiu s 271
S e r p e t t h e 25
S r p t Sy m boli sm of
a

S e r a p h i a , 2 75

m m

ae a ,

1 71 , 24 9, 276

Sibyll 303
Sibyll C i e ri a 28 1 283
Sibyll a C u a a 28 1 28 3
Sibyll a D e l ph i c 28 1 28 3
2 8 1 28 3
S ibyll a E ry thr
28 3
Sibyll E uro p 28 1
Sibyll H e br i c a 28 1 28 3
Sibyll H l l p o t i 28 1 28 3
Sibyl l L i by 28 1 28 3
Sibyll P e rsi 28 1 28 3
Sibyll a P h rygi 28 1 28 3
S ibyll S i 28 1 28 3
Sibyll a Ti b ur t i a 28 1 28 3
S i bylli Le v s 28 1
Sibyls 35 28 0
Si c ily 77 1 87 261
Si e gf ri d C ou t 1 27 1 4 1
Si a 3 3 67 1 1 8 1 32
D uo o f 5 1
Si
Sigis o d S t 3 4 80 28 3
Sil si a 1 4 5
Sil ve s t ro S t C h ur c h of a t R o m
S i o 1 9 6 1 98 284
Si o M e i 3 3 266
S i o M gus 25 4
Si o P t r ; 5 0
S i o S t 25 1 4 5
Si o t h e P h a ris e e 225
Si o Z e lo t e s or t h e Ze a lo t S t
Si a i Mou n t 75
Sio 67
Sio n Mou t 204
m

S b si
7 3 5 36
279
S u d us
S i
bb y o f 65
S e l e i L iby a 1 27
S e l e u i a 29 2
S e p ro i u s t h e Pre fe c t
S e a rio Mo t e 25 9
S e s 1 86 25 2
S r ph t h e 27
c

a,

S e b a st e r , 1 5 8
e a t an , St
ec n
, S t
e n e , St , A
n e

S h t a n e sh a lc k , 1 42

ee

ea

34 5

S h a f t e sbury 1 01
S h rs Sy boli s of 7
S h b a Q u e e o f 28 1 304
S h p 24
S h ll Sy bolis m of 7
S h e ph e rd t h e G ood 24
S h i p Sy bolis o f 7

28

34 6

I NDEX

Solo m o n s Te p l e 303
So ph i f Th ur g i 1 03
Sorbo
th
21 0
Sorrow S v
f t h e V irgi n 1 3
S p g uoli C h pe l f t h 33
S p g uoli S G i a o o d gli C h urc h

a o

nne
s

96

in

an

as

e a

a,

0,

o e

of ,

an

S t a ff Pa s t ora l 28
S t a ff t h e Pilgri m s 25
S t a g t h e 28
S t a d rd Sy bol i sm of 7
S t a d rd t h e 27
S t a isl a us K t k S t 3 4 28 6
S t a r Sy bol 97
S t a r Sy bolis o f 20 28
St
f J ss e 20
S t ph i 244
S te ph II Po p e 9 5
S t ph e o f H u g ry S t 28 7
S t e ph S t 7 3 5 1 8 0 28 6 304 307
S t i gm t a t h e 27 77
S t irli g M 1 72

S t irli g s A rt is t s f S pa i n 273
S t r d a di C os t a z a 9 1
S t ra sburg 248
S t r sburg C a th e dra l of 31
.

em

an

r.

S t r id o n i u m

1 54

S t rozzi C h a pe l
,

S ua b i a 1 8 3

33

ac

e n

an na,

S wid be r t , S t

28 9

em

em

e o

an

am

am

T h e o c l e a , 29 1

ra s o 2 1 9
re t u 243
rqui 28 1
rr a go a 29 3
a rsi a 3 0
a rs us 4 7
Ta r sus S h i p s of 1 9 7
T sso 24 6
T a C ross 3
T D u
57
T p l rs t h La ws f 66
T p l f S olo o 20
T pt a t io t h 9
T r s a S t 1 3 27 1 8 5 273 28 9
T rra c i n a 39 79
T e r t ull us 261
Te t r or ph t h e 20 23
T h dd e us S t 25 38 28 4
Th y ris 29 1
T h b is t h 2 1 7 230
T h b c io n 4 0 1 29 229 279
T h b s 24 6
T h l S t 29 1
a

ec a

Swi th i S t 29 0
Sword 5 9
Swords f t h e Ap os t l e s 8
Sword Sy m b olis m o f 7 1 6
n

T
T
T
T
T
T

em

an n a

of ,

T a r a n t a i s e , 67

S ubi o 6 4 1 1 5 230 261

Subi o C ve f 29
Sud ri u 28 7 3 1 6
S u t o i us 28 1
S u ur L e 30
S
Sy bol is m o f 1 1 20 28
S us
288
Sus
S t 28 7
Sw d n 71
S w d S t C th a ri n e o f 77

