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THE  LIBRARY 

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THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  WOMEN:  Moral,  Po- 
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Till.   DIARY  OF   AN    ENNUYEE. 

MEMOIRS  OF  THE  LOVES  OF  THE  POETS.  Bio- 
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LEGENDS  OF  THE  MADONNA  as  represented  in  .he 
Kim-  Arts. 

SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY   ART.     In  two  volumes. 

LEGENDS  OF  THE  MONASTIC  ORDERS  as  repre- 
sented in  the  Fine  Arts.  Forming  the  Second  Seric.  J  Sacred 
and  Legendary  Art. 

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SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY 
ART 


BY 


MRS.  JAMESON 


VOL.  II. 

CONTAINING   THE   PATRON   SAItfTS,   THE   MARTYRS,   THE  EARLY 

BISHOPS,  THE   HERMITS,  AND   THE  WARRIOR   SAINTS 

OF  CHRISTENDOM,    AS   REPRESENTED 

IN    THE    FINE   ARTS 


BOSTON  AND   NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 

Cijr  JitOcrsiB*  ikrss,  ffiamfcrifige 


. 


CONTENTS    OF    VOL.    II, 


THE   PATRON   SAINTS    OP    CHRISTENDOM. 

[Those  Saints  who  had  not  a  Scriptural  or  Apostolic  Sanction,  yet 
were  invested  by  the  popular  and  universal  Faith  with  a  para- 
mount Authority.] 

Page 
St.  George  of  Cappadocia.   The  Great  Martyr.    His  Legend. 
Devotional  Figures.     St.  George  and  the  Dragon.     His- 
torical Subjects  from  his  Life 4 

St.  Sebastian.  The  Legend.  Devotional  Figures.  As  Patron 
Saint  against  the  Plague.  Italian,  Spanish,  and  German 
Representations.  The  Legend  of  Marcus  and  Marcellinus. 
The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Sebastian.  Various  Examples. 
St.  Sebastian  recalled  to  Life.    How  represented      .        .    18 

St.  Roch.  The  Legend.  Unknown  in  Greek  Art.  Devotional 
Figures.    Separate  Pictures  from  his  Life  and  History     .    32 

St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian.  The  Legend.  Always  repre- 
sented together.  Old  Mosaics.  As  Patron  Saints  of  the 
Medici  Family.  Miracles  of  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian 
represented  in  Pictures 41 

St.  Christopher.  His  Legend  a  Religious  Parable.  Virtues 
attributed  to  the  Effigies  of  St.  Christopher.  Various 
Examples  of  the  Religious  Representation.  Examples 
which  must  be  considered  exceptional.  The  History  of 
St.  Christopher  in  a  Series  of  Subjects       .        .        .        .4? 

St.  Nicholas  op  Mtra.  The  Saint  of  the  People,  and  Pro- 
tector of  the  Weak  against  the  Strong.  Universally 
worshipped  in  the  East  and  in  the  West.  The  Legend. 
Translation  of  his  Relics  from  Asia  Minor  to  Italy.  De- 
votional Figures  of  St.   Nicholas.    Attributes.     Scenes 


m  C0NT1  \  I  >    OF    VOL.  II. 

from   liia    I. if''.     Miracles  and  Parables   relating   to   St 
Nicholas  as  represented  in  Pictures 67 

T1IK    VIRGIN    PATRON KSSKS. 

St.  Oathxbot  oi  Axuahdru.,  The  Legend,  Bypatia  of 
Alexandria.  Devotional  Figures  of  St.  Cathcrini  .  is  Pa- 
t r< hi  Saint  and  Martyr.  Varloni  Bxamp les  from  tin-  ear- 
to  the  latest  Schools.  The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine, 
a  strictly  Devotional  Subject.  How  represented  by  vari- 
ous Painters.  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  St.  Catherine  his- 
torloally  treated.     Bt.  Catherine  buried  by  Angels    .         .     74 

St.  Baihi.uu.  The  Legend.  Attributes  of  St.  Barbara  as  Pa- 
ir-"!] Saint.  As  Patroneai  of  Fin-arms.  On  Guns  and 
Shi'  Ms.  On  the  Armor  of  Henry  VIII.  in  the  Tower. 
Historical  Plctoree  of  Bt.  Barbara 98 

St.  I'iisi  i. a.  Anticiuity  of  this  wild  Legend.  Supposed  Ori- 
gin.   Unknown  In  Greek  Art   The  Cologne  Legend,    i' 

Votional  Figures  and  Attributes  as  Patron  Saint  of  Young 

Qirla.    Beparate  Bnhjeoti  from  her  Life.    Her  whole  Hi- 

tory  as  painted  by  OarpBOflto  ;  as  painted  by  Hani  lb  ru- 
ling      100 

.-i    ItutaABir.    Character  and  Legend.    How  represented. 
Lttrfbote  the  Dragon.     Kxamples  of  St.  Margai 
Patron  Saint.     I (btocioal  Pictures  of  St.  Margaret    .         .181 

TIIK    I'.AKI.V    MARTVRS. 

Ecverence  due  t"  tin-  Early  Martyrs  and  in  th<  ir  Klliglea. 
Opinion  of   i >r .  Arnold.    The  Tea   Pemeontlons.     The 

Martyrs  early  Introduced   into  Church  Decora- 
tion.     Kxainplis  at  Ravenna  and  at  Rome     .         .         .        128 

Tut.  i  Bow  ir.  ated  In  Art 130 

Bt.  Btki'iikn.  Borlptora]  History.  Tic  Legend  of  the  1'iscov- 
erj  ol  his  Relics.    Derotlonal  Flgnrei  ;  ■  M  irtyr 

ami  Deacon.    The  Martyrdom  ol  Bt  Stephen,    Thi    I  I 
of  Bt  Stephen,  In  a  E  Juhjecta  bj  Ira  Angelloo, 

by  Carpai  olo,  by  Joan  Jn  .        .        .       .        ,188 

ioi      ii-  Legend.    One  of  the  moat  important  and 
authentic  In  the  main  Olrcnmstanoee.    Derotlonal 

i      Qi  Idlron.    Subject-  ir'.iu  hla 

I  01   In   the    I'.a-iln  i  "f    San  Lo- 

renao.    'i  I  of  St   Lanrence  and  Henry  II.  146 

Ft.  iiippi.lttis.    Tied  to  a  Wild  Hone 1&5 


CONTENTS    OF    VOL.  II.  vii 

St.  Vincent.  Popularity  and  Antiquity  of  his  Legend.  How 
represented.  Beautiful  Devotional  Figures,  by  Palma 
and  Luini.     Subjects  from  his  Life  .....     157 

St.  Vitus 163 

THE   GREEK   MARTYRS. 

St.  Thecla.    The  Greek  Legend  of  Paul  and  Thecla.    How 

represented  in  Western  Art     .  » 1C5 

St.  Ecphemia.  Antiquity  of  the  Legend,  and  of  the  Repre- 
sentation   169 

St.  Perpetua.     Not  represented  in  Art      ....         173 

St.  Phocas.    The  Legend.     Peculiar  to  Greek  Art        .        .     174 

St.  Pantaleon.     Popular   at  Venice.     The  Legend.     How 

represented  by  Paul  Veronese  and  others        .        .        .     176 

St.  Dorothea.  The  Greek  Legend,  its  Beauty  and  Antiq- 
uity. How  represented.  Martyrdom  of  St.  Dorothea. 
Massiuger's  "  Virgin  Martyr" 178 

St.  Cyprian  and  St.  Jcstina.  The  Legend.  Its  Beauty  and 
Significance.  How  represented.  Donna  Laura  of  Ferrara 
in  the  Character  of  St.  Justiua 183 

St.  Apollonia.  The  Legend.  Popular  in  Devotional  Pic- 
tures.   How  represented.     Subjects  from  her  Life  .        .     188 

The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus.  Frequent  in  Ecclesiasti- 
cal Decoration.    The  Legend 191 

THE   LATIN   MARTYRS. 

The  Four  Great  Virgins  of  the  Latin  Church  : 

St.  Cecilia  and  her  Husband,  St.  Valerian.  The  Legend- 
The  Shrine  and  Statue  in  her  Church  at  Rome.  Oldest 
Representations.  Figure  by  Cimabue.  The  Musical 
Attributes.  Figures  of  St.  Cecilia  by  Raphael.  Lucas 
van  Leyden.  Moretto.  Domenichino.  Zurbaran,  &c. 
Scenes  and  Incidents  from  her  Life 194 

St.  Agnes.  The  ancient  Roman  Legend.  Attributes  and 
Effigies  of  St.  Agnes.  Martyrdom.  Scenes  from  her 
Life 210 

St.  Agatha.  The  Sicilian  Legend.  Attributes  and  Effigies. 
As  Patroness  of  Malta.  Martyrdom.  Healed  by  St. 
Peter .218 

8t.  Lucia.  The  Sicilian  Legend.  Significance  of  the  Name 
and  Attributes.    The  Eyes.     The  Lamp.    The  Poniard. 


viii  CONTENTS   OF   VOL.  II. 

Scenes  from  her  Story.    The  Individual  Character  and 

Expression  proper  to  the  Four  Great  Virgins  .        .  223 

T1IK    HUMAN     MARTYRS. 

Tire  Old  OhubOHH  of  Rome 230 

St.  Praxkdes  and  Bi    Pi  ocntiana 231 

Tub  "Qiattro  Corosati" 234 

St.  Clkmkst.     Antiquity  of  his  Church  and  Legend.     Fres- 
cos of  Masaccio.     Legend  of  his  Shrine  amid  the  Waves  236 

Legend  of  St.  Bibiana 

St.  John  and  St.  Paul,  Brothers         ...  239 

St.  Nereus  and  St.  Achilleus  ....  240 

St.  Cesareo,  St.  Balbina,  and  St.  Sabina    .        .  Jll 

St.  Prisca jij 

8S.  Peter  and  Marcellinus  ....  243 

St.  Aglae  and  St.  Boniface J 11 

St.  Alexis 245 

St.  Martina 250 

St  Anastasia  and  St.  Chrysogonus    .        .        .  251 

St.  Pancras -i:.\L 

St.  Susanna 263 

St.  Chrysanthus  and  St.  Paria  ;  St.  Eugenia         .  164 

St.  Felicitas  and  her  Seven  Sons        .  .  255 

SU  Veronica 269 

MARTYRS  OF    TUSCANY,    LOMBARDY,    SPAIN,    AND 
WBJMQM 

Legend  of  St.  Reparata 261 

St.  Miniato  of  Florence MS 

St.  Ansano  or  Siena 

St.  Fina  of  San  Oemignano       ....  264 

Bt.  Torpt  aad  St.  XphMU 266 

St.  Potitus  of  Pisa 

St.  Jnli.iii  of  Kimlni 

88.  Qervasius  lad   PrOtaltai  of  Milan,  ami  th>  ir 

Fath.-r,  St.  Yilalis  of  Rav.nn.i 

88.  Nlbont  and  HUM 

88.  Nii/.aro  and  ('.'No  of  Milan      ....  974 
88.  Lu|h>,  Adelaide,  Grata,  and  Alexander  of  !'.•  r 

gatno 275 

St.  Julia m 

hi.  Panacea •       •  S77 

88.  Faustlno  and  Jov'.ta  of  Brescia  .  -77 
8L  Afra  of  Brescia,  and  St  Afra  of  Augsburg 


CONTENTS   OF    VOL.  II.  ix 

8t.  Christina  and  St.  Justina,  famous  in  the  North  of  Italy. 
Legend  of  St.  Christina  of  Bolsena.  Attributes  and  Effi- 
gies.    Celebrated  in  the  Venetian  Schools        .        .        .  281 

St.  Justina  op  Padpa.  Her  Legend.  Her  magnificent 
Church.  Pictures  of  her  at  Venice  and  Padua.  Dis- 
tinction between  the  St.  Justina  of  Padua  and  the  St. 

Justina  of  Antioch 284 

St.  Filomena 287 

St.  Omobuono  .        .        .        .        . 289 

St.  Justina  and  St.  Rufina      .                ....  292 

St.  Eclalia 293 

St.  Leocadia 294 

St.  Crispin  and  St.  Crispianus 295 

THE   EARLY  BISHOPS. 

Their  Importance  in  ancient  Ecclesiastical  Art.  In  the  early 
Coinage  of  Italy.  Costume.  Hierarchs  of  Rome.  Car- 
dinals.    Greek  Bishops.     Latin  Bishops          .        .        .  297 

legend  of  Pope  Sylvester  and  the  Emperor  Constantine.    Its 

Importance  in  Art 303 

St.  Ignatius  of  Antioch 310 

St.  Blaise  of  Sebaste 314 

St.  Cyprian  of  Carthage 316 

St.  Erasmus  of  Formia  ......  317 

St.  Apollinaris  of  Ravenna       ....  318 

St.  Donato  of  Arezzo 319 

St.  Zenobio  of  Florence 321 

St.  Regulus 323 

St.  Frediano  of  Lucca  and  St.  Zeno  of  Verona  .  324 

St.  Geminiano  of  Modena 325 

St.  Ercolano 326 

St.  Petronius 327 

St.  Costanzo  of  Perugia 327 

St.  Proculus 328 

St.  Mercuriale 328 

St.  Romulo 328 

St.  Maurelio 329 

St.  Casciano .        .  329 

St.  Gaudenzio 329 

St.  Siro 330 

St.  Abbondio 33<S 

St.  Hilary 330 

St.  J  armaria? 331 


x  CONTENTB   OF   VOL.  II. 

8T,  1 1  v  am     The  French  Legend,  which  confounds 

him  with  DionyBius  the  Areopagite.  How  represented 
in  French  and  Italian  Works  of  Art.  BohJeOte  from  All 
Life.  OHmii  lii  aillrwn  Ulnhopa  St.  Komain.  BbOhenm 
St.  Clair.    BtNicaiee.    Bt.  Valarie  and  St.  Martial        .    332 

Bt  Mm. iin  01  l  in-.  Importance  and  Popularity  of  his 
II  r,,ry  ami  l/'gend.  St.  Martin  dividing  his  Cl.ak. 
called  the  "Charity  of  St.  Martin."  Other  Srans  from 
his  Life 341 

Bt.  Ei.ov  or  Notos.  A  famous  Goldsmith  and  Farrier. 
The  Legend  universally  popular.  Pictures  and  Btataea 
of  St.  Eloy 348 

Bt.  Lambert  or  Maestrjcht 352 

St.  IU-bebt  or  Liegb.     "  The  Hunter."     Legend  of  the  mi- 
raculous Stag.     Subjects  from  his  Life     ....    363 
Spanish  Bishops.    St.  Leander  and  St.  Isidore.     Legend  of 

II'  rmengildus 357 

TTTK    HERMIT   8AINT8. 

Hermits  or  thk  East.  Antiquity  and  Interest  of  the  Her- 
mit Legends.  St.  Pail  and  St.  Anthony.  "  The  Temp- 
tation of  Bt.  Anthony."    359 

St.  URoraio 377 

St.  Ephrem 378 

Br.  llu.AKioN,  as  represented  in  the   Campo  Santo  at 

..  and  •  Laewhere 370 

St.  UjUUBtDB 380 

U 880 

Hermits  or  the  West:  — 

Hi.  lUsir.ru       .         ........  383 

St.  Jiiiiv  II   -iitator 885 

Br.  Leonard 880 

'iiLES 392 

Br.  I                          ■ 394 

St.  Genevieve  of  Pari 395 

400 

■".•la *oi 


CONTENTS   OF    VOL.  II.  x\ 

THE   WARRIOR    SAINTS    OF    CHRISTENDOM. 

Beauty  and  Importance  of  the  Figures  of  the  Military  Mar- 
tyrs. Legend  of  St.  Mercurius  and  J  ulian  the  Apostate. 
Of  St.  Theodore,  and  other  Greek  Warriors,  as  grouped 

in  ancient  Art 403 

St.  Macrice,  and  the  Theban  Legion.     The  Legend.    Its 
Importance  as  a  Subject  of  Art  through  the  North  of 

Italy 408 

St.  Secukdcs 411 

St.  Alexander,  and  others  of  the  Companions  of  St. 

Maurice 411 

St.  Gereon 412 

St.  Longinus,  the  Centurion  in  the  Crucifixion      .        .        .  413 

Legends  and  Pictures  of  St.  Victor 415 

St.  Eustace 417 

St.  Quirinus 419 

St.  Florian 419 

St.  Hippolytus      ....  420 

St.  Proculus 421 

St.  Quintin 421 

St.  Adrian  and  St.  Natalia              .  422 


4 


V 


THE   PATRON    SAINTS   OF   CHRIS- 
TENDOM. 


EFORE  entering  on  the  general  subject  of 
the  early  martyrs,  I  shall  place  together 
here  the  great  Patron  Saints  of  Eastern 
and  Western  Christendom.  All  saints 
are,  in  one  sense,  patron  saints,  either  as  protectors 
of  some  particular  nation,  province,  or  city ;  or  of 
some  particular  avocation,  trade,  or  condition  of  life  : 
but  there  is  a  wide  distinction  to  be  drawn  between 
the  merely  national  and  local  saints,  and  those  uni- 
versally accepted  and  revered.  St.  Denis,  for  instance, 
is  not  much  honored  out  of  France ;  nor  St.  Jauuarius, 
the  Lazzarone  saint,  out  of  Naples ;  but  St.  George, 
the  patron  of  England,  was  at  once  the  great  saint 
of  the  Greek  Church,  and  the  patron  of  the  chivalry 
of  Europe ;  and  triumphed  wherever  triumphed  the 
cross,  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Pillars  of  Hercules. 
Those  patron  saints  who  had  not,  like  St.  Peter  of 
Rome,  St.  Mark  of  Venice,  St.  James  of  Spain,  St. 
Mary  Magdalene,  a  Scriptural  and  apostolic  sanction, 
yet  were  invested  by  the  popular  and  universal  faith 
with  a  paramount  dignity  and  authority,  form  a  class 
apart.  They  are,  —  St.  George,  St.  Sebastian,  St. 
Christopher,  St.    Cosmo  and   St.  Damian,   St.  Roch, 


2  SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

and  St.  Nicholas.  The  virgin  patronesses,  to  whom 
was  rendered  a  like  universal  worship,  are  St.  Cath- 
erine,   St.  Barbara,  Si.   Margaret,  and  St.  Urania. 

I  place   them    here   together,   because    I    have  ob- 
Berved   that,    in    Btudying  the   legendary    subjects  of 
Ait.  thej  musl  be  kepi  constantly  in  mind.      In  every 
Bacred  edifice  of  Europe  which  still  retains  its  medise 
val  and  primal  character,  whatever  might  l"-  it-  desti- 
nation,   whether  church,    chapel,   convent,    scuola,   or 
hospital,  —  in  every  work  of  art  in  which  Bacred  per- 
Bonages  ore  grouped  together,  without  any  direct  refer 
ence  to  the  Bcenes  or  events  of  Scripture,  one  or  other 
of  these  renowned  patrons  is  suit  to  be  found  ;  and 
it  becomes  of  the  utmost  importance  that  their  char- 
acters, persons,  and  attributes  Bhould  be  well  discrimi- 
nated.    Those  who  were  martyrs  do  not  figure  princi- 
pally in  that  character.      The)  each  represent  some 
phase  of  the  beneficent  power,  or  some  particular  aspect 
of  the  character,  of  Christ,  that  divine  and  universal 
model  to  which  we  all  aspire;  bnt  mi  little  Is  really 
known  of  these  glorified   beings,  their  persons,  their 
attributes,  —  the  actions  recorded  of  them  are  so  mixed 
u|>  with   fable,  and  in  some  instances  bo  completely 
fantastic  and  ideal,— that  they  may  lie  fairly  regarded 
as  having   succeeded  to  the  honors  and  attributes  of 
the  tutelary  divinities  of  the  pagan  mythology.       It 
i>  really  a  most  interesting  speculation  to  observe  how 
completely  the  prevalent  Btate  of  society  in  the  middle 

•  modified  the  popular  notions  of  these  impersona- 
tions of  Divine  power.      Every  one  knows  by  heart 
those  exquisite  lines  in  which  Wordsworth  has  traced 
the  rise  and  influence  of  the  beautiful  myths  of  ancient 
— 

"  In  thai  r.iir  oltme  the  lonely  herdsman,  itrat 

"n  the  lir.iiik'li  half  it  hiiiiiiii'  r'»  .lay, 

With  mailo  lolled  bli  Indolent  repose i 

lad,  m  tome  tit  ..t  ireai  Im  --,  ii  be, 

When  bli  own  bn  lib  wum  tilent,  ohanoed  to  hear 

A  distant  itraln,  bur  nraeter  than  the  sounds 


PATRON  SAINTS  OF  CHRISTENDOM.        3 

Which  his  poor  skill  could  make,  his  Fancy  fetched, 
Even  from  the  blazing  chariot  of  the  sun, 
A  beardless  youth,  who  touched  a  golden  lute, 
And  filled  the  illumined  groves  with  ravishment. 
The  nightly  hunter,  lifting  up  his  eyes 
Towards  the  crescent  moon,  with  grateful  heart 
Called  on  the  lovely  wanderer,  who  bestowed 
That  timely  light,  to  share  his  joyous  sport : 
And  hence  a  blooming  goddess  and  her  nymphs." 

Thus  the  mythology  of  the  ancient  Greeks  was 
the  deification  of  the  aspects  and  harmonies  of  nature, 
while  the  mythology  of  Christianity  was  shaped  by 
the  aspirations  of  humanity; — it  was  the  apotheosis 
of  the  moral  sentiments,  colored  by  the  passions  and 
the  suffering  of  the  time.  So  in  an  age  of  barbarity 
and  violence  did  St.  George,  the  redresser  of  wrongs 
with  spear  and  shield,  become  the  model  of  knighthood. 
So  when  disease  and  pestilence  ravaged  whole  prov- 
inces, the  power  to  avert  the  plague  was  invoked  in  St. 
Sebastian  ;  and  the  power  to  heal,  ever  a  godlike  attri- 
bute, reverenced  in  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian.  So 
at  a  time  when  human  life  was  held  cheap,  and  beset 
by  casualties,  when  the  intercourse  between  men  and 
nations  was  interrupted  by  wide  forests,  by  unaccus- 
tomed roads,  by  floods  and  swamps,  and  all  perils  of 
sea  and  land,  did  St.  Christopher  represent  to  the 
pious  the  immediate  presence  of  Divine  aid  in  difficulty 
and  danger.  So  also  were  the  virgin  patronesses  to 
all  intents  and  purposes  goddesses  in  fact,  though  saints 
in  name.  The  noble  sufferance,  the  unblemished 
chastity,  the  enthusiastic  faith  of  a  St.  Catherine  or  a 
St.  Ursula,  did  not  lose  by  a  mingling  of  the  antique 
grace,  where  a  due  reverence  inspired  the  conception 
of  the  artist :  —  Venus  and  Diana,  and  Pallas  and 
Lucina,  it  should  seem,  could  only  gain  by  being  in- 
vested with  the  loftier,  purer  attributes  of  Christianity. 
Still  there  was  a  diversity  in  the  spirit  which  rendered 
the  blending  of  these  characters,  however  accepted  in 
the  abstract,  not  always  happy  in  the  representation  ;  — 


4  BACHED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

a  consideration  which  will  meet  us  under  many  aspect! 

as    WO    proceed. 

There  are  fourteen  saints,  who,  in  Germany,  are 
especially  distinguished  as  Noth-hblfbb  (Helpers-in- 
need);  bat  u  this  distinction  docs  not  pervade  German 
art  especially,  and  is  not  received  in  the  rest  of  Europe, 

I  have  thought   it  unnecessary  to  do  more  than   men- 
tion it. 

I  will  now  take  these  poetical  and  scmideitied  per- 
sonages in  order;  giving  the  precedence,  as  is  most  lit, 
to  our  own  illustrious  patron,  tin-  Champion  of  Eng- 
land and  hero  of  the  "  Fairie  Queen,"  St.  George. 


St.  George  of  Cappadocia. 

Lot.  Sanctus  Georgius.  Ital.  San  Qiorgio.  Fr.  Saint  Qeorges, 
le  tr«s-|i.yal  Chevalier  de  la  Clin  ti.-nn.t.-  o'<r.  Der  HeillgS 
Georgia,  or,  more  popularly,  Jorg  or  Georg.  Patnm  "f 
KngllWl,  "f  Germany,  <>f  Venire.  Patron  saint  of  soldiers  and 
of  armorers.    April  23,  a.  d.  303. 

The  legend  of  St.  George  came  to  us  from   the 

Bast;  where,  under  various  forms,  as  Apollo  and  the 
Python,  as  IJellerophoii  and  the  Chimera,  as  I'ersciis 
and    the  Sea  -monster,  we   mt    perpetually  recurring   the 

mythic  allegory  by  which  was  figured  the  conquest 
achieved   by   beneficent    power  over   the  tyranny  of 

wickedness,  and  which  reappears  in  Christian  Art  in 
the   legends   of  St.    Michael   and    half  a    hundred   other 

saints.  At  an  early  period  we  find  this  time-consecrat- 
ed myth  transplanted  into  Christendom,  and  assuming, 
by  degrees,  a  peculiar  coloring  in  conformity  with  the 

.spirit  of  a  martial  and  religlOUS  age,  until  the  classics] 
demi-god     appears     before     US,     transformed     into    that 

doughty  shiver  of  the  dragon  and  redresser  of  woman's 

-.  st   i  reorge,  — 

"  Vi'litd  In  mighty  unni  ami  silver  shield. 
At  uii"  fir  knightly  Jousts  and  fierce  encounter*  111." 


ST.    GEORGE    OF    CAPPADOCIA.  5 

Spenser,  however,  makes  his  "  patron  of  true  holinesse  " 
rather  unwilling  to  renounce  his  kniyhthood  for  his 
sainthood  :  — 

"  But  deeds  of  arms  must  I  at  last  be  fain 
To  leave,  and  lady's  love  so  dearly  bought  ? " 

The  legend  of  St.  George,  as  it  was  accepted  hy  the 
people  and  artists  of  the  middle  ages,  runs  thus  :  — 
He  was  a  native  of  Cappadocia,  living  in  the  tims 
of  the  Emperor  Diocletian,  born  of  noble  Christian 
parents,  and  a  tribune  in  the  army.  It  is  related  that 
in  travelling  to  join  his  legion  he  came  to  a  certain 
city  in  Libya  called  Selene.*  The  inhabitants  of 
this  city  were  in  great  trouble  and  consternation  in 
consequence  of  the  ravages  of  a  monstrous  dragon, 
which  issued  from  a  neighboring  lake  or  marsh,  and 
devoured  the  flocks  and  herds  of  the  people,  who  had 
taken  refuge  within  the  walls:  and  to  prevent  him  from 
approaching  the  city,  the  air  of  which  was  poisoned 
by  his  pestiferous  breath,  they  offered  him  daily  two 
sheep;  and  when  the  sheep  were  exhausted,  they  were 
forced  to  sacrifice  to  him  two  of  their  children  daily,  to 
save  the  rest.  The  children  were  taken  by  lot  (all 
under  the  age  of  fifteen)  ;  and  the  whole  city  was  filled 
with  mourning,  with  the  lamentations  of  bereaved 
parents  and  the  cries  of  the  innocent  victims. 

Now  the  king  of  this  city  had  one  daughter,  exceed- 
ingly fair,  and  her  name  was  Cleodolinda.  And  after 
some  time,  when  many  people  had  perished,  the  lot 
fell  upon  her,  and  the  monarch,  in  his  despair,  offered 
all  his  gold  and  treasures,  and  even  the  half  of  his 
kingdom,  to  redeem  her ;  but  the  people  murmured, 
saying,  "  Is  this  just,  0  King  !  that  thou,  by  thine 
own  edict,  hast  made  us  desolate,  and  behold  now 
thou  wouldst  withhold  thine  own  child  1  "  —  and  they 
waxed  more  and  more  wroth,  and  they  threatened  to 
burn  him  in  his  palace  unless  the  princess  was  deliv- 
ered up.     Then  the  king  submitted,  and  asked  only 

*  By  some  authors  the  scene  is  laid  at  iserytus  (Bayreuth)  in 
Syria. 


6  SACRKD  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

a  delay  of  eight  days  to  bewail  her  fate,  which  was 
granted;  and  al  the  end  of  eighl  days,  the  prime 
being  clothed  in  her  r<>\  :il  robes,  was  led  forth  u  a  vic- 
tim for  sacrifice,  and  she  fell  at  her  father's  feet  and 

asked  hie  blessing,  saving  that  she  was  ready  to  die  for 

her  people:  and  then,  amid  bean  and  lamentations,  she 
was  inn  forth,  and  the  gates  Bhnt  against  her.  Slowly 
Bhe  walked  towards  the  dwelling  of  the  dragon,  the 
path  being  drearilj  Btrewn  with  the  bones  of  former 
victims,  and  she  wept  as  she  went  <>n  her  way.  Now, 
.it  this  time.  St.  George  was  passing  by,  mounted  on 
Ids  good  steed  ;  and,  being  moved  to  Bee  bo  beautiful 
a  virgin  in  tears,  he  paused  to  ask  her  whj  she  wept, 
and  Bhe  told  him.  And  he  said.  ••  Fear  not,  for  I  will 
deliver  yon!"  and  she  replied,  "0  noble  youth!  tarn 
not  here,  lest  thon  perish  with  me!  but  fly,  I  beseech 
thee!"  Bat  St.  George  wonld  not;  and  he  said, 
God  forbid  that  I  should  flj  !  I  will  lift  mj  hand 
against  this  loathly  thing,  and  will  deliver  thee  through 
the  power  of  Jesus  Christ!"  At  that  moment  the 
monster  was  .-ecu  emerging  from  his  lair,  and  half- 
crawling,  half-flying  towards  them.  Then  the  virgin 
princess  trembled  exceedingly,  and  cried  out,  ••  Fly,  I 
h  thee,  brave  knight,  and  leave  me  here  to  die  I  " 
But  he  answered  not  :  only  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross  and  calling  on  the  nana'  ..f  the  Redeemer,  be 
spurred  towards  the  dragon,  and,  after  a  terrible  and 
prolonged  combat,  he  pinned  him  to  the  earth  with  his 
hirer.  Then  he  desired  the  princess  to  bring  her  gir- 
dle; and  he  bound  the  dragon  fast,  and  gave  the 
illf  to  her  hand,  and  the  subdued  monster  crawled  after 
them  like  a  dog.  In  this  guise  they  approai  bed  the  citj , 
The  people  being  greatly  terrified,  8t.  George  called 
out  to  them,  »ying,  "  Fear  nothing;  onlj  believe  in 
the  (i. id  through  whose  might  I  have  conquered  this 
adversary,  and  be  baptized,  and  1  will  destroy  him  be- 
fore your  eyes."  Bo  the  king  and  his  people  believed 
and  wen-  baptised,  —  twentj  thousand  people  In  one 
d,iv.     Then  »lew  the  dragon  and  cot  "if 


ST.   GEORGE    OF    CAPPADOCIA.  7 

his  head  ;  and  the  king  bestowed  great  rewards  and 
treasures  on  the  victorious  knight ;  but  he  distributed 
all  to  the  poor,  and  kept  nothing,  and  went  on  his 
way,  and  came  to  Palestine.  At  that  time  the  edict 
of  the  Emperor  Diocletian  against  the  Christians  was 
published,  and  it  was  affixed  to  the  gates  of  the  tem- 
ples, and  in  the  public  markets  ;  and  men  read  it  with 
terror,  and  hid  their  faces  ;  but  St.  George,  when  he 
saw  it,  was  filled  with  indignation,  the  spirit  of  cour- 
age from  on  high  came  upon  him,  and  he  tore  it  down, 
and  trampled  it  under  his  feet.  Whereupon  he  was 
seized,  and  carried  before  Dacian,  the  proconsul,  and 
condemned  to  suffer  during  eight  days  the  most  cruel 
tortures.  First  they  bound  him  on  a  wooden  cross 
and  tore  his  body  with  sharp  iron  nails,  and  then  they 
scorched  and  burned  him  with  torches,  and  rubbed  salt 
into  his  smarting  wounds.  And  when  Dacian  saw  that 
St.  George  was  not  to  be  vanquished  by  torments,  he 
called  to  his  aid  a  certain  enchanter,  who,  after  invok- 
ing his  demons,  mingled  strong  poison  with  a  cup  of 
wine  and  presented  it  to  the  saint.  He,  having  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross  and  recommended  himself  to  God, 
drank  it  off  without  injury  (an  expressive  allegory, 
signifying  the  power  of  Christian  truth  to  expel  and 
defeat  evil).  When  the  magician  saw  this  miracle,  he 
fell  at  the  feet  of  the  saint,  and  declared  himself  a 
Christian.  Immediately  the  wicked  judge  caused  the 
enchanter  to  be  beheaded  ;  and  St.  George  was  bound 
upon  a  wheel  full  of  sharp  blades  ;  but  the  wheel  was 
broken  by  two  angels  who  descended  from  heaven. 
Thereupon  they  flung  him  into  a  caldron  of  boiling 
lead  :  and  when  they  believed  that  they  had  subdued 
him  by  the  force  of  torments,  they  brought  him  to 
the  temple  to  assist  at  the  sacrifice,  and  the  people  ran 
in  crowds  to  behold  his  humiliation,  and  the  priests 
mocked  him.  But  St.  George  knelt  down  and  prayed, 
and  thunder  and  lightning  from  heaven  fell  upon  the 
temple,  and  destroyed  it  and  the  idols  ;  and  the  priests 
and  many  people  were  crushed  beneath  the  ruins,  as 


SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

at  tin-  prayer  of  the  boo  of  Manoah  in  ancient  times 
Then  Diii-inn,  reused  with  rage  and  terror,  commanded 
that  the  Christian  knight  should  be  beheaded.  Ha 
Kent  bia  Deck  to  the  Bword  of  the  executioner,  and  re- 
ceived bravelj  and  thankfully  the  stroke  of  death. 

St.  (iconic  is  particularly  honored  by  tin'  Greeks, 
wIki  place  him  as  captain  at  the  head  of  the  noble  army 
of  martyrs,  with  the  title  of  tin  obi  \\  uabtys. 
The  reverence  paid  to  bhn  in  tin-  Bast  i>  of  Buch  an- 
tiquity, that  one  of  the  Brat  churches  erected  by  Con- 
Btantine,  after  his  profession  of  Christianity  (conse- 
quently within  twentj  yean  after  the  Buppoeed  death 
of  the   saint  I,   was   in   honor  of   St.    George.       In    the 

Wot,  however,  bia  apocryphal  legend  was  not  accept- 
ed, and  waa,  in  tact,  repudiated  from  the  offices  of  the 
Church  by  Pope  Gelasius  in  494,  when  he  reformed 

the    calendar.       It    was    then    decided    that     St.    George 

should  he  placed  in  the  category  of  those  saint>  "  whose 
names  are  justly  reverenced  among  men,  but  whose  ac- 
tions arc  known  only  to  God."     After  this  period  we 

do  not    hear  t h  of  him    till    the    lirst   CTUSade,  when 

the  assistance  he  is  said  to  have  vouchsafed  to  Godfrey 

Of  Boulogne  made  his  name  as  a  military  >aint  famous 

throughout  Europe.  The  particular  veneration  paid  to 
him  in  England  dates  from  the  time  of  Richard  1., 
wdio,  in  the  wars  of  Palestine,  placed  himself  ami  bis 
nrrnv  under  the  especial  protection  of  St.  George.  In 
12-j-j  his  feast  waa  ordered  to  he  kept  as  a  holiday 
throughout  England  ;  and  the  institution  of  the  Order 
of  the  Garter,  in  1830,  -cms  to  have  completed  hi.-  in- 
auguration a-  OUT  patron  saint.* 

The  devotional  representation*  of  St  George,  which 
arc  of  very  frequent  occurrence,  may  be  dii  ided  into  two 

•  Then  Is  ample  proof  thai  iras  popular  In  this  ooan> 

try  even  in  the  Anglo-Saxon  timet  ;  but,previoui  to  the  Normans, 
Edward  the  Confeeaor  trai  patron  lain)  "f  England.  Then  are 
I62chotohei  in  England  dedloated  in  honor  "f  Bt.  George.  (8c* 
Parker'i  Oelendarof  the  angllean  Ohunh,  p.  65.) 


ST.   GEORGE    OF   CAPgADOCIA.  9 

classes  :  1.  Those  in  which  he  is  standing  as  patron 
saint,  alone,  or  grouped  with  other  saints  in  the  Ma- 
donna pictures.  2.  Those  in  which  he  vanquishes  the 
dragon. 

1.  In  the  single  figures  St.  George  is  usually  repre- 
sented young,  or  in  the  prime  of  life.  In  the  Greek 
and  Italian  pictures  he  is  generally  beardless,  hut  beard- 
ed in  the  German  pictures.  His  air  and  expression 
should  be  serenely  triumphant:  he  ought  to  wear  a 
complete  suit  of  armor,  being  the  same  specified  by 
St.  Paul  (Eplies.  vi.),  —  "  The  breastplate  of  righteous- 
ness, the  shield  of  faith,  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God." 
Sometimes  he  wears  the  classical  armor  of  a  Roman  sol- 
dier, sometimes  he  is  armed  as  a  knight  of  romance.  In 
one  hand  he  bears  the  palm,  in  the  other  a  lance  ;  from 
which,  occasionally,  floats  a  banner  with  a  red  cross. 
The  lance  is  often  broken,  because  in  his  legend  it  is 
said,  that,  "  his  lance  being  broken,  he  slew  the  dragon 
with  his  sword."  The  slain  dragon  lies  at  his  feet. 
This  is  the  usual  manner  of  representation,  but  it  is 
occasionally  varied  ;  for  instance,  when  he  stands  be- 
fore us  as  the  patron  saint  of  England  and  of  the  Order 
of  the  Garter,  he  has  the  garter  buckled  round  his  knee, 
and  the  star  of  the  order  embroidered  on  his  mantle. 
When  he  figures  as  patron  saint  of  Venice,  he  stands 
leaning  on  his  sword,  the  lance  and  banner  in  his  hand, 
and  the  dragon  usually  omitted. 

Such  representations  in  the  early  Italian  pictures  are 
often  of  exquisite  beauty,  combining  the  attitude  and 
bearing  of  the  victorious  warrior  with  the  mild,  devout 
expression  of  the  martyr  saint.  For  example,  in  a 
picture  by  Cima  da  Couegliano,*  he  stands  to  the 
right  of  the  throne  of  the  Madonna,  one  hand  grasp- 
ing the  lauce,  the  other  resting  on  the  pommel  of  his 
sword,  and  in  his  youthful  features  an  expression  di- 
vinely candid  and  serene  :  there  is  no  dragon.     Again, 

*  Acad   Venice. 


io         8 ACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

in  the  famous  Madonna  del  Trono  l>y  Fib  Bartolo- 
meoa*  St.  George  stands  bj  the  throne  in  a  full  suit 
of  steel  plate  armor,  with  an  air  which  Vasari  ha* 
truly  described  as  "Jura,  pronta,  rime,  "  .■  and  yet,  on 
his  clear,  open  brow,  an  expression  becoming  the  Chris- 
tian saint  :  be  bears  the  Btandard  furled. 

I  believe  the  beautiful  little  Venetian  picture  once  in 
the  collection  of  Mr.  Rogers  (and  then  called  Gaston 
ile  Foix)  to  be  a  study  for  a  St.  George,  either  by 
Giorgione  or  Bonifacio  ;  and  those  to  whom  the  Vene- 
tian altar-pieces  are  familiar  can  have  do  doubt  as  to 
the  Bubject  intended.t 

In  a  picture  by  Tintoretto,]  St.  George,  as  patron 
of  Venice,  is  seated  on  the  steps  of  the  throne  of  the 
Madonna,  like  a  celestial  guard ;  while  the  Venetian 
Bignoris  are  approaching  to  worship. 

St.  George,  standing  in  armor,  points  upwards  with 
one  hand,  and  in  the  other  holds  an  inscription,  •■  Qutci 
bono  retribua  l>m,."     In  a  picture  by  Giolfino,  in  the 

B,   Aua.-ta.-ia,    Verona. 

Among  the  mo>t  celebrated  single  figures  of  St. 
George  must  be  mentioned  the  fine  statue  by  Dona- 
tello  on  the  exterior  of  the  Or  San  Micbele  at  Flor- 
ence: he  is  in  complete  armor,  without  Bword  or  lance, 
bareheaded,  and  leaning  on  his  shield,  which  displays 
the  cross.  The  noble,  tranquil,  Berious  dignity  of  thi> 
figure  admirably  expresses  the  Christian  warrior:  it  i- 
ho  exactly  the  conception  of  Spenser,  that  it  immcdi 

ately  suggests  his  lines, — 

'•  Upon  lii-  ihleld  the  bloodle  cross  wiis  h 

Ign  I ■•  1 1 •  -  irblcb  In  bis  need  be  bad* 
Right  i.niiifiii,  true  be  irae,  in  deed  end  irord  ; 
i t nt  "f  bti  eheere  did  wem  too  p?*fmn  sad  ; 
V.  l  nothing  did  bt  dn  id,  l>ul  ever  was  ydrad  " 

•  Ki.  QaJ 

I  It  hi  noa  in  "Mr  National  QaUety, and  ought  t"  goby  Us  right 

R.llll.  . 

»  \  Pi 


ST.  GEORGE   OF   CAPPADOCIA.  u 

As  a  signal  example  of  a  wholly  different  feeling  and 
treatment,  may  be  mentioned  the  St.  George  in  Cor- 
reggio'a  "  Madonna  di  San  Giorgio":*  hen;  his  habit 
is  that  of  a  Roman  soldier  ;  his  attitude  bold  and 
martial  ;  and,  turning  to  the  speetator  with  a  look  of 
radiant  triumph,  he  sets  his  foot  on  the  head  of  the 
vanquished  dragon. 

2.  In  the  subject  called  familiarly  St.  George  ami  the 
Dragon,  we  must  be  careful  to  distinguish  between  the 
emblem  and  the  action.  Where  we  have  merely  the 
figure  of  St.  George  in  the  act  of  vanquishing  the 
dragon,  —  as  in  the  insignia  of  the  Order  of  the 
Garter,  on  coins,  in  the  carvings  of  old  Gothic 
churches,  in  ancient  stained  glass,  &c,  —  the  repre- 
sentation is  strictly  devotional  and  allegorical,  signify- 
ing the  victory  of  faith  or  holiness  over  all  the  powers 
of  evil.  But  where  St.  George  is  seen  as  combatant, 
and  the  issue  of  the  combat  yet  undecided  ;  where 
accessaries  are  introduced,  as  the  walls  of  the  city  in 
the  background,  crowded  with  anxious  spectators ;  or 
where  the  princess,  praying  with  folded  hands  for  her 
deliverer,  is  a  conspicuous  and  important  personage,  — 
then  the  representation  becomes  dramatic  and  histor- 
ical ;  it  is  clearly  a  scene,  an  incident.  In  the  former 
instance,  the  treatment  should  be  simple,  ideal,  sculp- 
tural ;   in  the  latter,  picturesque,  dramatic,  fanciful. 

There  ai-e  two  little  pictures  by  Raphael  which  may 
be  cited  as  signal  examples  of  the  two  styles  of  treat- 
ment. The  first,  which  is  in  the  Louvre,  a  serenely 
elegant  and  purely  allegorical  conception,  represents 
St.  George  as  the  Christian  warrior,  combating  with 
spiritual  arms,  and  assured  of  conquest ;  for  thus  he 
sits  upon  his  milk-white  steed,  and  with  such  a  tran- 
quil and  even  careless  scoru  prepares  to  strike  off  the 
head  of  the  writhing  monster  beneath.  Very  dirt'erent, 
as  a  conception,  is  the  second  picture,  in  which  St 
George   figures    as    the    champion   of  England ;    her* 

*  Dresden  Gal. 


12  SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

he  is  rushing  on  tlic  dragon  as  one  who  most  conquer 
or  die,  and  transfixes  the  monster  with  his  lance  :  the 
rescued  princess  is  seen  in  the  background.  This  pic- 
ture  was  painted  as  a  preaenl  from  the  DukeofUrbino 
to  Henry  VII.;  and  St.  George  has  the  garter  and 
iinittii  round  his  knee.     Ii  is  now  at  St  Petersburg. 

When  the  princess  is  introduced  in  the  devotional 
representations,  Bhe  i>  clearly  an  allegorical  personage, 
representing  truth  or  innocence,  —  the  Una  of  Spenser. 
I  i  an  recollect  bnl  one  instance  in  which  she  lia.s  the 
lamb;  in  tins  example,  however,  the  treatment  i-  any- 
thing but  devotional.  It  is  an  exquisite  little  print, 
by  Lucas  van  Leyden,  which  appears  to  represent  the 
meeting  of  St.  George  and  the  princess  bi  lore  the  con- 
qnest  of  the  dragon  :  she  has  been  weeping,  and  is 
drying  her  eyes  with  the  back  of  her  hand,  while  St. 
rge  comforts  her,  as  we  maj  Bee,  with  gallant  as- 
surances of  deliverance  :  his  squire  in  the  background 
holds  his  horse.  Some  other  examples  "f  this  early 
treatment  by  the  German  painters  are  very  curious : 
whether  historical  or  allegorical,  thej  conceived  it 
wholly  in  a  romantic  ami  chivalrous  spirit.  We  have 
the  casque  ami  Boating  plume,  the  twisted  mail,  the 
spur-,  the  long  hair,  the  banner,  the  attendant  squire, 
Albert  Diirer  has  given  as  four  prints  of  St.  Geor| 
in  one  of  them  he  is  Btandtng  with  the  red-cross  banner, 

and  has  his  hair  confined   in  a  kind  of  net   cap,  BUc] 

the  knights  of  the  fifteenth  century  wore  under  the  hel- 
met ;  bis  plumed  casque  ami  the  vanquished  dragon  lie 

at  his  feet  ;    he  has  rather  a  long  heard,  and   all   the  air 

of  a  veteran  kiuidit.  Sometimes  St.  George  is  seen  on 
horseback,  bareheaded,  with  bis  helmet  at  his  saddle- 
bow, while  the  rescued  princess  walks  Inside  him, 
leading  the  wounded  dragon  hound  in  her  girdle.  In 
Tintoretto's  picture  in  our  National  Gallery,  the  con 
guest  of  the  dragon  i-  treated  quite  in  tin-  dramatic 

and    historical    style  :     here    the    combat    take.-,    place    in 

the  background;  ami   the  princess,  who  is  in  trout, 
seems  to   wish,   yet   dread,   to   look   round. 


ST.   GEORGE    OF    CAI'I'ADOCIA.  13 

In  the  spirited  sketch  by  Tintoretto,  at  Hampton 
Court,  St.  George  has  hound  the  monster,  and  the 
Princess  Cleodolinda  holds  one  end  of  the  girdle. 
The  same  incident,  but  more  dramatic  and  pieturesque 
iu  treatment,  we  find  in  the  Queen's  Gallery,  painted 
by  Rubens  for  our  Charles  I.  In  this  picture  the 
saintly  legend  is  exhibited  as  a  scene  in  a  melodrama, 
and  made  the  vehicle  for  significant  and  not  inappro- 
priate flattery.  The  action  passes  in  a  rich  landscape, 
representing  in  the  background  a  distant  view  of  the 
Thames,  and  Windsor  Castle  as  it  then  stood.  Near 
the  centre  is  St.  George,  with  his  right  foot  on  the  neck 
of  the  vanquished  dragon,  presenting  to  the  daughter 
of  the  King  of  Selene  —  the  fair  Princess  Cleodolinda — ■ 
the  end  of  the  girdle  which  she  had  given  him  to  bind 
the  monster  :  the  saint  and  the  princess  are  portraits 
of  Charles  I.  and  Henrietta-Maria.  Nearer  to  the  spec- 
tator, on  the  left,  is  a  group  of  four  females,  bewailing 
the  ravages  of  the  beast,  exhibited  in  the  dead  bodies 
lying  near  them,  and  from  the  sight  of  which  two  in- 
fants recoil  with  horror.  Behind,  the  squire  of  the 
saintly  knight  is  seen  mounted  and  armed  cap-a-pie, 
and  bearing  his  banner  with  the  red  cross  ;  a  page 
holds  his  horse  :  beyond  them  is  seen  a  group  of  per- 
sons on  a  high  bank,  and  others  mounted  on  trees,  who 
survey  the  scene  ;  and  on  the  other  side,  three  females, 
who  are  embracing  each  other,  and,  as  the  French  cata- 
logue has  it,  "  te'rnoi^nent  par  leur  attitude  line  frayeur 
melee  de  joie."  Two  angels  from  above  descend  with 
the  palm  and  the  laurel  to  crown  the  conqueror.  The 
picture,  like  the  St.  George  of  Raphael,  already  men- 
tioned, has  to  an  Englishman  a  sort  of  national  interest, 
being  painted  for  one  of  our  kings,  in  honor  of  our 
tutelar  saint.  After  the  death  of  Charles  I.  it  was  sold 
out  of  England,  passed  into  the  Orleans  Gallery,  was 
brought  back  to  England  in  1798,  and  subsequently 
purchased  by   George  IV. 

There  is  a  beautiful  modern  bas-relief  by  Schwan- 
thaler,    in  which   St.    George,   with    his    foot   on  the 


,4         SACRED   AND    LEGENDARY  MIT. 

dragon,   is   presenting  the  end  of  the  girdle  to  the 
rescued  print 

It  appears  t<>  me  an  nnpardonable  mistake  in  point 
of  sentiment  when  the  princess  is  Beeing  in  terror,  as  in 
one  «'f  I..  Caracci's  finesl  pictures,  where  Bhe  appears 
in  the  foreground,  and  immediately  commands  atten- 
tion.* Richardson  praises  the  figure,  and  with  justice : 
he  Bays,  -  The  lady,  that  tli<'»  in  a  fright,  has  the  most 
noble  and  gentSt  attitude  imaginable.  She  is  dressed 
all  in  white,  Bhe  runs  away,  her  back  is  towards  yon, 
Imt  her  head,  turning  over  her  Bhonlder,  shows  u  profile 
exquisitely  beautiful,  and  with  ;i  fine  expression." 
Fine  expression  of  what  '  —  of  fear?  It  Bkocka  our 
better  judgment  The  noble  princess  of  the  legend, 
who  was  ready  to  die  t'"r  her  people,  and  who  entreated 
St.  George  to  leave  her  rather  than  expose  hi>  life,  was 
not  likely  to  fly  when  he  was  combating  for  her  sake  ; 
Bhe  puts  up  prayers  (or  her  deliverer,  and  abides  the 
issue.  So  Spenser's  Una,  the  Cleodolinda  of  the 
legend  :  — 

"With  folded  bands,  and  knees  hill  lowly  bent, 
All  i.i^rlit  did  watch,  dc  "i>"'  adowne  would  lay 
Id  r  dainty  limbi  In  her  tad  drear]  ment, 
But  praying,  siill  did  wake,  and  waking  did  lain  at." 

Ami  tints  tin-  ancient  paintere,  with  a  true  and  elevated 
feeling,  uniformly  represent  her. 

Richard in  his  praise  of  this  picture  by  Ludovico, 

which  lie  calls  ;i  "  miraculous  picture,"  seems  to  have 
forgotten  the  principle  he  has  himself  laid  Mown,  with 
excellent  taste,  though  the  expression  be  somewhat 
homely.  "  If  the  workmanship  be  never  bo  exquisite, 
if  the  i  •*  - 1 1  *  -  i  I  or  chisel  !»■  in  the  tinii"st  degree  fine;  and 
the  idea  of  the  persons  or  things  represented  is  l<>«.  or 
disagreeable  :  the  work  may  be  excellent,  but  the  j  »i«  -  - 
U1i,  in  the  main  contemptible,  or  of 

•  in  Um  cloltfi  r<  ..f  the  B  in  MIchele-ln-B  B  logna,  now 

art  wall  i m 


ST.   GEORGE   OF    L'APPADOCIA.  15 

little  worth.  Whereas,  on  the  other  hand,  let  the  ideas 
we  receive  he  great  and  noble,  'tis  comparatively  of  no 
importance  whether  the  work  is  rough  or  delicate." 

The  devotional  figures  of  the  armed  St.  George,  with 
his  foot  on  the  dragou,  resemble  in  sentiment  and  sig- 
nificance the  figures  of  St.  Michael:  where  they  are 
represented  together,  the  wings  or  the  balance  distin- 
guish the  archangel ;  the  palm,  the  martyr.  There  are 
other  military  saints  who  have  also  the  dragon,  from 
whom  it  is  less  easy  to  distinguish  St.  George.  St. 
Theodore  of  Heraclea  and  St.  Longinus  have  both  this 
attribute.  The  reader  will  find  in  the  legends  of  these 
saints  the  points  which  distinguish  them. 

It  must  be  observed  that  the  dragon  in  the  myth  of 
St.  George  never  has  the  human  or  Satanic  lineaments, 
as  in  the  legends  of  St.  Michael ;  nor  do  I  know  of  any 
instance  in  which  the  usual  dragon-type,  such  as  we  see 
it  in  all  the  effigies  of  the  conquering  St.  George,  has 
been  departed  from:  the  gigantic  crocodile  head;  the 
brazen  scales,  that,  when  he  moved,  were  as  "  the 
clashing  of  an  armor  bright";  the  enormous  wings, 
"like  unto  sails  in  which  the  hollow  wind  is  gathered 
full  ";  the  voluminous  tail,  terminating  in  a  sting ;  and 
the  iron  teeth  and  claws ;  compose  the  "  dreadful 
keast,"  —  which  is  a  beast,  and  nothing  more. 

Pictures  from  the  life  of  St.  George  as  a  series  occur 
very  seldom.  I  believe  that  the  reason  may  be  found 
in  the  rejection  of  his  legend  from  the  office  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  as  early  as  the  sixth  century,  he  being 
placed  by  Pope  Gelasius  in  the  number  of  those  saints 
"whose  names  and  whose  virtues  were  rightly  adored 
by  men,  but  whose  actions  were  known  only  to  God." 
This  has  not  prevented  his  legend  from  being  one  of 
the  most  popular  in  those  European  story-books  where 
he  rigures  as  one  of  the  Seven  Champions  of  Chris- 
tendom. 

There  is  a  series  of  early  frescos  in  the  chapel  of 
San  Giorgio  at  Padua,  painted,  as  it  is  supposed,  by 


16         SACRED   AND   II  GENDARY   ALT. 

the  school  of  Giotto,  principally  by  Jacopo  Avanzi  and 
Altichieri.      They  arc  arranged  in    the    following  or- 

.l.i  :  — 

1 .  The  combat  with  the  dragon;  the  city  is  Been  in 
the  background,  with  the  walla  crowded  with  spectators. 

2.  The  baptism  of  the  kim:.  the  queen,  the  prin 
ami  all  the  court  The  Bcene  is  the  interior  of  thu 
church,  which,  according  to  the  legend,  was  built  by 
the  command  <>f  St.  George,  after  the  conquest  of  the 
dragon  :  the  king  is  kneeling  at  the  font,  holding  his 
crown  in  liis  hand;  St.  George  is  pouring  water  upon 
his  head  from  a  vase:  the  saint  is  not  here  in  armor, 

but    wear-    a    whitt    tunic,  with    tin'    J  ■<  >  i  1 1 1 » •<  I    siincs   anil 

>l mr^  of  a  cavalier  of  the  fourteenth  century.  The 
queen  and  princess  kneel  behind  the  kin^. 

The  fniir  frescos  in  the  lower  range  represent  the 
martyrdom  of  the  saint,  l.  St.  George,  habited  in  a, 
1  > . r i -_r  loose  mantle,  thinks  off  the  poison  presented  by 
the  magician,  who  looks  on  with  Burprise.  2.  St. 
•  ,..  rge  stretched  on  the  wheel,  which  is  destroyed  by 
angels.  •'!•  The  fall  of  the  temple  of  Apollo  at  the 
prayer  of  St.  George,  who  is  kneeling  in  front.  4.  St. 
George  is  beheaded  outside  the  city:  the  executioner 
stands  beside  him  with  his  sword  raised  ;  the  saint 
kneel- with  In-  bands  joined,  ami  with  a  mild,  resigned 
expression.  In  all  these  compositions  St.  George  is 
represented  bearded,  a-  a  man  in  the  prime  <>i  hie,  ami 
not  as  a  youth. 

rhe  history  of  St.  George  a-  patron  of  Venice,  as 
victor,  nut  a-  martyr,  has  been  painted  by  Vittore 
Carpaccio  in  three  beautiful  pictures:  i  The  combat 
with  the  dragon.  2.  He  i-  received  by  the  kin;:  ami 
people  in  triumph,  3,  The  conversion  ami  baptism  of 
the  king  and  his  court  :  the  most  conspicuous  figure  >- 
that  ut  the  princess,  who,  with  lnr  long  golden  hair 
flowing  over  her  shoulders,  her  hands  joined,  ami  with 

a   most  lovely  express kneel.-,  t ire   baptism 

from  her  pious  ami  chivalrous  deliverer  ' 

ide'Schii 


ST.   GEORGE    OF    CAPPADOCIA.  17 

Of  the  martyrdom  of  St.  George,  as  a  separate  sub- 
ject, there  are  several  fine  examples,  but  I  do  not  know 
any  of  very  early  date.  The  leading  idea  is  in  all  the 
same:  he  kneels,  and  an  executioner  prepares  to  strike 
off  his  head  with  a  sword.  In  the  church  of  San 
Giorgio,  at  Verona,  I  saw  over  the  high  altar  this 
subject  by  Paul  Veronese,  treated  in  his  usual  gorgeous 
style :  St.  George,  stripped  to  the  waist,  kneels  to  re- 
ceive the  blow;  a  monk  stands  at  his  side  (we  are  left 
to  wonder  how  he  got  there) ;  the  Virgin  in  glory,  with 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  a  host  of  angels,  appear 
in  the  opening  heavens  above.*  The  composition  by 
Rubens,  painted  for  the  chapel  of  St.  George  de  Liere 
near  Antwerp,  is  very  fine  and  full  of  character.  In 
the  composition  of  Vandyek,  he  is  represented  as  sac- 
rificed to  an  idol.  The  drawing  is,  I  think,  in  the 
collection  of  Sir  Robert  Peel. 

St.  George  and  the  dragon,  and  his  martyrdom,  are 
the  usual  subjects  in  the  many  churches  dedicated  to 
this  saint. 

His  church  at  Rome,  at  the  foot  of  the  Palatine, 
called,  from  its  situation,  San  Giorgio-in-Velabro,  was 
built  by  Leo  II.  in  682.  In  a  casket  under  the  altar 
is  preserved,  as  a  precious  relic,  a  fragment  of  his 
banner;  and  on  the  vault  of  the  apsis  is  an  ancient 
painting,  the  copy  of  a  more  ancient  mosaic,  which 
once  existed  there.  In  the  centre  stands  the  Redeemer 
between  the  Virgin  and  St.  Peter ,  on  one  side,  St. 
George  on  horseback,  with  his  palm  as  martyr,  and  his 
standard  as  the  "  Red-Cross  Knight  "  ;  on  the  other 
side,  St.  Sebastian  standing,  bearded,  and  with  one 
long  arrow.  From  the  time  that  these  two  saints  were 
united  in  the  popular  fancy  as  martyrs  and  warriors, 
they  are  most  frequently  found  in  companionship,  par- 
ticularly in  the  Italian  works  01'  art.     In  the  French 

*  In  the  same  church  is  a  series  of  pictures  from  the  martyrdom 
of  the  tutelar  saint,  copiosissimi  di  figure   delle  piu  varie, 
delle  piu  spiritose,  delle  piu  terribili  ne'  narnefici  che  mat 
vedessi.     Lanzi,  iii.  p.  110. 
vol.  11.  a 


18         SACRED   AND   1. 1  '.I  NDARY  ART. 

pictures  and  Gothic  sculpture,  St.  George  lines  not 
often  appear,  and  then  usually  in  companionship  with 
St.  Maurice  or  St.  Victor,  who  are  likewise  military 
saints.  In  the  German  pictures  he  is  often  accompn 
nied  by  St.  Florian. 


Si      Si  B  \-  i  i  IX. 

L,at.  Sanctus   Bebastlanus.      ttal    San  Sebastiano;  or  San   I.   ■ 
tlano      /  r.  Bt.  Bi  bastien.     Patron  salnl  against  plague  tod 

pestilence.     January  20,  A.  D.  288. 

Tin.  story  of  St.  Sebastian  is  of  greal  beauty  and 
great  antiquity  ;  it  has  also  the  rare  merit  of  being 
better  authenticated  in  the  leading  incidents,  and  leas 
mixed  up  with  incredible  and  fictitious  matter,  than 
most  of  tlic  antique  legends. 

He  was  a  native  of  Narbonne,  in  Gaul,  the  son  of 
noble  parents,  who  bad  held  high  offices  in  the  empire. 
lie  was  himself  at  an  early  age  promoted  t<>  the  com- 
mand of  a  company  in  the  Praetorian  (;  uuris,  so  thai 
he  was  always  near  the  person  of  the  emperor,  and 
held  in  especial  favor.     At  this  time  he  was  secretlj 

a  Christian,  but  bis  faitl ly  rendered  him  mure  loyal 

to  Iih  masters;  mure  faithful  in  all  his  engagements; 
more  mild,  more  charitable ;  while  his  favor  with  his 
prince,  and  his  popularity  with  the  troops,  enabled  him 
to  protect  those  «hi>  were  persecuted  for  Christ's  sake, 
and  i"  convert  manj  to  the  truth. 

Among  his  friends  were  two  young  men  of  noble 
family,  soldiers  like  himself;  their  names  were  Man  n> 
ami  Marcellinus.  Being  convicted  of  being  Christians, 
they  were  condemned  to  the  torture,  which  they  en 
ilured  with  unshaken  firmness,  and  were  afterwards  led 
forth  to  death;  but  their  aged  father  and  mother  threw 
themselves  in  the  way,  and  their  wives  and  children 
leathered  around  them,  beseeching  them  with  tears  and 
supplications  to  recant,  and  save  themselves,  even  i<>r 
the  >ake  nt'  those  who  loved  ami  could  not  survive 


ST.  SEBASTIAN.  19 

them.  The  two  young  heroes,  who  had  endured  tor- 
tures without  shrinking,  began  to  relent  and  to  tremlile; 
but  at  this  critical  moment  St.  Sehastian,  neglecting 
his  own  safety,  rushed  forward,  and,  by  his  exhorta- 
tions, encouraged  them  rather  to  die  than  to  renounce 
their  Redeemer ;  and  such  was  the  power  of  his  elo- 
quence, that  not  only  were  his  friends  strengthened  and 
confirmed  in  their  faith,  but  all  those  who  were  present 
were  converted :  the  family  of  the  condemned,  the 
guards,  and  even  the  judge  himself,  yielding  to  the 
irresistible  force  of  his  arguments,  were  secretly  bap- 
tized. Marcos  and  Marcellinus  were  for  this  time 
saved;  but  in  a  few  months  afterwards  they  were 
denounced,  with  the  whole  Christian  community,  and 
put  to  death  ;  they  died  together,  singing  with  a  loud 
voice,  "  Behold,  how  goodly  and  gracious  a  thing  it  is, 
brothers,  to  dwell  together  in  amity  "  ;  and  the  other 
converts  were  put  to  cruel  deaths.  At  length  it  came 
to  the  turn  of  Sebastian. 

But  previously  the  emperor,  who  loved  him,  sent  for 
him  and  remonstrated  with  him,  saying :  "  Have  I  not 
always  honored  thee  above  the  rest  of  my  officers  ? 
Why  hast  thou  disobeyed  my  commands,  and  insulted 
my  gods  1 "  To  which  Sebastian  replied,  with  eqnal 
meekness  and  courage  :  "  O  Cresar,  I  have  ever  prayed, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  thy  prosperity,  and 
have  been  true  to  thy  service ;  but  as  for  the  gods 
whom  thou  wouldst  have  me  worship,  they  are  devils, 
or,  at  best,  idols  of  wood  and  stone." 

Then  Diocletian  ordered  that  he  should  be  bound  to 
a  stake  and  shot  to  death  with  arrows ;  and  that  it 
should  be  inscribed  on  the  stake,  and  published  to  the 
troops,  that  he  suffered  for  being  a  Christian,  and  not  for 
any  other  fault.  And  Sebastian  having  been  pierced 
with  many  arrows,  the  archers  left  him  for  dead  ;  but 
in  the  middle  of  the  night,  Irene,  the  widow  of  one  of 
his  martyred  friends,  came  with  her  attendants  to  take 
his  body  away,  that  she  might  bury  it  honorably;  and 
it  was  found  that  none  of  the  arrows  had  pierced  him 


ao         8ACR1  D   AND   LEG  I  NDARY   ART. 

in  a  vital  part,  and  tliat  he  vet  breathed.  So  they 
carried  him  to  her  home,  and  hie  wounds  were  dreased ; 
and  the  pious  widow  tended  him  oigfal  and  day,  until 
he  had  whollj  recovered. 

When  lii-  Christian  friends  came  around  him,  they 
counselled  him  to  fly  from  Rome,  knowing  tlmt  it'  be 
were  once  discovered  there  would  be  do  mercy  shown 
to  him.  But  Sebastian  felt  that  tins  was  nol  a  time  t<> 
bide  himself,  bnl  to  stand  forth  boldly  and  openhj  for 
the  faith  he  professed  ;  and  he  wenl  to  tin  palace  and 
Btood  before  the  gate,  on  the  Bteps  which  he  knew  the 
emperor  must  descend  on  his  way  to  the  Capitol;  and 
he  raised  his  voice,  pleading  for  those  who  were  con- 
demned to  Buffer,  and  reproaching  the  emperor  with  ma 
intolerance  and  crueltj  :  ami  the  emperor,  looking  on 
him  with  amazement,  said,  "All  thon  nol  Sebastian  '  " 
And  he  replied,  "I  am  Sebastian,  whom  Qod  had) 
delivered  from  thy  band,  thai  1  might  testify  to  the 
faith  of  Jesus  Christ  and  plead  for  his  servants."  Then 
Diocletian  in  his  fury  commanded  thai  they  should 
seize  Sebastian  and  carry  him  to  the  Circus,  and  beat 
him  to  death  with  clubs  ;  and,  that  his  body  might  be 
forever  hidden  from  his  friends,  it  was  thrown  into  the 

Cloaca  .Maxima.       Bui    these    precautions  were  in  vain, 

for  a  Christian  lady,  named   Lucina,  found  means  to 
er  the  hod\  of  the  saint,  and  interred  it  secretly  in 
the  catacombs,  at  the  feel  of  St  Peter  and  St  Paul. 

It  is  probably  from  the  association   of  the  arrows 
with  his  form  and  story,  that  St.  Sebastian  baa  been 
irded  from  the  first  ages  of  Christianity  as  the  pro 
tecting  saint  against   plague  and  pestilence.     Arrows 
ha\e  been  from  ail  antiquity  the  emblem  of  pestilent 
Apollo  was  the  deity  who  inflicted  plague,  there!. 
invoked  with  prayer  and  sacrifice  against  it ;  and  to 
the  honoi -  of  Apollo,  in  this  particular  character,  St 
Sebastian  has  succeeded.     It  is  in  this  character  thai 
Domeroua  churches  have  been  dedicated  to  him;  fbi 
t    ording  to  the  legendary  traditions  tl  arcelj  u 


ST.  SEBASTIAN.  21 

city  of  Europe  that  has  not  been  saved  by  the  inter 
cession  of  St.   Sebastian. 

His  church  at  Rome,  built  over  that  part  of  the 
catacombs  called  the  cemetery  of  Calixtus,  is  one  of 
the  seven  Basilicas,  and  stands  about  two  miles  from 
the  city  on  the  Via  Appia,  outside  the  gate  of  San 
Sebastiano.  All  traces  of  the  ancient  church  have 
disappeared,  having  been  rebuilt  in  1611.  Under  the 
high  altar  is  the  recumbent  statue  of  the  saint.  The 
almost  colossal  form  lies  dead,  the  head  resting  on 
his  helmet  and  armor.  It  is  evidently  modelled  from 
nature,  and  is,  perhaps,  the  finest  thing  ever  designed 
by  Bernini :  the  execution  was  intrusted  to  his  pupil. 
There  is  a  fine  cast  in  the  Crystal  Palace. 

The  most  interesting,  though  certainly  not  the  most 
beautiful,  effigy  of  St.  Sebastian  existing  at  Rome  is  a 
very  ancient  mosaic,  preserved  in  the  Church  of  San 
Pietro-in-Vincoli,  and  supposed  to  have  been  executed 
in  683.  Nothing  can  be  more  unlike  the  modern  con- 
ception of  the  aspect  and  character  of  this  favorite 
saint.  It  represents  him  as  a  bearded  warrior,  in  the 
Roman  habit,  wearing  the  cuirass,  and  over  it  the  long 
garment  or  toga ;  in  his  hand  what  seems  to  be  the 
crown  of  martyrdom.  On  a  marble  tablet,  on  one  side 
of  the  effigy,  is  the  following  inscription  in  Latin ;  I 
give  the  translation  from  Mr.  Percy's  "  Rome  and 
Romanism  "  :  — 

"  To  St.  Sebastian,  Martyr,  dispeller  of  the  pestilence.  In  the 
year  of  salvation  680,  a  pernicious  and  severe  pestilence  invaded 
the  city  of  Rome.  It  was  of  three  months'  duration,  July,  August, 
and  September.  Such  was  the  multitude  of  the  dead,  that,  on  the 
lame  bier,  parents  and  children,  husbands  and  wives,  with  broth- 
ers and  sisters,  were  borne  out  to  burial-places,  which,  everywhere 
filled  with  bodies,  hardly  sufficed.  In  addition  to  this,  nocturnal 
miracles  alarmed  them  ;  for  two  angels,  one  good  and  the  other 
evil,  went  through  the  city  ;  and  this  last,  bearing  a  rod  in  his 
hand,  as  many  times  as  he  struck  the  doors  so  many  mortals  fell 
in  those  houses.  The  disease  spread  for  a  length  of  time,  until  it 
was  announced  to  a  holy  man  that  there  would  be  an  end  of  the 
calamity,  if,  in  the  church  of  S   Peter  ad  Vincula,  an  altar  should 


1Z         BACHED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

be  consecrated  to  Sebastian  the  Martyr;  which  thing  being  Hon* 
Immediately,  the  pestilence,  as  if  driven  bank  by  hand,  ma  cum- 
maml.  .1  t"  oeaee." 

This  was  just  a  hundred  yean  after  the  tamota 
plague  of  the  time  of  Gregory  tin-  Great.  Erom  this 
time,  the  end  of  the  seventh  century,  St.  Sebastian  lias 
been  accepted  as  the  universal  patron  against  the  plague. 

He  is  especially  popular  as  a  Bubjecl  of  Art  all  down 
tin-  Eastern  coast  of  Italy,  in  inn-cuniKr  of  the  preva- 
lence of  plague  in  those  districts  ;  sometimes  he  is  rep- 
resented  with  his  robe  outspread,  and  protecting  the 
people  beneath  from  showers  of  arrows  ;  sometimes  as 
interceding  at  the  reel  of  the  Virgin,  who  at  his  en- 
treaty commands  the  destroying  angel  to  sheathe  his 
sword. 

The  more  modern  devotional  figures  <>f  St.  Seha.-tinn 
rarely  exhibit  him  in  anj  other  character  than  thai  of 
the  martyr:  even  as  patron  saint  the  leading  idea  is 
Mill  the  same,  for  the  arrows  by  which  be  is  transfixed 
Bymbolize  also  the  shafts  of  the  pestilence;  and  they 
are  the  attribute,  not  merely  of  the  Buffering  and  death 
of  the  martyr,  but  of  the  power  of  the  saint  He  is  a 
beautiful  Apollo-like  figure,  in  the  bloom  of  youth,  un- 
draped,  bound  to  a  tree  or  a  column,  and  pierced  bj 

one  or  several  arrows.  lie  is  looking  u|>  n>  heaven 
with  an  expression  of  enthusiastic  faith  <>r  mild  resig- 
nation, while  an  angel  descends  from  above  with  the 
crown  ami  palm.  The  variations  me  merely  those  of 
attitude  and  detail  :  sometimes  bis  armor  is  seen  lying 
at  bis  feet  .  sometimes  he  is  not  pierced  bv  the  arrows, 

Only  hound,  and  the  aiTOWt  are  lying  at  the  fool  of  the 

tree,     in  the  old  pictures  the  background  is  frequently 
■  art  nr  hall  of  the  imperial  palace  ;  in  all  the  mod- 
ern pictures  the  background  is  landscape,  —  the  garden 
mi  the  Palatine  Hill,  where,  according  to  tradition,  the 
Be  t'">k  place.     Sometimes  soldiers  or  archers  are 
a  in  the  distance.     Though  generally  young,  be  is 
not  always  so.     Albert  Diirer  and  the  Germai 
him  a  respectable  beard      Domenichino  has  also  repro 


ST.  S  KB  AST  J, IX. 


n 


sented  him  as  a  man  about  thirty,  copying  in  this  the 
ancient  mosaic  in  San  Pictro-in-VincoIi. 

In  the  pictures  of  the  throned  Madonna,  St.  Sebas- 
tian is  frequently  introduced,  standing  on  one  side, 
arrow-pierced,  with  his  hands  bound  behind  him,  and 
looking  up  to  heaven.  In  some  later  pictures  we  sec 
him  kneeling,  and  presenting  to  the  Virgin  the  arrows 
with  which  he  is  pierced  ;  or  he  is  in  armor,  and  mere- 
ly holds  an  arrow  in  his  hand. 

In  general  the  most  ancient  pictures  and  prints  of 
this  subject  are  not  agreeable,  from  the  stiff  and  defec- 
tive drawing  ;  and  in  the  modern  schools,  when  it  be- 
came a  favorite  vehicle- for  the  exhibition  of  elegant 
forms  and  fine  anatomical  modelling,  it  was  too  obvi- 
ously a  display  of  art.  We  must  seek,  therefore,  for 
the  most  beautiful  St.  Sebastians  in  those  works  which 
date  between  the  two  extremes  ;  and  accordingly  we 
rind  them  in  the  pictures  of  Perugino,  Francia,  Luini, 
and  the  old  Venetian  painters.  I  could  not  point  to  a 
more  charming  example  of  this  treatment  than  the 
Francia  in  our  National  Gallery,  nor  to  a  more  perfect 
specimen  of  the  savoir-faire  school  than  the  Guido  in 
the  Dulwieh  Gallery.  The  St.  Sebastian,  as  is  well 
known,  was  Guide's  favorite  subject ;  he  painted  at 
least  seven.  Another  instance  of  this  kind  of  ostenta- 
tious sentiment  in  style  is  the  Carlo  Dolce  in  the  Cor- 
sini  Palace  at  Florence. 

The  display  of  beautiful  form,  permitted  and  even 
consecrated  by  devotion,  is  so  rare  in  Christian  repre- 
sentations, that  we  cannot  wonder  at  the  avidity  with 
which  this  subject  was  seized  on,  as  soon  as  the  first 
difficulties  of  art  were  overcome,  nor  at  the  multiplicity 
of  examples  we  find  in  the  later  schools,  particularly 
the  Venetian  and  Bolognese.  It  would  take  pages  to 
enumerate  even  a  few  of  these  ;  but  I  must  direct  at- 
tention to  some  examples  of  very  beautiful  or  very 
peculiar   treatment. 

1.  B.  Luini.  A  beautiful  figure  bound  to  a  tree, 
from  amid  the  boughs  of  which  an  angel  looks  dowr 


2i  8ACHED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

apon  him.     The  expression  of  the  head  is  no!  that  of 
enthusiastic  faith,  bat  of  mild,  devoul  resignation.* 

2.  Beltraffio.  Bound  to  a  tree,  he  is  wounded,  bat 
not  transfixed,  by  the  arrows.  He  is  looking  down, — 
iu,t  u|,,  as 'is  usual;  with  l<>n<:  curling  hair,  and  a 
charming  expression  of  benignity  and  gentlem 

:t.  Perogino.  The  saint,  in  red  drapery,  holds  in 
one  hand  the  palm,  in  the  other  three  arrows.J  An- 
other, in  which  he  is  standing  andraped,  except  thai 
around  his  loins  there  is  an  embroidered  scarf;  hii 
hands  are  bound  behind  him  ;  he  is  transfixed  by  three 
arrows,  and  looking  up  with  the  usual  enthusiastic 
expression  ;  his  long  hair  Boating  in  curls  upon  his 
Bhoulders.g  Another,  in  which  he  kneels  before  the 
Virgin;  in  red  drapery,  transfixed  by  a  Bingle  arrow. || 

i  Mane.,  ill  Siena.  He  Btands  mi  one  side  of  the 
Madonna,  covered  \Nith  wounds,  bul  not  transfixed  by 
arrowB.  [none  hand  a  single  arrow  and  a  palm,  in 
the  other  a  martyr's  crown.  The  head  extremely  tin 

5  a  Mantegna.  He  i>  bound  to  a  pillar  near  a 
rained  triumphal  areh.**  The  ruined  arch  ami  the 
ruined  temples,  sometimes  strewed  round  St.  Sebastian, 
may  Bignify  the  destruction  of  the  heathen  powers; 
otherwise,  ami  in  the  historical  representations,  it  i>  an 
anachronism  :  — the  Palatine  was  BtiU  in  all  its  glorj 
when  Sebastian  suffered. 

i,  Giorgione.  He  is  standing,  bound  to  an  orange- 
tree,  with  his  arm-,  bound  above  his  head;  the  <lark 
eyes  raised  towards  heaven.  His  helmet  ami  armor 
lie  at  his  feel  ;  his  militarj  mantle  of  green,  embroid- 

•  I  with  gold,  is  thrown  round  him.     This  picture, 

•  i 

(The  iM.rir.ut,  i  believe,  "f  Balalno,  inn.-  ir  ..  paintar,  whoni 
\  ...  » ttagkittimo  di  gratia  e  di  btUtxta,"  and  wl 

eurllog  hair  [eapelli  rteei  <  inanellati    - 

tiniiiiiy  appear  In  the  pictures  of  Lagaardi  ■■ ' '■  ■ 

t.    . 

I  i  fi.tr...  0  .i 

I  Perogta  '"'"■  *  Acad.  Siena. 

•  •    \  i.  in.  i  «...l 


ST.  SEBASTIAN.  z* 

with  the  deep-blue  sky  and  the  deep-green  foliage, 
struck  me  as  une  of  the  most  solemn  effects  ever  pro- 
duced by  feeling  and  color.  He  is  neither  wounded 
nor  transpierced.* 

7.  Titian.  Bound  to  a  tree  ;  head  declined,  and  the 
long  hair  tailing  partly  over  the  face ;  very  fine  and 
pathetic. t  It  is  the  same  figure  which  appears  in  the 
celebrated  altar-piece  dedicated  by  Averoldo  in  the 
church  of  SS.  Nazaro  and  Celso  at  Brescia. 

8.  Razzi.  He  is  bound  to  a  tree,  pierced  by  three 
arrows,  looking  up  to  heaven  with  an  expression  per- 
fectly divine.  This  picture  was  formerly  used  as  a 
standard,  and  carried  in  procession  when  the  city  was 
afflicted  by  pestilence  :  — to  my  feeling  it  is  the  most 
beautiful  example  of  the  subject  I  have  seen. J 

9.  Liberale  da  Verona.  Here  also  he  is  bound 
to  the  stem  of  an  orange-tree;  pierced  with  several 
arrows. § 

10.  Baroccio.  He  is  here  fully  draped,  and  holds 
two  arrows  in  each  hand,  presenting  them  to  the 
Virgin. 

11.  Hernando  Yanez.  The  saint  standing  with  a 
lily  near  him ;  the  lily  is  unusual.  || 

There  are  a  great  many  fine  examples  in  the  Bologna 
and  Flemish  schools,  in  which  I  have  found  almost 
invariably  the  usual  motif,  combined  in  general  with 
great  beauty  of  execution. 

12.  Martin  Schoeu.  In  a  rare  print ;  St.  Sebastian, 
suspended  against  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  is  transfixed  by 
six  arrows.  The  figure  is  ill  drawn  and  emaciated; 
but  the  expression  in  the  head,  declined  and  sickening 
into  death,  very  pathetic  and  beautiful.  It  is  seldom 
that  he  is  represented  as  dying  or  fainting. 

13.  Some  old  representations  of  St.  Sebastian,  from 

*  On  seeing  this  fine  picture  nearer  in  1855,  I  am  convinced 
that  it  is  not  by  Giorgione,  or  has  been  mercilessly  cleaned 
—  (Milan,  Brera.) 

t  Lichtenstein  Gal.  Vienna.  J  Fl.  Acad. 

§  Berlin  Gal.  ||  Louvre,     Sp.  Gal. 


26         SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  AR1 

tin"  German  and  Spanish  schools,  are  very  curious. 
There  mu  a  small  picture,  by  Vlllegas,  in  the  collec- 
tion of  Louis- Philippe,  in  which  St.  Sebastian  wean 
the  rich  costume  of  the  sixteenth  century,  —  an  em- 
broidered vest,  a  hal  and  feather  ;  an  arrow  in  his 
breast  ;  in  one  hand  :i  bow,  ;m<l  in  the  other  n  crucifix. 
I  have  Been  also  a  German  drawing,  in  which  St  B 
bastiau  is  dressed  like  a  German  cavalier,  wearing  a 
cap,  a  doublet,  and  an  embroidered  cloak  ;  one  hand 
on  his  Bword,  the  other  resting  on  his  Bhield  i  which 
bears  croslets  and  arrowheads  as  the  device);  and 
pierced  by  three  arrows,  one  of  which  has  passed 
through  his  cheek  :  the  expression  <>t"  the  youthful,  al- 
mosl  boyish,  face  very  beautiful. 

1 1.  lie  wears  a  full  suit  of  black  armor,  over  which 
i.-  thrown  a  red  mantle.     In  one  hand  he  holds  two 

BITOWB,    in   the   other  a   CTO 

15.  In  a  picture  by  Rairaelino del  Garbo,1  St.  Sebas- 
tian Wears  a  hllie   Vol ,  clc- alii  l  \   end  .1 1  udci  cd  with  gold, 

black  hose  and  a  crimson  mantle. 

St.  Sebastian  has  afforded  an  admirable  subject  i'< >r 
ChrUtian  Bculptnre. 

I.   I'.\    Matteo  Civitale,  there  is  a  Btatue  in  white 

marble,  in  which    he   is   bound    t<»   the    trunk   of  a    tr.c. 

pierced  with  several  arrows.  This  Btatue,  in  spite  of 
sundry  faults  of  design,  -truck  me  by  the  beaatj  of  the 
attitude  and  the  beauty  of  expression.  It  is  celebrated 
as  being  the  firsi  undraped  statue  of  a  male  adult  fig. 

lire   that    had    hen    | lined   since    the   revival    "('   Art. 

The  arrows  arc  of  metal,  gilt.J 

■j.    The  statue  bj  Pugel  in  the  church  id'  Carignano 
at  Genoa  i-  also  celebrated.     It  i>  colossal,  and  re| 
■  .-iits  him  transfixed,  with  his  armor  at  his  feet;  th< 

is  ..  g 1  deal  ol  ion,  but  a  total  want  of  sim- 

ity. 
The  statue  in  hit  church  at  Borne  has  been  nl- 
mentioned. 

iny,  I'arts.  •  Berlin  OaL  98. 

|    \    ul  1  iT' j     Dooaioi  i. . 


ST.  SEBASTTAN.  *f 

St.  Sebastian  is  everywhere  popular  *  but  more  par- 
ticularly in  those  countries  and  districts  which  were 
most  exposed  to  the  plague.  For  instance,  all  down 
the  east  coast  of  Italy,  from  Venice  to  Bari,  St.  Se- 
bastian is  constantly  met  with.  In  the  more  ancient 
pictures  his  usual  pendant  is  either  St.  George  or  St. 
Nicholas  ;  in  the  more  modern  pictures  St.  Roch  :  very 
often  the  healing  saints  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian. 
Wherever  these  are  grouped  together,  or  round  the  Vir- 
gin and  Child,  the  picture  has  been  dedicated  against 
the  plague. 

Some  of  these  votive  pictures  have  a  very  pathetic 
significance,  when  we  consider  them  as  commemorat- 
ing the  terrible  visitations  of  pestilence  which  occasion- 
ally desolated  the  South  of  Europe.  I  will  give  one  or 
two  examples. 

1 .  The  Madonna  di  Misericordia  t  is  seen  in  the  midst 
with  her  robes  outspread,  beneath  which  are  gathered 
the  afflicted  votaries.  Above,  the  Padre  Eterno  looks 
down  from  heaven.  On  the  left  of  the  Virgin  St.  Se- 
bastian, his  hands  bound  and  his  whole  body  stuck  full 
of  arrows,  looks  up  with  a  pleading  expression.  The 
votaries  present  to  him  a  prayer  or  petition,  which  he 
is  supposed  to  repeat  to  the  Virgin,  through  whom  it 
reaches  the  Supreme  Being,  at  whose  command  St. 
Michael,  the  Angel  of  Judgment,  utters  the  word  fiat, 
and  sheathes  his  sword.} 

2.  The  following  example  is  also  very  expressive. 
St.  Sebastian,  in  a  rich  military  costume  of  blue  em- 
broidered with  gold,  stands  as  patron  :  his  large  cloak, 
spread  open,  and  sustained  by  angels,  intercepts  and 

*  In  England  his  effigies  are  not  uncommon,  and  there  are  two 
churches  dedicated  to  his  honor,  that  of  Gonerby  in  Lincolnshire, 
and  Woodbastwich  in  Norfolk.  (See  Parker's  "  Calendar  of  the 
Anglican  Church,"  p.  284.)  He  has,  however,  been  banished  from 
the  English  Calendar,  in  which  many  saints  more  apocryphal  and 
less  deserving  still  keep  their  place. 

t  See  Legends  of  the  Madonna. 

}  This  curious  votii  e  fresco  is  in  a  small  chapel  at  Perugia. 


28  SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

shelters  liis  votaries  from  the  plague-arrows,  which  fall 
thickly  oo  its  folds  as  tiny  are  shot  from  above.* 

Scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Sebastian  are  confined  to 
a  few  subjects,  which  have  Keen  frequently  treated. 

Paul  Veronese's  "  St.  Sebastian  exhorting  ami  en- 
couraging Marcus  ami  Man-ellinus,  as  the)  arc  led  to 
death,"  in  the  church  of  S.  Sebasnano  at  Venice,  ap- 
oeared  to  me,  when  1  saw  it  last,  <>nc  of  the  finest  '/<"- 
matic  pictures  1  bad  ever  beheld,  and  preferable  to  every 
other  work  of  the  master.  Here  St.  Sebastian  stands 
nil  the  summit  of  a  flight  of  steps  ;  his  tine  martial  fig- 
ure, in  complete  armor,  is  relieved  against  the  blue  skv  ; 

he  waves  a  banner  in   his  hand,  ami   his  whole  air  ami 

expression  are  full  of  inspired  faith  ami  enthusiasm  ; 
Blarcus  ami  Marcellinus  stand  by, his  side  a.-  it  in 
lute,  surrounded  by  their  weeping  friends.     It  struck 
me  as  a  magnificent  scene  played  before  me,  —  with 

such  a  glow  of  light  and   life  and  movement  and  color 

shed  over  it,  —  such  a  triumphant  enthusiasm  in  the 
martyrs,  —  such  variety  of  passionate  energy  ami  sup- 
plication ami  sympathy  in  die  groups  of  relatives  ami 
spectators,  that  1  fell  as  if  in  a  theatre,  looking  at  a 
well-played  scene  in  a  religions  melodrama,  and  in- 
clined to  clap  my  hands,  ami  cry  "  Bravo!  " 

In  curious  contrast  with  this  splendid  composition,  I 
remember  a  little  old  picture,  in  which  St.  Sebastian  is 
calmly  exhorting  his  friends  to  die,  their  mother  alone 
kneeling    in    supplication  ;    verj    still'  and   dry,  hut    the 

heads  full  of  simple  expression. t 

Of  the  scene  in  which  St.  Sebastian  confronts  the 
emperor  on  the  iteps  of  bis  palace  and  pleads  lor  the 
persecuted  Christiana,  1  have  never  seen  anj  pictui 

yet  |>aintim_'  could  hardly  desire  a  liner  subject 

The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Sebastian  (for  that  is  the  name 

<  vni.iv>-  tn:«co  w»i  pointed  b>  It.  i.  '■     nil  In  tli'- 

•hombofB  Agnatic  QemlgnaM,  and  oouuncmormtes  tUo 

i  ii-  plague  of  i  ■ 
t  N  Bet  7      i'mlua. 


ST.  SEBASTIAN.  29 

given  to  the  scene  in  which  he  is  shot  with  arrows) 
should  be  distinguished  from  those  devotional  figures 
which  represent  the  saint  as  martyr,  but  not  the  act  of 
martyrdom.  His  martyrdom,  as  an  historical  scene,  is 
a  subject  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  in  every  variety 
of  treatment,  from  three  or  four  figures  to  thirty  or  for- 
ty. When  the  scene  is  supposed  to  be  the  garden  on 
the  Palatine  Hill,  he  is  bound  to  a  tree  (in  one  instance, 
as  I  remember,  to  an  orange-tree)  ;  if  the  scene  be  the 
hall  or  court,  he  is  bound  to  a  pillar  ;  and  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  Sebastiamis  Christianas,"  is  sometimes  affixed. 

1.  The  scene  is  a  garden  on  the  Palatine  Hill.  St. 
Sebastian  is  bound  on  high  amid  the  branches  of  a  tree. 
Eight  soldiers  are  shooting  at  him  with  cross-bows. 
Above,  the  sky  opens  in  glory,  and  two  angels  hold 
over  his  head  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  Admirable 
for  the  picturesque  and  dramatic  treatment.* 

2.  Pollajuolo.  The  masterpiece  of  the  painter.  He 
is  bound  high  up  to  the  stump  of  a  tree ;  six  execu- 
tioners with  cross-bows,  and  other  figures  in  strained 
and  difficult  attitudes.  St.  Sebastian  is  the  portrait  of 
Ludovico  Cappoui.t 

3.  Pinturicchio.  He  is  bound  to  a  broken  pillar ; 
another  broken  column  is  near  him.  There  are  six 
executioners  with  bows  and  arrows,  and  a  man  with  a 
kind  of  mitre  on  his  head  is  commanding  the  execu- 
tion.    In  the  background  the  Coliseum. J 

4.  In  contrast  with  this  representation  I  will  men- 
tion that  of  Vandyck,  one  of  his  finest  pictures.  St. 
Sebastian  is  bouud  to  a  tree,  but  not  yet  pierced  :  he 
appears  to  be  preparing  for  his  fate  ;  with  eyes  raised 
to  heaven,  he  seems  to  pray  for  strength  to  endure. 
The  youthful  undraped  figure  is  placed  in  full  light ; 
admirable  for  the  faultless  drawing  and  the  noble  ex- 
pression. There  are  several  soldiers  ;  and  a  centurion, 
mounted  on  a  white  horse,  appears  to  direct  the  execu- 
tion^ 

*  Fl.  Gal.     Painter  unknown. 

\  Florence.     Capella  dei  Pucci.  J  Vatican. 

&  Munich  GaL 


3o         BACHED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

5.  Palma.  Two  executioners  bind  St.  Sebastian  to 
h  tree;  soldiers  arc  Been  approaching  with  their  bowi 
and  arrows;  a  cherub  hovers  above  with  the  crown 
and  the  palm.* 

6.  <i.  da  Santa  Croce.  St.  Sebastian  is  bound  to  s 
|)ilUir  and  prepares  For  death.  The  emperor  on  his 
throne,  and  a  number  of  spectators.t 

7.  The  only  celebrated  St  Sebastian  of  the  Spanish 
Bchool  which  I  ran  refer  to,  is  a  martyrdom  bj   5 
tian  Miuiii/,  who  appears  to  have  painted  bis  patron 
saint  with  equal  love  and  power.J 

8.  But  the  most  celebrated  example  of  all  is  the 
large  picture  by  Domenichino,  in  the  church  of  s. 
Maria  degli  Angeli  al  Rome.  Here  the  event  is  a 
grand  dramatic  Bcene,  in  which  the  attention  is  divided 
between  the  sufferings  and  resignation  of  the  martyr, 
the  ferocity  of  the  executioners,  and  the  various  emo- 
tions of  the  spectators ;  there  are  about  thirty-five 
figures,  and  the  locality  is  a  garden  or  landscape.  Ths 
mosaic  is  in  St.  Peter's. 

It  is  a  great  mistake,  bespeaking  the  ignorance  oi 
carelessness  of  the  painter,  when  in  the  representations 
of  the  martyred  St  Sebastian  an  arrow  is  through  bis 
bead  (as  in  a  composition  by  Tintoretto,  and  another 
by  Albert  Durer),  for  such  a  wound  musl  have  been 
instantly  mortal,  and  his  recovery  is  always  related  as 
having  taken  place  through  natural  and  not  through 
miraculous  agency. 

St.  Sebastian  recalled  to  life  after  hi.-  martyrdom  is 
a  beautiful  subject.     It  is  treated  In  two  different  waj 
sometimes  be  is  drooping  in  apparent  death,  one  a 
vet  hound  tu  the  tree,  while  pitying  angels  draw  th< 

•  i  Qg,  bj  Badaler. 

t  a.  D  BerUnGaL 

;  it  i«  ii. mm  iiii-  Madrid  Qallary.    Mr.  Stirling  mention! 
admiration,  bat  doss  not  describi  Lhi  ptetare.   Hun  trafewanod 
repn  -■  ntatknw  "f  Bt  >  baatian  in  Bpanish  art,  perhapi 
inc  riK'i'l  •  ic\ 'siasiical  inperrktion  forbade  the  undraped  ftgnre. 


ST.  SEBASTIAN.  31 

arrows  from  his  wounds.  It  has  been  thus  represented 
by  Procaccino ;  by  Vandyck  in  a  beautiful  picture  now 
at  St.  Petersburg ;  and  when  conceived  in  a  true  re- 
ligious spirit  must  be  considered  as  strictly  devotional  : 
but  I  have  seen  some  examples  which  rather  suggested 
the  idea  of  an  Adonis  bewept  by  Cupids,  as  in  a  picture 
by  Alessandro  Veronese.*  The  ministering  angels  in 
this  and  similar  scenes  ought  never  to  be  infant  angels. 

Another  manner  of  treating  this  subject  is  more 
dramatic  than  ideal :  St.  Sebastian  lies  on  the  ground 
at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  insensible  from  his  wounds ;  Irene 
and  her  maid  minister  to  him;  one  unbinds  him  from 
the  tree,  the  other  extracts  the  arrows :  sometimes 
Irene  is  attended  by  a  physician.  The  subject  has 
been  thus  treated  by  Correggio,  by  Padovanino,  and 
others ;  but  I  have  never  seen  any  example  which 
satisfied  me  either  in  sentiment  or  execution. 

In  the  legend  of  St.  Sebastian  I  find  no  account  of 
his  being  tortured  previous  to  his  last  martyrdom;  but 
I  have  seen  a  large  Italian  print  t  in  which  he  is  bound 
on  the  rack,  —  his  armor  lies  near  him  ;  a  Pagan  priest 
is  seen  exhorting  him  to  renounce  his  faith ;  and  there 
are  numerous  other  figures,  dogs,  &c,  introduced.}: 

The  death  of  St.  Sebastian,  his  second  martyrdom, 
was  painted  by  P.  Veronese  in  his  church.  Unfortu- 
nately for  this  picture,  it  hangs  opposite  to  the  incom- 
parable Marcus  and  Marcellinus  already  described,  to 
which  it  is  much  inferior ;  it  therefore  receives  little 
attention,  and  less  than  justice. 

St.  Sebastian  is  the  favorite  saint  of  the  Italiau 
women,  aud  more  particularly  of  the  Roman  women. 
His  youth,  courage,  and  beauty  of  person,  the  interest 
of  his  story,  in  which  the  charity  of  woman  plays  such 

*  Louvre,  No.  851. 

t  By  Caraglio.  Described  in  Bartsch,  Peintre  Graveur,  xix 
282.     See  also  in  the  same  work,  xx.  p.  201. 

1 1  conceive  it  to  be  an  example  of  ignorance  in  the  artist,  if 
indeed,  it  be  intended  for  a  St.  Sebastian 


j2         SACRED    AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

un  important  part,  and  the  attractive  character  of  the 
representation,  have  led  to  thia  preference.  Instances 
are  recorded  of  the  figure  of  St.  Sebastian  producing 
the  Bame  effect  on  an  excitnMc  southern  fancy  that  the 
Btatue  of  the  Apollo  produced  on  the  "Girl  of  Pro- 
vence," — a  devotion  ending  In  passion,  madness,  and 
death. 

From  the  fourteenth  century  the  pendant  of  St. 
Sebastian  In  devotional  pictures  is  generally  St.  Boch, 
uf  whom  we  are  now  to  Bpeak. 


St.  R 

tat.  Banctos  Roehni     lial.>       •  i      ?\   Km-li.orBoque- 

Patron  Mint  of  those  who  languish  i 1 1  prison  |  of  the  ifask  la  hot 
pit&la  |  and  particularly  of  those  who  are  stricken  by  the  plague. 
August  16,  l  d.  1837. 

Thb  legend  of  St.  Boch  is  comparatively  modern ; 
the  main  fa<-ts,  happily,  arc  not  incredible,  and  tolera- 
bly authentic ;  and  in  the  decorative  incidents  there 

is  more  of  the  pathetic  than  the  wonderful.  It  ap- 
pealed Btrongly  to  the  sympathies  of  the  people;  it 
gave  them  a  new  patron  and  intercessor  against  thai 
Bcourge  of  the  middle  ages,  the  plague;  and  at  it 
became  extensively  known  and  popular  just  at  the 
time  of  the  revival  of  Art,  it  has  followed  that  the 
effigy  of  this  beneficent  saint  is  one  of  those  most  tn 
quently  met  with  throughout  the  whole  of  Western 
Christendom:  in  Greek  Art  it  i^  unknown 

••  St  Boch  was  born  at  Montpelier,  in  Langnedoc,  the 
son  of  noble  parents.4     Ili^  father's  name  was  John; 

tie  ca into  the  world  with  a  small  i  marked 

upon  hi-  breast ;  and  bis  mother  Libera,  regarding 
mm,  therefore,  as  one  consecrated  even  from  his  birth 
to  a  life  of  sanctity,  watched  over  his  education  with 

the  data  '>r  bis  birth  la  1880,  others  in 


ST.  ROCH.  33 

peculiar  care.  The  boy  himself,  as  he  grew  up,  was 
impressed  with  the  same  idea,  and  in  all  things  acted 
as  one  called  to  the  service  of  God ;  but  with  him  this 
enthusiasm  did  not  take  the  usual  form,  —  that  of 
religious  vows,  or  of  an  existence  spent  in  cloistered 
solitude  ;  —  his  desire  was  to  imitate  the  active  virtues 
of  the  Redeemer,  while  treading  humbly  in  his  foot- 
steps in  regard  to  the  purity  and  austerity  of  his  life. 
"  The  death  of  his  father  and  mother,  before  he  was 
twenty,  placed  him  in  possession  of  vast  riches  in 
money  and  land  :  he  began  by  following  literally  the 
counsel  of  our  Saviour  to  the  young  man  who  asked, 
<  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  '  He  sold  all  that  the 
law  enabled  him  to  dispose  of,  and  distributed  the  pro- 
ceeds to  the  poor  and  to  the  hospitals.  Then,  leaving 
the  administration  of  his  lands  to  his  father's  brother, 
he  put  on  the  dress  of  a  pilgrim,  and  journeyed  on  foot 
towards  Rome.  When  he  arrived  at  Aquapendente, 
the  plague  was  raging  in  the  town  and  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  the  sick  and  the  dying  encumbered  the 
streets.  St.  Roch  went  to  the  hospital,  and  offered  to 
assist  in  tending  the  inmates ;  he  was  accepted ;  and 
such  was  the  efficacy  of  his  treatment,  and  his  tender 
sympathy,  that,  as  it  was  commonly  said,  a  blessing 
more  than  human  waited  on  his  ministry ;  and  the  sick 
were  healed  merely  by  his  prayers,  or  merely  by  the 
sign  of  the  cross  as  he  stood  over  them  :  and  when  the 
plague  ceased  shortly  afterwards,  they,  in  the  enthusi- 
asm of  their  gratitude,  imputed  it  solely  to  the  inter- 
cession of  this  benign  being,  who,  with  his  youth,  his 
gentleness,  and  his  fearless  devotion,  appeared  to  them 
little  less  than  an  angel." 

That  St.  Roch  himself,  struck  by  the  success  of  his 
ministry,  should  have  believed  that  a  peculiar  blessing 
rested  on  his  efforts  is  not  surprising,  when  we  consider 
the  prevalent  belief  in  miracles  and  miraculous  influen- 
ces throughout  the  thirteenth  century.  Hearing  "that 
the  plague  was  desolating  the  province  of  Romagna, 
lie  hastened  thither,  and,  in  the  cities  of  Cesena  and 

vol.  ii.  3 


34 


8ACRI  h  AND  1.1  Gl  NDARY  ART 


Rimini,  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  the  sick. 
Thence  he  went  to  Home,  where  a  fearful  pestilence 
had  broken  oat,  and  .-~ | « •  i n  three  years  in  die  same 
charitable  ministry,  always  devoting  himself  t<>  those 
who  were  mosl  miserable  and  apparently  abandoned  by 
all  other  help.  His  incessanl  prayer  to  God  was,  thai 
he  might  be  found  worthy  to  die  a-  :i  martyr  in  the 
rcise  of  the  dnties  In-  bad  voluntarily  taken  on 
himself;  but  for  a  long  lime  his  prayer  was  not  heard  : 
it  seemed  as  if  an  unseen  power  shielded  his  lite  in 
tin'  midst  of  tin-  perils  to  which  he  was  daily  and  hourly 
exposed. 

"Thus  Bome  years  passed  away.  He  travelled  from 
citytocity:  wherever  he  heard  that  there  was  pestilence 
and  misery  prevailing,  there  was  he  found  ;  and  every- 
where a  blessing  waited  on  his  presence.  At  length 
he  came  i<>  the  citj  of  Piacenza,  where  an  epidemic  "f 
a  frightful  and  unknown  kind  had  broken  out  amon 
the  people  :  be  presented  himself,  a.-  usual,  to  assist  in 
the  hospital  ;  bul  heir  ii  pleased  God  to  put  him  even 

to    that    trial    for    which    he    had    BO   often    prayed, — to 

subject  him  to  tin-  same  Buffering  and  affliction  which 

he  had  so  often  alleviated,  and  make  him  in  his  turn 
dependent  on  the  charitj   of  others  for  aid  and  for 

sympathy. 

"One  night,  being  in  the  hospital,  he  sank  down  on 
the  ground,  overpowered  bj  fatigue  and  want  of  sleep: 
on  awaking  he  found  himself  plague-stricken  ;  a  fever 
burned  in  every  limb,  and  a  horrible  ulcer  had  broken 
out  in  his  left  thigh.  The  pain  was  so  insupporta- 
ble that  it  obliged  him  to  shriek  aloud  :  fearing  to 
disturb  the  inmates  of  the  hospital  he  crawled  into  the 

street;  hut  hen-  the  officers  of  the  city  would  not  allow 

him  to  ninam.  lest  he  should  spread  infection  round. 
He  yielded  meekly;   and,  supported  only  by  his  pil- 
grim's staff,  dragged  himself  to  a  wood  or  wildero 
outside  the  gates  of  Piacenza,  and  there  laid  himself 

down,    as    hi'    thought,    tO   die. 

••  I 'in  (iod  did  not  forsake  him  ;  far  from  all  human 


ST.  ROCH.  35 

help,  all  human  sympathy,  he  was  watched  over  and 
cared  for.  He  had  a  little  dog  which  in  all  his  pilgrim- 
age had  faithfully  attended  him  ;  this  dog  every  day 
went  to  the  city,  and  came  back  at  evening  with  a  loaf 
of  bread  in  his  mouth,  though  where  he  obtained  it  none 
could  tell.  Moreover,  as  the  legend  relates,  an  angel 
from  heaven  came  and  dressed  his  wound,  and  com- 
forted him,  and  ministered  to  him  in  his  solitude,  until 
he  was  healed ;  but  others,  less  believing,  say  it  was  a 
man  of  that  country  whose  name  was  Gothard,  who  on 
this  occasion  acted  the  part  of  a  good  angel  towards 
him.  However  this  may  be,  St.  Roch,  rejoicing  that  he 
had  been  found  worthy  to  suffer  in  the  cause  of  charity, 
which  is  truly  the  cause  of  Christ  our  Redeemer,  went 
on  his  way  as  soon  as  he  had  strength  to  travel,  and 
bent  his  steps  towards  his  own  home  and  country ;  and 
being  arrived  at  a  little  village  near  Montpelier,  which 
was  in  fact  his  own,  and  the  people  his  hereditary  vas- 
sals, he  was  so  changed  by  long  suffering,  so  wasted 
and  haggard,  that  they  did  not  know  him.  The  whole 
country  being  at  that  time  full  of  suspicion  and  danger, 
because  of  hostilities  and  insurrections,  he  was  arrested 
as  a  spy,  and  carried  before  the  judge  of  Montpelier: 
the  judge,  who  was  no  other  than  his  own  uncle,  looked 
upon  him  without  knowing  him,  and  ordered  him  to 
be  carried  to  the  public  prison.  St.  Roch,  believing 
that  such  an  affliction  could  only  be  laid  upon  him  by 
the  hand  of  God,  with  the  intent  to  try  him  further, 
held  his  peace,  and  instead  of  revealing  himself,  yielded 
meekly  to  the  unjust  sentence,  and  was  shut  up  in  a 
dungeon.  Here,  having  no  one  to  plead  for  him,  and 
being  resolved  to  leave  his  cause  in  the  hands  of  God, 
and  to  endure  patiently  all  that  was  inflicted,  he  lan- 
guished for  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  as  the 
jailer  entered  his  cell  one  morning,  to  bring  the  usual 
pittance  of  bread  and  water,  he  was  astonished  and 
dazzled  by  a  bright  supernatural  light,  which  filled  the 
dungeon  ;  he  found  the  poor  prisoner  dead,  and  by  his 
side  a  writing  which  revealed  his  name,  and  containing, 


36         SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

moreover,  these  words:  'All  those  who  are  Btricken 
by  the  plague,  and  who  pray  for  aid  through  the  merits 
and  intercession  of  Roch,  the  servant  of  Qod,  shall  be 
healed.'     When  this  writing  was  carried  ii>  Ins  uncle 

the  judge,  he  was   sei/.eil  with   j_rrief  ami    remorae,  ami 

wept  exceedingly,  ami  caused  bis  nephew  to  he  buried 
honorably,  amid  the  tears  and  prayers  of  the  whole 
city." 

Tin'  death  of  St.  Roch  is  usually  placed  in  the  year 
1327,  when  he  was  in  his  thirty-second  year.  The 
people  of  Montpelier  ami  the  neighborhood  regarded 

his  memory  with  the  utmost  devotion  ;  hut  lor  nearly  a 

hundred  yean  afterwards  we  do  not  hear  of  St.  Roch 
a-  an  object  of  general  veneration  in  Christendom.    In 

the  year  1414,  when  a  council  of  the  Church  wa-  held 
at  Constance  (the  same  which  condemned  Suss),  the 
plague  broke  out  in  the  city,  and  tin'  prelates  wen' 
about  to  separate  and  to  fly  from  the  danger.  Then 
a  voting  Herman  monk,  who  had  travelled  in  France, 
reminded  them  that  then'  was  a  saint  of  that  country, 

through  whose   merits    many  had  been    redeemed    from 

the  plague.  The  council,  following  his  advice,  ordered 
the  effigy  of  St.  Roch  to  be  carried  in  procession 
through  the  streets,  accompanied  by  prayers  and  lita- 
nies ;  ami  immediately  tin-  plague  ceased.  Such  i-  the 
tradition  to  which  St.  Rot  h  owe-  his  universal  tame  as 
a  patron  saint.  In  the  year  I486  the  Venetians,  who 
from  their  commerce  with  the  Levant  were  continually 
exposed  to  the  visitation  ol  the  plague,  resolved  to 
possess  themselves  of  the  relics  of  St.  Koch.  A  kind 
of  holy  alliance  wa-  formed  to  commit  tin-  pious  rob- 
bery. The  conspirators  -ailed  to  Montpelier  under 
pretence  of  performing  ■  pilgrimage,  and  carried  off 
the  body  of  the  saint,  with  which  the]  returned  to 
Venice,  and  wire  received  by  the  doge,  the  senate,  ami 
the  ciergy,  and  all  the  people,  with  inexpressible  joy.* 

•     i  i       '■  lightly 

rsried.     in  I4s.r>,  •' i'u  nonaeo  OmmMoImc  fo  tint"  hliei  its 

i         i. |.n.  U  oorpo  dl  B.  li'H-i-.i,  iir  it.i  '-mi  mobm  gt'loala  cuaU>- 


ST.  ROCn.  37 

The  magnificent  church  of  St.  Roch  was  built  to  re- 
ceive  the  precious  relics  of  the  saint,  by  a  community 
already  formed  under  his  auspices  for  the  purpose  of 
lending  the  sick  and  poor,  and  particularly  those  who 
were  stricken  by  infectious  disorders,  in  which  many 
of  the  chief  nobility  were  proud  to  enrol  themselves. 
Such  was  the  origin  of  the  famous  Scuola  di  San  Rocca 
at  Venice,  ou  the  decoration  of  which  Tintoretto  and 
his  scholars  lavished  their  utmost  skill. 