Sy bol is m

T a pe r ,

ac

T a ga st e , 5 6
T a n k e l i n , 24 5

A B L E T Sy m bol 9 4
Ta c i t us 281
Ta dd e o G a ddi 29 3 3

en

en

a,

o z

S t a , 1 6, 5 8

of ,

S p i o di Si ili L 202
S p r t h 25
S p a r Sy m bolis m f 8
S p i c e Box e s o f Sy boli s m
S p l t o 63
S p o ge t h e 3 06 d ot e
S p o g Sy bol is m o f 8
S t b t M t e r 21 0

un

S pa l a t r o , t h e , 28 4

of

is

e n

Fe l i c i ta s 1 1 2
Syl ve s te r B h o p o f R o m e 88 8 9 290
Syl v s t e r S t 4
S y l v i a 1 3 3 1 34
Sy m bol is m o f C olors 8
Sy m bolis m o f t h e M o n a s t i c O r d e rs 25
Sy m bol s o f A n ge ls 1 4
S y m bol s o f G od t h e Fa th e r 9
Sym bols o f G od t h e H oly G h o st 1 2
Sy m bols o f G od t h e S o n 1 1
Sy m bols f t h e Apo s t l e s 24
Sy m bol s o f t h e E va ge lis t s 21
S y m bol s o f t h e T ri n i t y 1 4
Sy m bol s o f t h e V irgi n 1 7
S y n a gogu e Sy m boli sm of 1 1
S y ra c us e 1 8 7 1 8 9
Syri a 1 1 9 227
S y ro or Syru s S t 284
Syrus 225
Syru s S t 28 4
S y l va n n s , S on

T h e o d obe r t , Ki n g, 1 83

29 3

I NDE X

T h e odor a
T h e odore
T h odore
e

Tr j

8 7, 1 1 0, 1 3 5 , 1 4 6
T ra n q ui l li n u s , A n s a n u s , 5 1

90

a an

St
St

,
,

of

of

Ve n i

T h e o d o r e t , 25 4

T h odosi us
e

2 79 , 28 7

e ra cl e s ,

29 3

293

ce ,

4 9 , 1 36, 1 62 , 1 63,

T h e o n e st u s , S t
T h e on o t u s , 3 08

29 3

en

e,

an a,

s,

a,

e rm u

am

s,

or

eces o

n a s,

as

ec

m as

sm

a,

m on e

m a

e,

en
e

T i b u r t i us , 77
m
e s , 207
,

es o

ac

e o

ne

sm

T o r l o sa , 1 5 1
T o r pe r , S t
e,

a ns ,

56

302
T or p or
T orr d S p h i 1 1 6
To t il K i g f t h G oth s 65
b
h 1 09
f oub r t or T
T oulo 226
T oulou 5 4 1 87
T ours 221
T our Bis h o p f 71
Tow r 5 9
T ow f D vi d 20
e

ec

s,

se

e rc

ou

er o

1 08 , 268

A G A O t h e E u n u c h 1 75
V a l e n c i a 9 6 1 8 5 1 8 7 298
Va l e n s E p e ror 60
Va l e n t i n i a n E p e ror 222
Va l e n t i n i a n III 25 5
V a l e ri a 320
V a l e ri a n S t 77 8 5 92
Va l e ri e or V a l e r e S t 220
Va l e ri us 31 7
Va l e rius F l a c o s 25 8
Va l id D a ug ht e r of P h a ra oh 235
Va ll e y o f W orm wood 66
Va l li e re Loui se de l a 1 8 7
,

a,

U i or
U i or Sy boli
Urb
Po p
U rb VI Po p
U l
Ar h g l
U r ul

cc

86

e o

Pri
U lri h Pri
Ul t r
U bri C i tt

24 2

U g o l o t t o Ca c c i a n e m i c i , 3 07
n c e o f N o r i c a , 72
U l ph o ,
n c e , 263
c ,
s e , 25 0
a,
a D ca le , 1 1 2
m
U m i li t a , S t , 3 07
n , t h e , 1 79 , 1 9 3
n c
n ,
m
sm o f , 5
n c
e , 72
an
e , 77
an
,
ri e , t h e
c an e , 1 5, 1 6
a , S t , 7, 36, 8 2, 91 , 3 08
s

T i t i 33
T i t l f A us t io 3 06
T i t l f t h V irgi 1 7 1 8
T i voli 28 1
Tobi s 1 3 9 267 299
T ol do 29 1 1 3 1 4 8 1 82 1 83
T ol do C s t l f 1 1 4
T oo h h P t ro ss g i t
T or h s Sy boli f 1 1
an

1 95

Sibyl

81

T i be r t i u s , S t , 2 99
n a , th e

T im

ea o

T i o th u

AVA S Fa th e r G d e
U ba l d i n i H ous e o f
U b e r t o B i s h o p 208

T ibur t i

c,

a n

303

a s,

e,

sc a n

54

T h orw lds 1 5 3
T h ro s t h 1 5
T h uri gi 70 264
T ib r t h 4 7
T ib ri S f 225
T ib ri us E p ror 31 5
ne