In  devotional  pictures  the  figure  of  St.  Roch  is 
easily  distinguished.  lie  is  represented  as  a  man  in 
the  prime  of  life,  with  a  small  beard,  delicate  aud  some- 
what emaciated  features,  and  a  refined  and  compas- 
sionate expression.  Those  pictures  which  represent 
him  as  a  robust  coarse-featured  man  must  be  considered 
as  mistaken  in  point  of  character.  He  is  habited  as  a 
pilgrim,  with  the  cockle-shell  in  his  hat ;  the  wallet  at 
his  side;  in  one  hand  the  staff,  while  with  the  other  he 
lifts  his  robe  to  show  the  plague-spot,  or  points  to  it. 
In  general  he  is  accompanied  by  his  dog. 

1.  One  of  the  happiest  and  truest  representations  of 
St.  Roch  I  ever  saw,  consistently  with  the  idea  we  form 
of  his  character,  is  a  figure  in  an  old  Florentine  pic- 
ture, I  think  by  Gerino  da  Pistoia ;  St.  Roch  is  here  a 
thin,  pale  young  man,  with  light  hair  aud  small  beard, 
and  mild,  delicate  features.* 

2.  St.  Roch  intercedes  for  Cardinal  Alessandro  d'- 
Este  (in  a  picture  by  Parmigiano).  The  cardinal 
kneels,  with  joined  hands,  and  St.  Roch,  bending  over 
him,  with  a  benevolent  air,  lays  his  hand  on  his  fur 
robe.  The  dog  is  in  the  background.  This  appears 
to  have  been  a  votive  picture,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
cardinal  being  struck  with  illness,  and  healed  at  the 
intercession  of  St.  Roch.  Such  votive  figures  of  St. 
Roch  are  frequently  met  with  in  the  chapels  and 
churches  dedicated  to  him,  and  more  particularly  iu 

rtito  in  Ugheria,  Castello  nel  Milanese,  e  portarlo  a  Venezia."  — 
Origine  de/ie  Feste  Veneziane  di  Giustina  Renie-  Mic^iel 
*  Florence  Gal. 


38  BACSl  D   AND   LEGENDARY   AR1 

the  hospitals,  convents,  and  other  institutions  of  the 
Order  of  ( Ibarity. 

S.  St.  Roch,  very  richly  dressed,  Btands  in  the  usual 
attitude,  pointing  to  the  plague-spot  :  a  small  but  very 
fine  picture  by  Garofalo  in  the  Belvedere  Gallery  at 
Vienna 

4.  St.  Roch  with  (he  Angel  :  a  beautiful  picture  by 
Annibal  Caracci,  in  the   Fitzwilliam    Moseum,  Cam* 

bridj 

5.  The  great  altar-piece  painted  by  Rubens  for  the 
church  at  Alosl  is  Btrictly  a  devotional  picture,  though 
treated  in  the  most  dramatic  manner.  The  upper  part 
of  the  picture  represents  the  interior  ol  a  prison,  illumi- 
nated by  a  Bupernatural  light  Bt  Boch,  kneeling,  nol 
as  a  Buppliant,  but  with  an  expression  of  the  most  ani- 
mated  gratitude,  looks  np  in  the  face  of  Christ,  and 
receives  from  him  his  mission  as  patron  saint  against 
the  plague.  An  angel  holds  a  tablet,  on  which  is  in- 
scribed,  "  Eris  in  peste  patronus,"  in  allusion  to  the 
writing  (iiuucl  within  his  cell  after  his  death.  The  dog 
is  near  him.  In  the  lower  jmrt  of  die  picture  a  group 
of  the  sick  and  the  afflicted  (painted  with  all  that  power 
of  expression  which  belonged  to  Rubens)  invoke  the 
intercession  of  the  charitable  saint.  This  picture  has 
been  erroneously  described  as  Bt.   Roch  supplicating 

for  th smitten  by  the  plague;  the  motif  i-  alto-ether 

different.  Rubens  painted  it  in  eight  days  for  the  eon 
fraternity  of  St.  Roch;  he  demanded  for  his  work  900 

florins,  which  the  agents  for  the1  charitable  brotherh \ 

told  down  without  making  the  slightest  objection  to  the 
price.  The  painter,  delighted  with  their  generosity, 
presented  to  them  three  smaller  pictures  to  be  placed 
beneath  the  altar-piece  :  in  the  centre  the  crucifix  ;  on 
one  side  St.  Roch  healed  by  the  angel ;  on  the  other 
the  saint  dying  in  prison. 

The  separate  pictures  of  his  lift  are  confined  to  few 
lubjects  ;  the  most  frequi  m  of  which  are,  —  his  ebarit] 
■nd  his  ministration  to  the  siek. 

i     Annibal  Caracci      Bt    Roch  distributes  Inn  govd* 


ST.  ROCH.  39 

to  the  poor  before  he  sets  out  on  his  pilgrimage  to 
Home.  One  of  his  most  celebrated  pictures,  full  of 
beautiful  and  pathetic  expression.  It  was  painted  for 
a  benevolent  canon  of  Reggio,  who  presented  it  to  the 
charitable  brotherhood  of  St.  Roch  in  his  native  city. 
Such  pictures,  whatever  their  merit  as  works  of  art, 
serin  to  me  to  lose  much  when  transported  from  their 
original  destination  to  the  walls  of  a  gallery. 

2.  Procaccino.  St.  Koch  ministering  to  the  sick. 
The  patients  are  seen  in  beds  in  the  background  ;  some 
are  brought  by  their  friends  and  laid  at  the  feet  of  the 
saint. 

3.  Finer  is  a  picture  by  Bassano,  of  which  the  in- 
tense and  natural  expression  rivets  the  attention  and 
melts  the  heart.  Here  the  Virgin,  a  very  majestic  fig- 
ure, stands  alone  in  the  sky  above,  interceding  for  the 
sufferers  below.  It  is  the  finest  and  one  of  the  largest 
pictures  by  Bassano  I  have  ever  seen.*  Pictures  of 
this  subject  are  often  met  with  ;  but  perhaps  the  finest 
of  all,  at  least  the  most  effective,  is  that  of  Tintoret- 
to ;  —  the  variety  of  expression  in  the  sufferers  and 
spectators  is  wonderfully  dramatic. t 

(We  must  distinguish  this  scene  in  the  life  of  St. 
Roch  from  a  similar  subject  in  the  life  of  St.  Charles 
Borromeo.  St.  Roch  wears  the  habit  of  a  pilgrim  ;  St. 
Charles,  that  of  a  bishop  or  cardinal.) 

4.  St.  Roch  in  the  desert  is  healed  by  an  angel ;  the 
dog  is  seen  approaching  with  a  loaf  of  bread  in  his 
mouth.  The  mild,  pathetic  resignation  and  gratitude 
of  the  good  saint,  and  the  picturesque  accompaniments, 
render  this  a  very  striking  subject.  The  picture  by 
Tintoretto  is  the  finest  example. 

5.  Guido.  St.  Roch  in  prison  ;  his  dog  at  his  side  ; 
an  angel  from  above  comforts  him.  (At  Modena. 
The  same  subject  by  Tintoretto  at  Venice.) 

6.  St.  Roch  dying  in  prison.  He  is  extended  on 
some  straw,  and  his  hands  are  folded  in  prayer.     Some- 

*   Milan  Brera,  53.  t  Venice.     Scuola  di  San  Rocco. 


4o        SACRED   AM>   t.i  Gl  ft  i'.\in    AST. 

times   he  is  nlone  ;   luit  sometimes  n  jailer  or  attendant 
entering  the  prison,  looks  at  him  with  astonishment. 

The  Btatnes  of  St  Roch  exhibit  him  in  the  usual  at- 
titude, which,  it  i) i n-t  be  confessed,  is  hardly  fitted  for 
Bcnlptnre;  yel  Borne  of  these  figures  arc  wn  beautiful 
in  sentiment,  and  make  u>  forget  the  merely  physical 
infliction,  in  the  Bnblime  self-devotion. 

Tlie  history  of  this  saint,  is  a  Beries  of  snbjecta,  is 
often  found  in  the  chnrches  and  chapels  dedicated  to 
him:  we  have  generally  the  following  scenes:  i.  He 
distributes  hi>  ^< m ..1>  to  the  poor,  called  ••  The  Charity 
of  St.  Roch."  (/.'  Elemorina  di  San  Jiixi".)  g.  He 
ministers  to  the  sick  :  the  scene  i>  generally  an  hospi- 
tal.  .'{.  St.  Km  It  in  the  desert  He  is  prostrated  l>y 
sickness,  and  points  to  an  ulcer  in  Ins  thigh.  An  an- 
gel and  bis  dog  are  near  him.  4.  St.  Rocb  Btanding 
before  the  Pope.  ■">■  St.  Koch  in  prison,  \i.-itcil  by  mi 
angel.     6.  His  death. 

In  the  opper  ball  of  the  Scuola  di  San  Rocco,  at 

Venice,  where  the  brotherh I  used  to  assemble,  the 

tribune  at  the  end  is  wainscoted  by  panels  of  oak,  on 

Which  the  whole  hi>tuiv  of  the  saint   is  carvcil   in  relict 

in  twenty  subjects.* 

Those  works  of  art  in  which  St.  Sebastian  and  St 
Roch  figure  in  companionship  as  joint  protectors  against 
the  plague  are  innumerable.  The  two  beautiful  figures 
by  Francia,  engraved  bj  M.n.  Antonio,  are  examples 
of  simplicity  and  benign  graceful  feeling.  The  con- 
;  between  the  enthusiastic  martyr  and  the  compas- 
sionate pilgrim  onght  always  to  )"■  Btronglj  marked, 
not  merely  in  the  attitude  and  habiliments,  but  in  the 
whole  character  and  expression. 

There  arc  two  saints  who  an-  easily  confounded  with 

St.  Roch,  —  St.  <  liiiuliiiuiiii  ami  St.  Alexis.     The  nailer 

•  Tie  ncnted  about  th<  middle  of  the  last  oentorj  by 

B  M  ■■  in. -n  :in.i  bli  i •> 1 1 •> i -<  |  the  vorkmanifalp  beaattfo^ 

bat  ttaS  di-higijii  in  the  lu  11 . ie  r.  .1  UuU.'  of  tin;  liiu.  . 


ST.   COSMO  AND   ST.   DAMIAN.  41 

trill  do  well  to  turn  to  their  respective  legends,  where  I 
have  particularized  the  points  of  difference. 

With  St.  Sebastian  and  St.  Roch  we  often  find  in 
significant  companionship  the  medical  brothers  St.  Cos- 
mo and  St.  Damian.  The  first  two  saints  as  patrons 
of  the  sick  ;  the  last  two  as  patrons  of  those  who  heal 
the  sick.* 


St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian. 

Lat.  SS.  Cosmus  et  Damianus.  Itat.  SS.  Cosimo  e  Damiano  gll 
santi  medici  Arabi.  Fr.  SS.  Come  et  Damien.  Patron  saints 
of  medicine  and  the  medical  profession.  Patrons  also  of  the 
Medici  family  ;  and  as  such  they  figure  on  the  coins  of  Florence. 
Sept.  27,  a.  d.  301. 

"  Cosmo  and  Damian  were  two  brothers,  Arabians 
by  birth,  but  they  dwelt  in  Mz&,  a  city  of  Cilicia.f 
Their  father  having  died  while  they  were  yet  children, 
their  pious  mother  Theodora  brought  them  up  with  all 
diligence,  and  in  the  practice  of  every  Christian  virtue. 
Their  charity  was  so  great,  that  not  only  they  lived  in 
the  greatest  abstinence,  distributing  their  goods  to  the 
infirm  and  poor,  but  they  studied  medicine  and  surgery, 
that  they  might  be  able  to  prescribe  for  the  sick,  and 
relieve  the  sufferings  of  the  wounded  and  infirm  ;  and 
the  blessing  of  God  being  on  all  their  endeavors,  they 
became  the  most  learned  and  the  most  perfect  physi- 
cians that  the  world  had  ever  seen.  They  ministered 
to  all  who  applied  to  them,  whether  rich  or  poor.  Even 
to  suffering  animals  they  did  not  deny  their  aid,  and 
they  constantly  refused  all  payment  or  recompense,  ex- 
ercising their  art  only  for  charity  and  for  the  love  of 
God  ;  and  thus  they  spent  their  days.  At  length  those 
wicked  emperors,  Diocletian  and  Maximian,  came  to 

*  See  Introduction. 

t  It  is  worth  while  to  remark  here,  that  in  this  city  of  Mgse 
there  was  a  temple  of  Jisculapius,  famous  for  the  miraculous  cures 
wrought  by  the  god,  and  destroyed  by  Constantine. 


la         BACRl  D    I  VD   LEGl  VD  [RY   ART. 

the  throne,  in  whose  time  bo  many  saints  perished 
Among  them  were  the  physicians,  I  !osmo  and  Damian, 
who,  professing  themselves  Christians,  were  seized  by 
Lycias  the  proconsol  of  Arabia,  and  casl  into  prison. 
And  first  they  were  thrown  into  the  Bea,  bnl  an  angel 
Bftvcii  them  ;  and  then  into  the  lire,  bnl  the  fire  refused 
to  consume,  them  :  Mini  then  tiny  were  bound  on  two 
crosses  and  Btoned,  bnl  <>f  tin-  >t<inc,s  Bang  at  them, 
none  reached  them,  but  fell  on  those  who  threw  them, 
iiinl  many  wen-  killed.  Bo  the  proconsul,  believing  ilmt 
they  were  enchanters,  commanded  that  they  Bhould  be 
beheaded,  which  was  done." 

This  Oriental  legend,  which  is  of  great  antiquity, 
was  transplanted  into  Western  Europe  in  the  first  i 
of  Christianity.  The  Emperor  Justinian,  having  been 
recovered,  as  he  supposed,  from  a  dangerous  illness,  by 
tlif  intercession  "t  thesi  saints,  erected  a  superb  church 
in  their  honor.  Among  the  Greeks  thej  Bucceeded  t<> 
the  worship  and  attributes  of  iEsculapius  ;  and,  from 
their  disinterested  refusal  of  all  pay  or  reward,  they  are 
distinguished  by  the  honorable  title  of  Anaryyres,  which 
signifies  moneyless,  or  without  fitt. 

One  "i  the  most  interesting  of  the  old  Roman 
churches  is  thai  erected  to  the  honor  of  these  saints  by 
Pope  Felix  IV.  in  .r>L'i>.  It  stands  in  the  Forum,  near 
the  temple  of  Antoninus  and  Faustina,  on  the  site  <>i  the 
temple  of  Remus  :  the  Greek  mosaics  in  the  apsii  i 
hilnt  probably  the  most  ancient  representations  "t  St. 

mo  and  St.  Damian  which  exist.     In  the  centn 
the  figure  of  Christ  holding  a  roll  ii.  e.  the  Gospel)  in 
his  hand,  a  majestic  figure  ;  on  one  side  St.  Peter  pre> 

I  Dsmo,  on  the  other  St.  Paul  presents   B 
Damian,  to  the  Saviour.     They  are  exactly  alike,  in 
loose  white  draperies,  and  holding  crowns  of  offering  in 
their  hands  ;  colossal,  ghastly,  ri;_'hl,  and  solemn,  aft  r 

the    manner  of  tl hi    BJCS,  and   of   course  wholly 

ideal.  Nearly  contemporarj  are  the  mosaics  in  the 
ancient  church  of  San  Michek  at  Ravenna,  where  the 
irchangels   Biichael  and   Gabriel   stand  on  each  bids 


ST.  COSMO  AND  ST.  D  AMI  AN.  43 

of  the  Redeemer,  and  beyond  them  SS.  Cosmo  and 
Damian. 

The  representations  of  these  benevolent  brothers  in 
later  times  are  equally  ideal,  but  more  characteristic  as 
personages. 

In  devotional  pictures  they  are  always  represented 
together,  attired  in  the  habit  of  physicians,  a  loose  dark 
red  robe,  trimmed  with  fur,  and  generally  red  caps. 
It  is  thus  Chaucer  describes  the  dress  of  a  physician  in 
his  time,  —  "  In  scarlet  gown,  furred  well." 

They  hold  a  little  box  of  ointmeut  in  one  hand,  and 
a  lancet  or  some  surgical  instrument  in  the  other  :  some- 
times it  is  a  pestle  and  mortar.  They  occur  frequently 
in  the  old  Florentine  pictures,  particularly  in  those 
painted  in  the  fifteenth  century,  in  the  time  of  Cosmo 
de'  Medici.  In  several  beautiful  Madonna  pictures  in 
the  Gallery  of  the  Uffizii,  and  in  the  churches  of  Flor- 
ence, they  are  grouped  with  other  saints,  from  whom 
they  are  distinguished  by  their  medical  costume,  and  a 
certain  expression  of  grave  attention,  rather  than  devo- 
tion, which  gives  them  often  the  look  of  portraits. 

There  is  a  picture  of  them  by  Bicci  di  Lorenzo,  in 
the  Florence  Gallery.  They  stand  together,  in  red 
gowns  and  caps,  and  red  hose.  This  picture  remained 
in  the  Duomo  from  the  date  of  its  execution,  1418,  till 
1844,  and  is  curious  as  having  been  painted  in  the  time 
of  Giovanni  de'  Medici,  the  founder  of  the  greatness  of 
the  family. 

It  is  as  the  patron  saints  of  the  Medici  family  that 
their  statues,  designed  by  M.  Angelo,  stand  on  each 
side  of  the  Madonna  in  the  Medici  Chapel  at  Florence, 
where  they  are  so  overpowered  by  the  stupendous  grand- 
eur of  the  other  statues,  that  few  visitors  look  at  them, 
and  fewer  comprehend  why  they  are  there.  They  have 
no  attributes  ;  and  it  must  be  allowed,  that,  whatever 
be  their  artistic  merit,  they  are  quite  devoid  of  individ- 
ual propriety  of  character. 

These  saints  are  very  interesting  when  they  occur  in 
votive  pictures,  as  significant  of  thanksgiving  for  resto- 


H         SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

ration  to  health  ;  they  are  generally  presenting  ■  votary 
to  Christ  en-  the  Madonna.  Where  thej  are  kneeling 
or  standing  in  company  with  St.  Sebastian  and  St. 
Roch,  the  picture  commemorates  some  visitation  of  die 
plague  or  other  epidemic  disorder,  as  in  l.  A  most 
beautiful  picture  in  the  Academy  of  Siena  ■  clothed  in 
loose  ruin*,  they  kneel  in  front  before  the  Madonna  ; 
St.  George  and  St  Sebastian  on  each  side.*  2.  And 
another,  more  beautiful,  by  Ghirlandajo,  where  St.  John 

tin'    Baptist,  as  patron  of   Florence,  stands  on  one  tide, 

and  Cosmo  and  Damian  on  the  other.    S.  Another,  by 

Titian,  in  the  Salute  at   Venice,  where  SS.  Cosmo  ami 

Damian.  with  St.  Roch  ami  St.  Sebastian, stand  before 
the  throne  of  St.  Mark, — commemorative  of  the  great 
plague  in  1512.1  4.  And  another,  by  Tintoretto ;  88. 
Cosmo  and  Damian,  in  magnificent  robes  of  crimson 
velvet  with  ermine  capes,  kneeling  ;  one  holds  a  palm, 
tl there  pestle  and  mortar;  thej  look  ap  to  the  Ma- 
donna, who  appear-  in  a  glorj  above  with  St.  George, 

St.   Mark,  and  St.  Catherine,  the  patrons  of  Veniee.J 

5.  ss.  Cosmo  and  Damian  kneeling  in  front  before 

the  thna f  the  Madonna.     Standing  by  the  throne, 

St.  Mar\  Magdalene,  St.  Catherine,  St.  John  B.,  and 
St.  Francis. § 

These  are  apparently  votive  pictures,  expressing  pub- 
lic or  national  gratitude  ;  but  others  should  seem  to  be 
the  expression  of  private  feeling.     For  example  :  ss. 

•'"-mo  and   Damian  are  seated  at  a  table,  and  consult 

ing  over  a  book  :  they  wear  loose  robes,  and  red  cape 

turned  up  with  fur;  the  head-,  which  an-  verj  tine, 
have    the    air   of   portraits  :    a    -irk    man.    approaching 

from  behind,  reverentlj    takes  "tl  bis  cap. 

•  Mi  ,d.  ]  170 

M  patron  "i  I      Ice,  ilti  <ntlir--  holding 

.  below,  on  the  right,  stand  8t    Booh  and  Has. 

ind  "H  the  li  i  i   nnd   Be   Damian,  tht 

medli  n  i  copy  or  di'Hcri|>ti<>n  con  do  justice 

Ui  tin'  ifiu»  i>f  i i r- -  and  oolor  in  t> 

(i    load. 

•  llll     I'   ll 


ST.   COSMO  AND  ST.  DAMIAN.  45 

While  devotional  pictures  of  these  helpful  and  benefi- 
cent saints  are  extremely  common,  and  varied  in  treat- 
ment, subjects  from  their  life  and  history  are  very  rare  ; 
they  are  most  frequently  met  with  in  the  Florentine 
school  of  the  fifteenth  century,  among  the  works  of 
Angelico,  Pesellino,  and  Ghirlandajo. 

1.  Old  Italian.  SS.  Cosmo  and  Damian,  visiting 
the  sick,  minister  to  Christ  in  the  disguise  of  a  pilgrim  ; 
a  beautiful  allegory,  or  rather  a  literal  interpretation  of 
the  text,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  the  least 
of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me."  A 
quaint  little  picture,  but  very  expressive.* 

2.  Pesellino.  The  two  brothers  minister  to  a  sick 
man.f 

They  are  sometimes  surgeons  as  well  as  apothecaries, 
cutting  off  and  replacing  legs  and  arms  ;  and  sometimes 
they  are  letting  blood. 

3.  It  is  related  that  a  certain  man,  who  was  afflicted 
with  a  cancer  in  his  leg,  went  to  perforin  his  devotions 
in  the  church  of  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian  at  Rome, 
and  he  prayed  most  earnestly  that  these  beneficent 
saints  would  be  pleased  to  aid  him.  When  he  had 
prayed,  a  deep  sleep  fell  upon  him.  Then  he  beheld 
St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian  who  stood  beside  him  ;  and 
one  carried  a  box  of  ointment,  the  other  a  sharp  knife. 
And  one  said,  "  What  shall  we  do  to  replace  this  dis- 
eased leg  when  we  have  cut  it  off?  "  and  the  other  re- 
plied, "  There  is  a  Moor  who  has  been  buried  just  now 
in  San  Pietro  in  Vincole  ,  let  us  take  his  leg  for  the 
purpose."  Then  they  brought  the  leg  of  the  dead  man, 
and  with  it  they  replaced  the  leg  of  the  sick  man  ;  anoint- 
ing it  with  celestial  ointment,  so  that  he  remained  whole. 
When  he  awoke  he  almost  doubted  whether  it  could  be 
himself;  but  his  neighbors,  seeing  that  he  was  healed, 
looked  into  the  tomb  of  the  Moor,  and  found  that  there 
had  been  an  exchange  of  legs  ;  and  thus  the  truth  of  this 
great  miracle  was  proved  to  all  beholders.} 

*  Vatican.  f  Louvre. 

X  Legenda  Aurea- 


46         -  ICRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Of  tlii>  Btory  I  have  Been  some  grotesque  roproson- 
t.it  i.  ms.  For  example  :  The  >i<k  man  is  lying  on  a  bed, 
and  St.  Cosmo  and  St.  Damian  are  busj  affixing  n 
black  leg  ;  at  a  Little  distance  on  the  ground  liee  the 
dead  Moor,  with  a  white  leg  lying  beside  him.* 

i  In  the  Bcene  of  their  martyrdom  bj  Pesellino 
—  a  beautifnl  little  picture  — they  are  beheaded.  They 
wear  the  red  tunics  and  red  caps  usual  in  the  Florentine 
representatioDB.t 

Aimiit  the  yeat  li.v.t.  Cosmo  de'  Medici  commis- 
sioned Fra  Anpelico  to  paint  the  altar-piece  which  he 
presented  to  the  church  of  San  Marco  :it  Florence. 
Underneath  the  group  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  An- 
gelico  represented  the  legendary  history  of  the  patron 
Baints  of  the  Medici  familj  in  nine  beautiful  little  min- 
iatures :  at  Munich  are  three  pictures  which  I  Buppose 
\i>  belong  ti>  thi>  Beries,  which  formed  the  predellaof 
the  altar-piece.  I.  St.  Cosmo  :m«l  St.  Damian,  with 
their  brethren,  arc  bound  and  thrown  into  the  Bea,  but 
Baved  by  angels.  •  >n  the  righl  the  unjust  judge,  Lysine, 
is  healed  by  the  prayer  of  the  martyrs.  2.  St.  Cosmo 
and  St.  Damian  arc  nailed  t<>  t«<>  crosses,  ami  their 
three  brethren  below  are  shol  to  death  with  stones  and 
arrows.  8.  The  third  picture,  which  formed  the  cen- 
tre, i-  a  I'ieta,  \ei\  poetically  treated.)  Bometimei  in 
the  scene  "t  their  martyrdom  three  other  persons 

their  kiii-inen.  Miller  with  them.       In  other  respectt  the 

legend  a-  given  above  is,  in  all  the  examples  I  have 
i.  very  exactly  adhered  to.     These  Baints  do  not 
appear  in  the  later  scl Is.     As,  perhaps,  a  solitarj  In- 
stance, may  be  mentioned  a  picture  bj  Balvator  Rota, 

whl  «mO  and    St.   llamian  on   a   pile  of  fagots 

are  exposed  to  the  flames,  which  refuse  to  consume 
them.  I  know  the  composition  onlj  from  the  engrav- 
ing by  Pierre  Bimon. 

•  H  (ill.  t  It  Acad. 

.  Munich.       Ploakotbeh  Cabinet)  nL 


ST.   CHRISTOPHER.  47 


St.   Christopher. 


\jat  St.  Christophorus.  Ital.  San  Cristofero,  or  Cristofano.  Fr 
St.  Christophe,  or  St.  Cristofle.  Ger.  Der  Heilige  Christoph 
July  25,  a.  d.  364. 

Among  the  religious  parables  of  the  middle  ages, 
there  is  not  one  more  fanciful  and  more  obvious  in  its 
application  than  the  story  of  St.  Christopher.  But,  al- 
though poetical  and  significant  as  a  parable,  it  becomes 
as  a  mere  legend  prosaic  and  puerile  :  it  is  necessary  to 
keep  the  latent  meaning  in  view  while  we  read  the  story, 
and  when  we  look  upon  the  extremely  picturesque  rep- 
resentations of  the  Canaanitish  giant ;  for,  otherwise, 
the  peculiar  superstition  which  has  rendered  him  so 
popular  and  so  important  as  a  subject  of  art  will  lose 
all  its  interest. 

Christopher  was  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  the 
name  by  which  he  was  there  known  was  Offcro.  He 
was  a  man  of  colossal  stature,  and  of  a  terrible  aspect, 
and,  being  proud  of  his  vast  bulk  and  strength,  he  was 
resolved  that  he  would  serve  no  other  than  the  greatest 
and  the  most  powerful  monarch  that  existed.  So  he 
travelled  far  and  wide  to  seek  this  greatest  of  kings  ; 
and  at  length  he  came  to  the  court  of  a  certain  mon- 
arch who  was  said  to  exceed  in  power  and  riches  all  the 
kings  of  the  earth,  and  he  offered  to  serve  him.  And 
the  king,  seeing  his  great  height  and  strength,  —  for, 
surely,  since  the  giant  of  Gath  there  had  been  none 
like  to  him, — entertained  him  with  joy. 

Now  it  happened  one  day,  as  Christopher  stood  by 
the  king  in  his  court,  there  came  a  minstrel  who  sang 
before  the  king,  and  in  his  story  there  was  frequent 
mention  of  the  Devil,  and  every  time  the  king  heard  the 
name  of  the  evil  spirit  he  crossed  himself.  Christopher 
inquired  the  reason  of  this  gesture,  but  the  king  did  not 
answer.     Then  said  Christopher,  "  If  thou  tellest  me 


Ag         SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

not,  I  leave  thee  !  "  So  the  king  told  him  .  ••  I  make 
thai  sign  to  preserve  me  from  the  power  of  Satan,  for  I 
fear  leal  he  overcome  me  and  .-lay  me."  Then  said 
Christopher,  ••  It'  thou  fearesl  Satan,  then  thou  art  not 
the  most  powerful  prince  in  the  world  ;  then  hast  de 
ceived  me.  I  will  go  seek  this  Satan,  and  him  will  I 
serve  ;  for  lie  is  mightier  than  thon  art."  80  he  de- 
parted, and  he  travelled  far  and  wide  ;  and  as  he  crow  d 
a  desert  plain,  he  beheld  a  great  crowd  <>l  armed  men, 
and  at  their  head  marched  a  terrible  and  frightful  be- 
ing, with  the  air  of  a  conqueror ;  and  he  stopped  Chris- 
topher on  his  path,  Baying,  ••  Man,  where goest  il 

And    Christopher   an.-wered,  •■  I    -11   to  ,-eck    Satan.   he- 

cause  he  is  the  greatest  prince  in  the  world,  and  him 
would  I  serve."  Then  the  other  replied,  ••  I  am  lie  ; 
seek  no  farther."  Then  Christopher  bowed  down  be- 
fore him,  and  entered  his  service  ;   and  they  travelled  00 

together. 

Now,  when  thev  had   jinirneved  a  long,  long  way,  they 

came  to  a  place  where  four  mads  met,  and  there  was  u 
emss  l>\  the  wayside.     Winn  the  Evil  One  saw  the  cross 

he  was  sei/.ed  with  fear,  and  treinliled  vinleiith  :  and 
he   turned    back,  and    made  a   great   circuit    to  avoid    it. 

When  Christopher  Baw  this  he  was  astonished,  and  in- 
quired, "  \\\\\  bast  thon  dune  SO  !  "  and  the  Devil  an- 
swered nut.  Then  said  Christopher,  "If  thon  tellest 
me  not,  I  have  thee  "  Si i,  being  thus  constrained, 
tin-  in  nil  replied,  "  Upon  that  cross  dud  Jesus  Chrisl ; 
ami  when  I  behold  it  I  must  tremble  ami  By,  for  I  feat 

him."      Then   Christopher  was   mure  and   mure  aston- 

ished ;  ami  he  said,  "  Bow,  then!  this  Jesus,  whom 

thuu    fearest,    must    he    i v    (intent  than    thon   art  !       I 

will   go  seek  him.  and    him  will    1  serve  '  "      So  he  hit 

the  Devil,  ami  travelled  far  ami  wide,  seeking  Chrisl  ; 
ami,  having  sought  him  for  manj  days,  he  came  to  the 

tell  id'  a  hiily  hermit,  ami  desired  i'I   him   that   he  would 

show  him  Christ  Then  the  hermit  began  t<>  instruct 
him  diligently,  ami  said,  ••  This  king  whom  thon  seek 

r-\  i-,  indeed,  the  great  king  Of  heaven  and  earth;    hut 


ST.   CTIRISTOn/KJi. 


49 


if  thou  wouldst  serve  him,  lie  will  impose  many  and 
hard  duties  on  thee.  Thou  must  fast  often."  And 
Christopher  said,  "  I  will  not  fast ;  for,  surely,  if  I 
were  to  fast  my  strength  would  leave  me."  "  And 
thou  must  pray  !  "  added  the  hermit.  Said  Christo- 
pher, "  I  know  nothing  of  prayers,  and  I  will  not  be 
bound  to  such  a  service."  Then  said  the  hermit, 
"  Knowest  thou  a  certain  river,  stony  and  wide  and 
deep,  and  often  swelled  by  the  rains,  and  wherein  many 
people  perish  who  attempt  to  pass  over  ?  "  And  he 
answered,  "I  know  it."  Then  said  the  hermit,  "Since 
thou  wilt  neither  fast  nor  pray,  go  to  that  river,  and  use 
thy  strength  to  aid  and  to  save  those  who  struggle  with 
the  stream,  and  those  who  are  about  to  perish.  It  may 
be  that  this  good  work  shall  prove  acceptable  to  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  thou  desirest  to  serve  ;  and  that  he  may 
manifest  himself  to  thee !  "  To  which  Christopher  re- 
plied joyfully,  "  This  I  can  do.  It  is  a  service  that 
pleaseth  me  well !  "  So  he  went  as  the  hermit  had  di- 
rected, and  he  dwelt  by  the  side  of  the  river  ;  and,  hav- 
ing rooted  up  a  palm-tree  from  the  forest,  —  so  strong  he 
was  and  tall,  —  he  used  it  for  a  staff  to  support  and 
guide  his  steps,  and  he  aided  those  who  were  about  to 
sink,  and  the  weak  he  carried  on  his  shoulders  across 
the  stream  ;  and  by  day  and  by  night  he  was  always 
ready  for  his  task,  and  failed  not,  and  was  never  wearied 
of  helping  those  who  needed  help. 

So  the  thing  that  he  did  pleased  our  Lord,  who 
looked  down  upon  him  out  of  heaven,  and  said  within 
himself,  "  Behold  this  strong  man,  who  knoweth  not 
yet  the  way  to  worship  me,  yet  hath  found  the  way  to 
serve  me !  " 

Now,  when  Christopher  had  spent  many  days  in  this 
toil,  it  came  to  pass  one  night,  as  he  rested  himself  in 
a  hut  he  had  built  of  boughs,  he  heard  a  voice  which 
called  to  him  from  the  shore  :  it  was  the  plaintive  voice 
of  a  child,  and  it  seemed  to  say,  "  Christopher,  come 
forth  and  carry  me  over !  "  And  he  rose  forthwith 
and  looked  out,  but  saw  nothing  ;  then  he  lay  down 

VOL    ii.  4 


5o         SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

again;  tun  the  voice  called  to  him  in  the  same  words,  a 
second  and  a  third  time  ;  and  the  third  time-  he  Bought 
round  aboul  with  a  lantern  ;  and  al  length  he  beheld  a 
little  <-li i  1<  1  .-min-  on  the  bank,  who  entreated  him,  Bay- 
ing, "Christopher,  carry  me  over  this  nighl  "  And 
Christopher  Lifted  the  child  on  Ins  strong  shoulders, 
and  took  his  Btaff  and  entered  the  stream.  And  the 
waters  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  the  waves  roared, 
and  the  winds  blew;  and  the  infiuol  <'n  his  shoulders 
became  heavier,  and  Mill  heavier,  till  it  seemed  to  him 
thai  he  must  sink  under  the  excessive  weight,  and  he 
began  t<>  fear;  but  nevertheless,  taking  courage,  and 
Btaying  his  tottering  Bteps  with  Ins  palm-staff,  he  at 
length  reached  the  opposite  l>nnk  ;  and  when  he  had 
laid  the  child  down,  safely  and  gently,  he  looked  upon 
him  with  astonishment,  and  he  -aid.  "Who  art  thou, 
child,  thai  hath  placed  me  in  Buch  extreme  peril  '  Had 
I  carried  the  whole  world  on  my  Bhoulders,  the  burden 
had  not  been  heavier  !  "  And  the  child  replied,  ■•  Won- 
der not,  Christopher,  for  thou  bast  not  only  borne  the 
world,  but  him  who  made  the  world,  upon  thy  shoul- 
der- Me  wouldst  thou  serve  in  this  thy  work  of  char* 
itj  :  and,  behold,  I  have  accepted  thy  service:  ami  in 
testimony  that  I  have  accepted  thy  Bervice  and  thee, 
plant  thy  Btaff  in  the  ground,  and  it  shall  put  forth 
es  and  fruit."  Christopher  did  bo,  and  the  dry 
Btaff  flourished  as  a  palm-tree  in  the  Beason,  and  was 
covered  with  clusters  of  dates,  —  but  the  miraculous 
child  had   vanished. 

Then  Christopher  fell  on  his  race,  and  confessed  and 
worshipped   <  hri-t. 

I  ^ ■-  i 1 1 u;  that  place  he  came  to  Samos,  a  dty  of 
Lycia,  where  he  found  man]  Christians,  who  wen-  tor- 
tured and  persecuted;  and  he  encouraged  them  end 
cheered  them.  One  of  the  heathen-  .-truck  him  on  the 
bee;  but  Christopher  only  looked  al  him  steadfastly, 
saying,  ■•  It  I  were  not  a  Christian,  I  would  be  avenged 
of  that  blow."  The  king  of  the  country  sent  soldiers 
in  v  i/.e   him,  and   In    permitted    them   tu  hind   lum  and 


ST.   CHRISTOPHER. 


51 


lead  him  before  their  master.  The  king,  when  he  saw 
him,  was  so  terrified  by  his  gigantic  stature,  that  lie 
swooned  on  his  throne.  When  he  had  recovered,  lie 
Bald,  "  Who  art  thou  ?  "  and  he  answered,  "  Formerly 
I  was  called  Offero,  the  bearer ;  but  now  my  name  is 
Christopher,  for  I  have  borne  Christ."  Then  the  king, 
whose  name  was  Dagnus,  ordered  him  to  be  carried  to 
prison,  and  sent  two  women  to  allure  him  to  sin,  know- 
ing that  if  he  could  be  seduced  to  sin,  he  would  soon  he 
enticed  to  idolatry.  But  Christopher  stood  firm  ;  and 
the  women,  being  terrified  and  awed,  fell  down  and 
worshipped  Christ,  and  were  both  put  to  death.  And 
the  tyrant,  finding  it  impossible  to  subdue  or  to  tempt 
the  saint,  commanded  him  to  be  scourged  and  tortured, 
and  then  beheaded.  And,  as  they  led  him  to  death,  he 
knelt  down  aud  prayed  that  those  who  looked  upon 
him,  trusting  in  God  the  Redeemer,  should  not  suffer 
from  tempest,  earthquake,  or  fire. 

Thus  did  Christopher  display  the  greatness  of  his 
charity,  and  the  meekness  of  his  spirit ;  thus  he  scaled 
his  faith  with  martyrdom  ;  and  it  was  believed  thuc,  in 
consequence  of  his  prayer,  those  who  beheld  the  figure 
of  St.  Christopher  were  exempt  during  that  day  from 
all  perils  of  earthquake,  fire,  and  flood.  The  mere 
sight  of  his  image,  that  type  of  strength,  was  deemed 
sufficient  to  inspire  with  courage  those  who  had  to 
struggle  with  the  evils  and  casualties  of  life,  and  to 
reinvigorate  those  who  were  exhausted  by  the  labors  of 
husbandry.  The  following  is  one  of  the  many  inscrip- 
tions inculcating  this  belief,  and  which  usually  accom- 
panied his  effigy  :  — 

"  Christophori  Sancti  speciem  quicumque  tuetur 
Mo  namque  die  nullo  languore  tenetur." 

Which  may  be  rendered,  "  Whoever  shall  behold  the 
image  of  St.  Christopher,  on  that  day  shall  not  faint  or 
ML" 

Hence  it  became  a  custom  to  place  his  image  in  cou 


51  i,  /,■/  ,     AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Bpicnooe  places,  to  paint  it  of  colossal  suse  on  the  walls 
of  churches  and  houses,  where  it  is  sometimes  Been  oc- 
cupying the  whole  height  of  the  building,  and  is  visible 
from  a  great  distance,  being  considered  at  a  good  omen 
for  all  those  who  look  upon  it.  A  mountain  in  Gra- 
nada, which  is  first  seen  by  >lii|»  arriving  from  the 
African  coast,  is  called  San  Christobal,  in  allusion  to 
this  poetical  superstition. 

At  Florence,  i>"  the  facade  of  the  ancienl  church  of 
San  \liniato-fra-fe-7orri,  Pollajuolo  painted  a  gigantic 
figure  of  St.  Christopher,  about  twentj  feet  in  height, 

which  served  during  inan\  years  as  a  model  of  form  to 
the  artists  of  his  Bchool :  Michael  Angelo,  when  young, 
copied  it  several  times  :  it  exists  no  longer.  A  St. 
( !hristopher,  thirty-two  feet  high,  was  painted  at  Se\  ille, 
by  Matte.,  Perez  <le  Alesio  (a.  d.  1584):  and  all  who 
have  travelled  in  Prance,  Germany,  Italy,  particularly 
through  the  South  of  <  rermanj  and  the  Venetian  States, 
will  remember  the  coloasal  figures  of  St.  Christopher, 
on  the  exterior,  or  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  in- 
terior, of  the  churches,  town-halls,  and  other  sacred  or 
public  buildings.  These  effigies  were  sometimes  paint- 
ed in  \i\id  colors,  often  renewed,  in  order  to  render 
them  more  distinctly  visible.  On  the  walls  of  old 
English  churches,  figures  of  St.  Christopher  were  verj 
common.  Many  of  these  which  had  been  covered  with 
whitewash  have  been  recently  uncovered.* 

Sine.-  the  very  Bight  of  St.  Christopher  is  Bup| 
to  bring  an  accession  of  strength,  fortitude,  and  confi- 
dence in  the  Divine  aid,  il  is  fortunate  that  there  can 
be  no  mistake  about  it,  and  thai  it  is  so  peculiar  as  to 
be  instanth  recognized.  He  stands  above  the  ankle-  m 
water;  hi*  proportions  are  those  of  s  Hercules  accord- 
ing to  the  •■reek  formula  he  should  be  beardless,  and 

come  of  the   Italian    pictun  -   10  represent    him.  or  wnh 

very  little  beard;  bul  the  Germans  give  him  ■  strong 

*  Th'-P'  np    f"iir  Cbarohl  -  -(ill  remaining  d(  dk  -  iianu' 

111  ■ogJSfld.     '■"        I  •    i  ,il.  i,  l.ir  ..I  il,.    Aii^li'-.in  riiiirch,'' 

p  30 


ST.   CHRISTOPHER.  53 

black  beard  and  a  quantity  of  black  bushy  hair,  the 
1  icttcr  to  express  the  idea  of  physical  strength  and 
manliness.  The  Infant  Christ  is  seated  on  his  shoul- 
ders, and  bears  in  his  hand  the  globe  as  Sovereign  and 
Creator  of  the  world ;  more  rarely  it  is  a  cross,  as  Re- 
deemer ;  but  the  former,  considering  the  significance  of 
the  subject,  is  the  more  proper  emblem.  In  general  he 
is  looking  up  to  the  divine  Infant,  but  sometimes  also 
he  is  looking  down  and  making  his  way  painfully  and 
anxiously  through  the  rising  waters ;  he  seems  bending 
under  the  miraculous  burden,  and  supports  his  totter- 
ing steps  with  a  staff,  which  is  often  an  entire  palm- 
tree  with  the  leaves  and  branches.  In  the  background 
:s  a  hermit,  bearing  a  lamp  or  torch,  to  light  him  on 
his  way. 

Such  is  the  religious  representation.  It  is  evident 
that  at  all  times  the  Roman  church,  while  honoring  the 
name  of  the  martyr,  accepted  the  legend  as  an  allegory 
merely ;  and  the  flood,  through  which  he  is  wading,  is, 
by  some,  interpreted  to  signify  the  Red  Sea,  that  is,  the 
waters  of  baptism  ;  by  others,  the  waters  of  affliction  (a 
common  Oriental  and  Scriptural  metaphor)  :  he  carries 
Christ,  and,  with  him,  "  the  burden  and  the  weight  of 
all  this  unintelligible  world  "  :  —  the  hermit  of  religious 
consolation  lights  him  on  his  way.  The  allegory,  in 
whatever  sense  we  interpret  it,  is  surely  very  beautiful : 
to  my  fancy  there  is  something  quite  pathetic  in  these 
old  pictures  of  St.  Christopher,  where  the  great  simple- 
hearted,  good-natured  giant,  tottering  under  his  in- 
comprehensible burden,  looks  up  with  a  face  of  wonder 
at  the  glorious  Child,  who  smiles  encouragement,  and 
gives  his  benediction  from  above. 

In  later  times,  the  artists  desecrated  this  fine  subject 
by  employing  it  as  a  mere  tour  de  force,  a  display  of 
manly  and  muscular  form,  for  which  the  Farnese  Her- 
cules, or,  if  that  were  not  at  hand,  any  vulgar  porter  or 
gondolier,  served  as  a  model.  Thus  the  religious  senti- 
ment was  obscured  or  lost,  and  the  whole  representation 
became  coarse  and  commonplace,  when  not  absolutely 
grotesque  and  ridiculous. 


54 


8 ACRED   AND   I.I  (SI  \b.\UY   ART. 


In  the  figure  by  Titian  in  the  Ducal  Palace  at  Van 
ice,  the  attitude  and  character  of  the  saint  are  precisely 
those  of  a  gondolier, — only  that  the  palm-tree  baa  bean 
substituted  for  the  oar. 

In  the  picture  by  Farinato,  a  small  spirited  >k<tih 
now  at  Alton  Towers,  the  figure  is  that  of  a  Hercules, 
but  the  expression  in  the  head  of  the  child  extremely 
fine. 

Winn  St.  Christopher  is  introduced  Btanding  near 
the  Madonna,  or  grouped  with  other  Bainta,  the  water 
is  omitted,  but  be  is  never  without  his  palm-staff 
Win  re  the  artist  has  varied  the  action  or  accesaai 
tin'  figure  ceases  to  be  strictly  devotional,  and  becomes 
fanciful  and  dramatic.  This,  however,  is  so  seldom 
the  ease,  that  1  know  of  verv  few  examples. 

1.    The   earliest  WOOdcut  which  exists,  and  of  wliieh 

it  is  possible  to  (ix  the  date,  is  a  rude  figure  of  St. 
Christopher,  of  German  design  and  execution,  repre- 
sented in  the  usual  manner,  except  that  there  is  a  water- 
mill  and  a  miller  in  the  foreground.    It  is  inscribed, — 

"OrUtolbrl  factem  * l i « -  qnaconqtM  tueris 
Ola  nempe  'li'-  morU  mala  non  mortaris." 

Literally,  "  On  whatever  daj  thon  shall  behold  the  fare 
■  if  8t.  '  Ihristopher,  surely  on  that  day  thou  shall  not  die 
an  evil  death."  It  was  evidently  intended  to  circulate 
among  the  laboring  poor,  its  an  emblem  of  strength 
and  consolation,  and  quite  as  intelligible  then,  as  Bun- 
van's  "Christian  in  the  Blough  of  Despond"  would 
be  now. 

•2.  II.  rleraling.  St.  Christopher,  bearing  Christ, is 
wading  through  a  deep  river,  the  water  rising  to  his 
knees.  The  hermit  lights  him  as  usual,  bul  in  the 
background  the  firsl  beams  of  the  sun  are  just  seen 
illuminating  the  dark  waste  of  waters;  a  circumstance 
beautifully  imagined,  and  which  adds  to  the  signifies 
sf  the  allegoi 

•   i  Q*L 


ST.   CHRISTOPHER.  55 

3.  Elzheimer.  St.  Christopher  as  usual  wading 
through  the  stream  ;  precipitous  rocks,  and  the  hermit 
in  the  distance :  the  effect  is  night  with  a  full  moon.* 

The  following  examples  must  be  considered  as  ex- 
ceptional :  — 

4.  Engraving,  —  Lucas  v.  Leyden.  St.  Christopher 
seated  on  the  ground ;  on  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
Christ  beckons  to  him  for  aid. 

5.  Engraving,  —  Old  German.  St.  Christopher 
seated  on  the  bank  of  a  river ;  the  Infant  Christ  is  in 
the  act  of  descending  on  his  shoulders. 

6.  Engraving,  —  F.  Amato.  St.  Christopher  offers 
his  services  to  the  Infant  Christ,  who  is  seated  on  the 
ground. 

7.  I  have  seen  an  old  coarse  engraving,  in  which  St. 
Christopher  is  represented  on  horseback,  —  the  whim, 
I  suppose,  of  an  ignorant  or  capricious  artist. 

8.  Engraving.  St.  Christopher,  wades  through  the 
waters,  bearing  Christ,  who  has  one  foot  on  a  large 
globe,  and,  instead  of  the  hand  extended  in  benediction, 
he  is  impatiently  urging  the  saint  with  a  drawn  sword, 
which  he  brandishes  over  his  head.  Full  of  spirit,  but 
a  most  capricious  and  irreligious  version  of  the  subject. 

9.  In  Van  Eyck's  wonderful  altar-piece,  at  Ghcut,  the 
pilgrims,  who  approach  to  worship  the  Lamb  of  God, 
are  led  by  the  giant  Christopher,  who  strides  on  before 
the  rest,  grasping  his  palm-tree  ;  his  voluminous  crim- 
son mantle  sweeps  the  ground,  and  a  heathenish  turban 
decks  his  head.  This  is  one  of  the  few  instances  where 
he  is  without  his  Divine  burden  :  the  poetry  and  sig- 
nificance of  the  allusion  will  be  understood  at  once. 

10.  M.  Didron  tells  us,  that  in  the  Greek  churches 
he  found  St.  Christopher  often  represented  with  the 
head  of  a  dog  or  wolf,  like  an  Egyptian  divinity ;  he 
adds,  that  he  had  never  been  able  to  obtain  a  satis- 
factory explanation  of  this  peculiarity.  These  figures, 
tvhich  are  ancient,  have  in  some  instances  been  blurred 

*  Windsor. 


56         SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

over  and    half  effaced    i>_v   the   icruplea   of    i tern 

piety.* 

The  history  of  St  Christopher,  as  painted  in  the 
chapels  dedicated  to  him,  for  instance  by  Mantegna  in 
the  "  Brenutani,"  at  Padua,  is  comprised  in  three  miI>- 
jectB:  his  passage  across  the  river;  the  conversion  of 
the  heathen  at  Samoa  j  and  his  martyrdom ;  the  other 
circumstances  of  his  legend  being  repudiated  by  the 
Church:  some  of  them  (for  instance,  the  meeting  with 
the  arch-fiend  and  his  ln»t  of  demons)  would  furnish 
most  picturesque  subjects,  but  rather  in  thejenn  than 
in  the  historical  style. 

I  have  seen  only  three  pictures  of  his  martyrdom 

separately   treated. 

1.  The  scene  is  an  "pen  court,  surrounded  with  rich 
architecture;  the  body  of  the  giant-sainl  lies  on  the 
ground;  here  he  is  about  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  in 
Mature,  and  the  severed  head,  beardless  and  with  Bow- 
ing hair,  lies  near  it  ;  soldiers  and  executioners  are 
aboui  t'>  hear  away  the  bodj  :  one  lifts  np  the  huge  leg 
with  both  his  hand- ;  many  others  l<><>k  on  \\  ■  1 1 1  astonish- 
ment Mosl  picturesque  as  a  icene,  but  with  no  al 
tempt  at  religious  Feeling  or  character. 

2.  Tintoretto.  St  Christopher  kneels,  and  the  exe- 
cutioner prepares  to  -trike  off  his  head;  do  other  figure, 
except  an  angel  descending:  here  St  Christopher  is 
not  represented  as  "i  gigantic  proportio 

•  i.  Lionello  Spada.  In  this  picture  the  conception 
ii  wboll]   reversed:  the  gianl  kneels,  with  hi>  bands 

*  Vasai    relate*  an  amoting  anecdote  of  a  patron  who  Ii 
••a  lii-  painting  a  fl  it.  I  pher  fix  palmi  to  height, 

within  .1  ipaee  irblob  measured  only  f"i>r  palms,  and  desired  that 
he  would  repretenl  the  Madonna  with  tin  Child  on  her  Iti  I 

by  hi  er  with  another  Chrlat  on  bli  ihonldi 

Vaanri,  !•    i  iltJ  -.  painfa  i  the  Mint  kneeing,  irith 

one  tool  la  the  rater,  while  the  Virgin,  bending  from  th<  clouds, 
placed  her  iiivin.  infiihi  on  hii  •hoolders. —  Vaiarl 
adit,  1H38.) 

t  \-         -   Maria  dsU1  orto. 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  57 

bound,  and  looking  up  with  a  mild  resignation,  which 
contrasts  with  his  vast  strength  and  size ;  the  execu- 
tioner, who  has  raised  himself  on  a  step  to  reach  him, 
prepares  to  strike  off  his  head,  while  an  angel  descends 
from  above  with  the  martyr's  crown.  In  color,  ex- 
pression, and  simple,  powerful  feeling,  perhaps  Spada's 
masterpiece;    such,   at    least,   is   the   opinion   of  Dr. 


Waagen.* 


St.  Nicholas  of  Mtra. 

Lat.  Sanctus  Nicholaus.  Hal.  San  Niccolo,  or  Nicola  di  Bari. 
Ger.  Der  Heilige  Nicolaus,  orNiklas.  Patron  saint  of  children, 
and  especially  school-boys  ;  of  poor  maidens,  of  sailors,  of  travel- 
lers, and  merchants.  Protector  against  thieves,  and  losses  by 
robbery  or  violence.  Chief  patron  saint  of  Russia.  Patron  of 
Bari,  of  Venice,  of  Freiberg,  and  of  numerous  other  towns  and 
cities,  particularly  of  seaports  and  towns  engaged  in  commerce. 
Dec.  6,  a.  d.  326. 

I  place  St.  Nicholas  here  because,  although  he 
wears  the  paraphernalia  of  bishop,  it  is  as  the  powerful 
aud  beneficent  patron  saint,  seldom  as  the  churchman, 
that  he  appears  before  us ;  and  of  all  patron  saints  he 
is,  perhaps,  the  most  universally  popular  and  interest- 
ing. While  knighthood  had  its  St.  George,  serfhood 
had  its  St.  Nicholas.  He  was  emphatically  the  saint 
of  the  people ;  the  bourgeois  saint,  invoked  by  the  peace- 
able citizen,  by  the  laborer  who  toiled  for  his  daily 
bread,  by  the  merchant  who  traded  from  shore  to  shore, 
by  the  mariner  struggling  with  the  stormy  ocean.  He 
was  the  protector  of  the  weak  against  the  strong,  of  the 
poor  against  the  rich,  of  the  captive,  the  prisoner,  the 
slave ;  he  was  the  guardian  of  young  marriageable 
maidens,  of  school-boys,  and  especially  of  the  orphan 
poor.  In  Russia,  Greece,  and  throughout  all  Catholic 
Europe,  children  are  still  taught  to  reverence  St.  Nicho- 
las, and  to  consider  themselves  as  placed  under  his 

*  Louvre.     (408.) 


58         SACRED  A.XD  LEGENDARY   ART. 

peculiar  care:  it  they  are  good,  docile,  and  attentive  to 
their  studio,  St.  Nicholas,  on  the  eve  of  his  festival, 
will  graciously  till  their  cap  or  their  stocking  with  dain- 
ties; while  he  has,  as  certainly,  a  rod  in  pickle  for  the- 
Idle  and  unruly. 

Effigies  of  this  moat  lieniLrn  bishop,  with  his  splendid 
embroidered  robes,  all  glittering  with  gold  ami  jewels, 

his  mitre,  his   crosier,  ami    his   three  halls,  or   his  three 

attendant  children,  meet  as  si  ever]  tarn,  and  can  never 
be  regarded  but  with  some  kindly  association  of  feelii 

No  saint  in  the  calendar  has  so  many  churches,  chapels, 

and  altar-  dedicated  to  him.  In  England  1  Bappose 
there  is  hardly  a  town  without  one  church  at  least 
bearing  his  name. 

It  would  he  in  vain  to  attempt  to  establish  this  popu- 
lar predilection  and  wide-spread  fame  on  anything  like 

historical    evidence.      All    that    can    he  certainly  known 

of  him  is,  that  a  bishop  of  this  name,  venerable  tor  his 

piety  and   benevolence,  W8S  honored   ill  the   l'.a-t   as  early 

as  the  sixth  century;   that   in  the  Greek  Church  he 

takes   rank    immediately  after  the  great    Fathers;    that 

the  Emperor  Justinian  dedicated  to  him  a  church  in 
Constantinople  about  the  year  560;  and  that  since  the 
tenth  century  he  ha-  been  known  and  reverenced  in  the 
West,  and  became  one  of  the  greatest  patron  -aims  of 

Italy  and  the  iiortheni  nation-  aboul  the  beginning  of 
the  twelfth  century.  Then'  i-  no  end  to  tin  Btoriei  and 
legends   in  which  he  appears  as  a  chief  actor.      In   this 

,  as  in  other-,  I  must  confine  myself  to  such  as 
have  been  treated  in  Art ;  and  it  will  be  accessary,  how- 
ever quaint  and  absurd  some  of  these  may  be,  to  go 
into  them  in  detail,  —  otherwise  the  numerous  represen- 

talion-  of  his  life,  acts,  and  miracles  will  lose  half  their 

interest,  and  more  than  half  their  significance. 

Nicholas  was  born  at  Panthera,n  city  of  the  province 
ot  l.ycia,  in  Asia  Minor.     Ili-  parents  were  Christians, 

and  of  illustrious  birth,  aid,  after  they  had  been  mar- 
re  d  lor  many  war-,  a  SOU  RSI  granted  them,  in  rccom 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  59 

pcnse  of  the  prayers,  and  tears,  and  alms  that  they 
offered  up  continually.  This  extraordinary  child,  on 
the  first  day  he  was  horn,  stood  up  in  his  bath  with  his 
hands  joined  in  thanksgiving  that  it  had  pleased  God 
to  bring  him  into  the  world.  He  no  sooner  knew  what 
it  was  to  feed  than  he  knew  what  it  was  to  fast,  and 
every  Wednesday  and  Friday  he  would  only  take  the 
breast  once.  As  he  grew  up  he  was  distinguished 
among  all  other  children  for  his  gravity  and  his  atten- 
tion to  his  studies.  His  parents,  seeing  him  full  of 
these  holy  dispositions,  thought  that  they  could  not  do 
better  than  dedicate  him  to  the  service  of  God ;  and 
accordingly  they  did  so. 

When  Nicholas  was  ordained  priest,  although  he  had 
been  before  remarkable  for  his  sobriety  and  humility, 
he  became  more  modest  in  countenance,  more  grave  in 
speech,  more  rigorous  in  self-denial,  than  ever.  When 
he  was  still  a  youth  his  father  and  mother  died  of  the 
plague,  and  he  remained  sole  heir  of  their  vast  riches : 
but  he  looked  upon  himself  as  merely  the  steward  of 
God's  mercies,  giving  largely  to  all  who  needed. 

Now  in  that  city  there  dwelt  a  certain  nobleman  who 
had  three  daughters,  and,  from  being  rich,  he  became 
poor,  —  so  poor,  that  there  remained  no  means  of  ob- 
taining food  for  his  daughters  but  by  sacrificing  them 
to  an  infamous  life ;  and  oftentimes  it  came  into  his 
mind  to  tell  them  so,  but  shame  and  sorrow  held  him 
dumb.  Meantime  the  maidens  wept  continually,  not 
knowing  what  to  do,  and  not  having  bread  to  eat ;  and 
their  father  became  more  and  more  desperate.  When 
Nicholas  heard  of  this,  he  thought  it  a  shame  that  such  a 
thing  should  happen  in  a  Christian  land ;  therefore  one 
night,  when  the  maidens  were  asleep,  and  their  father 
alone  sat  watching  and  weeping,  he  took  a  handful 
of  gold,  and,  tying  it  up  in  a  handkerchief,  he  repaired 
to  the  dwelling  of  the  poor  man.  He  considered  how 
he  might  bestow  it  without  making  himself  known,  and, 
while  he  stood  irresolute,  the  moon  coming  from  be- 
hind a  cloud  showed  him  a  window  open;  so  he  threw 


60         SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

it  in,  and  it  fell  at  the  feel  of  the  father,  who,  when  he 
found  it,  returned  thanks,  and  with  it  he  portioned  Inn 
eldest  daughter.  A  second  time  Nicholas  provided  a 
similar  mum,  and  again  he  threw  it  in  by  night;  and 
with  it  the  nobleman  married  his  Becond  daughter. 
But  he  greatly  desired  t<>  know  who  it  was  that  came 
to  bis  aid  ;  therefore  be  determined  to  watch,  and  when 
the  good  sainl  came  for  the  third  time,  and  prepared  t<> 
throw  in  the  third  portion,  he  was  discovered,  for  the 
nobleman  Beized  bim  by  the  shirt  of  his  robe,  and  flung 
himself  at  his  feet,  saying,  "0  Nicholas!  servant  of 
God!  why  seek  to  hide  thyself?"  and  be  kissed  his 
feet  and  his  hands.  But  Nicholas  made  him  promise 
that  he  would  tell  no  man.  And  many  other  charita- 
ble works  did  Nicholas  perform  in  his  native  city. 

And  after  .- yean  he  undertook  a  voyage  t<>  the 

Holy  Land,  and  he  embarked  cm  board  a  ship;  and 
there  came  on  a  terrible  Btorm,  so  that  the  ship  was 
nigh  to  perish.  The  Bailors  fell  at  his  feet,  and  be- 
lli him  to  sav.-  them  ;  and  he  rebuked  t  1m-  storm, 
which  ceased  immediately.  It  happened  in  the  same 
voyage  that  one  of  the  sailors  fell  overboard  and  was 
dn>wnid  ;  but  by  the  prayers  <>('  St.  Nicholas  he  was 
restored  to  life. 

<>n  returning  from  Palestine  Bt.  Nicholas  repaired  to 

the  city  of  Myra.  where  he  lived  lor  some  time  un- 
known and  in  great  humility.       And  tin-  bishop  of  that 

liiy  died.  And  it  was  revealed  to  the  clergy  thai  the 
first  man  who  entered  the  church  <m  die  following 
morning  was  the  man  chosen  by  God  to  succeed 
bishop.  Nicholas,  who  wai  accustomed  to  rise  up  very 
early  in  the  morning  to  pray,  appeared  before  the  doors 
of  the  church  at  Bunrise  ;  so  they  laid  hold  of  him,  and 
hd  him  into  tin-  church,  and  consecrated  him  bishop 

Hi'.  iiiL'  attained  thil  dignity,  In1  shourd  himself  worthy 

of  it  by  tin-  practice  of  every  saintly  virtue,  Km  more 
especially  by  a  charity  which  knew  no  bounds.  Borne 
time  afterwards  the  city  and  the  province  were  desolated 
by  a  dreadful  famine,  and  Nicholas  was  told  that  cor 


1ST.  NICHOLAS.  61 

tain  ships  laden  with  wheat  had  arrived  in  the  port  of 
Myra.  He  went,  therefore,  and  required  of  the  cap- 
tains of  these  vessels  that  they  should  give  him  out  of 
each  a  hundred  hogsheads  of  wheat  for  the  relief  of 
his  people  ;  but  they  answered,  "  We  dare  not  do  this 
thing,  for  the  wheat  was  measured  at  Alexandria,  and 
we  must  deliver  it  into  the  granary  of  the  emperor." 
And  St.  Nicholas  said,  "  Do  as  I  have  ordered  you, 
for  it  shall  come  to  pass,  by  the  grace  of  God,  that, 
when  ye  discharge  your  cargo,  there  shall  be  found  no 
diminution."  So  the  men  believed  him,  and  when  they 
arrived  in  Constantinople,  they  found  exactly  the  same 
quantity  that  they  had  received  at  Alexandria.  In  the 
mean  time  St.  Nicholas  distributed  the  corn  to  the  peo- 
ple according  to  their  wants  :  and  it  was  miraculously 
multiplied  in  his  hands,  so  that  they  had  not  only 
enough  to  eat,  but  sufficient  to  sow  their  lands  for  the 
following  year. 

It  was  during  this  famine  that  St.  Nicholas  performed 
one  of  his  most  stupendous  miracles.  As  he  was  trav- 
elling through  his  diocese  to  visit  and  comfort  his  peo- 
ple, he  lodged  in  the  house  of  a  certain  host  who  was  a 
son  of  Satan.  This  man,  in  the  scarcity  of  provisions, 
was  accustomed  to  steal  little  children,  whom  he  mur- 
dered and  served  up  their  limbs  as  meat  to  his  guests^ 
On  the  arrival  of  the  bishop  and  his  retinue,  he  had  the 
audacity,  to  serve  up  the  dismembered  limbs  of  these 
unhappy  children  before  the  man  of  God,  who  had  no 
sooner  cast  his  eyes  on  them  than  he  was  aware  of  the 
fraud.  He  reproached  the  host  with  his  abominable 
crime,  and  going  to  the  tub  where  their  remains  were 
salted  down,  he  made  over  them  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  they  rose  up  whole  and  well.  The  people  who 
witnessed  this  great  wonder  were  struck  with  astonish- 
ment (as,  indeed,  they  might  well  be),  and  the  three 
children,  who  were  the  sons  of  a  poor  widow,  were  re- 
stored to  their  weeping  mother. 

Some  time  after  these  events,  the  Emperor  Constan- 
tine  sent  certain  tribunes  of  his  army  to  put  down  a 


(,x         8ACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

rebellion  in  Phrygia,  They  arrived  at  the  city  of  Myra, 
and  the  bishop,  in  order  to  save  bu  people  from  then 
exactions  and  their  violence,  invited  them  to  his  table, 
and  entertained  them  honorably.  A>  they  were  Bitting 
down  i"  the  feast  it  was  told  to  St.  Nicholas  thai  the 
prefect  of  the  city  had  condemned  three  Innocent  men 
to  death,  and  that  they  were  abont  to  be  executed,  and 
that  all  1 1 * « -  city  was  in  commotion  because  of  this 
wickedness. 

When  St.  Nicholas  heard   this,  lie  rose  hastily,  and, 

followed  by  bis  guests,  ran  to  the  place  of  execution. 

And   be    found    the    three    men    with    their   eves    hound 

kneeling  there,  ami  the  executioner  Btood  with  his  sword 
already  bared  ;  but  when  St.  Nicholas  arrived,  he  seised 
the  .-word  and  took  it  out  of  his  hands,  and  caused  the 
men  to  be  nnbound.  No  one  dared  to  resist  him,  and 
even  the  prefect  humbled  himself  before  him,  and  en- 
treated forgiveness,  which  the  saint  granted  not  with- 
out difficulty.    The  tribunes  looking  on  meanwhile  wtn 

filled    with    wonder  and    admiration.       When    they    had 

ret  eived  the  blessing  of  the  g I  bishop  they  continued 

their  voyage  to  Phrygia. 

Now  it  happened,  during  their  absence  from  Constan- 
tinople, that  their  enemies  had  turned  the  mind  of  the 
emperor  against  them,  and  filled  him  with  suspicion. 
tin  their  return  thev  were  accused  of  treason,  and 

thrown    into   a    dim-eon,  whence   the]     were    to    he    led 

to  death  on  the  following  day.     In  their  extremity  they 
remembered  St.   Nicholas,  and  cried  to  him   i" 
them-  they  did  not  cry  in  vain,  for  God  heard  them 
•  >n t  of  heaven,  and  St  Nicholas,  in  the  distant  land 

where    he   dwelt,    al-o    heard    their   supplication.       Ami 

that  .-ame  night  be  appeared  to  <  lonstantine  in  a  dream, 
ami  commanded  him  on  his  peril  to  release  these  nun, 
threatening  him  with  the  anger  of  Heaven  it  he  d 
beyed.     Constantino  immediately  pardoned   the  men, 

and   the  next  morning   he  Miit    them    to  M\ra  to  thank 

St.  Nicholas,  ami  to  present  to  him  a  copj  of  the  i 

mitten   in   letter.-.  o|    gold,  and    hound    in   a   COVM 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  63 

enriched  with  pearls  and  precious  stones.  The  fame 
of  this  great  miracle  spread  far  and  wide  ;  and  since  that 
time  all  those  who  are  in  any  way  afflicted  or  distressed, 
and  who  stand  in  great  peril  of  their  lives,  invoke  this 
glorious  saint,  and  find  succor  at  his  hands.  And  thus 
it  happened  to  certain  mariners  in  the  JEge&n  Sea,  who, 
in  the  midst  of  a  frightful  tempest,  in  which  they  were 
like  to  founder,  called  upon  Christ  to  deliver  them 
through  the  intercession  of  the  blessed  St.  Nicholas, 
who  thereupon  appeared  to  them  and  said,  "  Lo,  here 
I  am,  my  sons  !  put  your  trust  in  God,  whose  servant 
I  am,  and  ye  shall  he  saved."  And  immediately  the 
sea  became  calm,  and  he  conducted  the  vessel  into  a 
safe  harbor.  Wherefore  those  who  peril  their  lives  on 
the  great  deep  do  also  invoke  St.  Nicholas  ;  and  all 
harbors  of  refuge  and  many  chapels  and  altars  on  the 
sea-coast  are  dedicated  to  him. 

Many  other  great  and  good  actions  did  St.  Nicholas 
perform  ;  but  at  length  he  died,  yielding  up  his  soul  to 
God  with  great  joy  and  thankfulness,  on  the  sixth  day 
of  December,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  326,  and  he  was 
buried  in  a  magnificent  church  which  was  in  the  city 
of  Myra. 

It  is  related  that  St.  Nicholas  was  summoned  to  the 
Council  of  Nice  in  the  year  325,  and  that,  in  his  zeal, 
he  smote  Arius  on  the  face ;  but  there  are  many  who 
do  not  believe  this,  seeing  that  the  name  of  Nicholas 
of  Myra  does  not  appear  among  the  bishops  cited  on 
that  occasion. 

The  miracles  which  St.  Nicholas  performed  after  his 
death  were  not  less  wonderful  than  those  which  he  had 
performed  during  his  lifetime,  and  for  hundreds  of  years 
pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the  East  resorted  to  his  tomb. 
In  the  year  807,  Achmet,  who  commanded  the  fleet  of 
Haroun  Alraschid,  attacked  the  sanctuary,  intending  to 
demolish  it ;  but  he  was  deceived  by  the  vigilance  of 
the  monks,  and,  putting  to  sea  again,  he  was  destroyed 
with  his  whole  fleet  as  a  punishment  for  this  great  sac- 


64  W7.77'  AND   LE01  WDARY  ART. 

rilege.  After  this  event  the  l»nlv  oi  Si.  Nicholas  rest- 
ed in  hie  f<>iiii>  t'wr  the  space  of  880  yean;  various 
attempts  were  made  t<>  carry  it  off,  man]  cities  and 
churches  aspiring  to  the  possession 
ore.  At  length  in  1084,  certain  merchants  of  Ban,  a 
city  on  the  coast  of  Italy,  opposite  to  Ragnaa,  resolved 
tn  accomplish  this  great  enterprise.  In  their  trading 
voyages  to  the  coast  of  S\  i  in,  they  had  heard  <>t  the 
miracles  of  St.  Nicholas,  and,  in  their  pious  enthusiasm, 
resolved  to  enrich  their  country  with  the  possession  of 
wonder-working  relics.  Thej  landed  at  Myra, 
where  they  fonnd  the  country  desolated  by  il"1  Sar  i 
the  church  in  rains,  and  the  tomb  iruarded  only  by 
three  monks.  They  had  no  difficulty  in  taking  away 
the  holy  remains,  which  were  received  in  the  city  of 
Ban  with  every  demonstration  ol '  j<>\  ;  and  a  magnifi- 
cent church  was  built  over  them,  which  was  dedicated 
by  Pope  Urban  II.  Prom  this  period  the  veneration 
fur  St.  Nicholas  extended  over  the  West  of  Europe. 
It  is  proper  to  add,  that  the  Venetians  affirm  that  they 
have  the  true  body  of  St.  Nicholas,  carried  off  from 
Myra  by  Venetian  merchants  in  the  year  1100.  The 
pretensions,  however,  ol  of  Bari  are  thoa 

erall)  acknowledged,  and  thence  the  saint  lias  obtained 
the  name,  by  which  he  is  best  known,  of  St.  Nicholat 
Bari.* 

Devotional  figures  of  St.  Nicholas  exhibit  hhn  as 
Btanding  in  the  habit  of  a  bishop.  In  the  Greek  pic- 
tores  he  is  dressed  as  a  <  rreek  bishop,  without  the  mitre, 
bearing  the  cross  instead  of  the  crosier,  and  on  bis 
cope  embroidered  the  three  Persona  of  the  Trinity  :1 
bat  in  Wi  -i.  in  An  in-  episcopal  habit  is  that  of  the 

•  A»  Patron  ol  ilar  in 

■eaport  towns.    Atom  England        dedicated  In 
hii  honor. 

i      .  ;••  I'iiill.v  frequent  In  the 

■  n;ii  pi.  tar  -,  u  hi  be  moat 
Jar, aainl  of  Ihi  '<r-  ek  Church, 


ST.   NICHOLAS.  65 

Western  Church  ;  he  wears  the  mitre,  the  cope,  in  gen- 
eral gorgeously  ornamented,  the  jewelled  gloves,  and 
the  crosier.  He  has  sometimes  a  short  gray  beard; 
sometimes  he  is  beardless,  in  allusion  to  his  youth  when 
elected  bishop.  His  proper  attribute,  the  three  balls, 
may  be  variously  interpreted  ;  but  in  general  they  are 
understood  to  signify  the  three  purses  of  gold,  which 
he  threw  into  the  poor  man's  window.  Some  say  they 
represent  three  loaves  of  bread,  and  allude  to  his  feed- 
ing the  poor  during  the  famine  ;  and  others,  again,  in- 
terpret them  into  a  general  allusion  to  the  Trinity. 
The  first  is,  however,  the  most  popular  interpretation. 
These  balls  are  sometimes  placed  upon  his  book  ;  some- 
times at  his  feet ;  and  sometimes  in  his  lap,  as  in  a 
miniature  engraved  in  Dibdin's  "  Decameron,"  where 
he  is  throned,  and  gives  his  benediction  as  patron.  I 
have  also  seen  them  converted  into  an  ornament  for 
his  crosier,  when  they  could  not  conveniently  be  placed 
elsewhere,  as  in  a  picture  by  Bartolo  Senese.  Occa- 
sionally, instead  of  the  three  balls,  there  are  three  purses 
full  of  gold,  which  express  more  distinctly  the  allusion 
to  his  famous  act  of  charity,  as  in  a  statue  in  his  church 
at  Foligno.*  Another,  and  also  a  very  frequent  attri- 
bute, alludes  to  the  miracle  of  the  three  children.  They 
are  represented  in  a  tub  or  a  vase,  looking  up  to  him 
with  joined  hands. 

I  presume  this  story  of  the  children  to  have  been, 
in  its  primitive  form,  one  of  those  religious  allegories 
which  express  the  conversion  of  sinners  or  unbelievers. 
I  am  the  more  iuclined  to  this  opinion,  because  I  have 
seen  pictures  in  which  the  wicked  host  is  a  manifest 
demou  with  hoofs  and  claws ;  and  the  tub,  which  con- 
tains the  three  children,  has  the  form  of  a  baptismal 
font. 

As  patron  of  seamen,   St.  Nicholas  has  often  an 

*  In  thi3  instance  the  three  purses  are  laid  on  his  book.  In  a  pic- 
ture by  Angelico  at  Perugia,  the  three  purses  lie  at  his  feet :  I  saw 
an  etching  from  this  picture  in  the  possession  of  the  Chevalier 
Bunsen. 

vol.  11.  5 


66         SACRI  l>  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

anchor  at  his  side,  or  a  ship  is  seen  in  the  background, 
as  in  ii  picture  by  1'iinl  Veronese. 

In  consequence  <>t'  his  popularity  u  Patron  and  Pro- 
tector, St.  Nicholas  frequently  appears  as  an  attendant 
uii  the  enthroned  Madonna  and  child. •  The  moat 
beantiful  example  I  can  refer  to  i>  Raphael's  ••  Ma 
donna  daAnaidei"  at  Blenheim,  where  the  benign  and 
pensive  dignity  of  St.  Nicholas,  holding  the  Gospel  "pen 
in  his  hand,  rivals  in  characteristic  expression  the  ra 
lined  loveliness  of  the  Virgin  and  hex  Sun.  \\Y  may 
imagine  him  reading  aloud  from  his  book  aome  divine 
precept  of  charity, — as,  •■  Low  your  enemies;  do  good  to 
//urn  ilmi  huh  you  " .-  it  Beems  reflected  in  his  face.1 

I  think  it  unnecessary  to  particularize  further  the 
devotional  pictures  in  which  St.  Nicholas  figures  alone 
(or,  which  is  much  nunc  frequent,  grouped  with  other 
saints),  because  he  i>  in  general  eaairj  discriminated, 
—  the  three  balls,  "ii  his  book  or  at  bis  feet,  being  the 
most  frequent  attribute,  and  one  which  belongs  t<>  do 

other  saint.      As   patron   saint   of  children,   a  child    is 

sometimes  ki>>iiiLr  his  hami  or  the  ham  <>t  his  garment 
I  recollect,  in  a  picture  by  Bonvicino,  at  Brescia,  an 

application    Of  the    religions   charaetcr   c>!    this   saint    to 

portraiture  and  common  life,  which  appears  t"  mi 
highly  beautiful  and  poetical.  St.  Nicholas  is  present- 
ing to  the  Virgin  two  orphans,  while  she  l< >< >k>  down 
upon  them  from  her  throne  with  a  benign  air,  pointing 
them  out  to  the  notice  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  who 
loatfKJ  in  her  lap.  The  two  boys,  orphans  of  the  noble 
family  of  Roncaglia,  are  richly  dressed  :  one  holds  the 
mure  of  the  good  bishop;  the  ether,  the  three  balls. 

Separate  icenes  from  his  life  do  nol  often  occur;  in 
general  we  have  two,  three,  or  more  together.     The 

•    See   l/'K'tnN      I    'I''      Ml'lunlia. 

t  of  tMsMtabnttd  whip  ,  as  angrsTing  o(  vaodwfoJ  b 
\iua  lately  been  pabUsned  by  Loals  Granar .    in  Ut*  azpnaskm  "f 

the   h'-ttiU,  t!i*-  MOn  H   "f    III'-  BBOdsUlOg   in   Hi-  tl'-li,  unil   in    I 

power  aii' I  f  the  drawing  itioa,  In  basin  tlii» 

In  nil  art. 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  67 

favorite  subject,  in  a  detached  form,  is  that  which  is 
properly  styled  "  The  Charity  of  St.  Nicholas."  The 
leading  idea  does  not  vary.  In  one  part  of  the  compo- 
sition the  three  maidens  are  represented  as  asleep ; 
their  father  watching  near  them.  Nicholas  is  seen  out- 
side in  the  act  of  throwing  a  purse  (or,  in  some  cases, 
a  ball  of  gold)  in  at  the  window  :  he  is  young,  and  in 
a  secular  dress.  There  is  an  engraving,  after  a  compo- 
sition by  Parmigiano,  which  can  hardly  be  excelled  for 
delicacy  and  grace :  the  figures  and  attitudes  of  the 
daughters  are  most  elegant.  In  a  series  of  the  actions 
of  St.  Nicholas,  whether  it  consists  of  many  or  few 
subjects,  this  beautiful  incident  is  never  omitted.  As 
a  Greek  series  we  have  generally  two  or  three  or  more 
of  the  following  subjects.  Sometimes  the  selection  of 
scenes  is  from  his  life ;  sometimes  from  the  miracles 
performed  after  his  death,  or  after  his  translation  from 
the  coast  of  Syria  to  the  coast  of  Italy ;  or  both  are 
combined. 

1.  His  infant  piety.  The  scene  is  the  interior  of  a 
room,  where  his  mother  is  seen  in  bed  ;  in  the  fore- 
ground, attendants  are  busied  round  the  new-born  saint, 
who,  with  a  glory  round  his  head,  stands  upright  in  his 
bath,  his  hands  joined  in  prayer,  and  his  eyes  raised  to 
heaven. 

2.  He  stands,  as  a  boy  of  about  twelve  years  old, 
listening  to  the  words  of  a  preacher,  who  points  him 
out  to  his  congregation  as  the  future  saint. 

3.  His  charity  to  the  three  poor  girls  :  they  are  seen 
through  a  door,  asleep  in  an  inner  chamber ;  the  father 
sits  in  front ;  outside  the  house,  the  saint  stands  on  tip- 
toe, and  is  throwing  the  purse  in  at  the  window. 

(In  a  small  picture  which  I  have  seen,  but  cannot 
recollect  the  painter,  two  of  the  maidens  are  reposing, 
but  the  third  is  taking  off  her  father's  boot ;  he  sits  as 
one  overpowered  with  sorrow  and  fatigue  :  the  saint  is 
outside  looking  in  at  the  window.  This  is  an  unusual 
version ;  and  seems  to  express,  not  the  act  of  charity, 


68         SACRED  AM>   LEGENDARY  ART. 

hut  flic  previous  moment,  ami  the  filial  attention  nt  the 
daughters  t"  their  |»>"r  father.) 

•4.  The  consecration  of  St.  Nicholas  :i-  Bishop  of 
Mvra.     We  have  this  subject,  by  Paul  Veronese,  in 

Our    National  ( iallery. 

5,  The  Famine  at  Mvra.  A  seaport  with  ships  in 
the  distance;  in  front  a  numltcr  of  sacks  of  corn,  ami 
men  employed  in  measuring  it  out.  or  carrying  it 
away  ;  St.  Nicholas  in  his  episcopal  robes  standi  by, 
as  directing  the  whole 

t>.  The  Storm  at  Sea.  Seamen  on  hoard  a  ainlmig 
vessel  ;  St.  Nicholas  appears  as  a  vision  above;   in  one 

hand  he  holds  ii  lighted  taper,  with  the  other  he  appears 

to  direct  the  cour.-e  of  the  POSSel. 

(In  a  Gieek  Series  Of  the  lite  of  St.  Nicholas,  the  sub- 
ject which  follows  heri'  is  the  Council  of  Nice.  A  Dum- 
ber of  bishops  are  seated  in  a  semicircle  ;  <  ionstf inline, 
with  crown  and    sccplre.  presides  ;    in  front,   Niehola 

in  the  act  of  giving  Arms  the  memorable  box  on  the 
ear.  This  incident  1  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  in 
W.  item  Art.) 

7.  Three  men  are  Been  hound,  with  guards,  fee, and 

an  executioner  raises  bis  BWOrd  to  strike.     St  Nicholas 

(he  is  sometimes  hovering  in  the  air)  stays  the  hand  of 
tin'  executioner. 

8.  The  miracle  of  the  three  boys  restored  to  life, 

when  treated    as  an  incident,  and    not  a  devotional  rep- 
utation, is  given  in  a  varietv  of  ways  :  the  mangled 
limbs  are  spread  on  a  table,  or  underneath  a  hoard  ;  the 

wicked  host  is  on  his  knees;  or  he  is  endeavoring  to 

escape;    or  the  three   hoys,  already  made  whole,  are    in 

an  attitude  of  adoration  before  their  benefactor. 

Ih.    de.nl,   ,,t    St.   Nicholas,  and  angels   hear   his 

..nil    to    heaven. 

|().    When    the  series    is  complete,  thfl    translation  of 

the  body  ami  it-  reception  at  Mari  are  included. 

The    miracle-,  or    rather    the    parables,  which    follow 

to   he   found   in   the  chapel   ..I    Si     Nicholas  :,;     \ 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  69 

on  the  windows  of  the  cathedrals  at  Chartres  and  Bour- 
ses, and  in  the  ancient  Gothic  sculpture.  As  they 
wire  evidently  fabricated  after  the  translation  of  his 
relics,  they  are  not  likely  to  occur  in  genuine  Byzantine 
Art. 

1.  A  certain  Jew  of  Calabria,  hearing  of  the  great 
miracles  performed  by  St.  Nicholas,  stole  his  image  out 
of  a  church,  and  placed  it  in  his  house.  When  he 
went  out,  he  left  under  the  care  of  the  saint  all  his  goods 
and  treasures,  threatening  him  (like  an  irreverent  pagan 
as  he  was)  that  if  he  did  not  keep  good  watch  he  would 
chastise  him.  On  a  certain  day,  the  Jew  went  out,  and 
robbers  came  and  carried  off  all  his  treasures.  When 
the  Jew  returned  he  reproached  St.  Nicholas,  and  beat 
the  sacred  image  and  hacked  it  cruelly.  The  same 
night  St.  Nicholas  appeared  to  the  robbers,  all  bleeding 
and  mutilated,  and  commanded  them  immediately  to 
restore  what  they  had  taken.  They,  being  terrified  by 
the  vision,  repaired  to  the  Jew,  and  gave  up  every- 
thing. And  the  Jew,  being  astonished  at  this  miracle, 
was  baptized,  and  became  a  true  Christian. 

This  story  is  represented  on  one  of  the  windows  of 
the  Cathedral  at  Chartres,  and  here  St.  Nicholas  figures 
as  the  guardian  of  property. 

2.  A  certain  man,  who  was  very  desirous  of  having 
an  heir  to  his  estate,  vowed  that  if  his  prayer  were 
granted,  the  first  time  he  took  his  son  to  church  he 
would  offer  a  cup  of  gold  on  the  altar  of  St.  Nicholas. 
A  son  was  granted,  and  the  father  ordered  the  cup  of 
gold  to  be  prepared ;  but  when  it  was  finished,  it  was 
so  wonderfully  beautiful,  that  he  resolved  to  keep  the 
cup  for  himself,  and  caused  another  of  less  value  to  be 
made  for  the  saint.  After  some  time  the  man  went  on 
a  journey  to  accomplish  his  vow ;  and  being  on  the 
way,  he  ordered  his  little  son  to  bring  him  water  in  the 
golden  cup  he  had  appropriated,  but,  in  doing  so,  the 
child  fell  into  the  water  and  was  drowned.  Then  the 
unhappy  father  lamented  himself,  and  wept  and  re- 
peated of  his  great  sin ;  and,  repairing  to  the  church  of 


7° 


SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


Sr   Nicholas,  I ffered  u[i  the  rilvercup:  bul  it  fell 

from  the  altar;  and  a  second  and  a  third  time  it  fell; 
iiinl  whne  they  all  looked  <>n  astonished,  behold  !  the 
drowned  boy  appeared  before  them,  and  stood  on  the 
steps  of  the  altar  bearing  the  golden  cnp  in  bis  band. 
Be  related  how  the  good  St.  Nicholas  had  preserved 
him  alive,  ami  Wrought  him  there.  The  father,  full  of 
gratitude,  offered  up  l »« » 1 1  •  the  enps,  and  returned  home 
with  his  son  in  joy  and  thanksgiving. 

Of  this  story  there  arc  manj  versions  in  prose  and 
rhyme,  and  I  have  frequently  seen  it  in  sculpture, 
painting,  and  in  the  old  stained  glass  ;  it  is  on  one  of 
the  windows  of  the  Cathedral  of  Bourges:  in  a  baa- 
relief  engraved  in  Cicognara's  work,*  the  child,  with 
die  golden  cup  in  his  hand,  is  falling  into  the  sea. 

8.  A  rich  merchant,  who  dwell  on  the  borders  of  a 
heathen  country,  bul  was  himself  a  Christian,  and  a 
devout  worshipper  of  St.  Nicholas,  had  an  only  son; 
and  it  happened  that  the  youth  was  taken  captive  by 
the  heathens,  and,  being  sold  as  a  slave,  he  Berved  the 
k i n <_r  of  thai  country  as  cupbearer.  One  day,  as  he 
filled  the  cup  at  table,  he  rcincmhcivd  suddenly  that  it 
was  the  feast  of  St.  Nicholas,  and  he  wept  The  kinrj 
said,    "  Why    weepesl    thou,    that    th\    tears    fall    and 

mingle  in  my  <-n|>  '  "     And  the  hoy  told  him,  saying, 

"This  i>  the  day  when  mv  parents  and  my  kindred  are 

met  together  in  great  joy  to  honor  our  g I  St  Nicho- 
las ;  and  1,  alas  I  am  far  ft them  !  "    Then  the  lung, 

most  like  a  pagan  blasphemer,  answered,  "Great 

thy  St.  Nicholas,  he  cannot  save  thee  from  my  hand  '  " 

No  sooner  had    hi-  BDOken    the  Words,  than  a  whirlwind 

shook  the  palace,  ami  St.  Nicholas,  appearing  in  the 
midst,  caught  op  the  youth  by  the  hair,  and  placed 

him,  still  holding  the  royal  CUp  in  his  hand,  suddenly 
before  hi-  family,  at    tin-  \d\    moment  when    hi.-  lather 

had  distributed  the  banquet  t"  the  poor,  and  was  be- 

i-e'chine;    their   prayer-  in  behalf  of  hi.-  captive  son. 

Of  thi-  story  al.-o  there  are  Innumerable  versions j 

*  Storia  dclla  Scultura  modern*. 


ST.  NICHOLAS.  71 

and  as  a  boy  with  a  cup  in  his  hand  figures  in  both 
stories,  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  ,the  circumstances 
and  accessaries :  sometimes  it  is  a  daughter,  not  a 
son,  who  is  delivered  from  captivity.  In  a  fresco  by 
Giottino  at  Assisi,  the  family  are  seated  at  table,  and 
the  captive,  conducted  by  St.  Nicholas,  appears  before 
them :  the  mother  stretches  out  her  arms,  the  father 
clasps  his  hands  in  thanksgiving,  and  a  little  dog  recog- 
nizes the  restored  captive. 

I  have  observed  that  St.  Nicholas  of  Bari  and  St. 
Julian  of  Rimini  are  often  found  in  the  same  group,  as 
joint  protectors  of  the  eastern  coast  of  Italy  and  all  the 
commercial  cities  bordering  the  shore  of  the  Adriatic, 
from  Venice  to  Tarento.  There  is  a  conspicuous  ex- 
ample in  the  Louvre,  in  a  beautiful  picture  by  Lorenzo 
di  Credi  (No.  177).  Another,  an  exquisite  little  Coro- 
nation of  the  Virgin,  was  in  the  collection  of  Mr. 
Rogers.* 


I  must  now  take  leave  of  the  good  St.  Nicholas.  So 
widely  diffused  and  of  such  long  standing  is  his  fame, 
that  a  collection  of  his  effigies  and  the  subjects  from 
his  legend  would  comprise  a  history  of  art,  of  morals, 
of  manners,  of  costume,  for  the  last  thousand  years. 
I  have  said  enough  to  lead  the  fancy  of  the  reader  in 
this  direction :  other  and  brighter  forms  beckon  us 
forwards. 

*  See  Legends  of  the  Madonna. 


THE   VIRGIN    PATRONESSI> 


St.   CATHERINE. 


St.  Barbara. 

St.  Ursi  i  \ 


St.  Margaret. 


;  1-',    owl-    Im    tlusc    lx-atitiful    ami    glorious    im- 

,'X/'.    ]MT.-cinatiniis  nf  feminine  intellect,  heroism, 
\/\/  ;     purity,  fortitude,  and  faith  Bomeofthe  mosl 


.~  Jx  ■''{■'     cxcrllili-j    works     of    art     uliirli     have     heeti 

landed  down  t"  as.  Other  female  martyro  were  merely 
women  glorified  in  heaven,  for  virtues  exercised  <>n 
earth  ;  bnl  (Asm  were  absolutely,  in  nil  bul  the  name, 
Divinities.  With  regard  t<>  the  others,  even  the  moat 
apocrypha]  among  them,  we  can  >till  recognise  some 
indications,  however  rague,  howe>  er  disguised,  thai  they 
had  beenal  one  time  or  another  substantial  beings;  bid 
with  regard  to  thete,  all  Bach  traces  of  an  individual 
existence  Beem  to  have  been  completely  merged  in  the 
abstract  ideas  they  represented.  The  worship  of  the 
others  was  confined  to  certain  localities,  certain 
.-.mro ;  lint  tin  s<  were  invoked  everywhere,  and  at  all 
seasons:  thej  wire  powers,  differing  indeed  from  the 
Bensuons  divinities  of  ancient  Greece,  inasmnch  as  the 
mural  attributes  were  infinitely  higher  and  purer,  bnl 
representing  them  in  tli«-ir  superhuman  might  and 
majesty;  and  though  the  Church  assumed  thai  theirs 
■  1  power,  it  iras  never  so  considered  by 


Sf.   CATHERINE.  73 

the  people.  They  were  styled  intercessors  ;  but  when 
a  man  addressed  his  prayers  to  St.  Catherine  to  obtain 
a  boon,  it  was  with  the  full  conviction  that  she  had 
power  to  grant  it. 

I  am  not  now  speaking  of  the  faith  of  the  enlightened 
and  reflecting  Roman  Catholics  on  such  subjects,  but 
of  the  feelings  which  existed,  and  still  exist,  among  the 
lower  classes  in  Catholic  countries,  particularly  Italy, 
respecting  these  poetical  beings  of  whom  I  am  now  to 
speak. 

Their  wholly  ideal  character,  the  tacit  setting  aside 
of  all  human  testimony  with  reference  to  their  real  or 
unreal  existence,  instead  of  weakening  their  influence, 
invested  them  with  a  divine  glory,  and  kept  alive  the 
enthusiasm  inspired  by  the  dignified  and  graceful  forms 
in  which  they  stand  embodied  before  us.  I  know  that 
there  are  excellent  and  conscientious  persons  who  for 
this  very  reason  look  upon  the  pictures  and  effigies  of  St. 
Catherine  and  St.  Barbara  with  an  especial  dislike,  a 
terror  in  which  there  is  a  sort  of  fascination.  I  wish  that 
what  I  am  about  to  write  may  quiet  their  minds  on  the 
subject  of  these  "  mythic  fancies  "  :  they  will  see  how 
impossible  it  is  that  these  allegories  (which  by  simplicity 
and  ignorance  were  long  accepted  as  facts)  should  ever 
hereafter  be  received  but  as  one  form  of  poetry ;  and 
that  under  this  aspect  they  cannot  die,  and  ought  not. 

If  those  who  consider  works  of  art  would  be  content 
to  regard  them  thus,  —  not  merely  as  pretty  pictures, 
nor  yet  as  repudiated  idols,  but  as  lovely  allegories  to 
which  the  world  listened  in  its  dreamy  childhood,  and 
which,  like  the  ballad  or  the  fairy  tale  which  kept  the 
sleep  from  our  eyes  and  our  breath  suspended  in  in- 
fancy, have  still  a  charm  for  our  latest  years  ;  —  if  they 
would  not  be  afraid  of  attaching  a  meaning  to  them, 
but  consider  what  we  may  be  permitted,  unreproved,  to 
seek  and  to  find  in  them,  both  in  sense  and  sentiment, 
—  how  many  pleasures  and  associations  would  be  re- 
vealed in  every  picture,  in  every  group  or  figure,  which 
is  now  passed  over  either  with  indifference  or  repug- 


74         SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

nance !  Can  they  believe  there  is  danger  that  any 
rational  being  Bhoold  tali  back  into  ■  second  childhood 
of  credulity  !  Let  them  oow  judge.  1  begin  with  that 
Gloriotissima  Vergine,  St.  Catherine. 


St.    Catherine    of     Alexandria,    Vim. in     ami 

M  \RI  VII. 

If'r.  Aikaterina,/rom  (taflapo?,  imrc,  undifilr.l.     /  ith- 

arlna.  itni.  Banta Catarina. dd  BtadientL  Santa  Catarina  delta 
ftw  te  (or  of  the  wheels,  to  distinguish  her  fromftvt  other 
taints  of  the  name  name).  FV.  Madame  Baincte  Catherine. 
Spa.  Santa  Catnlina.  0«T  Die  Hellige  Katliarina  ran  Al'  \- 
andrien.  Patroneat  of  education,  philosophy,  acteoce ;  of  stu- 
dents, philosojili.T.-*,  ami  tin  •  ■  1  ■  ■  l- i . 1 1 ■  - .  Patroneat  of  school!)  and 
colleges.  As  DStrow ■>«  "f  eloquence  she  was  invoked  in  all  dla- 
eases  of  the  tongue.  Perhapi  bom  leT  royal  dignity,  ■  favorite 
patron  saint  of  princtf-'  -  ami  ladies  of  noble  birth,  l'.i  - 
of  Venice.     Nov.  86,  A.  D.  307. 

'I'm:  legend  nf  St.  Catherine  is  not  of  high  antiqui- 
tv  :  even  among  the  Greeks,  it  cannot  be  traced  (hrther 
back  than  the  eighth  century  ;  and  in  the  Baal  it  appean 
t •  >  have  originated  with  the  monks  <>('  Mount  Sinai. 
In  a  literary  form,  we  find  it  firsl  in  the  Greek  olenol- 
ogy  of  the  Emperor  Basil  in  the  ninth  century.  The 
crusaders  of  the  eleventh  century  broughl  it  from  the 
:  ami  iii  gratitude  t< »r  the  aid  and  protection  which 
this  " Invittissima  Eroma"  was  supposed  to  have  ex- 
tended  to  the  Christian  warriors  in  the  Holy  Land,  her 
Greek  name,  her  romantic,  captivating  legend,  and  her 
worship  as  one  of  the  most   potenj  of  saints,  spread 

with    SUCfa    extraordinary    rapidity   over    the    whole    Of 

\\'i  -tern  Christendom,  thai  in  the  twelfth  century  it  «:>- 
nil  hut  universal.  Aboul  the  fifteenth  century,  some 
laonable  doubts  ha\  tag  been  cast,  not  only  on  the  au 
thentieitv  of  her  legend,  but  <m  her  verj  existence,  rain 
attempts  were  made  n>  banish  her  from  the  calendar ; 
lor  festival,  after  being  one  of  the  mosl  solemn  in  the 


ST.   CATHERINE. 


75 


Church,  was,  by  several  prelates  of  France  and  Ger- 
many, suppressed  altogether,  and  by  others  left  free 
from  all  religious  obligations  :  but  in  Art,  and  in  the 
popular  veneration,  St.  Catherine  kept  her  ground 
Even  in  the  English  reformed  calendar  she  retains  her 
place  ;  even  in  London,  churches  and  parishes,  and  in- 
stitutions, once  placed  under  her  protection,  still  retain 
her  name.* 

Of  all  the  female  saints,  next  to  Mary  Magdalene,  St. 
Catherine  is  the  most  popular  :  venerated  by  the  men 
as  the  divine  patroness  of  learning ;  and  by  the  women 
regarded  as  the  type  of  female  intellect  and  eloquence, 
as  well  as  of  courageous  piety  and  chastity.  She  is 
the  inspirer  of  wisdom  and  good  counsel  in  time  of 
need,  —  the  Minerva  of  the  heathens,  softened  and  re- 
fined by  the  attributes  of  the  Christian  martyr.  The 
scenes  taken  from  her  life  and  "  acts  "  are  so  diversi- 
fied, and  of  such  perpetual  recurrence,  that  I  shall 
give  the  legend  here  with  all  its  details  of  circumstance, 
only  omitting  the  long  speeches,  and  passing  over  with- 
out further  remark  that  brave  defiance  of  all  historical 
probabilities  which  sets  criticism  at  naught. 

Constantius  Chlorus,  the  father  of  Constantine  the 
Great,  had  a  first  wife  before  he  married  the  Empress 
Helena.  She  died  in  giving  birth  to  a  son,  whose 
name  was  Costis,  and  whom  his  father  married  to  the 
only  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  King  of  Egypt,  a  vir- 
tuous princess,  whose  name  was  Sabinella ;  with  her 
he  lived  and  reigned  in  great  prosperity  and  happiness 
for  several  years,  but  after  the  law  of  the  Pagans,  for 
they  were,  unhappily,  idolaters. 

Like  all  mothers  who  bring  forth  saints,  Queen  Sa- 
binella had  a  prophetic  dream,  in  which  was  prefigured 
the  glory  of  her  first-born.  In  due  time  she  gave  birth 
to  a  daughter,  who  was  named  Catherine.  At  the  mo- 
ment she  came  into  the  world  a  glory  of  light  was  seen 

*  There   are  fifty-one  churches  in  England  dedicated  in  her 
name. 


-fi         SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  JUT. 

to  play  around  her  head.  From  bee  earliest  infancy 
6he  was  the  wonder  of  all  who  beheld  her,  for  grace  of 
mind  and  person.  "  She  drank  bo  plenteously  from 
tin-  well  ..I'  wisdom,"  iliat  at  the  age  <>(  fifteen  there 
was  none  comparable  t<>  her  in  tin'  learning  and  philos- 
ophy of  the  Gentiles.  She  could  have  "  talked  of  stars 
ami  firmaments  ami  firedrakea,"  of  ••  Bines  and  co  Bines 
ami  fixed  ratios,"  —  she  could  have  answered  all  tin  —  - 
hard  things  which  the  Queen  of  Bheba  propounded 
in  King  Solomon.  The  work.-  of  l'lato  were  her  Hi 
vorite  study  ;  and  tin-  teaching  of  Bocratee  had  pre- 
pared  her  to  receive  a   higher  and  a  purer  doctrine. 

The  king  her  lather,  who  loved  her.  ordained  to  wait 

upon  her  seven  of  tin'  wisest  masters  that  could  begot- 
ten together;  hut  Catherine,  divinely  endowed,  SO  far 

•  Med  them  all,  that  they  who  eame  to  teaeh  her,  be- 
came   her  disciples.       Moreover,  he  ordained    for   her  a 

tower  in  his  palace,  with  divers  chambers  furnished  with 
all  kinds  of  mathematical  instruments,  in  which  alio 
might  Btudy  at  pleasure. 

When  Catherine  was  about  fourteen,  her  father.  King 
Costis,  died,  and  left  her  heiress  of  his  kingdom.  Hut 
when  she  was  queen,  Catherine  showed  the  same  con- 
tempt for  all  worldly  care  and  royal  splendor  that  -he 
bad  hitherto  exhibited,  for  -he  -hut  herself  op  in  her 

palace,  and  devoted  lier.-clf  to  the  ,-tndv  of  philosophy. 

■•  Therefore,"  says  the  old  English  legend,  ••  when 
the  people  saw  this,  fchey  were  discontented.     And  the 

DObleS    of  that   country   came    to  their  lady   and   qaeen, 

and  desired  her  to  .all  a  parliament  And  the  estates 
being  met,  they  besought  her,  a.-  .-he  was  so  much  given 
t..  study  and  learning,  that  she  would  he  pleased  to  take 
a  husband  who  should  assist  her  in  the  government  c4 
the  country,  and  lead  them  forth  to  war. 

■  When  -he  heard  tin-,  .-he  was  much  abashed  and 
troubled.  And  she  laid,'  What  manner  of  man  i- this 
that  I  must  marry  '  '     •  Madam,'  -aid  the  speaker,  '  yon 

ure  our  most   lovereign  lady  and  queen,  and  it  i-  well 


ST.   CATHERINE.  77 

known  to  all  that  ye  possess  four  notable  gifts  :  the 
first  is,  that  ye  he  come  of  the  most  noble  blood  in  the 
whole  world  ;  the  second,  that  ye  be  a  great  inheritor, 
and  the  greatest  that  liveth  of  women  to  our  knowl- 
edge ;  the  third,  that  ye  in  science,  cunning,  and  wis- 
dom surpass  all  others  ;  and  the  fourth,  that  in  bodily 
shape  and  beauty  there  is  none  like  you  :  wherefore  we 
beseech  ye,  Lady,  that  these  good  gifts,  in  which  the 
great  God  hath  endowed  you  beyond  all  creatures  else, 
may  move  you  to  take  a  lord  to  your  husband,  to  the 
end  that  ye"  may  have  an  heir,  to  the  comfort  and  joy 
of  your  people.' 

"  '  Then,'  answered  the  young  Queen  Catherine,  with 
a  grave  countenance  ;  '  if  God  and  nature  have  wrought 
so  great  virtues  in  us,  we  are  so  much  the  more  bound 
to  love  him,  and  to  please  him,  and  to  think  humbly 
of  all  his  great  gifts  ;  therefore,  my  lords  and  lieges, 
give  heed  to  my  words.  He  that  shall  be  my  husband 
and  the  lord  of  mine  heart  shall  also  possess  four  nota- 
ble gifts,  and  be  so  endowed  that  all  creatures  shall 
have  need  of  him,  and  he  shall  have  need  of  none. 
He  shall  be  of  so  noble  blood  that  all  men  shall  wor- 
ship him,  and  so  great  that  I  shall  never  think  that  I 
have  made  him  king  ;  so  rich,  that  he  shall  pass  all 
others  in  riches  ;  so  full  of  beauty,  that  the  angels  of 
God  shall  desire  to  behold  him  ;  and  so  benign,  that  he 
can  gladly  forgive  all  offences  done  unto  him.  And  if 
ye  find  me  such  an  one,  I  will  take  him  for  my  husband 
and  the  lord  of  my  heart.' 

"  With  this  she  cast  down  her  eyes  meekly,  and  held 
her  still.  And  all  her  lords  and  princes  and  council- 
lors looked  upon  each  other  and  knew  not  what  to  re- 
ply ;  for  they  said,  '  Such  a  one  as  she  hath  devised 
there  never  was  none,  and  never  shall  be  '  ;  and  they 
saw  there  was  no  remedy  in  the  matter.  Her  mother 
Sabinella  also  intreated  her,  saying,  '  Alas,  my  daugh- 
ter, where  shall  ye  find  such  a  husband  ? '  and  Cather- 
ine answered,  'If  I  do  not  find  him,  he  shall  find  me, 
for  other  will  I  none  '  ;  —  and  she  had  a  great  conflict 
smd  battle  to  keep  her  virginity. 


78         SACRED    l  VD   LEGENDARY   Mil' 

•  •  N'mv  there  was  ■  certain  holy  hermil  who  dwelt  in 
edeaert  about  two  days' journey  from  the  city  of  Al- 
exandria  ;  to  him  the  Virgin  Mary  appeared  out  of 
heaven,  and  Bent  him  with  e>  message  of  comfort  to  the 
young  Queen  Catherine,  t<>  t  *  - 1 1  her  that  the  husband 
whom  Bhe  had  desired  was  her  Bon,  who  was  greater 
than  any  monarch  of  this  world,  being  himself  the  Bong 
of  Glory,  and  the  Lord  of  all  power  and  might  Cath- 
erine desired  to  behold  her  future  bridegroom.  The 
hermit  therefore  gave  her  s  picture  representing  the 
Virgin  Mary  and  her  divine  Son  ;  and  when  Catherine 
beheld  the  heavenly  tare  of  the  Redeemer  of  the  world, 
her  In-art  was  filled  with  love  <>f  his  beauty  and  inno- 
cence :  Bhe  forgot  her  hooks,  her  Bpberes,  and  her  phi- 
losophers ;  —  Plato  ami  Socrates  became  to  her  tedious 
as  a  twice-told  tair.  Bhe  placed  tin-  picture  in  her 
study,  and  that  night  as  she  slept  upon  her  bed  she 

had    a   dream. 

"In  her  dream  Bhe  journeyed  by  the  Bide  of  the  old 

hermit,  who  conducted    her  toward-  a  sanctuary  on  the 

top  of  a  high  i niiain  :  and  when  they  reached  the 

portal,  there  came  out  to  meet  them  a  glorious  corn- 
pan]  of  angels  clothed  in  white,  and  wearing  duplets 
of  white  lilies  on  their  beads;  and  Catherine,  being 
dazzled,  fell  on  her  face,  and  an  angel  said  to  her, 
■Stand  up,  our  dear  sister  Catherine,  and  be  rie.ht 
weir, , n,c.'  Then  they  led  her  to  an  inner  court, where 
stood  a  second  company  of  angels  clothed  in  purple, 

and  wearing  chaplett  Of  red   roses  on  their  heads;    and 

Catherine  fell  down  before  them,  but  they  said,  'Stand 

np,  our   dear  Sister  Catherine,  Cor   thee   hath   the   King 

of  Glory  delighted  to  honor'  Then  Catherine,  with  ■ 
trembling  joy,  stood  np  and  followed  them.     Thej  led 

lur  on  to  an  inner  chamber  in  which  WSJ  a  loyal  qui  BU 

standing  in  her  state,  whose  beauty  and  majesty  might 

no  heart   think,  nor   pen    of  man    describe,  and  around 

her  a  glorious  company  of  angels,  saints  and  martyrs: 
they,  taking  Catherine  by  the  hand,  presented  her  to 
the  queen,  saying,  • '  >nr  most  grarions  sovereign  Lady 


ST.    CATHERINE. 


79 


Empress  of  Heaven,  and  Mother  of  the  King  of  Blessed- 
ness, be  pleased  that  we  here  present  to  you  our  dear 
sister,  whose  name  is  written  in  the  book  of  life,  be- 
seeching you  of  your  benign  grace  to  receive  her  as 
your  daughter  and  handmaiden.'  • 

"  Our  Blessed  Lady,  full  of  all  grace  and  goodness, 
bid  her  welcome,  and,  taking  her  by  the  hand,  led  her 
to  our  Lord,  saying  to  him,  '  Most  sovereign  honor, 
joy  and  glory  be  to  you,  King  of  Blessedness,  my  Lord 
and  my  Son  !  Lo  !  I  have  brought  into  your  blessed 
presence  your  servant  and  maid  Catherine,  which  for 
your  love  hath  renounced  all  earthly  things ! '  But 
the  Lord  turned  away  his  head,  and  refused  her,  say- 
ing, « She  is  not  fair  nor  beautiful  enough  for  me.' 
The  maiden,  hearing  these  words,  awoke  in  a  passion 
of  grief,  and  wept  till  it  was  morning. 

"  Then  she  called  to  her  the  hermit  and  fell  at  his 
feet,  and  declared  her  vision,  saying,  '  What  shall  I  do 
to  become  worthy  of  my  celestial  bridegroom  1 '  The 
hermit,  seeing  she  was  still  in  the  darkness  of  heathen- 
ism, instructed  her  fully  in  the  Christian  faith :  then  he 
baptized  her,  and,  with  her,  her  mother  Sabinella. 

"  That  night,  as  Catherine  slept  upon  her  bed,  the 
blessed  Virgin  appeared  to  her  again,  accompanied  by 
her  divine  Son,  and  with  them  a  noble  company  of 
saints  and  angels.  And  Mary  again  presented  Cath- 
erine to  the  Lord  of  Glory,  saying,  '  Lo  !  she  hath  been 
baptized,  and  I  myself  have  been  her  godmother ! ' 
Then  the  Lord  smiled  upon  her,  and  held  out  his 
hand  and  plighted  his  troth  to  her,  putting  a  ring  on 
her  finger.  When  Catherine  awoke,  remembering  her 
dream,  she  looked  and  saw  the  ring  upon  her  finger  ; 
and  henceforth,  regarding  herself  as  the  betrothed  of 
Christ,  she  despised  the  world,  and  all  the  pomp  of 
earthly  sovereignty,  thinking  only  of  the  day  which 
should  reunite  her  with  her  celestial  and  espoused 
Lord.  Thus  she  dwelt  in  her  palace  in  Alexandria, 
until  the  good  queen  Sabinella  died,  and  she  was  left 
sdone." 