@ 6 69 ,

01

s,

ss ,

m a s,

a r,

e s,

s o

an

a,

r ss m

an

m a

e,

n ca ,

e,

e s,

an

e,

T h o ph i 39
T h o ph il u S t 98 293
T h r s S t 1 72
Th
23 5
ti
T h ss lo i 4 9
T h t f d 1 01
f 8
f Si l v r Sy boli
Th ir t y Pi
T i
29 2
T h o a B k t S t 27 294
T roj W 28 3
T h o A qui S t 32 4 7 9 9 297
T roy 1 26
T h o s f Vi ll u v S t t h A l
r T ru C ro t h 1 8 6
T ru p t s 1 6
298
T ub l C i 1 79
Th o
S t 25 1 9 7 206 207 29 3
T h o s t h D i s i p l 38
T u i Bl u 9
T h o is t 99
Tu
y 260 268
e

n o ,

e n

ee o

T r s gur t io t h 1 5 9
T r s t v r t h ( R o ) 5 0 24 6
Tr v ll rs P t ro f 1 78
T r f L i f t h 303
Tr t 1 4 5
T r th 322
Tr v 4 8
T ri gl Sy bolis f 1 0 1 4
T ri i t a C h ur h f t h 1 64
T ri i t a
di Mo t i 1 21
T ri i ty t h 1 6 303
T ri i ty Sy bol f t h 1 0 1 4
a

an

E m p e ror

34 7

"

31 8 , 3 1 9

84 8

I N DE

Va l lo m bro sa O rd er

of,

1 64

V a l lo m h r o s ia n s , t h e , 28 , 29

V lois F l i x d e
V a d a ls t h e 5 7
V a D y k 34
Va e s 31 9
V rro 28 1
Va t i a th e 33
a

n n

2 73

l a , 1 23
2 66

21 7, 24 2, 2 4 9 ,

3 22

St

W e s t i s te r 1 60
W e s t i n s t e r A bb e y 1 02
W e s tph a li a 1 1 1
Wh e e ls S y m bolis m o f 7 75
Wh i t by 1 4 2
Wh i t e F ri a rs 3 3
Wh i t e Sy bolis m o f 8 29 32
W ild B e a s ts 28
W il f rid a 1 00
W i lli a D u k e o f A qui t a i n e 66
W i ll i a m S t 1 4 5
W i lli m t h e C o n qu e ror 23 3
W il lib a ld S t 8 2 1
W il t o n 1 00
W i bur n C o n ve n t o f 8 21
m

We r b u rg a

A L A I S t h e 67
Wa lbe c k C h urc h 1 41
Wa lb e c k i n S a xon y 4 1
W a lburg a S t 1 8 4 3 2 1
Wa l k i n g o n t h e S e a 28
W a l p ur g is N ig ht 321
W a l p urgis O il 321
W a l p urgis S t 29
W a n d e ri n g J e w t h e 321
W a r t burg C a s t l e f 1 03 1 05
W a rwi k s h ir e 23 5
Wa s t e i n Mo a s t e ri e s 72
We a rm o ut h Mo n a s te ry of 65
We e do n 322
W e ll t h e 20
W e n c e sl a u s IV 1 66
W e n c e sl a us S t 1 8 9
We z e l S t 1 8 9

V e i c e Pa t ro n e s s o f 75
V e n us t h e Te p l e o f 305
V e us W ors h i p o f 1 78
1 95
V rb u m s u
V e r c e lli Bis h o p o f 46
Ve rdi a n a S t 3 1 5
Ve rdu n 1 4 1
V e ro a 30 5 0 8 9 25 6 322
V e ro e s P a ul 9 3
V e ro n i c a S t 1 1 3 1 5
V e rul a m 4 6
V e r us 1 29
Ve si c a Pis c i s t h e 2
V e s p a si a n E pe ror 3 1 5
Ve su v i u s Mou t 1 5 4
V i a App i a Ro m e 79
V ia D oloro sa 202
V i a N o m e n t a n a ( Ro m e ) 4 5
V i a T ibur tin a R o m e 1 8 1
V i c t or S t o f Ma rs e ill e s 3 1 6
V i c t or S t o f M il a n 3 1 7
V i e n n a 1 8 3 28 6
V i e n n a C a th e dra l o f 1 62
V i ll a n i A rc h bis h o p 266
V i n c e n t d e Pa ul S t 3 1 9
V i n c e n t F e rra ris S t 3 1 9
V i n c e n t S t 28 7 3 1 7
V i n c e n t S t C a pe 3 1 8
V iol e t Sy m boli s m o f 9
V irgil 28 2
V i rgi n A lo n e t h e 208
V irgi n a n d C h ild E n t h ron e d 21 1
V irgi n M r y 2 5 6 8 1 2 1 3 1 6 1 7 1 5 6
V i rg i n f M e rc y 2 1 1
V i rg i n f V irgi n s 209
V i rgi S ve n Joys a d Sorr ow s of 1 3
V irgi n T i t l e s f 1 7 1 8
V i rgo S a p i n t is s i m a 209
V i rt u e s t h e 1 5
Vi sc h e r Pe t e r 276
n

1 5 6, 244 , 25 1 , 25 5 , 264 ,

V a udoi s t h e 96
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