8o  CRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

At  thifl  time  the  tyrant  Maxiinin,  who  is  called  by 
the  Greeks  Maxentius,  greatly  persecuted  the  Church, 
anil,  being  come  to  Alexandria,  he  gathered  all  the 
Christians  together,  and  commanded  them,  on  pain  of 
Beveresl  torments,  to  worship  the  heathen  gods.  St. 
Catherine,  hearing  in  the  re  I   her  palace  the 

cries  of  the  people,  Ballied  forth  and  confronted  the  ty- 
rant on  the  Bteps  of  the  temple,  pleading  for  her  fellow- 
Christians,  ami  demonstrating  "avec  fbrn  syllogismes" 

the  truth  .if  the  Christian  and   ibe  falseh 1  of  the 

Pagan  religion.  And  when  Bhe  had  argued  for  a  long 
time  after  the  manner  of  trie  philosophers,  quoting 
Plato  and  Socrates,  and  the  books  of  the  Sibyls,  Bhe 
looked  round  upon  Maxiinin  and  the  priests, and  said 
"Ye  admire  this  temple,  the  work  of  human  hand-: 
these  fair  ornaments  and  precious  gi  ms,  these  statues, 
that  look  as  it'  they  could  move  and  breath:  admire 
rather  the  temple  of  the  universe,  —  the  heaven.-.,  the 
earth,  the  Bea,  and  all  thai  is  therein  :  admire  rather  the 
course  of  those  denial  Btars,  which  from  the  beginning 

of  all  creation  have  pursued  their  c Be  toward-  the 

west  and  returned  to  n>  in  the  east,  and  never  pause  for 
rest  And  when  ye  have  admired  these  things,  con- 
sider the  greatness  <>t'  Him  who  made  them,  who  is  the 

it  God,  even  the  God  of  the  Christians,  unto  whom 
these  thy  idols  are  less  than  the  dual  of  the  earth. 
M  serable  are  those  who  place  their  faith  where  they 

C8J1    neither   lind    help    in    the    moment    of  danger,    nor 

comfort  in  the  hour  of  tribulation  I "  * 

mini  hem::  confounded  by  her  arguments,  and 
yet  more  by  her  eloquence,  which  left  him  without 
reply,  ordered  that  fifty  of  the  most  learned  philoso- 
phers and  rhetoricians  should  he  collected  from  all 
pan-  of  hi-  empire,  and  promised  them  exceedm 

Lids  if  they  overcame  the  Christian  prina  ss  In  argu- 

*   "T)i.   ti.  ,i\.  n  IndMd    i-  Mffa  I   th-  "nrtli  is  gnat  .   Ih.'  M*  im- 

mem  lUfal    bat  Jfe  who  sud*  an  th«*  things 

mum  needi  be  gnat,  r   sod    DMH  beautiful."- •Btrwun   »>  W 
>.7„y 


ST.   CATHERINE.  81 

meut.  These  philosophers  were  at  first  indignant  at 
being  assembled  for  such  a  futile  purpose,  esteeming 
nothing  so  easy;  and  they  said,  "  Place  her,  O  Ca;sar ! 
before  us,  that  her  folly  and  rashness  may  be  exposed 
to  all  the  people."  But  Catherine,  nowise  afraid,  rec- 
ommended herself  to  God,  praying  that  he  would  not 
allow  the  cause  of  truth  to  suffer  through  her  feebleness 
and  insufficiency.  And  she  disputed  with  all  these 
orators  and  sages,  quoting  against  them  the  Law  and 
the  Prophets,  the  works  of  Plato  and  the  books  of  the 
Sibyls,  until  they  were  utterly  confounded,  one  after 
another,  and  struck  dumb  by  her  superior  learning.  In 
the  end  they  confessed  themselves  vanquished  and  con- 
verted to  the  faith  of  Christ.  The  emperor,  enraged, 
ordered  them  to  be  consumed  by  fire  ;  and  they  went  to 
death  willingly,  only  regretting  that  they  had  not  been 
baptized  ;  but  Catherine  said  to  them,  "  Go,  be  of  good 
courage,  for  your  blood  shall  be  accounted  to  you  as 
baptism,  and  the  flames  as  a  crown  of  gtory."  And 
she  did  not  cease  to  exhort  and  comfort  them,  till  they 
had  all  perished  in  the  flames. 

Then  Maximin  ordered  that  she  should  be  dragged  to 
his  palace ;  and,  being  inflamed  by  her  beauty,  he  en- 
deavored to  corrupt  her  virtue,  but  she  rejected  his 
offers  with  scorn ;  and  being  obliged  at  this  time  to 
depart  on  a  warlike  expedition,  he  ordered  his  creature, 
Porphyry  (called  in  the  French  legend  "  Le  Chevalier 
Porphire  "),  to  cast  her  into  a  dungeon,  and  starve  her 
to  death ;  but  Catherine  prayed  to  her  heavenly  bride- 
groom, and  the  angels  descended  and  ministered  to  her. 
And  at  the  end  of  twelve  days  the  empress  and  Por- 
phyry visited  the  dungeon,  which,  as  they  opened  the 
door,  appeared  all  filled  with  fragrance  and  light. 
Whereupon  they  fell  down  at  the  feet  of  St.  Catherine, 
and  with  two  hundred  of  their  attendants  declared 
themselves  Christians. 

When  Maximin  returned  to  Alexandria,  he  was 
seized  with  fury.  He  commanded  his  wife,  the  em- 
Dress,  with  Porphyry  and  the  other  converts,  to  be  put 

vol.  n.  6 


$z  SACRED   AXD   LEGENDARY  ART. 

to  a  cruel  death  ;  but  being  more  than  ever  inflamed  by 
tlir  beauty  and  wisdom  of  Catherine,  he  offered  to  make. 
her  his  empress,  and  mistreat  of  the  whole  world,  if  she 
would  repudiate  the  name  of  Christ  Hut  she  replied 
with  scorn,  ••  shall  1  forsake  my  glorious  heavenly 
Bponse  t<>  unite  myself  with  thee,  who  an  base-born, 
wicked,  ami  deformed?"     On   hearing  these  words, 

Maxim'm  roared  like  a  lion  in    his  wrath  ;    ami  he  iom- 

manded  that  they  Bhonld  construcl  four  wheel-,  armed 
with  sharp  points  and  Made-, —two  revolving  in  one 
direction,  two  in  another,  —  so  that  between  them  her 
tender  body  should  he  turn  into  ten  thousand  pi© 
And  Si.  ( latherine  made  herself  ready  to  goto  this  cruel 
death  ;  and  as  she  went  Bhe  prayed  that  the  fearful  in- 
strument of  torment  prepared  for  her  might  he  turned 
to  the  glory  of  (iod.  So  they  bound  her  between  the 
wheels,  ami,  at  the  same  moment,  lire  came  down  from 
heaven,  sent  bythe  destroying  angel  of  God,  who  broke 
the  wheels  in  pieces,  ami,  by  the  fragments  which  flew 
around,  the  executioners  and  three  thousand  people 
perished  in  that  day. 

I'd    for  all   this   the  thrice-hardened   tyrant  repented 

not,  but  ordered  that  Catherine  should  be  carried  out- 
side the  city,  and  there,  after  being  scourged  with  rod-, 
beheaded  by  the  sword  :  —  which  was  done.    And  when 

She  was  dead,  angels    took   up  her    body,  and  carried    it 

over  the  Desert,  and  oxer  the  Red  Sea.  till  they  de- 
posited   it   on   the   summit    of  .Mount  Sinai.      There    it 

rested  in  a  marbk  sarcophagus,  and  in  the  eighth 
century  a  monastery  was  built  over  her  remain-,  which 

:ir,.  ,.  .,  pi   I    to  this   «hiy  :   hut  the  wicked  tyrant,  Maxi- 

min,  being  overcome  in  battle,  was  slain,  ami  the  h. 

and  birds  devoured  him  ;  or,  a-  other.-  relate,  an  inward 

tire  consumed  him  till  he  dud. 

In  this  romantic  legend  what  a  storehouse  of  pictu- 

qoe  incident  I  —  And,  accordingly,  we  And  that  poet- 

and  painters  have  equally  availed  themselves  of  it    As 

ballad,  as  dratnn,  as  romance,   it   circulated  amon^'   the 


ST.   CATHERINE.  83 

people,  and  lent  an  interest  to  the  gracious  and  familiar 
effigies  which  everywhere  abound.  In  England  St. 
Catherine  was  especially  popular.  About  the  year 
1119,  Geoffrey,  a  learned  Norman,  was  invited  from  the 
University  of  Paris  to  superintend  the  direction  of  the 
schools  of  the  Abbey  of  Dunstable,  where  he  composed 
a  play  entitled  "  St.  Catherine,"  and  caused  it  to  be 
acted  by  his  scholars.  This  was,  perhaps,  the  first 
spectacle  of  the  kind  that  was  ever  attempted,  and  the 
first  trace  of  theatrical  representation  that  ever  appeared 
in  England.  Dryden's  tragedy  of  "Tyrannic  Love" 
is  founded  on  the  legend  of  St.  Catherine,  and  was  in- 
tended to  gratify  the  queen,  Catherine  of  Braganza,  by 
setting  forth  the  glory  of  her  patron  saint. 

In  the  original  Oriental  legend  the  locality  assigned 
for  the  story  of  St.  Catherine  was  at  least  well  chosen, 
and  with  a  view  to  probability.  Alexandria,  famous 
for  its  philosophical  and  theological  schools,  produced, 
not  one,  but  many  women,  who,  under  the  tuition  of 
Origen  and  other  famous  teachers,  united  the  study  of 
Greek  literature  with  that  of  the  Prophets  and  Evan- 
gelists ;  some  of  them  also  suffered  in  the  cause  of 
Christianity.  But  it  is  a  curious  fact  connected  with 
the  history  of  St.  Catherine,  that  the  real  martyr,  the 
only  one  of  whom  there  is  any  certain  record,  was  not 
a  Christian,  but  a  Heathen  ;  and  that  her  oppressors 
were  not  Pagan  tyrants,  but  Christian  fanatics. 

Hypatia  of  Alexandria,  daughter  of  Theon,  a  cele- 
brated mathematician,  had  applied  herself  from  child- 
hood to  the  study  of  philosophy  and  science,  and  with 
such  success,  that,  while  still  a  young  woman,  she  was 
invited  by  the  magistrates  to  preside  over  one  of  the 
principal  schools  in  the  city.  She,  like  St.  Catherine, 
was  particularly  addicted  to  the  study  of  Plato,  whom 
she  preferred  to  Aristotle.  She  was  also  profoundly 
versed  in  the  works  of  Euclid,  anrt  Apollonius  of  Per- 
gamus  ;  and  composed  a  treatise  on  Conic  Sections,  and 
other  scientific  works.     She  was  remarkable,  also,  for 


84        BACKED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

her  beauty,  her  contempl  for  feminine  vanities,  and  the 
unblemished  purity  of  her  conduct  As,  however,  she 
resolutely  refused  t"  declare  herself  :i  <  Ihristian,  and  "as 
mi  terms  <>l'  friendship  with  On  -!•  j,  the  Pagan  gover- 
nor of  Alexandria,  Bhe  «;b  marked  out  by  the  Chris- 
dan  populace  as  an  object  of  vengeance.  <  hie  dav,  as 
.she  was  proceeding  t<>  lecture  in  her  school,  a  party  of 
these  wretched  fanatics  dragged  her  out  <>t'  her  chariot 
into  a  neighboring  church,  and  murdered  her  there  with 
circumstances  "i  revolting  barbarity, 

1  think  it  verj  probable  that  the  traditions  relating 
in  her  death  were  mixed  up  with  the  legend  of  St. 
Catherine,  and  took  that  particular  character  and  col- 
oring whirl,  belonged  to  tin-  Greco-(  'hristian  legends  of 

that  time.* 

The  devotional  representations  "t'St.  Catherine  must 
be  divided  into  two  classes.  I.  Those  which  exhibit  her 
as  the  patron  .-aim  and  martyr,  alone  or  grouped  with 
others.  II.  The  mystical  subject  called  "The  Mar- 
riage of  St.  ( latherine." 

1.  A-  patroness  Bhe  ha-  several  attributes.    She  bean 
the  palm  as  martyr;  the  Bword  expresses  the  manner 
of  her  death  ;  the  crown  is  hers  of  right,  a-  soven 
princess  ;  she  holds  the  book  a-  significant  of  her  learn- 
ing; .-he  tramples  on  the  pagan  tyrant     All  these  at 

trilitili-s   may   he   found    in    the  effigies   of  Other   saints; 

hut  the  especial  and  peculiar  attribute  of  St.  <  latherine 
is  the  wheel.     When  entire,  it  is  an  emblem  of  the  tor 

lure    iii    which   she    u  .  d  .    in    the    later   pictures 

n  is  oftener  broken  ;  it  is  then  an  historical  attribute, 

•   u  win  perhaps  the  early  relatta  ■   »itii  ktv   i  >  ■ 

irhlch  r.  i  ■  atherine  to  popular  in  that  city  as  patron 

Her  festival  li  i  died  ih<  Fetta  dei  Dotti,  and  iraa  instituted  In 
her  honor  by  U  "Ik-",  in  1807. 

All  thi  ami  unit  ■  Padua 

i.iiiv,».r.  der  her  protection,  and  opi  the 

i  on  the  day  of  her  feilival. 


ST.   CATHERINE.  85 

it  represents  the  instrument  by  which  she  was  to  have 
been  tortured,  and  the  miracle  through  which  she  was 
redeemed.  She  leans  upon  it,  or  it  lies  at  her  feet,  or 
an  angel  bears  it  over  her  head.  In  Raphael's  St. 
Catherine,  in  our  National  Gallery,  she  leans  on  the 
wheel,  and  no  other  attribute  is  introduced :  this,  how- 
ever, is  very  uncommon  ;  the  characteristic  sword  and 
the  book  are  generally  present,  even  where  the  crown 
and  palm  are  omitted.  The  grim  turbaned  head  of 
Maximin,  placed  beneath  her  feet,  is  confined,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  to  the  sculptural  and  Gothic  effi- 
gies and  the  stained  glass  of  the  fourteenth  century. 

Iu  the  earliest  Greek  mosaics  and  pictures,  St.  Cath- 
erine wears  the  richly  embroidered  dress  given  in  Greek 
Art  to  all  royal  personages  ;  the  diadem  on  her  head, 
a  book  and  a  cross  in  her  hand,  and  no  wheel.  She 
has,  generally,  a  dignified  but  stern  expression. 

In  the  best  examples  of  early  Italian  Art,  and  in 
those  of  the  Giotto  school,  the  prevailing  character  is 
simplicity  and  earnestness.  In  the  Milan  school  there 
is,  generally,  more  of  intellect  and  refinement ;  and, 
in  particular,  an  ample  brow,  with  the  long  fair  hair 
parted  in  front.  In  the  Venetian  pictures,  she  is  gen- 
erally most  sumptuously  dressed  in  ermine  and  em- 
broidery, and  all  the  external  attributes  of  royalty.  In 
the  Florentine  pictures,  she  has  great  elegance  ;  and  in 
the  Bologna  school  a  more  commanding  majesty.  In 
the  early  German  school  we  find  that  neglect  of  beauty 
which  is  characteristic  of  the  school,  but  the  intellectual 
and  meditative  dignity  proper  to  the  saint  is,  in  the 
best  masters,  powerfully  rendered. 

Representations  of  St.  Catherine  as  patroness  so 
abound  in  every  form  of  Art,  and  are  so  easily  recog- 
nized, that  I  shall  mention  only  a  few  among  them, 
either  as  examples  of  excellence  or  of  some  particular 
treatment  in  the  character  and  attributes  which  may 
lead  the  reader  to  observe  such  familiar  effigies  with 
more  of  interest  and  discrimination,  and  with  reference 


86         BACHED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

to  that  appropriate  character  which  the  dnmmstancea 

of  her  story  should  lead  us  t<>  require 

1.  School  of  Ciiotto.  ••  St.  Catherine, aa patron  saint 
mul  martyr,  stands  between  t %\ < >  wheels,  holding  her 

hook  Mini  palm  "  :    :l  hcautit'ul  |>ieture,  in  the  possession 

of  M.  AiiL'n-ii'  Valbreqne. 

2.  ( rreoo-Italian.  St.  ( Catherine  is  seated  on  a  throne, 
wearing  the  royal  crown,  and  with  an  air  of  profound 
meditation.  Scattered  around,  and  at  her  feet,  a  num- 
ber <if  books,  mathematical  instruments,  and  tablets, 
on  which  are  traced  calculations  and  problems,  also  a 
celestial  sphere.  She  is  here  the  especial  patroness  of 
science  and  philosophy  i  —  the  Urania  of  the  Greeks.* 

.■{.  Siena  School.    She  Btands,  crowned,  and  holding 

the  I k  and  palm.     <  »n  the  tlat,  dark  background  of 

the  picture  are  painted  the  implements  <>!'  the  mechan- 
ical arts,  such  as  Bhears,  hammers,  saws,  a  carpenter  - 

rule  and    plane,  a  pair  of  compasses,  a  pe.-tlc  and  mor- 
tar, combs  tor  carding  wool,  a  Bpindle  and  distaff,  &c. 

She    is    here    the    e-peeial    patroin»    of   the   art-  .  —  the 
Greek    Minerva. 

4.     Gothic  Sculpture.     She  stands  with  a  scroll  ill 
her  raised  hand,  trampling  a  philosopher  under  her  fi 
On  reflection,  I  am  not  sun' that  this  fine  figure 
St.  Catherine,  hut  perhaps  Wisdom  or  Science  in  the 
allegorical  sense. 

Ghirlandajo.1     She  stands,  crowned,  and  partly 

veiled,  w  it  I e  hand    on    the   wheel,  the  other  sustains 

the    folds   "t    her   drapery  ;    a    ring    COnspicUOUS    "ii    her 

finger,  in  allusion  t«>  her  mystical  espousals.     The  face 

ha-  little  beaut]  and  rather  a  severe  expression,  hut  the 

ftgum  and  attitude  are  lull  of  dignity,  and   the  draper] 

mOSl    eli  -ant 

Gothic  Sculpture.    She  stands  with  the  book  and 
sword,  wearing  the  royal  crown;  under  her  feel  the 

wheel  and   the  Emperor   Maximin.      In   the  >amc  stylw 
*  Fl.ir.-nr.,  KiimrriDi  Gal.  t   Fl    Acad. 


ST.   CATHERINE.  87 

are  the  effigies  in  the  stained  glass  of  the  thirteenth 
and  fourteenth  centuries. 

7.  Raphael.  She  leans  on  her  wheel,  looking  up. 
The  beautiful  picture  is  in  our  National  Gallery.  Ra- 
phael's original  first  thought  for  the  head,  sketched  with 
a  pen,  is  at  Oxford  ;  the  more  finished  drawing  is  in 
the  possession  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire. 

8.  Siena  School.  She  stands,  crowned,  with  her 
book  and  palm  ;  a  small  broken  wheel,  worked  in  gold, 
suspended  from  her  neck  as  an  ornament. 

J.  Hans  Hemling  (?).  St.  Catherine  kneeling,  in  a 
Coronation  of  the  Virgin.  She  is  crowned  and  richly 
attired.  The  broken  wheel  is  suspended  as  an  orna- 
ment at  the  end  of  a  gold  chain,  fastened  to  her  girdle  : 
just  as  a  German  woman  wears  her  bunch  of  keys.* 

10.  Albert  Diirer.  She  is  crowned  ;  seated  on  a 
chair,  which  looks  like  a  professor's  chair  ;  at  her  side 
the  sword  ;  in  front  a  portion  of  a  broken  wheel. 

11.  Intarsiatura.  She  stands,  crowned  ;  in  the  left 
hand  the  palm,  in  the  other  the  sword.  The  head  of 
the  tyrant  is  at  her  feet,  and  the  point  of  the  sword 
pierces  his  mouth,  showing  that  she  had  vanquished 
him  in  argument.  A  figure  of  singular  elegance,  in 
the  Florentine  manner,  in  the  church  of  S.  Giovanni  at 
Malta. 

12.  Milan  School  :  Leonardo,  or  Luini.  She  is 
crowned  with  myrtle,  and  holds  her  book  ;  on  each 
side  a  most  beautiful  angel,  one  of  whom  bears  the 
wheel,  the  other  the  palm.  The  expression  full  of  in- 
tellect and  sweetness.t 

13.  Cesare  da  Sesto.  She  is  looking  down  with  a 
contemplative  air,  her  long  golden  hair  crowned  with  a 
wreath  of  myrtle,  and  leaning  with  both  hands  on  her 
wheeJ      Most  beautiful  and  refined.}; 

14.  Francia.     She  is  crowned,  as  patron  saint,  and 

*  The  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  in  the  gallery  of  Prince  Waller- 
Btein,  now  in  Kensington  Palace,  is  by  some  attributed  to  Hemling. 
t  In  the  collection  of  Mr.  HowaiJ  of  Corbie. 
t  Frankfort  Museum. 


88  SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

It ><  »k i  11  lt  down,  one  hand  resting  on  her  wheel.  The 
figure  amplj  draped  and  full  of  dignity.  The  engrav- 
ing by  Marc  Antonio  is  rare  and  beautiful. 

15.  Luini  School.*  She  is  between  two  wheela,  with 
Iodjx  dishevelled  hair,  and  hands  clasped  in  supplica- 
tion.    She  is  here  the  martyr  only. 

16.  Palma.t  St.  Catherine,  crowned  and  richly 
draped,  at  the  feel  of  the  Madonna.  It  is  the  portrait 
of  his  daughter,  the  beautiful  Violante 

The  figures  of  St.  Catherine  bj  Titian,  l'anl  Vero- 
nese, and  Tintoretto,  all  have  the  air  of  portraits,  and, 
in  general,  are  snmptnonslj  crowned  and  attired,  with 
Luxuriant  fair  hair,  and  holding  the  palm  oftenec  than 
the  hook.  She  appears,  in  bucE  pictures,  u  the  patron 
saint  of  Venice.  There  is  s  (anions  picture  by  Titian, 
of  the  unhappy  Catherine  Cornaro,  Queen  of  Cyprus, 
in  the  character  of  St  <  latherine. 

17.  Paul  Veronese.  St.  Catherine,  kneeling  on  bar 
broken  wheel,  looks  up  at  the  .Madonna  and  Child  on  a 
throne  above,     sin1  i<  lure  attired  a>  a  Venetian  lady 

of  rank,  and  wean  tin-  loyal  crown. 

i-  Annihal  Caracci.  St.  Catherine,  as  patroness 
of  the  arts  and  sciences,  and  St.  Luke  as  patron  saint 
of  painting,  on  each  ride  of  the  Madonna  and  Child. 

19,  Guido.     She  is  kneeling,  as  martyr,  with  clasped 
hand-  and  flowing  hair ;  tin-  figure  being  taken  from 
one  of  the  disconsolate  mothers  in  the  famous  Ms 
ere  of  the  Innocents,  slightly  altered,  is  deficient  in  char- 
acter.     I'll'-  wheels  are  in  the  background.) 

jo  St.  Catherine  reading.  To  distinguish  bet  from 
other  .-aim.-  who  also  read,  a  small  wheel  is  embroi- 
dered on   her  hook. 

91.  Domenirhino,  She  is  standing,  as  patron  saint, 
with  crown,  sword,  palm,  and  wheel.  The  attributes 
crowded;  the  figure  majestic,  hut  mannered,  and  with- 
out much  character.  II  ilso  the  same  figure 
half-length  at  Windsor. 

ti.  Domenichino.     She  is  standing,  as  martyr ;  tin 

*  pun  p«i.  *  \  i.  nntt  oai.  ;  WmatM  <i»i. 


ST.   CATHERINE.  89 

angel  descends  with  the  crown  and  palm  :  very  digni- 
fied and  beautiful.* 

23.  St.  Catherine  reading  ;  she  rests  one  hand,  which 
holds  the  palm,  on  her  wheel.  In  such  pictures  she  is 
the  patroness  of  students  and  scholars.  There  is  an 
example  at  Hampton  Court. 

When  St.  Catherine  is  grouped  with  other  saints,  her 
usual  pendant  is  St.  Barbara,  sometimes  also  Mary  Mag- 
dalene ;  in  the  Venetian  pictures,  frequently  St.  George. 
In  the  German  pictures,  St.  Catherine  is  often  grouped 
with  St.  Ursula.  As  patroness  of  learning,  she  is  some- 
times in  companionship  with  one  or  other  of  the  Doc- 
tors of  the  Church ;   most  frequently  with  St.  Jerome. 

The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine,  however  treat- 
ed, must  be  considered  as  a  strictly  devotional  subject: 
it  is  not  an  incident ;  it  is  an  allegorical  vision,  imply- 
ing the  spiritual  union  between  Christ  and  the  redeemed 
soul.  This  is  the  original  signification  of  the  subject, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  religious  interpreta- 
tion of  the  "  Song  of  Solomon,"  with  all  its  amatory 
and  hymeneal  imagery,  led  the  fancy  to  this  and  simi- 
lar representations.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the 
Marriage  of  St.  Catherine  in  this  mystical  sense,  we 
cannot  but  feel  that  as  a  suhject  of  Art  it  is  most  at- 
tractive :  even  in  the  most  simple  form,  with  only  three 
persons,  it  combines  many  elements  of  picturesque  and 
poetical  beauty.  The  matronly  dignity  of  the  mater- 
nal Virgin,  the  god-like  infancy  of  the  Saviour,  the  re- 
fined loveliness  and  graceful  humility  of  the  saint,  form 
.of  themselves  a  group  susceptible  of  the  most  various, 
the  most  delicate,  shades  of  expression. 

The  introduction  of  angels  as  attendants,  or  of  beati- 
fied personages  as  spectators,  or  other  ideal  accessaries, 
must  be  considered  as  strictly  in  harmouy  with  the  sub- 
ject, lending  it  a  kind  of  scenic  and  dramatic  interest, 
while  it  retains  its  mystical  and  devotional  character. 

*  Sutherland  Gal. 


9o         BACHED  AND  LEGENDARY   ART. 

The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine  is  one  of  the  rabjecti 
in  early  Greek  An  ;  bnt  it  occurs  very  seldom  in  Italian 
Art  before  tli<'  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century  :  in  the 
sixteenth  it  became  popular,  and,  tin-  ohvion.-.  reasons, 
it  was  a  favorite  subject  in  nunneries.  Why,  1  do  not 
know.  Km  it  has  aluay>  been  very  rare  in  German  Art; 
ami  therefore  it  is  tin-  more  remarkable  that  the  earliest 
example  that  1  can  cite  is  from  one  of  the  earliest 
artists  of  the  genuine  German  Bchool,  the'  anonymous 

engraver    whom    we    know   only    a-    ■■  I.e    ^raveur    <l<- 

1 166."     Whoever  lie  may  have  been,  he  was  certainly 

a  man  of  a  -t  original  ami  poetical  turn  of  muni  :  lie 

lived    in   the  very  infancy  of  the   art,   being,   1    suppose, 

the  first  German  who  took  the  burin  in  hand  after  the 
invention  <>f  eopper-plate  engraving;  hut  his  works,  in 
spite  of  their  rudeness  in  drawing  ami  execution,  are  s 
storehouse  of  | deal  ideas.     What,  tor  instance,  can 

he  more  fanciful,  ami  more  true  to  the  mysticism  of  the 

Bubject,  than  bis  arrangement  of  the  ••  Marriage  of  St 
Catherine "  1      The   Bcene   is   Paradise;    the   Vir^in- 

mother,  seated    on    a    flowery  throne,    is    in    the   act    of 

twining  a  wreath,  for  which  St.  Dorothea  presents  tin' 
- ;  in  front  of  tin-  Virgin  kneel,-.  St.  Catherine,  and 
beside  bet  stands  the  Infant  Christ  (here  a  child  about 
five  or  six  years  old),  and  presents  the  ring:  on  one 
side,  St.  Agnes,  St.  Barbara,  Bt.  Agatha,  ami  St. 
Margaret  ;  on  the  other,  St.  Mar]  Magdalene  ami  St. 
Apolionia;  the  figures  being  disposed  in  a  semicircle. 
Behind  the  throne  of  the  Virgin  is  seen  a  grand  chorus 

of  angels,  holding  scrolls  of  music  in    their  hands,  and 

singing  "Gloria  in  •  Deo  I"  —  the  Holy  spirit, 

in  form  ot  a  dove,  is  hovering  over  the  whole.  The 
conception,  it  must  !»■  admitted,  i*  in  tin1  highest  degree 
poetical ;  in  the  sami  d  gree,  the  execution  i-  rude,  and 
the  drawing  mea) 

l    Correggio.      Two  very  celebrated  pictures.     In 

the  first  example,  which  is  life  —  \/<\  St.  Catherine  IxmU 
down  with  the  softest,  meek  '-t  tciiderm  -•<  and  SUbmJs 
moii,    iiml    the    Virgin    Unites    her    hand    to    that    of  tin 


ST.   CATHERINE.  91 

Infant  Christ,  who  looks  up  in  his  mother's  face  with 
a  divine  yet  infantine  expression.  St.  Sebastian  stands 
by  holding  his  arrows.*  It  is  of  this  picture  that 
Vasari  truly  said  that  the  heads  appeared  to  have  been 
painted  in  Paradise.  In  the  background  is  seen  the 
martyrdom  of  the  two  saints. 

The  other  example  is  a  small  picture,  also  of  ex- 
quisite beauty :  here  the  attendant  is  an  angel. t 

2.  Cola  dell'  Amatrice.  The  Virgin-mother  is  seated 
on  a  sort  of  low  bench.  The  Child,  standing  on  her 
knee,  presents  the  ring  to  St.  Catherine,  who  is  also 
standing,  simply  attired,  and  with  no  attribute  but  the 
sword,  which  she  holds  upright :  —  this  treatment  is 
peculiar. 

3.  Titian.  The  Infant  Christ  is  seated  on  a  kind 
of  pedestal,  and  sustained  by  the  arms  of  the  Virgin. 
St.  Catherine  kneels  before  him,  and  St.  Anna,  the 
mother  of  the  Virgin,  gives  St.  Catherine  away,  pre- 
senting her  hand  to  receive  the  ring ;  St.  Joseph  is 
standing  on  the  other  side ;  two  angels  behind  the  saint 
look  on  with  an  expression  of  celestial  sympathy.  In 
general  the  Venetian  painters  lavished  on  this  favorite 
subject  the  richest,  most  fanciful,  most  joyous  ac- 
companiments :  as  in  a  picture  by  P.  Veronese,  where 
the  scene  is  a  palace  or  a  luxurious  landscape ;  St. 
Catherine  is  in  the  gorgeous  bridal  attire  of  a  princess, 
and  a  choir  of  angels  chant  hymns  of  joy.  There  is  a 
picture  by  Titian  in  which  St.  Catherine,  kneeling  by 
the  cradle  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  has  taken  him  in  her 
arms,  and  presses  him  to  her  bosom  with  the  action  of 
a  fond  nurse  ;  so  completely  was  the  solemn  and  mysti- 
cal allegory  of  the  nuptial  bond  forgotten,  or  set  aside.}: 

4.  Perugino.  The  Virgin,  seated,  holds  the  Infant 
Saviour  standing  on  her  knee  ;  he  bends  forward  to  put 
the  ring  on  St.  Catherine's  right  hand.  Joseph  is  seen 
behind  in  meditation. 

5.  Parmigiano.  The  Virgin  as  usual  with  the  In- 
fant Christ  upon  her  knee ;  St.  Catherine  resting  one 

*  Louvre,  27.  t  Naples,  Musee.  \  Pitti  Pal.,  Fl. 


9i  SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

hand  uj.r >n  her  wheel  presents  the  other  ;  find  the  Infant 
Christ,  while  he  puts  tlie  ring  00  lief  finger,  throws 
himself  hack,  looking  up  in  his  mother's  bee,  as  if  he 
were  at  play.  Beneath  i>  the  head  of  an  old  man,  with 
a  long  gray  heard,  holding  a  hook  :  whether  the  painter 
intended  him  for  .Joseph,  who  a  often  presenl  on  this 

Occasion,  or    for   the  old    hermit    of   the    legend,    is    not 

clear.* 

6.  Rubens  makes  the  ceremony  take  place  in  pres- 
ence of  St.  Peter,  St.  Paul,  and  a  vast  company  of 

aainta   and    martyrs. t 

7.  Vandvek.  The  Virgin  liol«l>  a  wreath  of  Bowers 
in    her    hand    ready    to    crown    the    >aint    at    the    same 

moment  that  she  receives  the  ring  from  Christ;  the 

expression  of  St.  Catherine  as  she  hends  in  adoration  is 

most  charming  j  in  one  hand  she  holds  the  palm-branch, 
resting  it  upon  the  wheel.     The  exceeding  beauty  of 

the  Virgin  has  ohtained  for  this  picture  the  appellation 

of  "  la  pins  belle  des  Vierges."] 

Sometime-,  the  Divoto  for  whom  the  picture  has  heetl 

painted  is  supposed  to  he  present  1  remember  a 
Marriage  of  St.  Catherine  in  presence  of  the  Emperor 
Matthias  and  his  court.     1  have  seen  some  instances  in 

winch  the  divine  Infant,  instead  of  presenting  the  nup- 
tial ring,  places  a  wreath  of  rose-  on  her  head.      In  all 

these  examples,  Christ  is  represented  as  a  child.     In 

one  Instance  only  I  have  seen  him  figured  SS  a  man 
about  thirty,  Standing  On  One  Bide,  attended  by  a  com- 
pany of  angels,  while  Catherine  stands  opposite,  at- 
tended by  a  train  of  virgin-martyrs. 

I  <l<>  not  remember  a  tingle  instance  of  •■  The  Mar- 
riage "t  St.  Catherine"  in  the  stained  glass  of  tho 
fourteenth  centurj  ;  but  such  may  exist  :  the  other  sub- 
jects from  her  history  are  commonly  met  with. 

The  SponUzio  <>\  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria,  the 

•  n  .it,  pJotun ,  up-  in  the  i . r  -v.  nor  G  it. 
t  A  inuKMiti..  nt  picture,  oontalntng  mors  than  twenty  figure^ 
Ui  tbs  drama  of  the  auguaUnet  at  Antwerp. 
t  [nlhj  y  :  ■  a's  Will.,  Buckingham  l^ilao*. 


ST.   CATHERINE.  93 

princess-martyr,  must  not  lie  confounded  with  the  Sposa- 
tizio  of  St.  Catherine  of  Siena,  who  was  a  Dominican 
nun.* 

Both  are  sometimes  represented  in  the  same  picture. 

8.  Amhrogio  Bogognone.  The  Virgin  is  seated  on 
a  splendid  throne  holding  the  Divine  Child ;  on  the 
right  kneels  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria ;  on  the  left 
St.  Catherine  of  Siena.  The  Infant  presents  a  ring  to 
each,  the  Mother  guiding  his  little  hands  :  —  a  most 
beautiful   picture. t 

Some  of  the  most  striking  incidents  in  the  life  of  St. 
Catherine  have  been  treated  historically,  as  separate 
subjects. 

1.  "The  dispute  with  the  fifty  philosophers  " ;  the 
number  of  the  philosophers  generally  represented  by  a 
few  persons.  Pinturicchio  has  painted  this  subject  in 
a  large  crowded  fresco.  The  scene  is  the  interior  of 
a  temple  :  Maximin  is  on  his  throne  ;  and  before  him, 
standing,  St.  Catherine  attired  in  a  richly  embroidered 
dress  ;  in  one  hand  her  book,  the  other  raised;  around 
the  throne  of  the  emperor,  many  philosophers,  some 
arguing,  some  demonstrating,  some  meditating  doubt- 
fully, others  searching  their  great  books ;  farther  off, 
spectators  and  attendants :  about  fifty  figures  in  all. J 

Vasari.  St.  Catherine,  with  her  robe  and  hair  fly- 
ing loose,  and  in  a  most  theatrical  attitude,  disputes 
with  the  philosophers,  who  are  turning  over  their 
books  :  the  emperor  looks  down  from  a  balcony  above.§ 

Where  St.  Catherine  is  standing,  or  sitting  on  a 
raised  throne,  as  one  teaching,  rather  than  disputing, 
and  with  seven  philosophers  around  her,  then  the  sub- 
ject evidently  represents  the  "seven  wise  masters" 
whom  her  father  had  assembled  to  teach  her,  and  who 
became  her  disciples ;  and  St.  Catherine  should  look 
like  the  magnificent  princess  in  Tennyson's  poem,  — ■ 

*  See  the  Monastic  Orders. 

t  When  I  saw  it,  in  possession  of  M.  Grahl  of  Dresden. 

j.  Vatican,  Rome. 

$  Capitol,  Rome. 


94         SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

"  Among  her  grave  professors,  scattering  gems 
of  -irt  and  science." 

2.  Tin1  Babject  usually  called  the  "  Martyrdom  of 
St.  Catherine,"  her  exposure  to  the  torture  of  the 
wheels,  should  rather  be  called  tin-  Deliverance  of  St. 
Catherine.  It  is  one  of  the  most  frequent  subjects  in 
early  'Art.  The  leading  idea  is  always  the  same,  and 
the  Bubject  easily  recognized,  however  varied  in  the 
representation.  St.  Catherine  is  seen  between  two  or 
four  wli.cl>  armed  with  iron  teeth  or  Bpikes,  while  two 

on e  executioners  prepare  to  turn  the  wheels;  or  she 

is  kneeling  beside  the  instrument  of  torture:  die  em- 
peror ami  his  attendants  are  sometimes  introduced  :  an 
angel,  descending  from  heaven,  amid  thunder  and  light- 
ning, or  bearing  an  avenging  Bword,  breaks  the  wh 
and  scatters  horror  and  confusion  among  the  pagans. 

Tin-  most  beautiful  instance  I  can  remember  is  the 
large  picture  byGuadenzio  Ferrari.  She  i>  represented 
in  ii  front  view,  kneeling,  her  hair  dishevelled,  her 
hands  clasped,  and  in  the  eyes,  npraised  to  the  opening 
heavens  above,  a  most  divine  expression  of  faith  and 
resignation;  on  each  Bide  are  the  wheels  armed  with 
Bpikes,  which  the  executioners  are  preparing  to  turn: 
behind  tits  the  emperor  on  an  elevated  throne,  and  an 
angel  descends  from  above  armed  with  a  sword.  In 
this  grand  picture  the  figures  are  lite  size.* 

By  Albert  Durer,  a  mosl  spirited  woodcut,  rather 
coarse,  however,  in  execution.  She  is  kneeling,  with 
bowed  bead  ;  the  wheels  are  broken  by  a  tempest  from 
ii  ;  the  executioners  look  paralyzed  with  honor. 
There  is  a  fine  dramatic  composition  bj  Giulio 
Romano,  in  which  the  wheel-  are  sen  shivered  by 
lightning  and  itones  from  heaven,  which  are  Suns 
down  by  angels;  the  executioners  and  spectators  are 
struck  deail  or  confounded. 

.•).  "The  Vision  of  St.  Catherine."  She  is  repre- 
sented sleeping  in  the  arms  of  an  angel.  Another  angel 
with  outspread  wings  appears  to  address  her.     [nfanl 

•    M  j in:,  Bn  r.i 


ST.   CATHERINE. 


95 


angels,  hearing  the  palm,  the  crown,  the  wheel,  and  the 
sword,  hover  around.  I  have  seen  but  one  example 
of  this  subject :  it  is  engraved  in  the  Teniers  Gallery. 

4.  "  The  Decapitation  of  St.  Catherine  "  is,  properly, 
her  martyrdom.  This  subject  is  of  frequent  occurrence, 
and  little  varied ;  in  general,  the  broken  wheels  are 
introduced  in  the  background,  in  order  to  distinguish 
St.  Catherine  from  other  female  saints  who  were  also 
decapitated.  There  is  a  very  fine  and  curious  engrav- 
ing, in  which  St.  Catherine  is  kneeling ;  the  execu- 
tioner stands  near  her,  and  three  angels  extend  a  linen 
cloth  to  receive  and  bear  away  her  body.  Maximin 
and  others  are  behind.* 

Spinello.  In  the  foreground,  St.  Catherine  is  de- 
capitated ;  above  are  seen  four  angels  bearing  her  body 
over  sea  and  land ;  and  in  the  far  distance,  two  angels 
bury  her  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Sinai. t 

5.  "  St,  Catherine  buried  by  the  Angels."  Of  this 
charming  subject,  so  frequently  introduced  into  the 
background  of  the  scene  of  her  martyrdom,  there  are 
many  examples  in  a  separate  form. 

There  is  a  fresco  by  Luini,  in  the  Brera  at  Milan, 
of  exceeding  beauty.  Three  angels  sustain  the  body 
of  St.  Catherine,  hovering  above  the  tomb  in  which 
they  prepare  to  lay  her.  The  tranquil,  refined  charac- 
ter of  the  head  of  the  saint,  and  the  expression  of  death, 
are  exceedingly  fine. 

In  an  elegant  little  picture  by  Giles  de  Rye,  two  angels 
lay  her  in  a  marble  sarcophagus,  and  a  third  scatters 
flowers. %    There  is  another  by  Cespedes  at  Cordoba.§ 

There  is  a  modern  version  of  this  fine  subject  by  a 
German  painter  (Miicke),  which  has  become  popular : 
four  angels  bear  the  body  of  St.  Catherine  over  sea 
and  land  to  Mount  Sinai ;  one  of  the  foremost  carries 
a  sword,  the  instrument  of  her  martyrdom.  The  float- 
ing,  onward  movement  of  the  group  is  very  beautifully 
expressed. 

*  Bartsch,  vi.  374  f  Berlin  Gal. 

t  Vienna  Gal.  §  v.  Stirling's  Artists  of  Spain,  p.  339. 


u6  BACKED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

In  the  Spanish  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,  now  dispersed, 
there  was  :i  curious  votive  picture  by  P.  Ilcrrcra,  of 
which  one  would  likf  to  know  the  history.  A  noble- 
man  nf  Seville,   and    bis    family,   arc   imprisoned    in  a 

dungeon  ;  they  implore  the  aid  of  St.  Catherine,  who 
appears  to  them  habited  in  the  rich  Spanish  costume  of 
the  time  (about  1620),  and  pr<nni>c>  them  deliverance, 
Another  legend  of  St.  Catherine  is  represented  in  a 
small  old  picture  by  Ambrogio  di  Lorenzo:*  on  one 
Bide  are  seen  two  nuns  vainly  imploring  ■  physician  to 

heal   one  of  the   sisterhood  who   is   sick  ;    on   the  other, 

the  Bick  nun  is  seen  tying  in  her  cell  ;  St.  Catherine 
descends  from  heaven  to  heal  her.  These  and  similar 
pictures  may  be  considered  as  votive  offerings  to  St. 
Catherine,  as  the  giver  of  g 1  counsel,  is  which  char- 
acter she  is  particularly  venerated. 

The  life  of  St.  Catherine  tonus  a  beautiful  and  dra- 
matic series,  and  i-  often  nut  with  in  the  chapels  dedi- 
cated to  her.  And  it  i-  worthy  of  remark,  that  the 
mystical  ••  marriage  "  is  scarcely  ever  included  in  the 
historical  series,  but  reserved  as  an  altar-piece,  or  treated 

apart. 

<  >n  a  window  of  the  Cathedral  at  Angers,  — 
l.  St.  Catherine  disputes  with  the  emperor  and  the 
philosophers.     Maxentins  sit>on  a  throne  with  a  sword 

in    his   hand  ;    -he   Btands    before   him  with  a   hock.      2. 

She  i-  bound  between  two  n  heels  ;  a  hand  out  of  heaven 
hieak>  the  wheels.  ,t.  St.  Catherine,  in  prison,  con- 
verts the  empress,  i  Christ  visits  her  in  prison;  an 
angel  brings  her  a  crown.  5.  Catherine  is  hound  and 
scourged  by  two  executioners.  •'>•  The  empress  is  be- 
headed "ii  "He  side;  and  St.  Catherine  on  the  other. 
7.  Three  angels  bnrj  St  Catherine;  two  lay  her  in 
the  sepulchre  ;  one  standi  by,  holding  her  severed  I  • 

in  a  napkin. 

The  -eric,   in    her  chapel   at    Assisi    i-   much   ruined. 
It  appeared  to  me  to  consist  of  the  usual  scenes.      Iii 

•   Ife  run  0*1. 


ST.   CATHERINE. 


97 


the  conversion  of  the  empress,  she  is  seated  inside  the 
prison,  listening  to  the  instruction  of  Catherine,  while 
Porphyry  stands  without,  holding  her  palfrey. 

I  observed,  in  the  last  subject  of  the  series,  that  St. 
Catherine,  instead  of  being  buried  by  three  angels,  which 
is  the  usual  manner,  is  borne  over  land  and  sea  by  a 
whole,  troop  of  angels,  ten  or  twelve  in  number. 

By  Masaccio.  In  the  chapel  of  St.  Catherine,  in 
the  church  of  San  Clemcnte,  at  Rome,  we^find  this 
celebrated  series  :  in  spite  of  its  ruined  condition,  the 
grave  sentiment  and  refinement  of  the  principal  figures 
are  still  most  striking.  1 .  She  refuses  to  adore  the  idols. 
2.  She  converts  the  empress.  She  is  seen  through  a 
window  seated  inside  a  prison,  and  the  empress  is  seat- 
ed outside  of  the  prison,  opposite  to  her,  in  a  graceful, 
listening  attitude.  3.  The  empress  is  beheaded,  and 
her  soul  is  carried  by  an  angel  into  heaven.  4.  St. 
Catherine  disputes  with  the  philosophers.  She  is  stand- 
ing in  the  midst  of  a  hall,  the  forefinger  of  one  hand 
laid  on  the  other,  as  in  the  act  of  demonstrating.  She 
is  represented  fair  and  girlish,  dressed  with  great  sim- 
plicity in  a  tunic  and  girdle,  —  no  crown,  nor  any 
other  attribute.  The  sages  are  ranged  on  each  side, 
some  lost  in  thought,  others  in  astonishment :  the  ty- 
rant is  seen  behind,  as  if  watching  the  conference  ;  while 
through  an  open  window  we  behold  the  fire  kindled  for 
the  converted  philosophers,  and  the  scene  of  their  ex- 
ecution. 5.  Catherine  is  delivered  from  the  wheels, 
which  are  broken  by  an  angel.  6.  She  is  beheaded. 
In  the  background  angels  lay  her  in  a  sarcophagus  on 
the  summit  of  Mount  Sinai. 


;,8  SACRED   AXO    LEC1  SDAUY   ART. 


St.  Barbara. 

Itul.  Santa  Barbara.     Fr.  Saintc  Barbc.     Patron  saint  <>f  armor- 
i'i  gunsmiths ;  "f  Ire-anni  and  forttfioations.    Bhe  li  in- 
voked agatnat  thunder  and  lightning,  and  all  aooldents  arising 

bom  ex  plosions  of  gunpowder.     Patroness  of  hmn,  liuastala, 
and  Mantua.     Dec.  4,  A    l).  303. 

Tm;  legend  of  St.  Barbara  was  introduced  from  the 
]  ■-•,  abont  the  same  time  with  thai  of  St.  Catherine. 
Bhe  is  tli.'  armed  Pallas  or  Bellona  of  the  antique  my- 
thology, reproduced  under  the  aspect  of  a  Christian 
martyr. 

••  There  was  a  certain  man  named  DioscoTus,  who 
dwelt  in  Beliopolis ;  coble,  and  of  great  possessions] 
ami  he  had  an  only  daughter,  named  Barbara,  whom 
he  loved  exceedingly.  Fearful  lest,  from  bar  singular 
beauty, she  Bhonld  '"■  demanded  in  marriage  and  taken 
from  him,  he  Bhut  her  up  in  a  very  high  tower,  ami  kept 
her  secluded  from  the  eyes  of  men.  The  virtuous  Bar 
bara,  in  her  Bolitude,  gave  herself  up  t<>  Btudj  ami  med- 
itation ;  from  tin'  Bummit  of  her  tower  she  contem- 
plated the  stars  of  heaven  and  their  courses  j  ami  the 

result  of  her  reflections  was,  that  the  idols  ofw 1  and 

stone  worshipped  by  her  parents  could  not  !»■  really 
puis,  —  could  nut  have  created  the  wonders  on  which 
sin'  meditated  night  ami  day.  Bo  she  contemned  in 
her  heart  these  false  gods  ;  but  as  yel  Bhe  knew  not  the 
true  faith. 

■  Now,  in  tin'  loneliness  <<f  her  tower,  tin-  fame 
reached  her  of  a  certain  sage  who  had  demonstrated 
tin-  vanity  of  idolatry,  ami  who  taught  a  new  ami  holy 

religion.     This  was  tm  other  than  tin-  fe us  doctor 

and  teacher,  Origen,  who  dwelt  in  the  city  of  Alexan- 
dria.     St.  Barbara  longed  beyond  measure  in  know 
more  of  lii^  t—^Mng.     Bhe  therefore  wrote  to  him 
rredy,  and  sent  her  letter  by  a  sun-  messenger,  who,  on 

arriving  at  Alexandria,  found  Origen  in  the  1 so  of 

the  Empress  Ifammea,  occupied  in  expounding  tbo 


ST.  BARBARA. 


99 


Gospel.  Origen,  on  reading  the  letter  of  St.  Barbara, 
rejoiced  greatly  ;  he  wrote  to  her  with  his  own  hand, 
and  sent  to  her  one  of  his  disciples,  disguised  as  a  phy- 
sician, who  perfected  her  conversion,  and  she  received 
baptism  from  his  hands. 

"  Her  father,  Dioscorus,  who  was  violently  opposed 
to  the  Christians,  was  at  this  time  absent :  but  previous 
to  his  departure  he  had  sent  skilful  architects  to  con- 
struct within  the  tower  a  bath-chamber  of  wonderful 
splendor.  One  day  St.  Barbara  descended  from  her 
turret  to  view  the  progress  of  the  workmen  ;  and  see- 
ing that  they  had  constructed  two  windows,  commanded 
them  to  insert  a  third.  They  hesitated  to  obey  her,  say- 
ing, '  We  are  afraid  to  depart  from  the  orders  we  have 
received.'  But  she  answered,  «  Do  as  I  command  :  ye 
shall  be  held  guiltless.'  When  her  father  returned  he 
was  displeased  ;  and  he  said  to  his  daughter,  '  Why 
hast  thou  done  this  thing,  and  inserted  three  windows 
instead  of  two  ?  '  —  and  she  answered,  '  Know,  my 
father,  that  through  three  windows  doth  the  soul  receive 
light,  —  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and 
the  Three  are  One.'  Then  her  father,  being  enraged, 
drew  his  sword  to  kill  her,  and  she  fled  from  him  to  the 
summit  of  the  tower,  and  he  pursued  her  ;  but  by  an- 
gels she  was  wrapt  from  his  view,  and  carried  to  a  dis- 
tance. A  shepherd  betrayed  her  by  pointing  silently  to 
the  place  of  her  concealment ;  and  her  father  dragged 
her  thence  by  the  hair,  and  beat  her,  and  shut  her  up 
in  a  dungeon  ;  —  all  the  love  he  formerly  felt  for  his 
daughter  being  changed  into  unrelenting  fury  and  in- 
dignation when  he  found  she  was  a  Christian.  He  de- 
nounced her  to  the  proconsul  Marcian,  who  was  a  cruel 
persecutor  of  the  Christians  :  the  proconsul,  after  vain- 
ly endeavoring  to  persuade  her  to  sacrifice  to  his  false 
gods,  ordered  her  to  be  scourged  and  tortured  horribly ; 
but  St.  Barbara  only  prayed  for  courage  to  endure  what 
was  inflicted,  rejoicing  to  suffer  for  Christ's  sake.  Her 
father,  seeing  no  hope  of  her  yielding,  carried  her  to  a 
certain  mountain  near  the  city,  drew  his  sword,  and  cut 


ioo       SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

off  her  head  with  his  own  hands  ;  bat  as  he  descend*  .1 
the  mountain,  there  came  on  a  most  fearful  tempest, 
with  thunder  and  lightning,  and  fire  fell  apon  this  cruel 
father  and  consumed  him  utterly,  so  that  not  a  vestige 
of  him  remained."  * 

In  the  devotional  pictures,  St.  Barbara  bears  the 
sword  and  palm  in  common  with  other  martyrs;  when 
Bhe  wears  the  diadem,  it  is  as  martyr,  not  as  princt 

.-lie  has  also  the  hook,  anil    is  often  reading,  in  allusion 

to  her  studious  life  ;  bat  her  peculiar,  almosl  invariable, 
attribute  is  the  tower,  generally  with  three  windows,  in 
allusion  to  the  legend. 

St.  Barbara,  as  protectress  against  thunder  and  light- 
ning, fire-arms,  and  gunpowder,  is  also  invoked  against 
Midden  death;  for  it  was  believed  that  those  «ho  de- 
rated themselves  to  berBhonld  not  die  impenitent,  nor 
without  having  Bret  received  the  holy  sacraments.  She 
therefore  carries  the  sacramental  cup  and  wafer,  and  is 
the  only  female  saint  who  hears  this  attribute.  She  is 
usually  dressed  with  great  magnificence,  and  almosl  al- 
ways in  red  drapery.  'The  tower  is  often  a  massy 
building  in  the  background,  and  she  holds  the  sword  in 
one  hand,  and  the  Qospel  or  palm  in  the  other :  occa- 
sionally, in  early  pictures,  and  early  German  prints,  she 

holds   a    little    tower   in    her   hand,  men  Iv   BS   a    di>liii- 

gnishing  attribute  ;  <»r  she  is  leaning  on  it  as  a  pedestal. 

In  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  Van  Eyckscl 1  which 

I  saw  m  the  Museum  at  Rouen,  representing  the  Vir- 
gin and  <  Ihild  throned  in  the  midst  of  female  saints,  St. 
Barbara  i-  seated  on  the  left  of  the  .Madonna,  bending 

over  a  hook,  and  wearing  on  her  head  a  rich  and  tiw-te- 
fnl  diadem  of  gemi  and  -old,  the  front  of  which  is 
worked   into  the  form  of  a  triple  tower.      I    have 

the'  tower  modelled  in  gold,  suspended  in  a  golden  chain 
from  her  girdle. 

I  have  Men  several  pictures  of  St.  Barbara  in  which 
the  holds  u  bather  in  her  hand  ;  generally  a  peacock's 


ST.  BARBARA.  101 

feather.  I  have  never  met  with  any  explanation  of 
this  attribute  ;  and  am  inclined  to  believe,  as  it  is  only 
found  in  the  German  pictures,  that  it  refers  to  an  old 
German  version  of  her  legend,  which  relates  that  when 
St.  Barbara  was  scourged  by  her  father,  the  angels 
changed  the  rods  into  feathers. 

The  expression  of  the  head  varies  with  the  fancy  of 
the  paiutcr  ;  but  in  the  best  pictures,  at  least  in  all 
those  that  aspire  to  character,  the  countenance  and  at- 
titude convey  the  idea  of  thoughtfulness,  dignity,  and 
power.  Luini,  in  a  fresco  group  in  the  Brera,  where 
she  stands  opposite  to  St.  Antony,  has  given  her  this  ex- 
pression of  "  umilfa  superba."  Domenichino  has  given 
her  this  look,  with  large  lustrous  eyes,  full  of  inspiration. 

1.  The  most  beautiful  of  the  single  figures  to  which 
I  can  refer  is  the  chef-d'oeuvre  of  Palma  Vecchio,  placed 
over  the  altar  of  St.  Barbara  in  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  Formosa  at  Venice.  She  is  standing  in  a  ma- 
jestic attitude,  looking  upwards  with  inspired  eyes,  and 
an  expression  like  a  Pallas.  She  wears  a  tunic  or  robe 
of  a  rich,  warm  brown,  with  a  mantle  of  crimson  ;  and 
a  white  veil  is  twisted  in  her  diadem  and  among  the 
tresses  of  her  pale  golden  hair  :  the  whole  picture  is 
one  glow  of  color,  life,  and  beauty  ;  I  never  saw  a 
combination  of  expression  and  color  at  once  so  soft,  so 
sober,  and  so  splendid.  Cannon  are  at  her  feet,  and 
her  tower  is  seen  behind.*  Beneath,  in  front  of  the 
altar,  is  a  marble  bas-relief  of  her  martyrdom  ;  she 
lies  headless  on  the  ground,  and  lire  from  heaven  de- 
stroys the  executioners. 

There  is  a  very  tine  single  figure  of  St.  Barbara 
holding  her  cup  and  wafer,  by  Ghirlandajo.t 

*  This  is  the  most  celebrated  of  the  numerous  portraits  of  Vio- 
laute  Palma,  Titian's  first  love,  according  to  the  well-known  tradi- 
tion, and  whose  beautiful  face  and  form  are  to  be  traced  in  some 
of  his  early  pictures,  as  well  as  those  of  Palma  and  Giorgioue. 
Her  portrait  by  Giorgioue  is  in  the  Manfrini  Palace  ;  she  is  hold- 
ing a  guitar.  Her  portrait  by  her  father  is  at  Dresden  ;  and  het 
portrait  by  Titian,  as  Flora,  in  the  Florence  Gallery. 

t  Berlin  Gal. 


102       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

•j.  Almost  equal  in  beauty,  but  quite  in  the  German 
Btyle,  is  a  full  length  by  Holbein  in  the  Munich  QaUery. 

:i.  Matteo  da  Siena.  (UT'.i.)  Enthroned  as  patron 
Baint,  she  holds  in  her  lilt  hand  a  tower,  within  the 
door  tit'  which  \m  Been  the  cup  and  wafer;  her  right 
hand  holds  the  palm,  ami  two  angels,  bearing  a  crown, 
hover  above  Ikt  head;  two  other  angels  with  musical 
instruments  an-  at  her  feet  ;  on  tin-  right  of  Bt  Bar- 
Kara   Btands   St.   Catherine,   ami   on    tin1   hit    St.    Marx 

Magdalene.* 

4.  Cosimo  Roselli.  St.  Barbara,  holding  the  tower 
in  one  hand,  in  the  other  the  palm,  stands  upon  Ikt 
lather,  who  is  literally  sprawling  un  the  gronnd  under 
her  tret ;  on  one  side  stands  St.  John  the  Baptist,  on 
the  other  St.  Matthias  the  apostle.1  This  i>  a  Btran( 
disagreeable  picture,  very  characteristic  of  the  eccentric 
painter:  hut  for  the  introduction  of  the  tower,  I  should 

have    taken    it    lor    a    St.    (  atherine    trampling    "ii    the 

Emperor  Maximin. 

5.  Michael  Coxis.  St.  Barbara  is  represented  hold- 
ing a  leather  in  her  hand.  In  two  pictures  (old  Ger- 
man) it  i.-  distinctly  a  white  ostrich  leather;  in  others, 
it  i-  a  peacock's  feather.  In  a  Madonna  picture  bj 
Vender  Goes  the  Virgin  is  Beated  with  the  child  on 
her  knee ;  two  angels  crown  her;  on  the  right,  St. 

(atherine,  with  the  .-word  and    part  of  the  wheel    lying 

before  her,  presents  an  apple  to  the  Enfant  Christ  ;  on 
the  left  h  St.  Barbara  with  a  hunk  on  her  knee,  and 
holding  a  peacock's  feather  in  her  hand.  The  whole 
exquisite  for  finish,  and  beauty  of  workmanship.} 

Ii   i-  usual  in  a  BBCred  group  -  Sacra  <  <"/"  > 

to  find  St.  Catherine  and  St.  Barbara  in  companion- 

hhip,  particularly  in  German   An  ;   ami    then  it    ia  cleat 

to  me  that  they  represent  the  two  powers  which  in 
the  middle  ages  divided  the  Christian  world  between 
them.  Si.  <  latheriue  appears  as  the  patroness  of  m  boot 
men,  of  theological  learning,  study,  and  Beclusion;  St 

*  Siena,  San  Dotncnlco.  11      load. 

rence  Oat. 


ST.  BARBARA.  103 

Barbara  as  patroness  of  the  knight  and  the  man-at- 
arms,  —  of  fortitude  and  active  courage.  Or,  in  other 
words,  they  represent  the  active  and  the  contemplative 
life,  so  often  contrasted  in  the  mediaeval  works  of  art.* 

There  is  a  beautiful  and  well-known  drawing  by  J. 
Van  Eyck,  in  which  St.  Barbara  is  seated  in  front, 
with  outspread  ample  drapery  and  long  fair  hair  flow- 
ing over  her  shoulders.  Behind  her  is  a  magnificent 
Gothic  tower,  of  most  elaborate  architecture,  on  which 
a  number  of  masons  and  builders  are  employed. 

St.  Barbara  is  frequently  introduced  into  pictures  of 
the  throned  Madonna.  The  most  celebrated  example 
is  the  "  Madonna  di  San  Sisto  "  of  Eaphael,  in  which 
she  is  kneeling  to  the  left  of  the  Virgin ;  on  the  other 
side  is  St.  Sixtus.  The  expression  in  the  two  saints 
is  admirably  discriminated.  St.  Sixtus  implores  the 
Virgin  in  favor  of  the  brotherhood  for  whom  the  pic- 
ture was  painted ;  St.  Barbara  requires  for  the  Virgin 
the  devotions  of  the  faithful.  I  have  already  observed 
that,  where  saints  are  grouped  together,  the  usual  pen- 
dant of  St.  Barbara  is  St.  Catherine,  unless  there  are 
special  reasons  for  introducing  some  other  personage, 
—  as  in  this  instance  :  the  picture  having  been  painted 
for  the  monastery  of  San  Sisto  at  Piacenza. 

Historical  pictures  of  St.  Barbara  are  c6nfined  to 
few  subjects. 

1.  In  a  small  ancient  picture,  evidently  part  of  a 
predella,  St.  Barbara  with  two  female  attendants  is  seen 
standing  before  a  tower,  which  has  a  drawbridge  let 
down  over  a  moat ;  she  seems  about  to  enter ;  several 
masons  are  at  work  building  the  tower.  In  the  other 
half  of  the  picture,  she  is  lying  in  a  shrine  hung  with 
votive  offerings,  and  the  crippled  and  the  sick  appear 
before  it  as  suppliants. 

2.  Pinturicchio,  large  fresco  in  the  Vatican.  In  the 
centre  the  mystical  tower :  on  one  side,  she  is  flying 
from  her  father ;  on  the  other,  the  wall  opens,  and  she 

*  Legends  of  the  Madonna. 


io4       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY   ART. 

roes.     The  treacherous  shepherd  is  seen  in  the  die 
taace. 

.3.  Rubens.  St.  Barbara  flies  from  her  father  to  the 
top  of  a  tower;  he,  in  the  Likeness  of  a  "turbaned 
'I'm-k,"  is  Been  punning  her,  sword  in  hand:  aamall 
sketch  in  the  Dnlwich  <  Sailer] 

In  pictures  of  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Barbara,  the 
leading  idea  <>r  motif  doea  oof  rarj  :  she  is  on  her  kn< 
and  her  father,  always  in  a  tnrban,  the  heathen  attri- 
bute, senses  her  by  the  hair  with  one  hand,  holding  his 
sword  in  the  other.  Generally  we  and  the  tower  in  the 
background,  or  a  peaked  mountain,  to  express  the  1<>- 
cality.  Among  many  engravings  of  this  scene  may  be 
mentioned  a  very  carious  and  beautiful  old  print,  in 
which  Dioscorus  is  in  the  verj  act  of  striking  off  her 
head;  the  tower  is  seen  behind,  and  in  the  window 
Btands  the  Bacramental  cup.* 

A  picture  of  striking  beantj  i-  tin-  martyrdom  of  St 
Barbara  over  her  altar  in  the  church  of  8.  Maria-delle- 
Grazie  at  Brescia.  She  kneels  in  a  white  tunic  em- 
broidered with  gold.  Her  pagan  father,  turbaned  as 
usual,  has  seised  her  by  the  hair:  Bhe  looks  up  fall  of 
faith  and  love  divine.  There  are  several  spectators, 
two  on  horseback,  others  on  foot  ;  and  in  the  rigorous 
painting  of  the  heads  and  magnificent  color  the  picture 
mblee'  Titian.  It  i.^  l.\  his  Brescian  pupil  and 
friend,  Pietro  Bosa. 

In  the  church  of  St.  Barbara  al  .Mantua  Is  her  mar- 
tyrdom, by  Brnsasorci,  over  the  high  altar;  and  in  the 
church  of  St.  Barbara  at  Perrara  there  is  a  most  beauti- 
ful altar-piece,  bj  •  ;  Maszuoli,  representing  the  saint 
in  the  midst  of  a  choir  <>(  rirgin-martyrs,  \\h.>  seem  to 
welcome  b  t  Into  their  celestial  community . 

of  fire-anna  and  against  sudden  death, 
the  effigy  <it'  St  Barbara  ia  a  frequent  ornament  on 
shields,  armor,  and  particularly  great  gans  and  held- 

•  U  BnTi  u  di   it'...    Bartaob,  ri  :n. 


ST.  BARBARA.  105 

pieces.  I  found  her  whole  history  on  a  suit  of  armor 
which  the  Emperor  Maximilian  sent  as  a  present  to 
Henry  VIII.  in  1509,  and  which  is  now  preserved  in 
the  Tower.  On  the  breastplate  is  St.  George  as  patron 
of  England,  vanquishing  the  dragon  ;  on  the  back- 
plate,  St.  Barbara  standing  majestic,  with  her  tower, 
her  cup,  and  her  book.  On  the  horse-armor  we  have 
the  history  of  the  two  saints,  disposed  in  a  regular 
series,  each  scene  from  the  life  of  St.  George  bein<;  ac- 
companied by  a  corresponding  scene  from  the  life  of 
St.  Barbara.  1.  St.  George,  mounted  on  horseback, 
like  a  knight  of  romance  riding  forth  in  search  of  ad- 
ventures :  St.  Barbara,  attended  by  two  maidens,  directs 
the  building  of  her  tower ;  a  man  is  ascending  a  ladder 
with  a  hodful  of  bricks.  2.  St.  George  is  accused 
before  the  Emperor.  St.  Barbara  is  pursued  by  her 
father.  3.  St.  George  is  tortured  by  the  wheels.  St. 
Barbara  is  scourged.  4.  St.  George  is  beheaded  by  an 
executioner.  St.  Barbara  is  beheaded  by  her  father, 
who  seizes  her  by  the  hair  in  the  usual  manner,  amid 
the  raging  of  a  tempest. 

The  designs  are  in  the  manner  of  Hans  Burgmair's 
Triumph  of  Maximilian,  and,  probably  by  the  same 
hand,  elaborately  engraved  on  the  plates  of  the  armor; 
the  figures  about  six  inches  high.  The  arabesque 
ornaments  which  surround  the  subjects  are  of  singular 
elegance,  intermingled  with  the  rose  and  pomegranate, 
the"  badge  of  Henry  and  Catherine  of  Aragon.  The 
armor,  being  now  exhibited  to  advantage  on  a  wooden 
man  and  horse,  can  easily  be  examined.  In  the  de- 
scription published  in  the  "  Archajologia,"  and  the 
"  Guide  to  the  Tower,"  there  are  a  few  mistakes  ;  for 
instance,  the  "scourging  of  St.  Barbara"  is  styled  "the 
scourging  of  St.  Agatha,"  who  had  no  concern  in  any 
way  with  war  or  armor.  Altogether,  this  suit  of  armor 
is  a  curious  and  interesting  illustration  of  the  religious 
and  chivalric  application  of  the  Fine  Arts.* 

*  I  find  only  one  church  in  England  dedicated  to  St.  Barbara, 
»t  Ashton-under-Hill,  Gloucestershire. 


io6        SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 


St.  i  k-i  i  \   urn  nut  < k>xPAiaoNB. 

Lat.  S.  Ursula.    Ital.  Santa  Orsola     Fr.  BainteTJrtole.    PMrOB 
ess  of  young  pirls,  particularly  school  girls,  and  "f  all  irana 

whii  devote  themselvi  -  eapecl  illy  t"  the  imp-  :itnl  .  ilui;it  i  hi  of 
their  own  sex.    Oct.  21 

Certain  writers  in  theology,  pitiably  hard  of  belief, 
have  .-•>•!  their  wits  to  work  —  rather  unnecessarily, 
it  appears  to  mc  — 1<>  reduce  thi^  extravagant  and  j »i«*- 
ruresaue  legend  within  the  bonnds  of  probability  :  bat 
when  they  have  proved  to  their  own  satisfaction  that 
XI.  M.  V.  means  eleven  Martyr  Virgins,  and  not  eleven 
thousand; — that  the  voyage  over  the  unstable  ■ 
amid  storm  and  sunshine,  —  the  winds  sometimes  Eur, 
sometimes  furiously  raging,  —  signifies  the  voyage  of 
life,  with  all  its  vicissitudes  ;  and  the  whole  Btory  mere- 
ly a  religious  allegory;  —  when  this  has  all  been  laid 
down  incontrovertibly,  we  are  not  much  advanced  :  for 
one  thing  is  clear  ;  our  ancestors,  to  whom  all  marvels 
ami  miracles  in  a  religious  garb  came  equally  ai  ■  n  d 

ited,  andersl i  the  Btory  literally.     Endowed  with  a 

sort  of  ••  chevril  "  faith,  which  stretched  "  from  an  inch 
narrow  to  an  ell  broad,"  they  found  it  quite  as  easj  to 
believe  in  eleven  thousand  virgins  as  in  eleven  ;  nor 
was  there  in  its  chr logical  and  geographical  absurdi- 
ties anything  to  stagger  the  faith  of  the  ignorant  In 
spiie  nf  the  critical  sneers  nt'  the  learned,  it  kept  its 
hold  on  the  popular  fancy.  It  was  especially  delight 
:'.il  tn  the  women,  whom  it  placed  in  a  -rami  ami  }■• 
ical  point  of  \  le«  ;  — 

"  Ami  though  "tn.ill  in  .lit  doubting  wlt«  might  giv.-, 

Innooeiita  irould  still  bellen 

The  painters,  in  their  efforts  to  L'i\e  the  story  in  I 
ronsistent  form,  have  had  the  most  difficult  part  of  the 
task,  inasmuch  as  it  has  been  found  embarrassing  tc 


ST.   URSULA.  107 

bring  the  eleven  thousand  martyrs  into  any  reasonable 
compass  ;  and  the  contrivances  to  which  they  have  re- 
sorted for  the  purpose  are  sometimes  very  picturescme 
and  ingenious. 

There  are  several  different  versions  of  this  wild  le- 
gend. In  general  it  seems  admitted  as  a  fact,  that,  at  a 
period  when  Christianity  and  civilization  were  contend- 
ing for  the  mastery  over  paganism  and  barbarism  in 
the  north  of  Germany,  a  noble  maiden  and  several  of 
her  companions  were  murdered  for  their  faith,  some- 
where in  the  neighborhood  of  Cologne.  Such  inci- 
dents were  not  then  uncommon.  The  exact  date  of 
the  event  is  not  fixed :  some  mention  the  year  237  as 
the  probable  date  ;  others  383;  and  others  again  451, 
when  the  Huns  invaded  Belgium  and  Gaul.  The  tra- 
dition can  be  traced  back  to  the  year  600  ;  in  the  year 
846  the  German  Martyrology  of  Wandelbert  extended 
its  popularity  through  the  North  of  Europe.  The  first 
mention  of  the  definite  number  of  eleven  thousand  vir- 
gins was  by  Herman,  bishop  of  Cologne,  in  922,  and 
is  said  to  be  founded  on  a  mistake  of  the  abbreviation 
XI.  M.  V.,  i.  e.  eleven  martyr  virgins,  for  "  undccimilla 
virginis,"  eleven  thousand  virgins.  Others  reduce  the 
eleven  thousand  to  one ;  they  say  that  a  virgin  named 
Uhdecimilla  perished  with  St.  Ursula,  which  gave  rise 
to  the  mistake.  All  these  attempts  to  reduce  the  legend 
to  a  fact  leave  us,  however,  in  the  same  predicament : 
we  must  accept  it  in  the  popular  form  in  which  it  has 
been  handed  down  to  us,  and  which,  from  the  multi- 
plicity of  the  representations  in  Germany  and  Italy, 
has  assumed  a  high  degree  of  importance.  In  some 
versions  of  the  story  —  for  instance,  in  the  Spanish  ver- 
sion of  Ribadcneira  —  the  journey  to  Rome  is  omitted  ; 
the  names  of  the  personages  and  the  minor  incidents 
vary  in  all.  I  shall  adhere  to  the  Cologne  version,  as 
tbat  which  has  been  the  most  popular,  and,  I  believe, 
'invariably  followed  in  German  and  Italian  Art. 

"  Once  on  a  time  there  reigned  in  Brittany  a  certain 


108       BACHED  AND   LE01  VDABY   AST. 

kiriLr,  whose  name  was  Theonotus,*  and  he  was  married 
to  a  Sicilian  princess  whose  name  was  Daria.  Motli 
were  Christians,  and  they  were  blessed  with  one  daugh- 
ter, whom  they  called  Urania,  and  whom  they  educated 
with  exceeding  care.1  When  Ursula  was  about  fifteen, 
her  mother,  Queen  Daria,  died,  l<'a\  ing  the  king  almost 
inconsolable;  but  Ursula,  though  bo  young,  supplied 
the  place  <d  her  mother  in  the  court  She  \\a>  not 
only  wonderfully  beautiful,  and  gifted  with  all  the  ex 
ternal  graces  of  her  sex,  but  accomplished  in  all  the 
learning  of  the  time.  Her  mind  was  a  perfect  store- 
house of  wisdom  and  knowledge  :  Bhe  had  read  about 
the  stars  and  the  courses  of  the  winds;  all  that  had 
ever  happened  in  the  world  from  the  days  of  Adam  she 
had  by  heart ;  the  poets  and  the  philosophers  were  t<> 
Iict  what  childish  recreations  are  ti>  others  :  but,  above 
all,  she  was  profoundly  versed  in  theology  and  school 

divinity,  so  that   the  doctors  were  astonished  and  con- 

founded  by  her  argumentative  powers.  To  these  ac- 
complisbments  were  added  the  more  excellent  ^it't.s  of 
humility,  piety,  and  charity,  bo  thai  she  was  esteemed 
the  most  accomplished  princess  of  the  time  I  1<t  lather, 
■who  loved  her  as  the  light  <>f  his  eyes,  desired  noth- 
ing better  than  to  keep  her  always  at  hi*  side.  But 
the  Game  of  her  beauty,  her  virtue,  and  her  wondrous 
learning,  was  spread  through  all  the  neighboring  lands, 

that  many  <>f  the  neighboring  princes  desired  her  in 
marriage:  but  Ursula  refused  everj  offer. 

••  Not  far  from  Brittany,  on  the  other  side  of  the. 
great  ocean,  was  a  countrj  called  England,  vast  and 
powerful,  but  the  people  were  still  in  the  darkness  of 
paganism  ;  and  the  km^  of  thi>  countrj  had  an  only 

•  in  the  Itjiiiiin  reriloni  "f  the  Legend,  be  i^  railed  "  h  Be 

Me it 

di  rlrttlon  Mid  meaning  of  the  n  un  popular  In 

i       pe,  i»  tiin-  giren  by  Burtui  :  —  Hine  Uaqut .  quia  (  1 1  mpto, 
David  imtnantm  nreum  teilictt  dUbolnm  fuondoqut  §nffbcatu- 

T'l  i  r,il,  l)i  "  'lis/mm  nil    (OVl'ffttMl  (isluml    ,/i'irttiti 

tUSilli  in  luifiti-iii'ili  )ir,rmijumnnmt  ri  I  iclxa  iiuiir.atum  r*t 


ST.   URSULA. 


109 


Bon,  whose  name  was  Conon,  as  celebrated  for  his  beauty 
of  person,  his  warlike  prowess,  and  physical  strength, 
as  Ursula  for  her  piety,  her  graces,  and  her  learning. 
He  was  now  old  enough  to  seek  a  wife  ;  and  his  father, 
King  Agrippinus,  hearing  of  the  great  beauty  and  vir- 
tue of  Ursula,  sent  ambassadors  to  demand  her  in  mar- 
riagc  for  his  son. 

"  When  the  ambassadors  arrived  at  the  palace  of 
the  King  of  Brittany,  they  were  very  courteously  re- 
ceived, but  the  king  was  secretly  much  embarrassed, 
for  he  knew  that  his  daughter  had  made  a  vow  of  per- 
petual  chastity,  having  dedicated  herself  to  Christ ;  at 
the  same  time  he  feared  to  offend  the  powerful  monarch 
of  England  by  refusing  his  request :  therefore  he  de- 
layed to  give  an  answer,  and,  having  commanded  the 
ambassadors  to  be  sumptuously  lodged  and  entertained, 
he  retired  to  his  chamber,  and,  leaning  his  head  on  his 
hand,  he  meditated  what  was  best  to  be  done  ;  but  he 
could  think  of  no  help  to  deliver  him  from  this  strait. 

"  While  thus  he  sat  apart  in  doubt  and  sadness,  the 
princess  entered,  and,  learning  the  cause  of  his  melan- 
choly, she  said  with  a  smile,  '  Is  this  all  ?  Be  of  good 
cheer,  my  king  and  father  !  for,  if  it  please  you,  I  will 
myself  answer  these  ambassadors.'  And  her  father  re- 
plied, '  As  thou  wilt,  my  daughter.'  So  the  next  day, 
when  the  ambassadors  were  again  introduced,  St.  Ur- 
sula was  seated  on  a  throne  by  her  father's  side,  and, 
having  received  and  returned  their  salutation  with  un- 
speakable grace  and  dignity,  she  thus  addressed  them  : 
•  I  thank  my  lord  the  King  of  England,  and  Conon, 
his  princely  son,  and  his  noble  barons,  and  you,  sirs, 
his  honorable  ambassadors,  for  the  honor  ye  have  done 
me,  so  much  greater  than  my  deserving.  I  hold  my- 
self bound  to  your  king  as  to  a  second  father,  and  to 
the  prince  his  son  as  to  my  brother  and  bridegroom,  for 
to  no  other  will  I  ever  listen.  But  I  have  to  ask  three 
things.  First,  he  shall  give  for  me  as  my  ladies  and 
companions  ten  virgins  of  the  noblest  blood  in  his  king- 
dom, and  to  each  of  these  a  thousand  attendants,  and 


no        SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

to  me  also  a  thousand  maidens  to  wail  on  me.  Sen, 
midlv,  he  Bhall  permit  me  for  the  space  of  three  years 
to  honor  my  virginity,  and,  with  my  companions,  to 
visit  the  holy  Bhrinea  where  repose  the  bodies  of  die 
Baints.  Ami  my  third  demand  is,  that  the  prince  and 
his  court  Bhall  receive  baptism  ;  t'<>r  other  than  a  per- 
fect < ihristian  I  cannot  wed.' 

••  Now  yon  shall  understand  that  tlii>  wise  pro 
Ursula,  made  these  conditions,  thinking  in  her  heart, 
■either  the  King  of  England  will  refuse  these  demands, 
or,  it'  he  grant  them,  then  eleven  thonsand  virgins  are 
redeemed  and  dedicated  t"  the  service  of  God.'  The 
uiuiia-vsidors,  liciiiLT  dismissed  with  honor,  returned  t<> 

their  own  country,  where    they  made   such    a  report  of 

the  nnequalled  beaarj  and  wisdom  of  the  princess  that 
the  lung  thoughl  no  conditions  too  hard,  and  the  prince 
his  Mm  was  inflamed  by  desire  to  obtain  her;  so  he 
commanded  himself  to  he  forthwith  baptised;  and  the 
kitiL.-  wrote  letters  to  all  his  vassals  in  his  kingdom  <>f 
France,  in  Scotland,  and  in  the  province  of  Cornwall, 
to  all  hi-  princes,  dukes,  counts,  barons,  and  noble 
knights,  desiring  that  they  would  send  him  the  required 
number  of  maidens,  spotless  and  beautiful,  and  of  noble 
birth,  to  wait  on  the  princess  Ursula,  who  «vas  to  wed 
his  heir  the  Prim  *  ( lonon  ;  and  from  all  parts  these  no- 
hle  virgins  came  trooping,  fan-  and  accomplished  in  all 
female  learning,  ami  attired  in  rich  garments,  wearing 
jewels  of  gold  and  silver.     B  lembled  in  Brit- 

tany, in  the  capital  of  King  Theonotus,  Ursula  received 
them  not  only  with  great  gladness  and  courtesy,  hut 
with  a  -i-nrly  tenderness,  and  with  thanksgiving,  pn 
ids  God  that  so  many  of  her  own  sex  had  been 
dei  mod  from  the  world's  vanities  :  ami  the  tame  of  this 
noble  a--eml.lv  of  virgins  having  gone  forth  to  all  the 
countries  round  ni.oiit,  the  barons  and   knights  ■■ 
fathered  together  from  east  and  west  to  view  tin-  spec- 
tacle ;  and  yon  may  think  how  mneh  they  wire  ama/ed 
and  edified   by  the  sight  of  so  mneh   beauty  and   so 
much  devotion. 


ST.   URSULA.  in 

"  Now  when  Ursula  had  collected  all  her  virgins 
together,  on  a  fresh  and  fair  morning  in  the  spring 
time,  she  desired  them  to  meet  in  a  meadow  near  the 
city,  which  meadow  was  of  the  freshest  green,  all  over 
enamelled  with  the  brightest  flowers  ;  and  she  ascended 
a  throne  which  was  raised  in  the  midst,  and  preached 
to  all  the  assembled  virgins  of  things  concerning  the 
glory  of  God,  and  of  his  Son  our  Lord  and  Saviour, 
with  wonderful  eloquence ;  and  of  Christian  charity, 
and  of  a  pure  and  a  holy  life  dedicated  to  Heaven.  And 
all  these  virgins,  being  moved  with  a  holy  zeal,  wept, 
and,  lifting  up  their  hands  and  their  voices,  promised 
to  follow  her  whithersoever  she  should  lead.  And  she 
blessed  them  and  comforted  them ;  and  as  there  were 
many  among  them  who  had  never  received  baptism, 
she  ordered  that  they  should  be  baptized  in  the  clear 
stream  which  flowed  through  that  flowery  meadow. 

"  Then  Ursula  called  for  a  pen,  and  wrote  a  letter  to 
her  bridegroom,  the  son  of  the  King  of  England,  say- 
ing, that  as  he  had  complied  with  all  her  wishes  and 
fulfilled  all  her  demands,  he  had  good  leave  to  wait 
upon  her  forthwith.  So  he,  as  became  a  true  knight, 
came  immediately ;  and  she  received  him  with  great 
honor ;  and,  in  presence  of  her  father,  she  said  to  him, 
'  Sir,  my  gracious  prince  and  consort,  it  has  been  re- 
vealed to  me  in  a  vision  that  I  must  depart  hence  on 
my  pilgrimage  to  visit  the  shrines  in  the  holy  city  of 
Rome,  with  these  my  companions ;  thou  meanwhile 
shalt  remain  here  to  comfort  my  father  and  assist  him 
in  his  government  till  my  return ;  or  if  God  should 
dispose  of  me  otherwise,  this  kingdom  shall  be  yours 
by  right.'  Some  say  that  the  prince  remained,  but 
others  relate  that  he  accompanied  her  on  her  voyage ; 
however  this  may  be,  the  glorious  virgin  embarked 
with  all  her  maidens  on  board  a  fleet  of  ships  prepared 
for  them,  and  many  holy  prelates  accompanied  them. 
There  were  no  sailors  on  board,  and  it  was  a  wonder 
to  see  with  what  skill  these  wise  virgins  steered  the  ves- 
sels ijnd  managed  the  sails,  being  miraculously  taught; 


ii2       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

we  must  therefore  suppose  that  it  was  bj  no  mi^takti 
nf  theirs,  bat  by  the  providence  of  God,  thai  they  sailed 
to  the  north  instead  of  the  south,  and  were  driven  by 

the  wind-  into  the  i ith  of  the  Rhine  as  far  as  the  port 

of  Cologne.  Sere  they  reposed  for  a  brief  time,  daring 
which  it  was  revealed  to  St.  Ursula,  that  on  her  return 
she  and  her  companions  Bhoald  on  thai  spot  suffer 
martyrdom  for  the  cause  of  God :  all  which  .she  made 
known  to  her  companions  ;  and  they  all  together  lifted 
up  their  voices  in  hymns  of  thanksgiving  that  they 
should  be  found  worthy  so  to  die. 

■•  Sn  they  proceeded  on  their  voyage  up  the  river  till 
they  came  to  the  city  of  Basil ;  there  thej  disembarked, 
end  crossed  over  the  high  mountains  into  the  plains 
of  Liguria.  Over  the  rocks  and  snows  of  the  Alps 
they  were  miracult >n-l y  conducted,  tor  six  angels  went 
before  them  perpetually,  clearing  the  road  from  all 
impediments,  throwing  bridges  over  the  mountain  tor- 
rents, ami   every  night   pitching   tent-   for   their  shelter 

and  refreshment.  So  they  came  al  length  to  the  river 
Tiber,  and,  descending  the  river,  they  reached   Rome, 

that  6 n-  city,  where  is  the  holy  shrine  of  St.  Peter 

ami  St.  1'aul. 

••  In  those  days  was  Cyriacus  bishop  of  Koine:  he 
was  famous  for  hi-  sanctity;  and  bearing  of  the  arrival 
of  St.  I'r.-ula  and  all  her  fair  and  glorious  company  of 
maidens,  be  was,  as  yon  may  suppose,  greatlj  amazed 
and  troubled  in  mind,  not  knowing  what  it  might  ]>or- 
tend.  Bo  be  went  out  to  meet  them,  with  all  his  clergy 
in  procession.  When  St  Ursula,  kneeling  down  before 
him,  explained  to  him  the  cause  of  her  coming,  and 
implored  hi-  blessing  for  herself  and  her  companions, 
who  can  express  his  admiration  and  contentment !  He 
not  only  gave  tin  in  hi>  blessing,  but  commanded  that 
they  should  be  honorably  lodged  and  entertained  ;  and, 
tn  preserve  their  maidenly  honor  and  decorum,  h  nts 
were  pitched  for  them  outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  on 

the  plain  towards  Tivoli. 

Nuw   it    happened    that    the  valiant   son   of   King 


ST.   URSULA. 


113 


Agrippinus,  wlio  had  been  left  in  Brittany,  became 
every  day  more  and  more  impatient  to  learn  some  fa- 
dings of  his  princess-bride,  and  at  length  he  resolved  to 
set  out  in  search  of  her ;  and,  by  a  miracle,  he  had 
arrived  in  the  city  of  Rome  on  the  selfsame  day,  but 
by  a  different  route.  Being  happily  reunited,  he  knelt 
with  Ursula  at  the  feet  of  Cyriacus  and  received  bap- 
tism at  his  hands,  changing  his  name  from  Conon  to 
that  of  Ether eus,  to  express  the  purity  and  regeneration 
of  his  soul.  He  no  longer  aspired  to  the  possession  of 
Ursula,  but  fixed  his  hope  on  sharing  with  her  the 
crown  of  martyrdom  on  earth,  looking  to  a  perpetual 
reunion  in  heaven,  where  neither  sorrow  nor  separation 
should  touch  them  more. 

"  After  this  blessed  company  had  duly  performed 
their  devotions  at  the  shrine  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 
the  good  Cyriacus  would  fain  have  detained  them 
longer ;  but  Ursula  showed  him  that  it  was  necessary 
they  should  depart  in  order  to  receive  the  crown  '  al- 
ready laid  up  for  them  in  heaven.'  When  the  bishop 
heard  this,  he  resolved  to  accompany  her.  In  vain  his 
clergy  represented  that  it  did  not  become  a  pope  of 
Rome  and  a  man  of  venerable  years  to  run  after  a  com- 
pany of  maidens,  however  immaculate  they  might  be. 
Cyriacus  had  been  counselled  by  an  angel  of  God,  and 
he  made  ready  to  set  forth  and  embark  with  them  on 
the  river  Rhine. 

"  Now  it  happened  that  there  were  at  Rome  in  those 
days  two  great  Roman  captains,  cruel  heathens,  who 
commanded  all  the  Imperial  troops  in  Germania.  They, 
being  astonished  at  the  sight  of  this  multitude  of  vir- 
gins, said  one  to  the  other,  '  Shall  we  suffer  this  ?  If 
we  allow  these  Christian  maidens  to  return  to  Ger- 
mania, they  will  convert  the  whole  nation ;  or  if  they 
marry  husbands,  then  they  will  have  so  many  children 
—  no  doubt  all  Christians  —  that  our  empire  will  cease : 
therefore  let  us  take  counsel  what  is  best  to  be  done.' 
So  these  wicked  pagans  consulted  together,  and  wrote 
letters  to  a  certain  barbarian  king  of  the  Huns,  who 

TOL.  11.  8 


ii4       SACRED   AND   I  ■'    >1  \  I'M:)    ART. 

was  then  besieging  Cologne,  and  instructed  him  what 
he  should  do. 

••  Meantime  St.  Ursula  and  her  virgins,  with  hex 
hnsband  and  liis  faithful  knights,  prepared  to  embark  : 
with  them  went  Pope  Cyriacus,  and  in  his  train  Vin- 
cenzio  and  Giacomo,  cardinals ;  and  Solfino,  archbishop 
of  Ravenna;  and  Folatino,  bishop  of  Lucca;  and  the 
bishop  of  Faenza,  and  the  patriarch  of  Grado,  and 
many  other  prelates :  and  after  ;i  long  and  periloni 
journey  they  arrived  in  the  | >« >it  of  Cologne. 

••  They  found  the  city  besieged  by  a  great  army 
of  barbarians  encamped  on  a  plain  outside  the  gates. 
These  pagans,  Beeing  a  number  of  vessels,  filled,  not 
with  fierce  warriors,  but  beautiful  virgins,  unarmed 
youths,  and  venerable  bearded  men,  stood  Mil!  at  first, 
staring  with  amazement ;  but  after  a  Bhort  pause,  re- 
membering their  instructions,  they  rushed  upon  the 
unresisting  victims.  One  of  the  first  who  perished  was 
the  Prince  Ethereus,  \\  h<  •  till,  pierced  through  by  as 
arrow,  at  the  feet  of  his  beloved  princess.  ThenCyria- 
cus,  the  cardinals,  and  several  barons,  sank  to  the  earth, 
or  perished  in  the  Btream.  When  the  men  were  dis- 
patched, the  fierce  barbarians  rushed  upon  the  virgins 
just  as  s  pack  of  gaunl  hungry  wolves  might  fall  on  a 
tL »<k  of  milk  white  lambs.  Finding  that  the  noble 
maidens  resisted  their  brutality,  their  rage  was  excited, 
and  thei  drew  their  swords  and  massacred  them  all. 
Then  was  it  worthy  of  all  admiration  to  behold  thi  -■• 
illustrious  virgins,  who  had  Btruggled  t < >  defend  their 
virtue,  now  meekly  resigned,  and  ready  as  Bheep  for  the 
slaughter,  embrai  ing  and  encouraging  each  other  !  •  >h. 
then  I  bad  yon  seen  the  glorious  St.  Ursula,  worthy  t'> 
be  tii'-  captain  and  leader  of  tin.-  arm]  of  \  irgin  martj  rs, 

how  she  flew  froi te  to  the  other,  heartening  them 

with  brave  words  to  die  for  tluir  faith  and  honorl     In 
spired  by  her  voice,  her  aspect,  they  did  nol  quail,  but 
offered  themselves  to  death  ;  and  thus  by  hundreds  and 
by  thousands  thcj  perished,  and  the  plain  was  strewed 

with    their    limbs    and    ran    in    riven    "itli    tluir    Mood. 


ST.    URSULA.  iiS 

But  the  barbarians,  awed  by  the  majestic  beauty  of  St 
Ursula,  had  no  power  to  strike  her,  but  carried  her  be- 
fore their  prince,  who,  looking  on  her  with  admiration, 
said  to  Iter,  '  Weep  not,  for  though  thou  has  lost  thy 
companions,  I  will  be  thy  husband,  and  thou  shalt  he 
the  greatest  <pieen  in  all  Germany  ! '  To  which  St. 
Ursula,  all  plowing  with  indignation  and  a  holy  scorn, 
replied,  '  O  thou  cruel  man !  —  blind  and  senseless  as 
thou  art  cruel !  thinkest  thou  I  can  weep  ?  or  dost  thou 
hold  me  so  base,  so  cowardly,  that  I  would  consent  to 
survive  my  dear  companions  and  sisters  ?  Thou  art 
deceived,  0  son  of  Sathan!  for  I  defy  thee,  and  him 
whom  thou  servest!'  When  the  proud  pagan  heard 
these  words,  he  was  seized  with  fury,  and  bending  his 
bow,  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  he,  with  three  arrows, 
transfixed  her  pure  breast,  so  that  she  fell  dead,  and 
her  spirit  ascended  into  heaven,  with  all  the  glorious 
sisterhood  of  martyrs  whom  she  had  led  to  death,  and 
with  her  betrothed  husband  and  his  companions  :  and 
there,  with  palms  in  their  hands  and  crowns  upon  their 
heads,  they  stand  round  the  throne  of  Christ ;  and  live 
in  his  light  and  in  his  approving  smile,  blessing  him 
and  praising  him  forever.  —  Amen  !  " 

In  devotional  pictures  of  St.  Ursula,  the  usual  at- 
tributes are,  —  the  crown  as  princess,  the  arrow  as  mar- 
tyr, and  the  pilgrim's  staff,  surmounted  by  the  white 
banner  with  the  red  cross,  the  Christian  standard  of 
victory.  She  has  also  a  dove,  because  a  dove  revealed 
to  St.  Cunibert  where  she  was  buried.  There  is  great 
variety  in  these  representations  of  St.  Ursula  ;  and  I 
shall  give  some  examples. 

1.  As  patron  saint,  she  stands  alone,  wearing  the 
royal  crown,  attired  in  a  richly  embroidered  robe,  and 
over  it  a  scarlet  mantle  lined  with  ermine  ;  in  one  hand 
a  book,  in  the  other  an  arrow.  This,  I  think,  is  the 
usual  manner,  varied  of  course  in  expression  and  de- 
portment by  the  taste  of  the  artist. 

2.  She  stands  as  patron  saint,  a  majestic  figure,  in  a 


M6       8ACR1  D   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

rich  dress  with  rejral  ornaments,  a  <rrccn  <»r  BCarlet  man- 
tle  lined  with  ermine  ;  in  one  hand  her  arrow,  and 
in  th«  other  her  banner  with  tin-  red  cross.  This  is 
the  Venetian  idea  of  St  Crania.  She  if  thus  repre- 
sented bj  Cima  da  Conegliano,  Carpaccio,  and  Palma 
Vet  shio. 

A  Spanish  St.  Ursula  pves  nuiic  idea  of  the  very 
peculiar  style  of  Zurbarnn. 

t  As  martyr,  slic  is  kneeling  <>r  standing,  her  golden 
hair  Sowing  npon  her  Bhonlders,  sometimes  crowned, 
sometimes  nol  ;  her  bands  clasped,  her  bosom  transfixed 
by  an  arrow  ;  around  her,  on  the  ground,  her  maidens 
dead.  She  is  thns  represented  in  a  mosl  exquisite  min- 
iature in  the  ••  Beuresd'Anne  de  Bretagne  "  ;  and  also 
in  a  large  prim  after  Lorenzini,  in  which  Bhe  stands 
crowned  with  her  standard  of  victory,  and  a  steadfast 
triumphant  expression,  while  her  attendant  virgins  are 
martyred  in  the  background. 

5.  She  is  Btanding,  or  -rated  on  s  raised  throne  or 
pedestal;  her  hair  bound  by  a  fillet  of  gems;  her  ar- 
row in  her  hand  ;  on  each  Bide  Beveral  of  her  virgin 
companions,  two  of  whom  bear  standards  ;  as  in  a  pic- 
tare  bj  Martino  da  Udine,  wherein  the  idea  of  an  im- 
mense and  indefinite  number  is  well  conveyed  bj  an 
open  door  or  porch  on  each  side,  from  which  the  vir- 
gins appear  i<>  issue.* 

6.  She  is  standing,  holding  "pen  with  both  hands 
her  wide  and  ermined  mantle;  underneath  its  shelter 
are  many  virgins  wearing  crowns.  Bhe  is  here  the  pa- 
troness of  young  maidens  in  general,  and  is  thus  repre 
rented  in  a  very  curious  picture  bj  Caterina  da  Vign, 
who  was  herself  a  saint,  perhaps  the  onlj  female  artiat 
who  was  ever  canonized,  and  whose  storj  is  given 
among  the  Monastic  Legends. 

:  in  the  famous  altar-piece  of  the  Cathedral  ol  Co- 
logne, St  Ursula  i-  standing,  >_'<>ri.'ei>ii>ly  crowned  and 
attired,  and  lurrounded  by  her  train  of  virgins. 

-    Mi,  itands  to  the  left  of  the  Virgin,  crowned  witii 

•    Mian,  Brcra. 


ST.    URSULA.  n7 

flowers,  and  holding  a  dove:  in  a  Madonna  picture  by 
Brusasorci.* 

9.  She  is  standing,  with  one  or  more  arrows  in  one 
hand,  and  a  book  in  the  other.  Around  her,  or  shel- 
tered under  the  wide  ample  folds  of  her  royal  robe, 
which  is  sometimes  held  open  by  angels,  a  number  of 
young  girls,  some  holding  their  books,  others  conning 
their  tasks,  others  clasping  their  hands  in  adoration. 
She  is  here  the  especial  patroness  of  school-girls,  and 
is  thus  represented  by  Lorenzo  di  Credi,  by  Hans  Hem- 
ling,  and  I.  von  Meckenen. 

10.  The  marble  statue  of  St.  Ursula,  lying  dead  with 
the  dove  at  her  feet,  is  very  beautiful,!  and  is  said  to 
have  suggested  to  Rauch  the  pose  of  his  reclining  stat- 
ue of  Queen  Louisa  of  Prussia. 

It  is  an  exception  when  in  devotional  pictures  of  St. 
Ursula  the  Prince  Ethereus  is  introduced,  as  in  a  beau- 
tiful group  by  Hans  Burgmair,  where  she  is  throned 
with  her  husband,  both  in  sumptuous  robes,  and  her 
virgins  in  the  background.! 

We  must  be  careful  not  to  confound  St.  Ursula 
either  with  St.  Christina  or  with  St.  Reparata.  A  fe- 
male saint,  with  an  arrow  in  her  hand  or  in  her  bosom, 
and  no  other  attribute,  may  represent  St.  Christina; 
but  Christina  is  never  seen  with  the  regal  ornaments. 
In  the  Florentine  pictures  St.  Reparata  has  the  crown, 
the  ermined  robe,  and  the  standard  of  victory,  but  never 
the  arrow.  Reparata  has  also  the  palm  ;  while  in  pic- 
tures of  St.  Ursula  the  palm  is  often  replaced  by  the 
standard  or  the  arrow. 

The  separate  historical  subjects  from  her  life  are  con- 
fined to  two,  —  her  voyage  and  her  martyrdom. 

1.  In  a  bark,  with  swelling  sails,  St.  Ursula  is  seated, 
wearing  her  crown  ;  she  holds  a  large  open  book,  and 
is  either  reading,  or  chanting  hvmns  ;  a  number  of  vir 

*  Louvre,  No.  348.  t  Cologne.     Ch.  of  St.  Ursula. 

X  Augsburg.     Dibdin's  P^cameron,  toI.  iii.  p.  213. 


n8       BACHED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

gins  are  seated  round  her,  some  with  musical  instni- 
incuts,  others  reading  :  at  the  helm,  one  of  the  virgins  ; 
sometimes,  however,  it  is  a  priest  or  a  winged  angeL 
Of  this  beautiful  Bubject  I  have  seen  few  examples,  and 
those  anonymous,  principally  drawings  or  miniatures, 
[f  taken  in  its  allegorical  signification,  as  the  religious 
■  over  the  ocean  of  life, —  Faith  at  the  prow,  and 
( Iharity  at  the  helm,  —  the  representation  becomes  mys- 
tical and  devotional  rather  than  historical,  particularly 
where  angels  are  introduced  as  steering  or  propelling 
the  vessel. 

2.  The  Martyrdom  <>f  St.  Drsula  is  represented  in 
two  ways:  either  Bhe  and  her  maidens  are  massacred 

00    board    her   vessel  ;    or  she   lias   landed  and    presents 

herself  to  the  enemj  :  in  either  case  she  is  shot  with 

arrows   by  a  soldier  (it   is  a  deviation   from  the   legend, 

as  generally  accepted,  when  St.  drsula  perishes  by  the 
iword  and  not  the  arrow )  ;  the  barbarian  general  stands 
by.  Her  virgins  and  companions  are  lying  dead  around 
her,  or  the  slaughter  is  going  on  in  the  background  ; 

and  the  locality  is  usually  expressed  by  the  well-known 

tower,    or    the    cathedral    of   Cologne    in    the    distance. 

There   is   a   little   picture  in   the   collection   of  l'rmce 

Walleretein,  now  in   Kensington  Palace,  in  which  St. 

Drsula  has  just  Stepped  OH  the  shore,  a  sort  of  a  cpiay 
with  buildings;  Bhe  is  attired  like  a  princess,  her  hands 

meekly  joined,  her  long  golden  hair  Bowing  down  on 
her  Bhoulders,  and  in  her  tacc  a  most  divine  expri 

of  mild,  melancholy  resignation  :  two  of  her  maidens 
hear    her    train    behind,    and    seem    to    encourage    each 

other;  two  soldiers  in  rich  warlike  costume  an'  bending 
their  bows;  the  m  oes  forward  in  the  distance. 

The  history  of  St.  Drsula  treated  as  a  series  occurs 
frequently  in  the  stained  j,da-s  and  Gothic  sculpture  of 
the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries.  In  painting 
we  have  two  renowned  examples;  the  Bret  Italian,  the 
■econd  Flemish;  and  both  noarij  contemporary. 

The  earliest  work  of  Vittora  Carpaccio  in  Venice 


ST.   URSULA.  u9 

was  the  magnificent  series  of  the  life  of  St.  Ursula, 
painted,  in  1490,  for  the  chapel  of  the  Scuola  di  Sant 
Orsola,  a  beneficent  institution,  founded  for  the  support 
and  education  of  female  orphans,  consequently  placed 
under  the  protection  of  the  patron  saint  of  maidenhood. 
Carpaccio  has  taken  the  principal  incidents  of  her  life 
in  the  following  order  :  — 

1.  The  arrival  of  the  ambassadors  of  the  King  of 
England,  to  require  the  hand  of  the  Princess  Ursula  for 
his  son.  The  King  of  Brittany  receives  them  seated  on 
a  splendid  throne,  and  surrounded  by  his  attendants ; 
in  a  compartment  to  the  right  the  king  is  again  seen 
leaning  his  head  on  his  hand  in  a  melancholy  mood, 
and  Ursula,  standing  before  her  father,  appears  to  com- 
fort him  :  on  the  steps  leading  to  the  chamber  sits  an 
old  duenna. 

2.  The  King  of  Brittany  dismisses  the  ambassadors 
of  the  King  of  England  with  the  conditions  imposed  by 
advice  of  his  daughter.  In  a  compartment  to  the  right, 
St.  Ursula  is  seen  sleeping  on  her  bed  :  she  has  a  vision 
of  the  crown  of  martyrdom  prepared  for  her. 

3.  The  ambassadors  of  the  King  of  England  return 
with  the  answer  of  the  Princess  Ursula,  and  the  king's 
son  declares  his  intention  of  going  to  seek  her. 

4.  On  one  side  is  seen  the  meeting  between  the 
Prince  of  England  and  his  bride  St.  Ursula.  On  the 
other  side  they  take  leave  of  the  King  of  Brittany 
to  embark  on  their  pilgrimage ;  the  ships  are  seen  in 
the  background,  with  a  great  company  of  nobles  and 
virgins. 

5.  St.  Ursula,  with  her  virgins  and  her  companions, 
arrives  at  the  port  of  Cologne. 

6.  St.  Ursula,  with  the  prince  her  husband,  and  the 
virgins  her  companions,  arrives  at  Rome ;  they  are  met 
outside  the  gates  of  the  city  by  the  Pope  Cyriacus, 
attended  by  the  cardinals  and  bishops.  She  and  the 
prince  are  seen  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  pope :  two 
attendants  behind  carry  the  royal  crowns.  The  virgins 
with  the  pilgrims  and  their  banners  are  seen  following ; 


iio       sac/:/ l>  AM>   LEGENDARY  ART. 

in  tin'  distance  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  which  marks 
the  locality. 

7.  The  martyrdom  of  St.  Ursula  and  her  compan- 
ions at  Cologne  on  one  side :  on  the  other  is  seen  the 
interment  of  the  saint;  Bhe  is  represented  extended  on 
the  bier  w  1 1 h  her  1< >nj^  golden  hair,  the  bodies  of  other 
virgins  follow  in  the  distance. 

8.  The  glorification  of  St.  Ursula.  Bhe  is  seen 
standing  on  a  kind  of  pedestal  of  green  boughs,  formed 
of  tin-  palms  of  the  eleven  thousand  rirgins  bound  ti>- 
gether;  she  looks  up,  her  hair  Bowing  over  her  shoul- 
ders, and  lirr  hands  joined  in  prayer  ;  sis  little  angels 
hover  round  her,  two  of  them  hold  over  her  head  the 
celestial  crown.  <  >n  each  side  kneels  a  virgin  with 
a  banner,  and  there  an-  about  thirty  other  kneeling 
figures ;  among  them  Pope  Cyriacus,  and  BeveraJ  prel- 
ates: all  the  lu-aiU  are  lull  of  beauty,  life,  and  charac- 
ter. The  background  is  a  landscape  seen  through  lofty 
arches.  The  figures  throughout  wear  the  Venetian 
costume  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

The  richness  of  fancy,  the  liver?  dramatic  feeling, 
the  originality  and  naivete1  with  which  the  Btory  is  told, 
lender  this  series  one  of  the  most  interesting  examples 
of  earlj  Venetian  Art.  Zanetti  says  that  he  used  to 
go  to  the  chapel  of  St.  Ursula  and  conceal  himself,  to 
in  effect  which  these  pictures  produced  on  the 
minds  of  the  people  as  expressed  in  their  countenani 
••I  myself,"  he  adds,  "could  hardlj  turn  away  mine 
-  from  thai  charming  figure  of  the  saint,  "lure. 
asleep  on  her  maiden  couch, — all  grace,  purity,  and 
innocence,  —  she  seems,  by  the  expression  on  her  beauti 
till  features,  to  be  visited  bj  dreams  from  paradise."* 

About  the  same  period,  Hans  Bemling  painted  the 
magnificent  shrine  of  Bt.  Drsula  in  8t  John's  Hospital 
at  Bruges.     It  is  a  Gothic  cheat  or  casket  constructed 

in   Contain    the    arm    of  tin'    saint,   and    adorned  with   u 

series  of  mioiaturi  •     The  incidents  selected  bj  Hemling 

*  A  iet  of  old  aognvtngi  from  tiii»  ••  rtai  Intel*  pur 

•hused  for  room  'if  the  British  Museum. 


ST.   URSULA.  121 

are  not  precisely  those  chosen  by  Vittore  Carpaccio. 
He  appears  to  have  confined  himself  to  her  pilgrimage 
aud  her  martyrdom  :  — 

1.  St.  Ursula  and  her  companions  arrive  at  Cologne 
on  their  way  to  Rome.  Ursula,  in  the  attire  of  a 
princess,  her  hair  braided  with  jewels,  is  in  the  act  of 
stepping  on  shore ;  one  of  her  virgins  holds  up  her 
train,  another  holds  out  her  arm  to  support  and  assist 
her.  A  number  of  her  companions  are  seen  entering 
the  gates  of  the  city ;  the  cathedral  and  the  towers  of 
Cologne  are  in  the  background. 

2.  The  arrival  of  St.  Ursula  and  her  companions  at 
Basle.  In  the  foreground  of  the  picture  are  two  vessels 
crowded  with  female  figures.  In  the  background  the 
city  and  cathedral  of  Basle ;  and  in  the  extreme  dis 
tauce  the  Alps,  towards  which  the  virgins  are  seen 
travelling  along  a  road. 

3.  The  arrival  of  St.  Ursula  at  Rome.  The  pope 
receives  her  under  the  portico  of  a  church,  aud  gives 
her  his  benediction ;  behind  her  kneels  the  bridegroom- 
prince  ;  on  the  other  side  is  seen  the  baptism  of  several 
of  the  prince's  companions,  and  in  the  background  St. 
Ursula  is  seen  confessing,  and  receiving  the  sacrament. 

4.  The  second  arrival  in  the  neighborhood  of  Basle. 
Two  vessels  in  the  foreground,  on  board  of  which  are 
seen  St.  Ursula  with  her  husband,  and  Pope  Cyriacus 
with  a  number  of  his  prelates.  Some  of  the  virgins 
are  seen  going  off  in  a  boat. 

5.  The  massacre  of  the  pilgrims  on  their  arrival  at 
Cologne.  The  two  vessels  are  seen  crowded  with  the 
martyrs ;  soldiers  in  the  foreground  are  shooting  at 
them  with  crossbows  ;  a  fierce  soldier  is  seen  plunging 
his  sword  into  the  bosom  of  the  Prince  of  England, 
who  falls  into  the  arms  of  St.  Ursula. 

6.  The  martyrdom  of  St  Ursula.  She  is  standing 
before  the  tent  of  the  general  of  the  barbarians  ;  a  num- 
ber of  soldiers  are  around ;  one  of  them,  with  his  bow 
bent,  prepares  to  transfix  her. 

Kugler's  account  of  these  subjects  is  not  quite  accu- 


122        SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

rate;  bat  his  praise  of  the  beauty  of  the  execution,  and 
th<'  truth  of  feeling  and  expression  in  some  of  the  beads, 
is  perfectly  just.  They  are  each  about  eighteen  inches 
high,  —  historical  pictures  finished  with  all  the  precision 
and  delicacy  of  a  miniature  <>n  vellum.  There  is  a 
good  set  of  engravings  (coloivd  after  the  originals)  in 
the  British  Museum, 

I  saw  in  the  Hotel  de  Clunv  at  Paris  two  eurioui 
pietures  from  the  Btory  of  Bt  Ursula.  In  the  ti r.-.t ,  the 
King  of  England  sends  ambassadors  to  the  King  of 
Brittany;  in  the  second,  the  ambassadors  are  received 
by  the  King  of  Brittany,  and  Ursula,  seated  on  a  throne 
beside  hex  father,  delivers  her  answer  to  their  request 
The  artist  has  taken  great  pains  to  distinguish  the 
heathen  and  barharous  court  of  England  from  the  civil- 
ized and  Christian  court  of  Brittany. 


St.  Makgarkt. 

Ital.  Santa  Margarita.      Fr.  Batata  Marguerite.      Ger.   Die  Hi  I- 
Uga  M.-uv.in  Hi  i.    Patron  Mini  "t  iroinen  In  ohildbtith.    Patron* 

esa  of  Cremona.     July  30,  LS   .106. 

Tm.  legend  of  St.  Margaret,  which  is  of  Greek- 
origin,  was  certainly  known  in  Europe  us  early  as  the 
fifth  century,  being  among  those  which  were  repudiated 
as  apocrypha]  by  Pope  Gelasius  in  -i'.m.  From  that 
time  we  hear  little  of  her  till  the  eleventh  century,  when 
her  legend  and  her  name  —  which  signifies  ■  pearl,  and 
ha*  been  given  t<>  thai  Mule  lowly  flower  we  call  the 
daisy  —  were  both  Introduced  from  the  East  bj  the  first 
crusaders,  and  soon  became  popular  all  over  Europ 

•  The  Hi*  i"'  a  in  Barope  irbo  bore  thli 

name  was  Margaret,  the  stater  •■(  Rdgar  tthellng,  and  Queen  of 
im  in.  "i  flood  and,  Btu  received  the  name  In  Qnngarj, 
trhera  the  wim  iH.rn  in  1046,  iimi  Introduced  it  Into  the  mat  "i 
Baropa  She  wis  bam  n  canonised  >\*  a  Mint,  and  eo  greatly  i«- 
loved  in  KiiKlaml  and  Scotland,  that  it  contributed,  perhaps,  to 
p-ii'i'  r  the  na i -> polar       then  irere  thi  "  u  m  my  Marym  •  ti 

M  tli>  N  Bit  ii. iw  f'ictorias. 


ST.  MARGARET.  123 

In  the  fourteenth  century  we  find  her  one  of  the  most 
favorite  saints,  particularly  amongst  women,  by  whom. 
she  was  invoked  against  the  pains  of  childbirth.  She 
was  also  the  chosen  type  of  female  innocence  and  meek- 
ness ;  —  the  only  one  of  the  four  great  patronesses  who 
is  not  represented  as  profoundly  learned  :  — 

"  Mild  Margarete,  that  was  God's  maid  "  ; 

"  Maid  Margarete,  that  was  so  meeke  and  mild  "  ; 

and  other  such  phrases,  in  the  old  metrical  legends, 
show  the  feeling  with  which   she  was  regarded.* 

Her  story  is  singularly  wild.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  a  priest  of  Antioch,  named  Theodosius  ;  and  in  her 
infancy,  being  of  feeble  health,  she  was  sent  to  a  nurse 
in  the  country.  This  woman,  who  was  secretly  a  Chris- 
tian, brought  up  Margaret  in  the  true  faith.  The  holy 
maid,  while  employed  in  keeping  the  few  sheep  of  her 
nurse,  meditated  on  the  mysteries  of  the  Gospel,  and 
devoted  herself  to  the  service  of  Christ.  One  day  the 
governor  of  Antioch,  whose  name  was  Olybrius,  in  pass- 
ing by  the  place,  saw  her,  and  was  captivated  by  her 
beauty.  He  commanded  that  she  should  be  carried  to 
his  palace,  being  resolved,  if  she  were  of  free  birth,  to 
take  her  for  his  wife  ;  but  Margaret  rejected  his  offers 
with  scorn,  and  declared  herself  the  servant  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Her  father  and  all  her  relations  were  struck 
with  horror  at  this  revelation.  They  fled,  leaving  her 
in  the  power  of  the  governor,  who  endeavored  to  sub- 
due her  constancy  by  the  keenest  torments  :  they  were 
so  terrible  that  the  tyi'ant  himself,  unable  to  endure  the 
sight,  covered  his  face  with  his  robe  ;  but  St.  Margaret 
did  not  quail  beneath  them.  Then  she  was  dragged  to 
a  dungeon,  where  Satan,  in  the  form  of  a  terrible  drag- 
on, came  upon  her  with  his  inflamed  and  hideous  mouth 
wide  open,  and  sought  to  terrify  and  confound  her ;  but 
she  held  up  the  cross  of  the  Redeemer,  and  he  fled  be- 
fore it.     Or,  according  to  the  more  popular  version,  he 

*  There  are  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  thirty -eight  churches 
in  England  dedicated  in  her  honor. 


ii4       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  AR1 

swallowed  her  ap  alive,  hut  immediately  Kurst ;  and 
she  emerged  unhurt  :  another  Conn  of  the  familiar  Alle- 
gory, the  power  of  sin  overcome  by  the  power  of  the 
i  rosa  Be  returned  in  the  form  of  a  man  to  tempt  her 
further  ;  but  Bhe  overcame  him,  and,  placing  her  foot 
on  his  head,  forced  him  to  confess  his  foul  wickedness, 
and  to  answer  to  her  questions.  She  was  again  brought 
before  the  tyrant,  and,  again  refusing  to  abjure  her 
faith,  she  was  further  tortured  ;  but  the  Bight  of  bo 
much  constancy  in  one  bo  young  and  beautiful  only  in- 
creased  the  number  of  converts,  bo  that  in  one  day  five 
thousand  were  baptized,  and  declared  themselves  readj 
to  die  with  her.  Therefore  the  governor  took  counsel 
how  this  might  be  prevented,  and  it  was  advised  that  she 
should  !«•  beheaded  forthwith.  And  as  they  led  her  forth 
to  death,  she  thanked  and  glorified  Qod  that  her  travail 
was  ended  ;  and  she  prayed  that  those  who  invoked  her 
in  the  pains  of  childbirth  Bhould  find  help  through  the 
merit  of  her  sufferings,  and  in  memory  of  her  deliver- 
ance from  the  womb  of  the  great  dragon.     A  \ • 

from  heaven  assured  her  that  her  prayer  was  granted  ; 
so  Bhe  went  and  received  joyfully  the  crown  of  martyr- 
dom, being  beheaded  by  the  sword. 

In  devotional  pictures,  the  attribute  of  St.  Mai 
is  the  dragon.     She  is  usual]]   trampling  him  under 
her  feet,  holding  up  the  cross  in  her  hand.    Sometime! 
the  dragon  is  hound  with  a  cord  ;  or  his  jaw--  are  di>- 
tended  as  if  to  swallow  her ;  or  he  is  seen  rent  and  burst, 

and    St.    Margaret    Stands    upon    hiui    unharmed,  - 

iu  the  old  metrical  legend  in  the  Auchinleck  MSS. :  — 

■•  m  tldi  i!  M  irgrete  tli"  \ihi  h] 
i  de, 

Ami  ma  a  loathly  dragon 
Oat  "f  u  hint  [corner]  ^lide: 
ii     ■  mti  m  fttl  irl 
ii    month  opened  aide, 
Ami  Uargretc  m i ur I ■  t  no  where  Dee, 
Tti'T.  ihc  iiiiisl  abide. 


ST.  MARGARET.  125 

"  Maiden  Margrete 
Stood  still  as  any  stone, 
And  that  loathly  worm, 
To  her-ward  gan  gone, 
Took  her  in  his  foul  mouth, 
And  swallowed  her  flesh  and  bon«. 
Anon  he  brast  — 
Damage  hath  she  none  ! 
Maiden  Margrete 
Upon  the  dragon  stood  ; 
Blyth  was  her  harte, 
And  joyful  was  her  mood." 

This  is  literally  the  picture  which,  in  several  in- 
stances, the  artists  have  placed  before  us. 

As  martyr  she  bears,  of  right,  the  palm  and  the 
crown ;  and  these,  in  general,  serve  to  distinguish  St. 
Margaret  from  St.  Martha,  who  has  also  the  attributes 
of  the  dragon  and  the  cross.  Here,  however,  setting 
the  usual  attributes  aside,  the  character  ought  to  be  so 
distinctly  marked,  that  there  should  be  no  possibility 
of  confounding  the  beautiful  and  deified  heroine  of  a 
spiritual  warfare,  with  the  majestic  maturity  and  staid 
simplicity  of  Martha. 

In  some  pictures  St.  Margaret  has  a  garland  of 
pearls  round  her  head,  in  allusion  to  her  name  ;  and  I 
have  seen  one  picture,  and  only  one,  in  which  she  wears 
a  garland  of  daisies,  and  carries  daisies  in  her  lap  and 
in  her  haud.* 

I  shall  now  give  some  examples  of  St.  Margaret 
treated  devotional  1  v.  • 

1.  The  famous  St.  Margaret  of  Raphael  (in  the 
Louvre)  was  painted  for  Francis  I.,  in  compliment  to 
his  sister,  Margaret  of  Navarre.  It  represents  the  saint 
in  the  moment  of  victory,  just  stepping  forward  with  a 
buoyant  and  triumphant  air,  in  which  there  is  also 
something  exquisitely  sweet  and  girlish  ;  one  foot  on 
the  wing  of  the  dragon,  which  crouches  open- mouthed 

*  Siena  Acad. 


126       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

beDMtb  :  her  right  hand  holds  the  palm,  lier  left  sus- 
tains licr  robe.  The  face  i-  youthful,  mild,  and  beauti- 
ful;  the  hair  without  ornament  ;  the  simplicity  and  ele- 
gance of  the  whole  figure  <iuite  worthy  of  Raphael, 
whose  aim  has  evident!}  been  to  place  before  us  an  al- 
legory, and  not  an  action  :  it  is  innocence  triumphant 
over  the  power  of  .-in.  The  St.  Margaret  in  the  Vienna 
Gallery,  which  has  been  Btyled  by  Pasaavant  and  othen 
a  duplicate  of  this  famous  picture,  is  no  duplicate,  hut 
altogether  a  different  composition.  The  face  is  in  pro- 
file, the  attitude  rather  forced,  and  she  hold.-  the  eruei- 

lix,  instead  of  the  palm.  It  i>  no  doubt  by  Giulio  Ro- 
mano, and  mie  of  the  manj  instances  in  which  lie  took 
an  idea  from  Raphael  and  treated  it  in  his  own  manner. 
2.  Parmigiano.  The  altar-piece,  painted  tor  the 
Gittsti  Chapel  in  the  Convent  of  St.  Margaret  at  Bo 
logna  ;  it  represents  her  kneeling,  and  caressing  the  In- 
fant   Christ,  who   is   seated    in   the   lap  of  hi-  mother; 

behind  the  Virgin  Bits  St.  Augustine,  and  on  the  other 

side   is   St.   Jerome  ;    at    the   feet   of    St.    Margaret    i-  -een 

the  dragon,  open-mouthed  as  usual. 

8.   Lucas  v.  Leyden.     She  is  in  a  rich  dress,  stiff 

with  embroidery,  and  reading  a  book;  while  seen,  as 

rTOUChing  under    the   skill   of  her   robe,  IS  the  head  of 

the  dragon,  which  the  painter  has  endeavored,  and  not 
in  vain,  to  render  as  hideous,  a.-  terrible,  ami  as  real  as 
I     -i I >li- :    in  consequence,  the  effect   i>  disagreeable: 

hut  the  picture  is  Wonderful]]   painted.       In  another  i  \ 

ample-    by    the    Bame    painter,    she    ha-    i-.-ued    from    the 

back  "f  the  dragon,  holding  the  ero.->,  through  which 
she  has  conquered,  in  her  hand  :  a  part  of  her  robe  in 
the  jaws  of  tin-  dragon,  signifies  that  he  had  just  swal- 
lowed her  up.* 

4.  Luca  Penni.  She  i-  trampling  on  the  demon  in 
human  shape,  which  i-  unusual.  Her  martyrdom  i» 
seen  in  the  background.1 

5.  Annihul  Caracci.     She  is  leaning  on  a  pedestal, 

•  kbudab  Oat.  panhaftn. 


ST.   MARGARET.  127 

in  a  meditative  attitude,  holding  the  Gospel ;  the  drag- 
on at  her  feet.     A  majestic  figure  life-size.* 

6.  Nicolo  Poussin.  She  is  kneeling  on  the  van- 
quished dragon,  with  extended  arms,  while  two  angels 
crown  her.f 

Historical  pictures  of  St.  Margaret  are  uncommon. 

In  the  Christian  Museum  in  the  Vatican  there  is  a 
St.  Margaret,  standing,  in  green  drapery,  richly  em- 
broidered with  gold  flowers,  and  bearing  the  cross : 
the  dragon,  here  extremely  small,  is  beneath  her  feet. 
Around  are  nine  small  compartments  :  in  the  upper 
one,  Christ  in  the  sepulchre,  with  the  Virgin  and  St. 
John  ;  and  on  each  side,  four  historical  subjects.  1 . 
St.  Margaret,  keeping  sheep,  is  seen  by  the  governor 
of  Antioch.  2.  She  is  brought  before  him,  and  de- 
clares her  faith.  3.  She  is  in  prison,  and  visited  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  (or  peace)  in  form  of  a  dove.  4.  She 
is  tortured  cruelly,  being  suspended  on  a  gallows,  while 
executioners  tear  her  with  prongs.  5.  She  is  swal- 
lowed up  hy  the  dragon  in  her  dungeon.  6.  She  is  in 
a  caldron  of  boiling  pitch.  7.  She  is  decapitated.  8. 
Miracles  are  performed  at  her  shrine. 

We  find  the  same  selection  of  subjects  in  the  ancient 
stained  glass. 

Vida  has  celebrated  St.  Margaret  in  two  Latin  hymns. 

Tn  the  four  illustrious  virgin-saints  I  have  just  de- 
scribed, there  is  an  individuality,  which  is  strongly 
marked  in  their  respective  legends,  and  which  ought  to 
have  been  attended  to  in  works  of  art,  though  we  sel- 
dom find  it  so.  The  distinctive  character  should  be, 
in  St.  Catherine,  dignity  and  intellect ;  in  St.  Barbara, 
fortitude  and  a  resolute  but  reflecting  air  —  she,  too, 
was  a  savante ;  in  St.  Ursula,  a  devout  enthusiasm, 
tempered  with  benignity ;  in  St.  Margaret,  meekness 
and  innocence,  — 

"  Si  douce  est  la  Marguerite." 
*  Sutherland  Gal.  t  Turin  Gal- 


""to 


^V;*;-;^ 


« 


THE    EARLY    MARTYRS. 


■•inn    NOitl.K   AJUT1    OF    MABTYBS    PRAISE    11111. 


i  •• 


BEN,  in  the  daily  service  of  our  Church,  we 
repeal  these  words  of  the  Bnblime  hymn,  1 
wonder  sometimes  whether  it  be  with  :i  lull 
appreciation  of  their  meaning  '  whether  we 
ilo  really  reflect  on  all  that  this  noble  army  of  martyrs 
hath  conquered  for  us  !  —  l>iil  they  indeed  glorify  God 
through  their  courage,  and  seal  their  faith  in  their  Re- 
deemer with  their  blood  '  And  if  it  be  so,  how  is  it 
that  we  Christians  have  learned  to  look  coldly  npon 
tin-  effigies  of  those  who  sowed  the  seed  of  the  har- 
vest which  we  have  reaped  '  —  Stmguit  martynm  semen 
ChriMtianoram!  We  may  admit  that  the  reverence  paid 
to  tin-in  in  former  days  was  unreasonable  and  ex<  esnve; 
that  credulity  snd  ignorance  have  in  many  instances 
falsified  the  actions  imputed  to  them  :  thai  enthusiasm 
has  magnified  tlnir  numbers  beyond  all  belief;  thai 
when  the  communion  with  martyrs  was  associated  with 
the  I"'  -  doc  of  their  material  remains,  the  passion  for 
relies  led  t"  :i  thousand  abuses,  :m<l  the  belief  in  their 
intercession  to  a  thousand  superstitions.  But  why,  in 
ii|iruotiiiur  the  false,  uproot  :il>"  the  beautiful  and  the 
true  '  Barely  it  is  a  thing  not  t"  be  set  aside  or  for- 
en,  thai  generoui  men  and  mirk  women,  strong  in 


THE   EARLY   MARTYRS.  129 

the  strength  and  elevated  by  the  sacrifice  of  a  Redeemer, 
did  suffer,  did  endure,  did  triumph  for  the  truth's  sake, 
did  leave  us  an  example  which  ought  to  make  our 
hearts  glow  within  us,  in  admiration  and  gratitude  ! 
Surely,  then,  it  is  no  unfit  employment  for  the  highest 
powers  of  Art,  that  of  keeping  alive  their  blessed  and 
heroic  memory ;  and  no  desecration  of  our  places  of 
worship,  that  their  effigies,  truly,  or  at  least  worthily, 
expressed,  should  be  held  up  to  our  veneration,  and  the 
story  of  their  sublime  devotion  sometimes  brought  to 
remembrance.  And  this  was  the  opinion  strongly  ex- 
pressed by  Dr.  Arnold,  whom  no  one,  I  suppose,  will 
suspect  of  a  leaning  towards  the  idolatrous  tendencies 
of  Art.  In  speaking  of  a  visit  which  he  paid  to  the 
church  of  San  Stefano  at  Rome,  he  remarks :  "  No 
doubt  many  of  the  particular  stories  thus  painted  will 
bear  no  critical  examination  ;  it  is  likely  enough,  too, 
that  Gibbon  has  truly  accused  the  general  statements 
of  exaggeration.  But  this  is  a  thankless  labor.  Di- 
vide the  sum  total  of  reported  martyrs  by  twenty,  —  by 
fifty  if  you  will ;  after  all,  you  have  a  number  of  per- 
sons of  all  ages  and  sexes  suffering  cruel  torments  and 
death  for  conscience'  sake,  and  for  Christ's ;  and  by 
their  sufferings  manifestly  with  God's  blessing  insuring 
the  triumph  of  Christ's  Gospel.  Neither  do  I  think 
that  we  consider  the  excellence  of  this  martyr-spirit 
half  enough.  I  do  not  think  that  pleasure  is  a  sin ;  but 
though  pleasure  is  not  a  sin,  yet  surely  the  contem- 
plation of  suffering  for  Christ's  sake  is  a  thing  most 
needful  for  us  in  our  days,  from  whom  in  our  daily  life 
suffering  seems  so  far  removed.  And  as  God's  grace 
enabled  rich  and  delicate  persons,  women  and  even 
children,  to  endure  all  extremities  of  pain  and  reproach, 
in  times  past ;  so  there  is  the  same  grace  no  less  mighty 
now ;  and  if  we  do  not  close  ourselves  against  it,  it 
might  be  in  us  no  less  glorified  in  a  time  of  trial." 
And  why,  indeed,  should  we  shut  up  our  hearts 
against  such  influences,  and  force  ourselves  to  regard 
as  a  snare  what  ought  to  be  a  source  of  divine  comfort 

T».   II.  9 


130       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

find  encouragement,  — of  power,  for  the  awakening  up 
of  those  whose  minds  are  absorbed  in  Belfish  Borrows, 
or  for  the  strengthening  of  those  who  even  now  aro 
contending  for  the  truth  anion-  as,  and  who  perish 
martyrs,  because  there  prevails  some  form  of  social 
idolatry,  against  which  they  resist  onto  death  I 

Not  that  I  quite  sympathise  with  the  occasion  which 
gave  rise  to  the  above  beautiful  passage  in  1  >r.  Arnold's 
journal.  However  I  may  admire  die  Sentiments  ex- 
pressed, to  m\  taste  martyrdoms  are  abhorrent,  and  I 
remember  that  I  never  entered  the  church  of  San  Sm- 
fano  without  being   sick   at   heart:    those  dolorous   and 

sanguinary  death-scenes,  which  make  its  walls  hideous, 

are   no   more    lilted    for    spiritual    editiealion,    than    the 

spectaele  of  public  executions  avails  to  teach  humanity 

and  respect  for  the  law.      It  is,  however,  a  cin  miiMan M 

worthy  of  remark,  SS  true  now,  and  truer  in  the  middle 

B,    that    the    sympathy  Of   the    lower   orders  was    le-s 

excited  by  the  apparatus  of  physical  agony  than  by  the 
bearing  of  the  victim.  To  them  the  indomitable  cour- 
age, the  patient  endurance,  the  glorious  triumph,  of  the 
sufferer  were  more  than  the  Make,  the  wheel,  the  rack, 
the  scourge,  the  knife.  The  former  were  hcart-sooth- 
ing,  SOul-lifting,  light-giving  I  the  latter  had  been  ren- 
dered by  the  BcceUinoB,  the  Visconti,  and  other  insane 
monsters  <>\'  those  days,  mere  commonplaces,  the  daily 
spectacle  of  real  life.  The  most  beautiful  and  edifying 
representations  of  the  mart]  rs  are  not  those  which  plat  e 
them  before  us  agonised  under  the  lash  or  the  knife  of 
the  executioner,  but  those  in  which  they  look  down 
upon  as  from  their  serene  beatitude,  —  their  work  done, 
their  triumph  accomplished,  holding  their  victorious 
palm,  and  wearing  their  crown  of  glory  ;  w  bile  the  storj 
of  their  Buffering  i  t,,  the  memorj  by  the 

accompanying  attribute,  — the  sword,  the  arrow,  01  the 
w  heid. 

The  writers  of  Church  history  reckon  ten  persecu 
tiona  during  three  hundred  years  which  elapsed  betwi  i  n 

the    reign    of    \.  to   and    that   of  ConStantine,    and    the 


THE  EARLY  MARTYRS.  131 

saints  who  suffered  within  this  period  are  commemcK 
rated  as  the  early  martyrs.  I  have  not,  in  the  subse- 
quent essays,  arranged  them  chronologically ;  for  any 
such  arrangement,  with  reference  to  Art,  could  have 
produced  nothing  but  confusion.  The  principle  of 
association  through  which  certain  of  these  personages 
will  be  found  grouped  together  under  particular  circum- 
stances, in  particular  localities,  is  infinitely  more  sug- 
gestive and  poetical ;  and  I  have  endeavored  to  follow 
it  out,  as  far  as  this  could  be  done  with  any  regard  to 
order.  But  is  it  not  unaccountable,  and  matter  of 
regret  as  well  as  wonder,  that  some  of  the  best-authenti- 
cated and  most  edifying  of  the.  early  martyrdoms  should 
be  comparatively  unknown  as  subjects  of  Art  ?  In  all 
the  histories  of  the  Christian  Church,  whether  written 
by  Protestant  or  Catholic,  we  find  the  mild  heroism  of 
Vivia  Perpetua  and  the  slave  Felicitas,  —  the  eloquence 
and  courage  of  Justin,  who  exchanged  the  title  of 
Philosopher  for  that  of  Martyr,  —  the  fortitude  of  the 
aged  Polycarp,  —  duly  and  honorably  recorded.  All 
these  stories  are  beautifully  narrated  in  Mr.  Milman's 
"  History  of  Christianity  " ;  and  I  recommend  them 
to  the  attention  of  those  of  our  painters  who  may  be 
seeking  for  incidents  and  characters  connected  with  the 
history  of  our  faith,  at  once  new  in  Art,  and  unex- 
ceptionable in  point  of  authenticity. 

It  appears  that  the  first  seven  persecutions  were  local 
or  accidental.  It  was  in  the  reign  of  Hadrian  that  the 
populace  first  began  to  demand  that  the  Christians 
should  be  put  to  death  at  the  great  festivals ;  an  ex- 
ample having  been  already  recorded  in  the  reign  of 
Trajan,  when  St.  Ignatius  was  thrown  to  the  lions. 
Yet  Hadrian,  though  incapable  of  comprehending  or 
appreciating  the  spirit  of  Christianity,  defended  the 
Christians,  and  placed  them  under  the  protection  of 
the  laws.  The  first  general  persecution  by  imperial 
decree  was  in  the  reign  of  Decius,  in  which  many 
Christians  were  martyred,  and  many  also  fell  from  the 
faith.     The  tenth  and  last  persecution,  under  Diocle- 


i  ja       SACRED  AND  1.1  01  A  DAM  >'  ART. 

tinn,  Galenas,  and  Maximin,  wits  the  moel  terrible  of 
all ;  the  Dumber  of  ChriBtian  martyr-  who  perished  was 
undoubtedly  great,  but  has  been  mnch  exaggerated. 
Almost  all  the  legendary  inventions  and  Bpnrions  acts 

Of   martyrs   arc    referred    to   these    bloodthirsty    tyrants, 

^ho  figure  in  the  old  legends  as  a  sort  of  Ogres,  de- 
mons incarnate,  existing  on  earth  for  do  other  purpose 
but  to  rage,  blaspheme,  and  invent  tortures  by  which  to 

tl  Si  the  heroism  and  constancy  of  the  servants  of  Christ. 

To  understand  some  of  these  stories  of  martyrdom, 
we  most  transport  ourselves  in  fancy  to  the  primitive 
ages  of  the  Church.  It  was  then  the  established  and 
universal  belief  among  Christians  that  infernal  spirits 
Mire  at  once  the  authors  and  the  objects  of  idolatry. 
It  was  held  for  certain  thai  the  gods  of  the  Pagans 

were  demons  Who  had  assumed  the  names  and  attri- 
butes of  the  popular  divinities,  and  appropriated  the 
incense  offered  on  the  altar-.  The  Christians,  therefore, 
believed  in  the  real  existence  of  these  false  gods;  hut 
their  belief  was  mingled  with  detestation  and  horror, 
idolatry  was  to  them  do  mere  speculative  superstition; 

it    was,    if    I    may    SO    Apply    the    Strong    expression   of 

Carlyle,  "a  truth  dad   in   hell-fire."     The  glig 
leaning  toward-   the   heathen  worship  was  Dot  only 
treason  against  the  majesty  of  the  true  Qod,  but  s  di- 
rect homage  to  those  angels  of  darkness  who  had  been 
in  rebellion  against  Him  from  the  beginning.     Hence 

the  language  and  bearing  of  the  early  martyr-  were  not 

only  marked  by  resistance,  but  by  abhorrence  and  de- 
fiance; hence  a  courage  more  than  human  sustained 
then  ;  and  hence  too  the  furious  indignation  of  the 

priests    and    people,    "hen    they    found    their   gods    not 

merely  regarded  with  philosophical  indifference  as  im- 
or  allegories,  hut  spurned  u  impure,  malevolent, 

reprobate  —  yet    living   ami    immortal  —  spirits. 

The-    beatified    martyrs  were    early    introduced    into 

thurch  decoration.     1  remember  two  instant  .  -  as  par- 


THE   EARLY   MART  IRS. 


133 


ticularly  striking.  The  first  is,  an  ancient  mosaic  in 
the  church  of  Sant'  Apollinare  Nuovo  at  Ravenna  (a. 
i>.  5.34).  On  the  right  hand  as  we  enter,  and  imme- 
diately above  the  arches  of  the  nave,  we  behold  a  long 
procession  of  twenty-one  martyrs,  carrying  their  crowns 
in  their  hands  ;  they  appear  advancing  towards  a  figure 
of  our  Saviour,  who  stands  with  an  angel  on  each  side, 
ready  to  receive  them.  On  the  wall  to  the  left  is  a  like 
procession  of  virgin  martyrs,  also  bearing  their  crowns, 
and  advancing  to  a  figure  of  the  throned  Madonna, 
who,  with  an  angel  on  each  side,  appears  to  be  seated 
there  to  receive  their  homage.*  These  processions  ex- 
tend to  the  entrance  of  the  choir,  and  the  figures  are 
colossal,  —  I  suppose  about  seven  or  eight  feet  high. 
They  are  arranged  in  the  following  order :  t  — 


St.  Clement. 

St 

.  Euphemia. 

St.  TJrsinus. 

St.  Eulalia. 

Justinus. 

Paulina. 

Apollinaris. 

Agnes. 

Laurence. 

Daria.J 

Sebastian. 

Agatha. 

Hippolytua. 

Anastasia. 

Demetrius. 

Pelagia. 

Cyprian. 

Justina. 

Polycarp. 

Sabina. 

Cornelius. 

Perpetua. 

Vincent. 

Christina. 

Cassian. 

Felicitas. 

Pancratius. 

Eugenia. 

John  and 

Vincentia. 

Chrysogonus.   Anatolia. 

Paul. 

Valeria. 

Sabinus. 

Victoria. 

Vitalis, 

Crispina. 

Gervasius, 

and 

Lucia. 

Protasius. 

Cecilia. 

This  list  of  martyrs  is  of  very  great  importance,  as 
being,  I  believe,  the  earliest  in  the  history  of  Art.  It 
shows  us  what  martyrs  were  most  honored  in  the  sixth 
century.  It  shows  us  that  many  names,  then  held  in 
most  honor,  have  since  fallen  into  comparative  neglect ; 
and  that  others,  then  unknown,  or   unacknowledged, 


*  There  is  a  beautiful  modern  imitation  of  this  old  mosaic  deco- 
ration in  the  church  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  at  Paris,  painted  in 
fresco  by  M.  Flandrin. 

t  According  to  Ciampini  (v  Vetera  Monu?nenta,  vol.  ii.),  and 
a  note  I  made  on  the  spot ;  *iut,  owing  to  a  scaffolding  raised 
against  part  of  the  wall,  it  was  difficult  to  be  accurate. 

X  The  proper  companion  of  St.  Daria  would  be  St.  Chrysanthus. 


,34       BACHED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

have  since  Iwomc  most  celebrated.  It  will  be  rc- 
marked,  that  the  virgins  are  led  by  St.  Buphemia,  and 
m»t  by  St.  Catherine  :  thai  there  is  no  Bt.  Barbara,  no 
St.  .Mar-ant,  mi  St.  George,  no  St.  Christopher j  all 
of  whom  figure  conspicuously  in  the  mosaics  of  ofon- 
reale  at  Palermo,  executed  five  centuries  later.  In 
fact,  of  these  forty-two  figures  executed  at  Ravenna  by 
Greek  artists  in  the  Bervice  of  Justinian,  only  five  — 
Euphemia,  Cyprian  and  Justine,  Polycarp,  and  Deme- 
trius—  tire  properly  Greek  Baints  ;  nil  the  rest  are  Latin 
saints,  wlmse  worship  originated  with  the  Western,  and 
not  with  the  Eastern  Church. 

In  the  rhureh  of  Santa  Prassede  at  Rome  (a.  d. 
817)  the  arrangement  is  altogether  different  bom  that 
at  Ravenna,  and  equally  striking.  Over  the  grand 
arch  which  separatee  the  choir  (nun  the  nave  is  a  mo- 
saic, representing  the  New  Jerusalem,  as  described  in 
the  Revelations.  It  is  a  walled  enclosure,  with  a  gate 
at  each  end,  guarded  by  angels.     Within  is  seen  the 

Saviour  of  the  world,  holding    in   his   hand   the  orb  of 

sovereignty;  and  a  company  of  the  blessed  seated  on 
thrones:  outside,  the  noble  army  of  martyrs  is  seen 
approaching,  conducted  and  received  by  angels.    They 

are   all   arrayed    in    white,   and    cany   crowns   in    their 

hands.     Lower  down  on  each  side  a  host  of  martyrs 

press    forward,  with   palms    and    CTOWns,  to  do   horn 

to  the  I, win  throned  in  the  midst.  None  of  the  mar- 
tyrs arc  distinguished  by  name,  except  those  to  whom 

the  church  i.>  dedicated,  —  Santa  l'ras.-cde  and  her  sis- 
ter Potentiana.  'The  peculiar  propriety  and  sentiment 
of  the  subject  as  relate,  to  them,  I  shall  point  out  when 
treating  of  their  legend  hereafter. 

In    later  Ait.  we    find    that    ill  all  devotional    pictures 

which  represent  Paradise,  the  Last  Judgment,  the  Glo- 
rification of  Christ,  or  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin, 
the  glorious  c panyof  beatified  martyrs  forms  s  part 

uf   the   celestial    pomp.        Some    of    these    compo.-itiolil 


THE  EARLY  MARTYRS.  135 

arc  of  wonderful  beauty,  and  much  of  the  pleasure  we 
derive  from  them  will  depend  on  our  knowledge  of  the 
history  and  character  of  these  heroes  of  the  faith,  and 
the  origin  of  the  attributes  assigned  to  them. 

I  consider  it  a  fault  when,  in  such  pictures,  the  apos- 
tles figure  as  martyrs  (as  in  Michael  Angelo's  Last 
Judgment),  because  they  had  a  still  higher  claim  to 
our  veneration,  and  should  take  their  place  according- 
ly ;  not  with  the  attributes  of  earthly  suffering,  as  vic- 
tims ;  but  with  their  books  as  the  delegated  teachers  of 
mankind.  Then,  next  after  the  apostles,  come  the  mar- 
tyrs ;  and  we  find  that  in  all  works  of  art  which  may 
be  cited  as  authorities  a  certain  order  is  maintained. 
The  first  place  is  usually  given  to  St.  Stephen,  the  sec- 
ond to  St.  Laurence  :  when  the  Innocents  are  intro- 
duced, their  proper  place  is  under  the  throne,  or  imme- 
diately at  the  feet  of  Christ.  Next  to  these,  the  most 
conspicuous  figures  are  usualty  St.  George  and  St. 
Maurice  as  warriors  ;  St.  Ignatius  and  St.  Clement  as 
bishops  ;  St.  Christopher  with  his  staff,  and  St.  Sebas- 
tian with  his  arrows.  The  martyrs  venerated  in  the 
particular  locality  for  which  the  picture  was  painted 
will  also  have  a  conspicuous  place  :  for  example,  in  the 
German  pictures  we  shall  probably  find  St.  Boniface 
and  St.  Florian ;  in  the  Brescian  pictures,  St.  Fausti- 
nus  and  St.  Jovita ;  while,  in  pictures  painted  for  the 
Dominicans,  Peter,  the  famous  martyr  of  their  order, 
is  conspicuous  with  his  bleeding  head  and  his  monk's 
habit.  The  female  martyrs  are  generally  placed  to- 
gether, forming  a  beautiful  group.  St.  Catherine,  in 
general,  takes  the  first  place ;  next  to  her  St.  Barbara 
with  her  tower ;  St.  Agnes  with  her  lamb ;  St.  Lucia 
with  her  lamp  (or  her  eyes)  ;  St.  Cecilia  crowned  with 
rases  ;  and  behind  them  a  crowd  of  figures  with  palms 
and  glories,  not  otherwise  individualized.  In  such  rep- 
resentations the  leading  idea  is  obviously  borrowed  from 
that  magnificent  passage  in  the  seventh  chapter  of  Reve- 
lations :  "  Lo  !  a  great  multitude,  which  no  man  could 


136       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

number,  clothed  with  white  robes,  and  with  palma  in 
tlnir  hands." —  "These  arc  the;  which  came  out  of 
greal  tribulation,  and  have  wished  their  robes,  end  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb;  therefore  are 
they  before  the  throneofGod  ;  and  be  shall  feed  them, 
and  -hall  lead  them  to  living  fountains  of  waters,  and 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyi 


The  Is\.»  i  \ts. 

Ital   fili  Innocenti  Fanciulli  M:iniri.  I  S;mti  llaiiiliini  Martiri.  h'r. 
Lea  Innocents.     Per.  Die  TjMchnWIgen  Ktnrilfiln.     Dec.  28. 

Tin.  •■  Massacre  of  the  Innocents,"  as  an  action  or 
e\ent,  belongs  to  the  historj  of  our  Saviour,  and  1 
Bhall  Bay  nothing  of  it  lure.  Bui  the  Innocents  them- 
Belves,  as  personages,  as  the  first-fruits  of  martyrdom, 
have  been  regarded  with  an  especial  homage  from  the 
earliest  ages  of  the  <  Ihnrch.  Not  the  leasl  divine  trail  in 
the  character  of  the  Bai  iour  was  the  love,  the  reverence, 
he  inculcated  for  "  little  children  "  ;  and  is  there  not 
something  mosl  natural,  most  touching,  in  theearlj  be- 
lief that  He  would  regard  with  peculiar  favor,  with  a 
more  compassionate  tenderness,  the  ronli  of  those  Inno- 
cent- who  perished,  if  not  in  his  can-.',  at  lci-i  Lecause 
of  Him  '  In  their  character  of  martyrs  they  find  an  ap- 
propriate place  in  devotional  and  ecclesiastical  Art  ;  and 
Bomeof  these  representations  are  of  peculiar  interest  and 
beauty.     1  shall  give  one  or  two  exampli 

In  the  mosaics  of  the  old  Basilica  of  St.  I'aul,  at 
Borne,  the  [nnocentt  are  represented  by  a  group  of 
-in. ill  figure*  holding  palms,  and  place. l  immediately 
beneath  the  altar  or  throne,  sustaining  the  Gospel,  the 
cross,  and  the  instruments  of  the  passion  oi  our  Lord 
ov.r  these  figum  was  the  inscription  Hi.  8    bra© 

i  is  r  KB.* 
•   A.I).  460.    Since  the  great  lire  of  1823  these  mosaic*  ha v 


THE  INNOCENTS.  i37 

I  saw  in  one  of  the  old  French  cathedrals,  I  think 
at  Aix,  a  picture  not  good  nor  agreeable  as  a  work  of 
art,  but  striking  from  the  peculiar  conception.  In  the 
midst  an  altar,  and  on  it  the  cross,  and  the  lamb  with- 
out blemish  :  around,  on  the  earth,  lay  the  martyred 
Innocents  bleeding,  dead  ;  a  little  higher  up,  their  spirits 
were  seen  ascending  with  palms  in  their  hands  ;  and 
above  all,  the  Infant  Christ,  enthroned,  received  them 
into  heaven  with  outstretched  arms. 

In  a  "  Flight  into  Egypt,"  by  F.  Vanni,  three  or 
four  martyred  Innocents  lie  in  the  foreground.* 

But  the  most  beautiful  devotional  representation  of 
the  martyred  Innocents,  the  most  appropriate,  the  most 
significant  in  sentiment,  I  could  cite,  is  the  altar-piece 
in  the  church  of  the  Foundling  Hospital  at  Florence 
(which  I  may  observe  en  passant,  preceded  by  two  hun- 
dred years  the  first  institution  of  that  kind  in  France, 
by  more  than  three  hundred  the  first  in  England.!) 
This  altar-piece  represents  the  Virgin  and  the  Infant 
Christ  enthroned  in  glory  ;  around  the  throne  the  elect ; 
and  among  them,  the  most  conspicuous  are  the  Inno- 
cents, lovely  children,  with  every  variety  of  sweet  in- 
fantine faces,  who  look  up  to  the  Saviour  as  in  suppli- 
cation, and  point  to  their  wounds,  which  yet  are  not 
rendered  too  obtrusive.  The  sentiment  conveyed  is 
this  :  "  Behold  us,  who  have  suffered  because  of  thee, 
O  Saviour !  and,  for  our  sake,  have  mercy  and  have 
pity  on  the  forsaken  little  ones  who  are  brought  hither 
and  laid  down  at  thy  feet  !  " 

There  is  a  picture  in  the  Louvre  by  Rubens,  known 
as  "  La  Vierge  aux  Anges."  It  represents  the  Virgin 
and  Child,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  children,  —  for 
they  are  beatified  children,  not  winged  angels  ;  many 
bear  palms  :   they  are  exquisite  for  infantine  beauty, 

*  Etruria  Pittrice. 

t  I  speak  of  the  present  magnificent  foundation  at  Florence, 
dating  from  1448.  So  early  as  1193  there  was  an  hospital  there  fo« 
poor  forsaken  children  :  the  first,  in  all  probability,  that  ever 
existed. 


5 


g       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


and  I  have  sometimes  thought  thai  Bubens  must  have 
intended  them  for  the  souls  of  the  Innocents,  and  not 
for  angels  ;  hut  I  have  no  authority  t>>r  this  supposi- 
tion,  and  can  only  say  that  such  was  tin-  impression 
conveyed  to  my  mind.* 


St.  Steimien,  Deacon   and  Protomart^  i; 

Lai .  S.  Stcphanus.     Hal.  San  Stefano.     J>.  St.  Kti.-un.-.    (,rr.  !><r 
Beillgi   Stefan.     Dec.  26. 

The  brief  and  rimple  aoconnt  of  Stephen,  as  given 
in  the  sixth  and  Beventh  chapters  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  I  presume  to  be  familiar  to  the  reader.  Little 
has  been  added  by  the  fancy  or  the  veneration  "i  his 
votaries.  He  is  held  in  the  highest  honor  as  the  first 
who  shed  his  blood  in  testimony  to  Christ,  and  cU> 
si -rilx-d  as  a  man  full  of  faith  and  power  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  Having  been  chosen  deacon  during  the 
first  ministry  of  Peter,  and  before  the  conversion  of 
1  '.ml ,  and  after  performing  "great  wonders  and  mira- 
cles among  the  people,"  he  was,  upon  the  evidence  of 
false  witnesses,  accused  of  speaking  blasphemous  words 
against  the  Temple  and  against  the  Jewish  law,  —  that 
temple  which  is  now  destroyed,  that  law  which  has  been 
superseded   by  a  diviner,  a   more  universal    law  of 

"  peace  On  earth,  and  good-will  towards  men  "  :    wl 

upon  he  was  condemned  to  death,  and  stoned  by  the  in- 
furiated people  outside  the  gates  of  the  city. 

Bo  far  the  Scripture  record.  The  legend,  which  ac- 
counts for  the  discover]  of  his  relies,  and  their  present 

tang-place  in  the  Basilica  of  San  Lorenzo  at  Borne, 
a  thus  given  :  — 

■     dO  One   knew   what    had    hee.pme  of   the  hody  of  the 

•  On  *  thither  •-  -v.ni .  1 1  mt  i.iii  'if  tiii«  piston,  i  peseta  the  eonela* 
■Ion  tint  Etabeni  bad  n.'t  iniiiiil.il  t.i  represent  either  the  Innooenti 
»r  Oherabbn,  t>"t  the  Bpirtu  (aofels)of  b  Udrea,ln  atlu- 

•p. a  t.i  the  hut,  Matt  KvtU.  10. 


ST.  STEPHEN.  139 

saint  till  about  four  hundred  years  afterwards  ;  when 
Lucian,  a  priest  of  Carsagamala  in  Palestine,  was  vis- 
ited in  a  dream  by  Gamaliel,  the  doctor  of  the  law  at 
whose  feet  Paul  w:is  brought  up  in  all  the  learning  of 
the  Jews  ;  and  Gamaliel  revealed  to  him  that  after  the 
death  of  Stephen  he  had  carried  away  the  body  of  the 
martyred  saint,  and  had  buried  it  in  his  own  sepulchre, 
and  had  also  deposited  near  to  it  the  body  of  Nicode- 
mus  and  other  saints  ;  and  this  dream  having  been  re- 
peated three  times,  Lucian  went  with  others  deputed  by 
the  bishop,  and  dug  with  mattocks  and  spades  in  the 
spot  which  had  been  indicated,  —  a  sepulchre  in  a  gar- 
den, and  found  what  they  supposed  to  be  the  remains 
of  St.  Stephen,  their  peculiar  sanctity  being  proved  by 
many  miracles.  These  relics  were  first  deposited  in  Je- 
rusalem, in  the  church  of  Sion,  and  afterwards  by  the 
younger  Theodosius  carried  to  Constantinople,  and 
thence  by  Pope  Pelagius  conveyed  to  Rome,  and  placed 
in  the  same  tomb  with  St.  Laurence.  It  is  related  that 
when  they  opened  the  sarcophagus  and  lowered  into  it 
the  body  of  St.  Stephen,  St.  Laurence  moved  on  one 
side,  giving  the  place  of  honor  on  the  right  hand  to  St. 
Stephen  :  hence  the  common  people  of  Rome  have 
conferred  on  St.  Laurence  the  title  of  '  II  cortese 
Spagnuolo,'  —  '  The    courteous    Spaniard.'  "  * 

In  devotional  pictures,  the  figure  of  St.  Stephen, 
which  is  of  constant  recurrence,  seldom  varies  in  char- 
acter, though  it  does  so  in  the  choice  and  arrangement 
of  the  attributes.  He  is  generally  represented  young, 
of  a  mild  and  beautiful  aspect,  habited  in  the  rich  dress 
of  a  deacon,  the  Dalmatica  being  generally  of  crimson, 
covered  with  embroidery  ;  it  is  square  and  straight  at 
the  bottom,  with  loose  sleeves  and  heavy  gold  tassels 
hanging  down  from  the  shoulders  before  and  behind. 
He  bears  the  palm,  almost  invariably  as  protomartyr. 
The  stones,  which  are  his  peculiar  attribute,  are  either 

*  St.  Stephen  is  not  so  popular  as  many  saints  less  accredited 
There  are  only  forty  churches  in  England  dedicated  to  him. 


i4o       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

in  his  hand  or  in  his  drapery,  or  on  his  head  aDU 
shoulders,  or  lyin^  at  his  lV*<-t  ;  or  sometimes  on  the 
Bcriptures,  which  he  holds  in  his  band,  showing  the 
manner  of  death  he  Buffered  for  the  Gospel,  and  in  al- 
lusion also  to  bis  preaching  before  his  death.  In  such 
figures,  when  imperfectly  executed,  it  is  necessary  to 
distinguish  die  three  balls  of  St.  Nicholas  from  the 
stones  of  St.  Stephen.  When  the  stones  are  intro- 
duced, and  are  palpably  and  indubitably  stones,  then  it 
is  impossible  t>>  mistake  Stephen  for  any  other  saint  : 
hut  they  are  often  omitted  ;  it  then  becomes  difficult  to 
distinguish  St.  Stephen  from  St.  Vincent,  who  also 
hears  the  palm  and  the  deacon's  habit  In  th»-  Scrip- 
ture story  there  is  no  allusion  to  the  age  of  Stephen  at 
the  time  he  suffered  ;  but  in  Italian  Art  he  is  always 
young  and  beardless,  perhaps  in  allusion  to  the  descrip- 
tion of  his  appearance  when  accused  i  "  They  saw  his 

lace   as   it    had    been    the    lace   of  an    angel,"  which    of 

course  could  not  well  apply  to  an  old  or  bearded  man  ; 
and  he  has  always  a  meek  expression,  being  not  only 
protomartyr,  hut  also  considered  as  the  type,  next  to 

Christ,  of   forgiveness  of  injuries  :    "  Lord,  lay  not  this 

sin  to  their  charge  !  " 

This  is  tin'  conception  in  Italian  ami  German  Ait. 
but  in  Spanish  An  I  have  seen  St.  Stephen  bearded, 

and   with   the   lineaments  Of  a  man  of  thirty. 

I  will  give  a  fen  examples  in  which  St.  Stephen 
figures  as  protomartyr  or  as  deacon:  — 

1.  .Mosaic.*  A-  deacon,  he  stands  with  St.  Lau- 
rence; each  hold-  :.  (turibolo),  anciently  the 
office  of  the  deai 

.'    II'  itands  holding  his  palm  in  one  hand,  in  the 

other  a  hook;  stones  upon  his  head  and  upon  bis  shout 
del  -     as  in  a  picture  bj  <  'arpaccio.| 

*  Mom  mo. 

-  ii"'  111  tin- iii r Stephen!  the  use  of  lncenso  to  churcho 

iuea  Irniii  tie-  fourth  cinlury. 
|    Mil.ii..  I- 


8T.  STEPHEN.  141 

3.  In  a  beautiful  fresco  by  Brusasorci,  he  presents 
the  martyred  Innocents  to  Christ.  The  children  go 
before  him,  bearing  palms  in  their  little  hands.  He, 
with  a  paternal  air,  seems  to  recommend  them  to 
Christ,  who  is  in  a  glory  above.* 

4.  Francia.  St.  Stephen  as  martyr,  his  palm  in  one 
hand,  in  the  other  a  book,  on  which  are  three  stones 
stained  with  Mood. 

5.  He  stands  holding  a  banner,  on  which  is  a  white 
lamb  and  a  red  cross  ;  stones  on  his  head  :  in  an  anony- 
mous Siena  picture.t  This  is  the  only  instance  in 
which  I  have  seen  St.  Stephen  holding  a  banner.  The 
painters  of  the  Siena  school  indulged  in  various  ca- 
prices and  peculiarities,  often  highly  poetical ;  but  they 
must  never  be  regarded  as  authorities,  except  in  their 
own  local  saints. 

6.  St.  Stephen  stands  on  a  throne  as  patron,  holding 
his  palm  and  book  ;  two  angels  from  above  crown  him : 
on  each  side  St.  Augustine  and  St.  Nicholas,  in  a  very 
fine  picture  by  Calista  Piazza.}: 

7.  He  stands  with  other  saints,  distinguished  by  his 
palm,  his  deacon's  dress,  and  his  wounded  and  bleeding 
head.  (The  wounds  on  his  head  distinguish  him  from 
St.  Laurence  and  St.  Vincent) 

8.  Albert  Diirer.  St.  Stephen  standing  with  his 
palm  in  one  hand,  with  the  other  holds  up  the  skirt 
of  his  deacon's  robe,  in  which  are  seen  several  stones 
stained  with  blood. 

The  martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen  (which  led  the  way 
to  so  many  other  martyrdoms  in  the  same  righteous  and 
sacred  cause,  and  is  the  hrst  event  of  any  essential  im- 
portance after  the  disciples  were  left  to  fight  the  battle 
of  their  Lord  on  earth)  has  been  often  represented ;  and 
is  so  easily  recognized,  that  I  shall  not  dwell  upon  it 
further  than  to  mention  a  few  striking  examples.  Of 
course  the  motif  does  not  vary :   we  have  the  infuriated 

*  Verona :  in  S.  Eufemia.  t  Florence  Gal. 

J  Milan,  Brera. 


i42       BACRI  D  AND   LEQ1  NDAR7  ART. 
crowd,  the  mild  unresisting  victim,  and  Saul,  looking 

on  and  "consenting  to  his  death":  hut,  from  the  lium- 

ber  of  figures,  the  arrangement  and  the  Bentiment  arc 
capiihle  of  ^rit-:it  variety. 

1.  The  earliest  example  I  have  ever  seen  is  an  old 
Greek  picture.  St.  Stephen  is  kneeling  ;  aronnd  him 
are  seen  rude  representations  of  walls  and  gates,  eight 
figures  throwing  Btones,  and  the  Almighty  hand,  hold- 
ing the  martyr's  crown,  is  over  bis  head.* 

2.  Raphael   hits  treated  the  BUDJeCl  cla--i<ally.      The 

figure  of  Stephen  kneeling,  with  outstretched  arm-,  as 

if  he  otle red  himself  a.-  victim,  is  very  line.  The  other 
figures  look  more  like  Romans  than  dews;  Saul,  in  the 
dreSS  Of  B  Soman  warrior,  is  seated  under  B  tree.t      In 

the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen  a)  Genoa,  painted  by 
Giulio  Romano  i  U  u  said  from  a  cartoon  bj  Raphael), 
the  composition  Beemed  to  me  confused,  and  the  picture 
when  at  Paris  was  Bhamefully  repainted. 

:t.  Cigoli.  A.  composition  of  eight  figures.  Stephen, 
■truck  down  bj  a  Btone,  falls  backward.  The  ferocity 
of  the  executioners  is  painfully  prominent :  one  of  them 
kicks  him.  The  Trinity  is  Been  in  a  glory  above,  and 
an  angel  descends  with  a  crown  and  palm.  The  pic- 
ture is  admirable  for  vigor  and  for  pathos;  but  it  is 
more  like  a  murder  than  a  martyrdom.! 

4.  The  martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen,  in  a  fine  angrav- 
ing.j  A  little  child  is  bringing  stones  in  h>  vetl  to 
help  the  executioners.  This  has  always  appeared  to 
mi'  a  fault  both  of  taste  and  feeling  :  the  introduction 
of  a  child  thus  employed  add- a  touch  of  horror,  hut 
inlv  unchristian  in  spirit,  and  unwarranted  by  the 
test.  The  incident,  however,  occurs  so  frequently  in 
pictures,  thai  it  may  possibly  be  founded  on  some  le- 
gend "t  St.  Stephen  unknown  to  me 

5  Domenichino.  In  our  National  Gallery,  a  pic- 
ture  in  which   the  Subject    is  Very  dramatically  treated 

*    Km;,  iii  D'AftoOOUrt,  |  t    Vatican. 

j  Plonooi  Gal. 

$  By  0.  <-"rt  (1670)  after  Marci-llo  Vcnuitl. 


ST.  STEPHEN.  143 

6.  Annibal  Caracci  has  treated  the  same  subject 
several  times  with  great  force  of  expression.  There  is 
a  beautiful  sketch  iu  the  Sutherland  Gallery. 

7.  Lebrun.  St.  Stephen,  lying  on  the  ground,  his 
face  turned  towards  heaven  with  an  expression  of  mild, 
trusting  faith,  has  just  received  his  death-blow ;  the 
executioners  stand,  as  it  were,  in  suspense,  looking 
on.  This  is,  beyond  all  comparison,  the  finest  picture 
which  Lebrun  ever  painted;  the  pathos  and  truth  of 
the  sentiment,  and  the  absence  of  everything  forced 
or  theatrical,  are  so  unlike  the  usual  character  of 
his  works,  that  I  could  not  at  first  believe  it  to  be 
his.* 

8.  Le  Sueur.  St.  Stephen,  lying  dead  on  the  ground, 
is  bewailed  by  the  disciples  and  the  women,  who  pre- 
pare to  carry  him  to  the  tomb.     (Acts  viii.  2.) 

The  life  of  St.  Stephen,  in  a  succession  of  subjects, 
is  frequent  in  the  ancient  stained  glass,  and  has  been 
treated  in  mural  frescos  and  as  a  series  of  pictures. 
Some  examples  are  famous  in  the  history  of  Art,  and 
in  all  the  instances  I  can  remember  the  incidents  rep- 
resented are  the  same. 

I.  Fra  Angelico,  when  summoned  to  Rome  by 
Nicholas  V.  in  1447,  painted  the  history  of  St.  Ste- 
phen and  St.  Laurence  on  the  walls  of  a  chapel  in  the 
Vatican,  now  called  "  la  Cappella  di  Niccolb  V.,"  and 
sometimes  "  la  Cappella  di  San  Lorenzo."  The  scenes 
from  the  life  of  St.  Stephen  are  arranged  in  the  follow- 
ing order : — 

1.  St.  Stephen  is  invested  with  the  office  of  deacon 
It  is  not  said  in  the  Acts  that  he  was  appointed  by  St. 
Peter,  but  it  is  so  represented  by  Angelico :  kneeling, 
he  receives  from  St.  Peter  the  sacramental  cup.  In  the 
early  Church  it  was  the  office  of  the  deacon  to  take 
charge  of  the  cup  and  of  all  things  pertaining  to  the 
altar.     The  six  other  deacons  are  in  the  background 

*  Louvre. 


i44       SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

2.  St.  Stephen  ministers  to  the  |>oor:  for  this  purpose 
he  was  m i >j >•  ij nt < ■•  l  deacon.  Three  of  the  (inures  repre- 
sent widows,  in  allusion  to  the  text  (Acta  \i.  1).  3. 
St  Stephen  preaches  to  the  people.  Be  is  standing  on 
a  strji ;  his  audience,  consisting  chiefly  of  women  and 
children,  are  Beated  before  him.  Several  men,  evi- 
dently unconverted,  stand  in  the  background  :  "  Hut 
they  were  not  able  to  resist  the  wisdom  and  the  spiril 

by  which  he  spake  ;  then  they  siiliorued  false  w  inl- 
and brought  him  t"  tin-  council."    (Acts  vi.  10.)     l 
••  Then  saiil  the  high-priest,   Are  these  things 
Stephen  Btands  in  front,  the  high-priest   has  just  put 

the  interrogation,  ami  Stephen,  with  his  hand  raised,  is 

about  to  reply :  ••Men.  brethren,  and  fathers,  hearken  I" 

(Acts  vii.  '2.)  Several  old  men  stand  round  with  ma- 
licious (aces  ;  one  of  these,  evidently  his  accuser,  ha-  the 
dies-  and  Bhaven  crown  of  a  monk.     5.   Stephen  is 

dragged  forth  to  martyrdom.  'The  scene  represent! 
th>-  walls  of  the  city,  and   they  are  baling   him  through 

thr  -ate.  "They  cried  out  with  a  loud  \oire,  anil 
Stopped    their   ears,    and    ran    upon    him    with    one    ae 

cord."  (ActBviL  57.)     6.  The  Martyrdom  of  Stephen. 

He  is  kneeling,  with  clasped  hands;  Saul,  who  is  not 
here  a  vim-  man,  lull  with  the  bald  head  and  pointed 

beard,  which  is  the  characteristic  type,  Btands  to  the 

left,  calmly  looking  on.  The  la-t  composition  i.-  inef- 
fective, and    inferior  to  all  tin    other.--. 

Angelico  ha-  represented  Stephen  a-  a  young  man, 
beardless,  ami  with  a  most  mild  and  candid  expression. 
Bus  dress  i-  the  deacon's  habit,  of  a  vivid  blue. 

II     Tlir  let  of  picture-  by  Carpaccio,  which  once 
rted  entire  in   Venice,  i.-  now  distributed   through 
revere]  galleii 

I.  St.  Stephen  consecrated  deacon  by  St  Peter,  with 
-i\  others;  they  are  all  kneeling  before  him:  in  the 
background,  sea  and  mountains.*  2.  The  preaching 
of  Stephen.     He  itands  upon  a  pedestal  or  pulpit,  in 

•  Berlin  Oat. 


ST.  STEPHEN.  145 

the  court  of  the  Temple,  in  an  attitude  of  demonstra- 
tion. The  multitude  around  him  ;  many  in  strange 
dresses  from  different  parts  of  the  world.*  3.  St.  Ste- 
phen disputing  with  the  doctors.!  4.  The  last  picture 
of  the  series,  the  Martyrdom,  I  have  not  met  with. 

Carpaccio  also  has  represented  Stephen  as  young  and 
of  a  beautiful  countenance  ;  he  wears  the  deacon's  habit, 
which  is  red,  embroidered  with  gold. 

III.  Much  finer  than  either  of  these  is  the  series  by 
Juan  Juanes.  It  consists  of  the  usual  subjects,  but  the 
treatment  is  very  peculiar,  and  stamped  by  the  charac- 
ter of  the  Spanish  school.     The  figures  are  life-size.}: 

1.  The  series  commences  with  his  consecration  as 
deacon.  2.  Then  follows  the  dispute  in  the  synagogue. 
There  are  ten  figures  of  doctors,  "  Cyrenians,  Alexan- 
drians, and  those  of  Cilicia  and  Asia  "  ;  the  heads  ex- 
tremely fine  and  varied.  Stephen  stands  with  one 
hand  extended  as  demonstrating ;  in  the  other  he  holds 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament,  out  of  which  he 
confuted  his  opponents.  3.  Stephen  accused.  The 
doctors  stop  their  ears ;  he  points  through  an  open  win- 
dow, where  Christ  is  seen  in  glory,  —  "  Behold  !  I  see 
the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Sou  of  Man  standing  on 
the  right  hand  of  God!"  The  high-priest  is  on»a 
throne,  and  the  architecture  and  all  the  accessaries  are 
magnificent.  4.  Stephen  is  dragged  forth  to  martyr- 
dom. The  executioners  have  their  mouths  open  with 
a  dog-like  grin  of  malice ;  one  raises  his  hand  to  strike 
the  saint ;  "  Saul  walks  by  his  side,  with  the  dignified 
resolute  air  of  a  persecutor  from  conviction,  who  is  dis- 
charging a  solemn  duty,  and  is  well  contrasted  with  the 
vulgar  cruelty  of  the  mob.  Studies  for  such  scenes 
must  have  been  common  in  Spain  ;  mauy  a  Dominican 
inquisitor  might  have  sat  for  Saul."  §     5.   St.  Stephen 

*  Louvre.  t  Milan,  Brera. 

X  Madrid  Gal. 

§  v.  Sir  E.  Head's  Handbook  of  Spanish  Art,  p.  71,  for  a  good 
description  of  this  series.  Also  Mr.  Stirling's  Annals  of  the  Artists 
of  Spain. 

vol.  11.  10 


,46       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

is  stoned  in  the  net  of  prayer  :   "  Lord,  lav  not  ttiis  sin 

to  their  charge."  6.  He  is  buried  by  the  disciples,  hc- 
ing  laid  iii  the  tomb  in  bis  deacon's  dress.     Many  arc 

Weeping,  and    the  whole  composition    i^   extremely  tine 

and  Bolemn. 

In  this  Beries  Stephen  is  represented  as  a  man  abont 

thirty,  with  a  short  black  heard  and  the  Spanish  J>h\-i 

ognomy;  his  deacon's  habil  is  bine  (as  in  the  series 
by  Angelico) ;  which  is  remarkable,  because  this  color 
is  now  never  used  in  sacred  vestments. 

St.  Stephen  and  St.  Laurence,  both  deacons,  both 
martyrs,  both  young,  and  having  the  same  character 
of  mild  devotion,  arc  frequently  represented  in  com- 
panionship. 


St.  Laurence,  Deacon  and  Mauti  it. 

I. nt.  si  Laurentlus.  ftoi.  Ban  Lorenao  /■>.  St.  i.mm-iit.  Ger. 
Hit  lliliijic  i.iinri'iitiiit  cir  Lorena.  Patron  of  Nuremberg,  of  the 
i     1 1 r i : •  i .  and  "i  Genoa     Auc.  10,  a.  d.  258. 

It  is  -insular  that  of  this  young  and  renowned  mar- 
tyr, honored  at  Koine  next  to  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul, 

st>  little  should  he  known,  and  it  i-  DO  less  singular  that 
there  has  Keen  no  attempt  to  till  lip  the  lack  of  material 

iiv  invention.  Of  his  existence,  and  the  main  circum- 
stances of  his  martyrdom, as  handed  down  bj  tradition, 
there  can  be  little  doubt.  The  place  of  his  birth,  the 
period  at  which  he  lived,  and  the  events  of  his  life,  have 
all  been  matters  of  dispute,  and  have  been  left  uncer- 
tain by  the  best  writer.-.  His  legend  i>  thus  related  in 
; :  ■    /  .is  Sanctorum  :  — 

•■  About  the  time  when  Valerian  was  a  prisoner  to 
Sapor,  king  of  Persia,  and  hi-  son  Gallienus  reigned 
in  tin'  Bast,  lived  Sixtus  II.,  bishop  of  Home,  the 
twenty-fourth  in  succession  from  St  Peter;  and  lu- 
ll.id  tor  In-  deacon  a  young  and  pious  priest  named 

Laurence,  who  m    a    Spaniard,    a    native    of  Oflca,    or 

Huesca,  in  the  kingdom  of  Aragon  —  (in  which  city 


ST.  LAURENCE.  147 

the  father  .and  mother  of  St.  Laurence  are  honored  as 
saints,  under  the   names  of  Orentius  and  Paticnzia). 
Being  very  young  on  his  arrival  in  Rome,  he  walked 
so  meekly  and  so  blamelessly  before  God,  that  Sixtus 
chose  him  for  his  archdeacon,  and  gave  into  his  care 
the  treasures  of  the  Church,  as  they  were  then  styled ; 
which  treasures  consisted  in  a  little  money,  some  ves- 
sels of  gold  and  silver,  and  copes  of  rich  embroidery  for 
the  service  of  the  altar,  which  had  been  presented  to 
the  church  by  certain  great  and  devout  persons,  Julia 
Mammea,  mother  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  Severus  ; 
Flavia   Domitilla;    the   Emperor   Philip,   and  others. 
And  Sixtus,  being  denounced  to  the  prefect  of  Rome 
as  a  Christian,  was  led  away  to  prison,  and  soon  after 
sentenced  to  death ;  which  when  Laurence  the  Deacon 
saw,  he  was  in  great  affliction,  and   he  clung  to  his 
friend  and  pastor,  saying,  '  Whither  goest  thou,  0  my 
father,  without  thy  son  and  servant  ?  am  I  found  un- 
worthy to  accompany  thee  to  death,  and  to  pour  out 
my  blood  with    thine   in   testimony  to   the    truth   of 
Christ  ■?     St.  Peter  suffered  Stephen,  his  deacon,  to  die 
before  him  :  wilt  thou  not  also  suffer  me  to  prepare  thy 
way  ? '      All  this  he  said,  and  much  more,  shedding 
many  tears  ;  but  the  holy  man  replied,  '  I  do  not  leave 
thee,  my  son ;  in  three  days  thou  shalt  follow  after  me, 
and  thy  battle  shall  be  harder  than  mine ;  for  I  am  old 
and  weak,  and  my  course  shall  soon  be  finished ;  but 
thou,  who  art  young  and  strong  and  brave,  thy  tor- 
ments will  be  longer  and  more  severe,  and  thy  triumph 
the  greater :   therefore,   grieve  not,  for  Laurence  the 
Levite  shall  follow  Sixtus  the  priest.'     Thus  he  com- 
forted the  young  man,  and  moreover  commanded  him 
to  take  all  the  possessions  of  the  church  and  distribute 
them  to  the  poor,  that  they  might  in  no  case  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  tyrant.     And  after  this  Sixtus  was  put 
to  death.     Then  Laurence  took  the  money  and  treas- 
ures of  the  church,  and  walked  through  all  the  city  of 
Rome,  seeking  out  the  poor  and  the  sick,  the  naked 
and  the  hungry ;  and  he  arrived  by  night  at  a  house  on 


i48       8 ACRED   AND   LEG  I  \  DARY  ART. 

the  Celian  Hill  where  dwelt  a  devout  Christian  widow 
whose  Dame  was  Cyriaca,  who  kept  many  fugitive 
Christians  concealed  in  her  house,  and  ministered  to 
them  with  nnceasing  charity.  And  when  Laurence 
came  there  he  found  her  Bick,  and  healed  her  by  laying 
his  hands  upon  her.  Then  he  washed  the  fee)  of  the 
Christians  who  were  in   the  house,   and    gave  them 

alms  :  ami  ill  this  maimer  lie  went  from  one  dwelling 
in  another,  consoling  the  persei  utcd,  and  dispensing 
alms  and  performing  works  of  charity  and  humility. 
Thus  he  prepared  himself  for  liis  impending  martyr- 
dom. 

"The  satellites  of  the  tyrant,  hearing  that  the  treas- 
ures nf  the  church  had  been  confided  to  Laurence,  car- 
ried him  before  the  tribunal,  and  lie  was  questioned, 

hut  replied  not  one  word  ;  therefore  he-  was  put  into  a 
dungeon,  under  the  charge  of  a  man  named  Hippoly- 
III.-,  whom  with  his  whole  family  he  converted  to  the 
faith  of  Christ,  and  baptized;  and  when  he  was  called 

again  before  the  prefect,  and  required    to  say  where  the 

treasures  were  concealed,  he  answered  that  in  three  days 

he  would  show    them.       The   third    day  being  eoine,  St. 

Laurence  gathered  together  the  sick  ami  the  poor  to 
whom  he  had  dispensed  alms,  and  placing  them  hetbrc 
the  prefect,  said,  •  Behold,  here  are  the  treasures  of 
Christ's  Church.'  Upon  this  the  prefect,  thinking  he 
was  mocked, fell  into  a  -rent  rage,  and  ordered  St.  Lau- 
rence  to  be  tortured  nil  he  had  made  known  when-  the 
treasures  were  concealed  ;  bul  no  suffering  could  subdue 

the  patience  and  constancy  of  the  holy  martyr.      Then 

the  prefect  commanded  that  he  should  !><•  carried  by 
night  to  the  baths  of  (  Hympias,  near  the  villa  of  Ballnsl 

the  historian,  and  that  a  new  kind  of  torture  should  be 

prepared  for  him,  more  strange  and  cruel  than  had  ever 
entered  into  the  heart  of  a  tyrant  to  conceive;  tor  he 
ordered  him  to  be  stretched  on  a  sort  of  bed,  formed 

of  iron  har.>  m    the  manner  of  a  gridiron,  and   a  lire  to 

lighted  beneath,  which  should  gradually  consume 
his  Imm1\  to  and  the  executioners  did  as  tl 


ST.  LAURENCE.  149 

were  commanded,  kindling  the  fire,  and  adding  coals 
from  time  to  time,  so  that  the  victim  was  in  a  manner 
roasted  alive ;  and  those  who  were  present  looked  on 
with  horror,  aud  wondered  at  the  cruelty  of  the  prefect, 
who  could  condemn  to  such  torments  a  youth  of  such 
fair  person  and  courteous  and  gentle  bearing,  and  all 
for  the  lust  of  gold. 

"  And  in  the  midst  of  his  torments,  Laurence,  to  tri- 
umph further  over  the  cruelty  of  the  tyrant,  said  to 
him,  '  Secst  thou  not,  O  thou  foolish  man,  that  I  am 
already  roasted  on  one  side,  and  that,  if  thou  wouldst 
have  me  well  cooked,  it  is  time  to  turn  me  on  the 
other  ? '  And  the  tyrant  and  executioners  were  con- 
founded by  his  constancy.  Then  St.  Laurence  lifted 
up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and  said,  '  I  thank  thee,  O  my 
God  and  Saviour,  that  I  have  been  found  worthy  to 
enter  into  thy  beatitude ! '  and  with  these  words  his 
pare  and  invincible  spirit  fled  to  heaven. 

"The  prefect  and  his  executioners  seeing  that  the 
saint  was  dead,  went  their  way  in  great  wonder  and  con- 
sternation, leaving  his  body  on  the  gridiron  :  and  in  the 
morning  came  Hippolytus  and  took  it  away,  and  buried 
it  reverently  in  a  secret  place,  in  the  Via  Tihurtina. 
When  this  was  known  to  the  prefect,  he  seized  Hippo- 
lytus, and  commanded  him  to  be  tied  to  the  tail  of  a 
wild  horse ;  and  thus  he  perished.  But  God  suffered 
not  that  this  wicked  and  cruel  prefect  should  escape  the 
punishment  of  his  crimes  ;  for,  some  time  afterwards,  as 
he  sat  in  the  amphitheatre  of  Vespasian,  and  presided 
over  the  public  games,  all  of  a  sudden  miserable  pangs 
came  over  him,  and  he  cried  out  upon  St.  Laurence 
and  Hippolytus,  and  gave  up  the  ghost ! 

"  But  to  St.  Laurence  was  given  a  crown  of  glory  in 
heaven,  aud  upon  earth  eternal  and  universal  praise  and 
fame ;  for  there  is  scarcely  a  city  or  town  in  all  Chris- 
tendom which  does  not  contain  a  church  and  altar  dedi- 
cated to  his  honor.  The  first  of  these  was  built  by 
Constantine  outside  the  gates  of  Rome,  on  the  spot 
where  he  was  buried ;   and  another  was  built  on  the 


i5o       BACKED  AND   LEGENDARY  AST. 

summit  ..f  the  Yiminul  Hill,  when  be  mi  martyred , 
and  besides  these,  there  are  al  Borne  four  others ;  and 
in  Spain,  the  Bscorial ;  and  in  Genoa,  the  <  athedral."  * 

Figures  of  St.  Laurence  in  devotional  pictnree  occur 
perpetually.  He,  as  well  as  St.  Stephen,  wean  the 
deacon's  dress,  and  has  the  palm  as  martyr;  and  where 
he  bears  bis  familiar  attribute,  the  gridiron  (lagraticola), 
he  is  not  to  be  mistaken  ;  but  there  are  instances  in 
which  the  gridiron  is  omitted,  and  he  carries  a  dish  fall 
of  gold  and  silver  money  in  bis  hand,  —  the  treasures 
of  the  church  confided  to  his  keeping;  or  he  Bwinj 
censer;  or  carries  n  cross,  for  it  was  the  province  of 
the  deacon  to  cany  the  cross  in  processions  and  other 
religions  ceremonies.  The  deacon's  dress  has  been  de- 
scribed: in  pictures  of  St.  Laurence,  who  ires  the  first 
archdeacon,  the  dress  is  osnall]  Bplendid;  in  some  pic- 
tures he  wean  a  tunic  covered  with  flames  of  lire,  in 
allusion  to  bis  martyrdom,  lie  is  represented  vouager 
than  Stephen,  and  with  a  look  of  calm  Bweetness  almosl 
angelic.  The  gridiron  varies  in  form  :  it  u  sometimes 
a  parallel. .-ram,  formed  of  tian-\  erse  ban,  on  which  he 

lean.-  or  BCtS  his  foot    in  triumph  :    sonieiiiin >  n   has  the 

form  of  the  common  kitchen  utensil;  it  is  then  no 
longer  the  attribute,  hut  a  men-  emblem  of  the  death 
he  suffered.     Sometimes  a  little  gridiron  is  suspended 

round  his  neck,  or  he  holds   it   in  hi.-  hand,  or  u  i-  em 

broidered  on  hi-  robe.1 

l.   In  a  picture  by  Pinturicchio  at  Spello,  St.  I. an 
ranee  stands  with  St.  Francis  bj  the  throne  of  a  beauti 

fill    Madonna;    he    I. an-   on    hi.-  gratioola,  and.    with    a 

truly   poetical    anticipation,   has    hi.-    martyrdom    em 
broidered  on  his  deacon's  robe. 

i     I-     .    :     boat  two  bandied  sod  flftj  ohm  ■i-.ii- 

.•  it'  'i  in  honor  of  Be  tain 

|    I  <;iw  ;.,  .„„    of  ||„.    |i. ,],;„,  ehUTOhes,  I    Hunk  .it  OnmOBS,  U 

Mittqne  fragment  re]  th«  itorj  ol  Unolni  Bowvols  thi 

'-  band  Into  tti  Men  the  guldi  poind  ■!  onl  ■■  "  un 

ninth,   tOidOtO,   chr  *,ir„,   prr  rrrtn.    u  I   MMfO  i/i.ir  t  ir  t  .'  "    :nM 
wlii.h  the  !••  op]  ■    .  -■     l.:iiirtncc. 


ST.  LAURENCE.  i5, 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  devotional  figures  of  St. 
Laurence  I  have  ever  seen  is  by  Ghirlandajo  ;  it  repre- 
sents him  looking  up  with  an  expression  of  ecstatic 
faith  :  his  deacon's  tunic  is  of  crimson  with  a  green 
mantle  iu  rich  folds  :  *  it  forms  one  wing  of  an  altar- 
piece. 

The  subjects  from  his  life  are  few  ;  the  most  frequent 
is,  of  course,  his  famous  and  frightful  martyrdom,  —  a 
theme  difficult  to  be  treated  so  as  to  render  it  bearable  : 
we  have  it  in  every  variety  of  style,  —  sublime,  horri- 
ble, grotesque  ;  but  it  is  so  peculiar  that  it  can  never  be 
mistaken,  and  admits  of  little  variation  in  the  senti- 
ment. The  moment  chosen  is  not,  however,  always 
the  same ;  sometimes  he  is  addressing  to  the  prefect 
the  famous  ironical  speech,  which  is  but  too  near  to  the 
burlesque  ;  t  sometimes  he  is  looking  up  to  the  opening 
heavens,  whence  the  angel  floats  downwards  with  the 
palm  and  crown  ;  executioners  are  blowing  the  fire,  and 
bringing  fuel  to  feed  it.  The  time,  which  was  night, 
the  effect  of  the  lurid  fire,  the  undraped  beautiful  form 
of  the  young  saint,  whose  attitude,  in  spite  of  the  cruel 
manner  of  his  agony,  is  susceptible  of  much  grace  ; 
the  crowd  of  spectators,  with  every  variety  of  expres- 
sion ;  —  all  these  picturesque  circumstances  have  been 
admirably  employed  hy  Titian  in  one  of  the  most  fa- 
mous of  his  compositions,  that  which  he  painted  for 
Philip  II.,  to  be  placed  in  the  Escurial,  which  was  ded- 
icated to  St.  Laurence.! 

The  "  Martyrdom  of  St.  Laurence,"  by  Baccio  Ban- 
dinelli  the  sculptor,  is  arranged  as  a  scenic  bas-relief, 
and  is  well  known  to  artists  as  a  study  for  attitude  and 
form,  and  to  collectors  for  the  beauty  of  the  engraving 
by  Marc  Antonio. 

"  St.  Laurence  preparing  for  his  martyrdom  "  :  he 
stands  with  his  hands  bound,  in  a  loose  white  tunic, 

*  Munich,  564. 

t  It  is  literally,  "  I  am  done,  or  roasted,  —  now  turn  me,  and  eat 
me."     (Assatus  est ;  jam  versa  et  manduca.) 
X  There  are  many  repetitions  and  engravings. 


r5a       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY   ART. 

which  one  of  the  executioners  is  al t  to  remove;  a 

very  pretty  pathetic  picture  by  Elsheimer.* 

A  series  of  subjects  from  the  lift  of  St.  Laurence  la 
frequeal  in  the  Btained  glass  of  the  thirteenth  and  fomv 
teenth  centnriee  ;  —  there  is  a  fine  example  in  the  Ca- 
thedral at  ( lhartres. 

The    series   of  frescos  liy  Anpclieo   in   the   <  Iki|m1    of 

Nicholas  V  has  that  delicacy  of  sentiment  which  char- 
acterizes the  painter.  i.  He  is  ordained  deacon  by 
Pope  Sixtus,  who,  seated  on  a  throne,  gives  to  his 
keeping  the  consecrated  cup.  2.  He  receives  from  Six- 
ins  the  treasures  of  the  church.  8.  He  distributee 
them  to  the  poor  Christians. t     4.   Be  stands  bound 

before   the  prefect  l)ccitis.      Scourges  and   instruments 

of  torture  are  lying  on  the  ground.  5.  lie  lies  stretched 
on  the  gridiron. 

Ill  the  scries  of  old  fresCOS  under  the  portico  of  the  Ba- 
silica of  San  Lorenzo,  the  events  of  his  life  are  most 
elaborately  ami  minutel]  expressed  :  the  series  consists 
of  the  following  subjects  ;  they  are  on  the  ripht  hand 

as  you  enter,  but  in  such  a  state  of  ruin  as  to  he  near- 
ly unintelligible  :  — 

1.  Nearly  effaced  ;  it  probably  represented  his  inves- 
titure a-  deacon.  2.  St.  Laurence  washes  the  feet  of 
the] r  Christians.  •'!  He  heals  Cyriaca.  4.  He  dis- 
tributes alms.  -V  He  meets  St.  Sixtus  led  to  death, 
and  receives  his  Messing.  6.  He  i-  brought  before  the 
7.  He  restores  sight  to  Lucillus.  8.  \\<-  is 
scourged  with  thongs  loaded  with  lead.  9.  He  bap- 
tizes Hippolytus.  in.  (Effaced.)  11.  He  refuses  to  de- 
liver the  treasures  of  the  church,    l-'.  (Effaced.)     18, 

1  l.   l.'>.      His  body  wrapt  in  a  shroud,  carried  away,  and 

buried  by  Hippolytus. 

•  Mm., 1.  fa  Oabtmt,rUL  IM, 

t  "Tl.'-.h  I.,  .r.  .1-.  ,"  uft'-r  this  beautiful  llMSM,  hu 

lately  \»>-n mgraved  by  Umii  Qranar, (tartlu  Araadal  Boeiety ,  with 
a  praotaiaa  sad  purfcj  of  tutu  ...  tie-  drawing,  tad  ■  Mowing  eaae 

11. .'I  rl  gmiMM  In  UM  iiiiiniii'. -in.  nl  ,.f  tie  burin,  whirh  reeall  the  old 
engraven  of  the  Kaffaeleft<iue  school. 


ST.  LAURENCE.  153 

Foui-  of  the  compartments  on  the  right  hand,  and 
now  with  difficulty  made  out,  represent  the  contention 
between  the  Devil  and  the  angel  for  the  soul  of  the  Em- 
peror Henry  II.,  here  represented  because  St.  Laurence 
plays  a  conspicuous  part  in  it.  This  wild  legend  is  an 
amusing  instance  of  the  stories  or  parables  invented  by 
the  churchmen  of  the  time,  and  their  obvious  pur- 
pose :  — 

*'  One  night  a  certain  hermit  sat  meditating  in  his 
solitary  hut,  and  he  heard  a  sound  as  of  a  host  of  wild 
men  rushing  and  trampling  by  ;  and  he  opened  his 
window  and  called  out,  and  demanded  who  it  was  that 
thus  disturbed  the  quiet  of  his  solitude  ;  and  a  voice 
answered,  '  We  are  demons  ;  Henry  the  Emperor  is 
about  to  die  in  this  moment,  and  we  go  to  seize  his 
soul.'  Then  the  hermit  called  out  again,  '  I  conjure 
thee,  that,  on  thy  return,  thou  appear  before  me,  and 
tell  me  the  result.'  The  demon  promised,  and  went  on 
his  way  ;  and  in  the  same  night  the  same  ghastly  sounds 
were  again  heard,  and  one  knocked  at  the  window,  and 
the  hermit  hastened  to  open  it,  and  behold  it  was  the 
same  demon  whom  he  had  spoken  to  before.  '  Now,' 
said  the  hermit,  '  how  has  it  fared  with  thee  ?  '  '  111  ! 
to  desperation  ! '  answered  the  fiend  in  a  fury.  <  We 
came  at  the  right  moment ;  the  emperor  had  just  ex- 
pired, and  we  hastened  to  pi-efer  our  claim  !  when,  lo  ! 
his  good  angel  came-  to  save  him.  We  disputed  long, 
and  at  last  the  Angel  of  Judgment  (St.  Michael)  laid 
his  good  and  evil  deeds  in  the  scales,  and,  behold  !  our 
scale  descended  and  touched  the  earth  ;  —  the  victory 
was  ours  !  when,  all  at  once,  yonder  roasted  fellow  ' 
(for  so  he  blasphemously  styled  the  blessed  St.  Laur- 
ence) '  appeared  on  his  side,  and  flung  a  great  golden 
pot '  (so  the  reprobate  styled  the  holy  cup)  '  into  the 
other  scale,  and  ours  flew  up,  and  we  were  forced  to 
make  off"  in  a  hurry  ;  but  at  least  I  was  avenged  on 
the  golden  pot,  for  I  broke  off  the  handle,  and  here  it 
is  ' :  and  having  said  these  words,  the  whole  company 
of  demons  vanished.     Then  the  hermit  rose  up  in  tho 


'54 


SACRED  AND  II  Gl  ND  \h  Y   ART 


morning,  hastened  to  the  city,  and  found  the  emperor 
dead  :  and  the  golden  cup  which  be  had  piously  present- 
ed to  the  church  <>t  St.  Laurence  was  found  with  only  one 
handle,  the  other  having  disappeared  thai  Bame  night." 

The  ol'l  frescos  give  as  this  strange  bui  significant 
Btory  :it  full  length.  In  the  Aral  compartment  a  her- 
mit i>  looking  out  of  a  window,  and  there  are  Borne 
fragmentary  portions  of  the  devils  just  visible  :  the  sec- 
ond represents  the  death-bed  of  the  emperor,  at  the  ti>c>t 
of  it  appear  the  demons  :  in  the  next,  the  angel  and  the 

del is  are  contending  ;  the  soul  of  the  emperor  clasps 

the  knees  of  the  angel  as  if  for  refuge  :  in  the  fourth 
appears  St.  Laurence  to  the  rescue,  one  of  the  fiends 
has  fallen  on  hi>  knees  before  him.  The  whole  series 
in  a  barbarous  Btyle,  unci  in  a  most  ruined  state.* 

1  met  with  this  legend  again  in  the  famous  Strosxi 
Chapel  in  the  s.  Maria  Novella  at  Florence.  The 
great  frescos  <>i  the  Last  Judgment,  so  often  pointed 
out  as  worthy  of  especial  attention,  generally  engross 
the  mind  of  the  spectator  in  the  exclusion  of  minor  oh- 
jects ;  tew,  therefore,  have  examined  the  curious  and 
beautiful  old  altar-piece,  also  by  Orcagna  (a.  i>.  1849). 
It  represents  Christ  giving  the  keys  to  St.  Peter,  and 
attended  by  St.  John,  St.  Paul.  St.  Thomas  Aquinas, 
Si.  Catherine,  St.  Michael,  St.  Laurence.  In  the  pre- 
ilella  below  are  scenes  from  tin-  lift  <>t  each  of  the  saints 
represented  above.  For  example)  under  the  figure  of 
8  Laurence  we  have  tin'  contention  for  the  bouI  of  the 
Emperor  Henry.  In  tin-  centre  the  emperor  i>  • 
expiring  amid  his  attendants  .  mi  one  Bide,  the  Bight 
of  the  demons  through  the  desert,  the  hermit  looking 

nut    of   his    Cave  I    On    the    ether.   Si.   Michael    held.-   the 

scales  ;  the  merits  of  the  emperor  are  weighed  in  the 
balance  and  found  wanting;  St.  Laurence  descends  and 

plaOM  the  \  a.-e  in  one  scale  ;    the  demons  are  in  a  i 

and  uiic  of   them   -■.in-  t < •  threaten  St.  Laurence.      The 

whole  conception  rerj  odd  and  grotesque,  but  the  story 

*  Tie  ^  >v>'i|  in  ABtnall  ftiseinD'AgiDCourt's"  Ili-!<>ir<    !•• 

V  lit,"  |l    » 


ST.  HIPPOLYTUS.  155 

told  with  infinitely  more  skill  and  spirit  than  in  the 
rude  old  frescos  in  the  church  of  San  Lorenzo. 

Doublet,  in  his  history  of  the  abbey  of  St.  Denis, 
cites  a  passage  in  an  ancient  chronicle,  wherein  the  de- 
mons lament,  "  that  wishing  to  carry  away  the  soul  of 
Charlemagne,  they  did  not  succeed  because  of  the  op- 
position of  Michael,  the  archangel,  and  the  weight  of  the 
offerings  made  to  the  Church,  which,  being  thrown  into 
the  scale  of  good  works,  weighed  it  down."  Such  fab- 
rications were  frequent  in  those  days,  and  are  very  sug- 
gestive in  ours. 

As  the  story  of  St.  Hippolytus  is  closely  connected 
with  that  of  St.  Laurence,  I  place  it  here. 


St.  Hippolytus. 

Ital.  Sant'  Ippolito.    Fr.  Saint  Hippolyte.    Aug.  13,  A.  D.  258. 

Hippolytus  was  the  name  of  the  soldier  who  was 
stationed  as  guard  over  the  illustrious  martyr  St.  Lau- 
rence, by  whose  invincible  courage  and  affectionate  ex- 
hortations he  was  so  moved  that  he  became  a  Christian 
with  all  his  family.  After  the  terrible  death  of  St.  Lau- 
rence, at  which  he  had  been  present,  he,  with  some  other 
Christians,  carried  away  the  body  of  the  saint  by  night 
and  buried  it :  all  which  has  been  already  related  ;  and 
it  remains  only  to  show  how  Hippolytus  honored  the 
teaching  of  his  master,  and  proved  his  faith. 

Being  brought  before  the  tribunal  of  Decius,  and  ac- 
cused of  being  a  Christian,  Hippolytus  acknowledged 
himself  as  such,  and  declared  that  he  was  ready  to  die 
like  St.  Laurence  rather  than  deny  his  Redeemer.  De- 
cius sent  his  lictors  to  the  house  of  Hippolytus  with  or- 
ders to  arrest  all  who  were  found  there  ;  and  among 
others  was  his  aged  nurse,  whose  name  was  Concordia, 
and  who,  in  consequence  of  the  boldness  with  which 
she  replied   to   the   demands  of  the  judge,  was  con- 


i56       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

riemned  to  bo  scourged  until  she  died  ;  and  Ilippolytus, 
looking  on,  thanked  Qod  thai  his  nurse,  from  whose 
bosom  be  had  fed,  had  died  worthily  for  Christ's  sake  ; 
and  having  seen  nineteen  of  his  famih  beheaded,  and 
still  refitting  to  listen  to  the  temptations  of  these  wicked 
paganB,  he  was  tied  to  the  tails  of  wild  horses,  and,  in 
this  cruel  and  terrible  martyrdom,  perished. 

By  a  curious  mingling  of  the  Pagan  mythology  and 
Christian  traditions,  Hippolytns  has  partaken  of  the 

attributes  of  his  namesake  the  son  of  Theseus,  and  has 
been  chosen  as  the  patron  saint  of  horses.  His  name 
in  Greek  signifies  "  one  who  i>  destroyed  by  bones." 
His  popularity  In  France  is  probably  owing  to  the 
translation  of  his  relies  from  Home  to  the  Abbey  of  St. 
Denis  in  the  eighth  century  ;  but  in  the  legends  of  this 
saint  there  prevails  a  more  than  usual  degree  of  ob 
scurity  and  uncertainty. 

1.  In  the  old  mosaic  in  the  church  of  San  Lorenzo, 
Home,  St.  EEppolytUS  in  a  warrior's  dress  stands  he- 
hind    St.    Laurence. 

The  ancient  devotional  pictures  of  Hippolytns  often 
represent  him  as  the  jailer  of  St  Laurence,  v,ith  a 
bunch  of  keys  hanging  to  his  girdle. 

2.  In  a  little  picture  in  the  Academy  at  Florence  be 

is   thus  represented,  and   also   hold.-  in   his   hand  an   in 

■trumenl  of  torture  something  like  a  currycom))  with 

iron    teeth. 

■  i.    The    Martyrdom    of   St.   Ilippolytus    W8S    painted 

by  Bubleyras,  The  picture,  which  i>  one  of  his  most 
beautiful,  is  in  the  Louvre;*  Hippolytns  li«s  on  the 
ground,  hi>  hands  hound,  his  feel  tied  to  the  tails  of 
two  wild  horses,  which,  Martini;,  rearing,  and  with  their 
Danes  blown  by  the  wind,  are  with  difficulty  restrained 
by  a  number  of  soldier- ;  the  head  of  the  saint  is 
markably  fine  ;>-  he  looks  up  to  heaven  with  an  ex 
nthusiastic  faith. 

*  K        '  ii«.-,50a. 


ST.   VINCENT.  iS7 

4.  El  Mudo  painted  for  the  Escurial,  which,  it  will 
be  remembered,  was  dedicated  to  St.  Laurence,  Hippo- 
lytus and  his  companions  burying'  the  body  of  the  Saint 
by  night.  It  is  praised  for  the  solemn  and  pathetic  ef- 
fect of  the  composition,  and  is  in  truth  a  beautiful  sub- 
ject. 

5.  In  St.  Salvator,  Bruges,  is  the  Martyrdom  of 
Hippolytus  by  Hans   Hem  ling. 

I  have  seen  the  story  of  Hippolytus  frequently  in  the 
stained  glass  and  sculpture  of  the  old  French  churches. 
In  the  modern  church  of  Notre  Dame  de  Lorette  at 
at  Paris  the  story  of  St.  Hippolytus  is  painted  in  three 
compartments.  1.  He  is  baptized  by  St.  Laurence. 
2.  He  buries  the  body  of  the  saint.  3.  He  is  tied  to  a 
wild  horse. 


St.  Vincent,  Deacon  and  Martyr. 

Lat.  St.  Yincentius  Levita.  Ital.  San  Yincenzio  Diacono, San  Yin- 
cenzino.  Fr.  Saint  Yincent.  Patron  of  Lisbon,  of  Valencia,  of 
Saragossa  ;  one  of  the  patrons  of  Milan  ;  patron  saint  of  Chalons, 
and  many  other  places  in  France.    Jan.  22,  a.  d.  304. 

This  renowned  saint  and  martyr  of  the  early  Chris- 
tian Church  has  been  most  popular  in  Spain,  the  scene 
of  his  legend,  and  in  France,  where  he  has  been  an  ob- 
ject of  particular  veneration  from  the  sixth  century. 
It  is  generally  allowed  that  the  main  circumstances  of 
the  history  of  Vincent,  deacon  of  Saragossa,  of  his  suf- 
ferings for  the  cause  of  Christ,  and  his  invincible  cour- 
age, expressed  -by  his  name,  rest  on  concurrent  testi- 
mony of  the  highest  antiquity,  which  cannot  be  re- 
jected ;  but  it  has  been  extravagantly  embroidered.  I 
give  his  legend  here,  as  accepted  by  the  poets  and  artists. 

"  He  was  born  in  Saragossa,  in  the  kingdom  of  Ara- 
gon.  Prudentius,  in  his  famous  hymn,  congratulates 
this  city  on  having  produced  more  saints  and  martyrs 
than  any  other  city  in  Spain.  During  the  persecution 
under  Diocletian,  the  cruel  proconsul  Dacian,  infamous 


iS8       8ACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

in  the  annals  of  Spanish  martyrdom,  caused  all  th< 
Christians  of  Saragossa,  men,  women,  and  children, 
whom  be  collected  together  by  a  promise  of  immunity 
to  !»■  massacred.  Among  these  were  the  virgin  Eagre, 
cia,  and  the  eighteen  Christian  cavaliers  who  attended 
her  in  death.  At  this  time  lived  St.  Vincent  :  be  had 
been  early  instructed  in  the  Christian  faith,  and  with 
all  tlic  ardor  of  youth  devoted  himself  to  the  service 
of  Christ.  At  the  time  of  the  persecution,  being  not 
more  than  twenty  yean  of  age,  he  was  already  a  dea- 
con. The  dangers  and  the  Bufferings  of  the  Christiana 
only  excited  his  charity  and  his  real  :  and  after  having 
encouraged  and  sustained  manj  of  his  brethren  in  the 
torments  inflicted  upon  them,  he  was  himself  railed  to  re- 
ceive the  crown  of  martyrdom.  Rein-  broughi  before 
the  trilutiial  of  Daiian,  together  with  bis  bishop,  Vale- 
rius, they  were  accused  of  being  christians  and  con 
temners  of  the  gods.      Valerius,  who  was  very  old, 

and  had   an  iin [ .til liik nt   in    his   speech,  answered  to  the 

accusation  in  a  voice  bo  low  thai  he  could  scarcely  be 
heard.    On  this,  St.  Vincent  hurst  forth  with  christian 

fervor, —  'How    is    this,    my    lather!     canst    thou    not 

Bpeak  aloud,  and  <Ui\  this  pagan  dog  !     Speak,  thai 

all  the  world  may  hear  ;    or  sutler  me,  who  am  only  thv 

servant,  to  Bpeak  in  thy  Btead !'     The  bishop  having 

given  him  leave  to  Bpeak,  St.  Vincent  bi I  forth,  and 

proclaimed  bis  faith  aloud,  defying  the  tortures  with 
which  thej  were  threatened  ;  bo  that  the  Christians  who 
were  present  were  lifted  np  in  heart  and  full  of  grs 
tude  to  God,  and  the  wicked  proconsul  was  in  the  same 
degree  tilled  with  indignation.  He  ordered  the  old 
bishop  to  be  banished  from  the  city  ;  hut  Vincent,  who 
had  defied  him,  he  reserved  a-  an  example  to  the  n  t. 
and  was  resolved  to  bend  him  to  submission  by  the 
most  terrible  and  ingenious  tortures  that  crueltj  could 
invent  The  young  saint  endured  them  unflinching. 
When  his  body  was  lacerated  bj  iron  forks,  he  only 
smiled  on  his  tormentors  :  the  pangs  thej  inflicted  wi  re 
vi  him  delights  ;  thorns  were  his  rosea  ;  the  flames  a 


ST.    VINCENT.  159 

refreshing  bath  ;  death  itself  was  but  the  entrance  to 
life.'*  They  laid  him,  torn,  bleeding,  and  half  con- 
sumed by  fire,  on  the  ground  strewn  with  potsherds, 
and  left  him  there  ;  but  God  sent  down  his  angels  to 
comfort  him  :  and  when  his  guards  looked  into  the 
dungeon  they  beheld  it  tilled  with  light  and  fragrance ; 
they  heard  the  angels  singing  songs  of  triumph,  and 
the  unconquerable  martyr  pouring  forth  his  soul  in 
hymns  of  thanksgiving  :  he  even  called  to  his  jailers 
to  enter  and  partake  of  the  celestial  delight  and  solace 
which  had  been  vouchsafed  to  him  ;  and  they,  being 
amazed,  fell  upon  their  knees  and  acknowledged  the 
true   God. 

"  But  Dacian,  perfidious  as  he  was  cruel,  began  to 
consider  what  other  means  might  remain  to  couquer 
his  unconquerable  victim  Having  tried  tortures  in 
vain,  he  determined  to  try  seduction.  He  ordered  a 
bed  of  down  to  be  prepared,  strewn  with  roses  ;  com- 
manded the  sufferer  to  be  laid  upon  it,  and  allowed  his 
friends  and  disciples  to  approach  him  :  they,  weeping, 
stanched  his  wounds,  and  dipped  their  kerchiefs  in  his 
flowing  blood,  and  kissed  his  hands  and  brow,  and  be- 
sought him  to  live.  But  the  martyr,  who  had  held  out 
through  such  protracted  torments,  had  no  sooner  been 
laid  upon  the  bed,  than  his  pure  spirit,  disdaining  as  it 
were  these  treacherous  indulgences,  fled  to  heaven  ;  the 
angels  received  him  on  their  wings,  and  he  entered  into 
bliss  ineffable  and  eternal. 

"  The  proconsul,  furious  that  his  victim  had  escaped 
him,  ordered  his  body  to  be  thrown  out  to  the  wild 
beasts :  but  behold  the  goodness  of  God !  who  sent  a 
raven  to  guard  his  sacred  remains  ;  and  when  a  wolf  ap- 
proached to  devour  them,  the  raven  obliged  it  to  retire. 
And  when  Dacian  was  informed  that  after  many  days 
the  body  of  Vincent  remained  untouched,  he  was  ready 
to  tear  himself  for  despite :  he  ordered  his  minions  to 
take  the  body  of  the  holy  martyr,  to  sew  it  up  in  an 

*  Prudentius,  Hymn  to  St.  Laurence.    He  calls  the  iron  forks 
lastrelli,  or  rakes. 


1 6a       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

nx-hjuY,  us  was  iluiic  towards  parricides,  anil  to  throw 
it  into  the  sea.  These  impious  satellites  therefore  took 
the  body,  and,  placing  it  in  a  bark,  thej  rowed  out  tar 
into  the  rea,  and  flung  it,  attached  to  a  millstone,  over- 
board:  they  then  rowed  back  again  to  the  shore;  l»ut 

what  was   their  a-tuni-lmict,    when,    on    landing,   they 

(band  that  the  body  of  St.  Vincent  had  arrived  before 

them,  and  was  lying  on  the  .-and  !  They  were  bo  ter- 
rified that  they  fled;  and  there  being  none  to  bnrybim, 

the  waves  of  the  sea,  by  the  command  of  God,  per- 
formed that  piotu  office,  and  hollowed  ■  tomb  for  him 
in  the  sands,  where  be  lay,  protected  from  all  indignity, 

hidden   from  all   human   knowledge;    until,  alter  many 

years,  the  spot  was  miraculously  revealed  to  certain 
Christians,  who  carried  bis  body  t<>  the  city  of  Valen- 
cia, and    buried    it    there. 

••  In  the  eighth  century,  when  the  Christians  of 
Valencia  were  obliged  to  flee  from  the  Mom--,  they 
carried  with  them  the  body  of  St.  Vincent.  The  vessel 
in  which  they  hud  embarked  was  driven  by  the  winds 

through    the  straits  of  Hercules,  until   they  arrived  at  a 

promontory,  where  they  landed  and  deposited  the  re- 
mains of  the  saint ;  and  thi>  promontor]  has  since  l>ecn 
called  ('ape  St.  Vincent.  Here  the  sacred  relics  were 
again  guarded  by  the  ravens  or  crows,  and  hence  a  part 
of  the  cliff  is  called  '/  Monh  </•  las  Cuervos.  About  the 
year  1147,  Alonao  L  removed  the  relic-  to  Lisbon, — 

two  of  the  crou.-.,  one  at  the  prow  and  one  at  the  Item, 

piloting  the  ship.  Thus,  after  many  wanderings,  the 
blessed  St.  Vincent  rested  in  the  Cathedral  of  Lisbon; 
and  the  crows  which  accompanied  him  having  multi- 
plied greatly,  rents  were  assigned  to  the  chapter  for 

their  support." 

The  legi - 1 1 « 1  of  this  illustrious  martyr  is  one  of  tho 
mOSl  ancient  in  the  ( 'liureli.      The  famous   Latin  hymn 

nt'  Prudential  >  i    d.  403)  recites  all  the  details  of  his 

horrible  martyrdom  in  a  style  which  maypass  in  Latin, 
but  would  certainly  be  intolerable  In   English,      St 


ST.    VINCENT.  161 

Augustine  and  St.  Ambrose  testify  that,  in  their  time, 
the  tame  of  St.  Vincent  the  Invincible  had  penetrated 
wherever  the  name  of  Christ  was  known.*  He  has 
been  honored  since  the  fourth  century  throughout  Chris- 
tendom, but  more  particularly  in  Spain,  where,  we  are 
told,  "  there  is  scarcely  a  city  in  the  whole  Peninsula 
without  a  church  dedicated  to  him,  in  which  he  may  be 
seen  carved  or  painted  "  :  and  the  same  may  be  said  of 
France,  where  he  has  been  honored  aince  the  year  542. 
The  church,  now  "  St.  Germain  des  Pres  "  at  Paris, 
was  originally  dedicated  to  St.  Vincent  in  559.  The 
pretended  translation  of  the  relics  to  Prance,  by  means 
of  a  thieving,  lying  monk,  I  pass  over,  because  it  is 
discredited,  and  unconnected  with  my  purpose  in  these 
Essays.t 

In  works  of  art  it  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguish 
St.  Vincent  from  St.  Stephen  and  St.  Laurence  ;  for  he, 
too,  is  young  and  mild  and  beautiful ;  he  also  wears  the 
deacon's  dress,  and  carries  the  palm  :  but  his  peculiar 
attribute  is  a  crow  or  a  raven,  sometimes  perched  upon 
a  millstone.  Mr.  Ford  mentions  an  effigy  of  St.  Vin- 
cent at  Seville,  in  which  the  saint  is  painted  with  his 
"  familiar  crow,  holding  a  pitchfork  in  his  mouth " : 
"a  rudder,"  he  thinks,  "  would  have  been  more  appro- 
priate." I  imagine  that  the  iron  fork  is  here  the  in- 
strument of  his  martyrdom,  and  quite  appropriate.  In 
the  Italian  pictures  St.  Vincent  has  seldom  any  attri- 
bute but  the  palm,  while  St.  Laurence  and  St.  Stephen 
are  seldom  without  their  respective  gridiron  and  stones. 
St.  Vincent  is  frequently  grouped  with  St.  Laurence  ; 
the  Spanish  legend  makes  them  brothers,  but  I  find  no 
authority  for  this  relationship  in  the  French  and  Italian 
Martyrologies. 

The  most  beautiful  devotional  figure  of  this  martyr  I 

*  There  are  four  churches  in  England  dedicated  in  his  honor. 

t  It  is  because  of  the  supposed  deposition  of  the  relics  of  St. 
Vincent  in  the  church  of  St.  Germain,  that  St.  Vincent  and  St. 
Germain  are  so  often  found  together  in  French  pictures.  There  is 
one  in  the  Louvre  (Ecole  Franchise,  634)  painted  by  Vien. 

VOL.   II.  1 1 


i6z       8ACR1  D   AND   I  l  Gl  VL  [SI   AST. 

have  ever  seen  is  a  picture  by  l'alma,  in  the  B.  Maria 
del'  <>rto.  at  Venice,  almost,  if  not  quite,  equal  to  Ida 
Famous  St.  Barbara  for  color  and  expression.  Bt 
Vincent  Btands  in  the  renin-  <>n  a  kind  of  platform  :  he 
is  habited  in  the  deacon's  ruin-,  here  of  a  deep,  glowing 
red,  richly  embroidered  ;  he  holds  the  palm,  and  has  do 
other  attribute ;  the  face  is  divinely  beautiful,  —  mild, 
refined,  and  elevated   t<>  a  degree  uncommon   in  the 

Venetian    BChool,       POUT  .-aints   stand   round    him  ;    St. 

Helen  with  her  cross,  a  Dominican  (I  think  Bt  Vincent 

Ferrer),   a   pope,    and   a   martyr  .-aim   whom    1    cannot 

name:  completely  absorbed  by  admiration  of  the  princi 
pal  figure,  I  did  not  consider  them  with  sufficient  atten- 
tion.    In  a  picture  by  Pollajuolo,  also  of  extraordinary 
beauty,  be  is  young,  bearing  his  palm,  and  hi-  crimson 
Dalmatica  is  embroidered  with  gold.* 

A  fresco  by  Aurelio  Luini,  once  in  the  church  of  B. 
Vincenzino  at  Milan,  now  in  the  Brera,  represents  the 
youthful  .-aim  preparing  to  undergo  the  torture  which 

he  suffered  with  such  marvellous  constancy.  He  is 
bound  to  a  trie,  and  two  executioner-,  with  j|-,,ii  hooks 
in  their  hand.-,  seem  about  to  tear  him. 

A  series  of  subjects  from  his  life,  frequent  in  the 

Btained  glass  and  sculpture  of  the  thirteenth  and  four- 
teenth centuries,  consists  of  the  following  scenes:  I. 
lie  is  brought  before  the  proconsul  with  the  aged  priest 
Valerius,  who  i-  attired  a-  a  bishop,  while  Vincent 
wear-  the  deacon'.-  dress.  2.  lie  is  tortured  iii  various 
ways:  he  is  torn  with  iron  hooks,  laid  on  a  bed  of  red 

hot    iron,  stretched  upon   the  ground   on  potsherd.-.      .'1 
Angels  visit    him    in   his  dungeon.      4.    lie  dies  on  the 

bed  of  i  III-  bodj  he-  exposed,  guarded  b)  a 

raven;  a  wolf  i-  also  generally  introduced,  »;.  His 
body,  fastened  to  a  mill-tone,  floats  on  tin-  surface  of 
the  sea.    In  this  manner  hi-  storj  i-  represented  on  o 

of  the  windows  at    BoUTgeS,  and  on  another  at  (  'halt!' 

also  in  Bt  Vincent's  at  Ftongn, 
*  Roranoe  Gal. 


ST.    VITUS.  163 

The  very  ancient  frescos  in  the  portico  of  his  church 
at  the  "  Trc  Fontane,"  near  Rome,  have  perished,  at 
least  I  could  scarcely  discern  the  traces  of  them,  but 
they  may  be  found  in  D'Agincourt.*  In  this  church 
he  is  honored,  in  conjunction  with  St.  Anastasius  the 
Persian,  a  young  saint  who,  being  in  Persia  at  the  time 
the  true  cross  was  carried  thither  by  Chosroes,  in  614, 
was  converted  by  the  miracles  it  performed,  or  rather 
occasioned,  and  was  martyred  in  consequence.  His 
obscure  legend  I  have  not  found,  except  in  these  de- 
faced old  paintings.  He  was  first  strangled,  and  then 
beheaded ;  and  his  proper  attribute  is  the  axe. 


St.  Vitus. 

Ital.  San  Vito.  Fr.  St.  Vite,  or  St.  Guy.  Ger.  Der  Heilige 
Veit,  Vit,  or  Vitus.  Patron  of  Saxony,  Bohemia,  and  Sicily 
June  15,  a.  d.  303. 

Vitus  or  Vito  was  the  son  of  a  noble  Sicilian.  His 
parents  were  heathens  ;  but  his  nurse,  Crescentia,  and 
his  foster-father  Modestus,  who  were  secretly  Christians, 
brought  him  up  in  the  faith,  and  caused  him  to  be  bap- 
tized. At  twelve  years  old,  he  openly  professed  himself 
a  Christian,  to  the  great  indignation  of  his  father,  and 
the  cruel  governor,  Valerian,  who  attempted,  by  the 
usual  terrors  and  tortures,  to  subdue  his  constancy. 
He  was  beaten,  and  shut  up  in  a  dungeon ;  but  his 
father,  looking  through  the  keyhole,  beheld  him  dan- 
cing with  seven  beautiful  angels ;  and  he  was  so  amazed 
and  dazzled  by  their  celestial  radiance,  that  he  became 
blind  in  the  same  moment,  and  only  recovered  his  sight 
by  the  intercession  of  his  son.  But  his  heart  being 
hardened,  he  again  persecuted  Vitus,  and  treated  him 
cruelly ;  therefore  the  youth  fled  with  his  nurse  and 
Modestus,  and  crossed  the  sea  to  Italy,  in  a  little  boat, 
an  angel  steering  at  the  helm.  But,  soon  after  their 
arrival,  they  were  accused  before  the  satellites  of  the 

*  Hist,  de  l'Art  par  lea  Monumens,  pi.  98. 


164         SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 
Emperor  Diocletian,  plunged   in(>>  a  caldron  0#  boiling 

oil,  and  thus  received  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  Thu 
popular  i~:ii nt  has  been  reverenced  in  every  part  of 
Christendom  from  time  immemorial.  In  Germany  be 
is  one  of  the  fourteen  Nothrhetfen  or  pntrrtn  nainta.  and 

as  such  figures  often  in  the  old  (icrmaii  pictures,  as  in 
a  remarkable  picture  by  Wohlgemuth  in  the  Burg  at 
Nuremberg,  and  another  still  liner  in  the  Morit/.-Ka- 
pell.      lie  is  the  patron  saint  of  dancers  an<l  actors,  and 

invoked  against  thai  nervous  affection  commonly  called 
"  St.  Vitus'  Dance."     He  is  represented  u  a  beautiful 

hoy  holding  his  palm  ;  he  has  a  cock  in  hi-  hand,  or 
near  him,  whence  he  is  invoked  against  too  much  Bleep, 

by  those  who  find  a  difficulty  in  early  rising.*  Other 
attributes  are,  —  the  lion,  because  in  his  martyrdom  lie 

was  exposed  to  lions  ;  a  wolf,  because  his  remains  were 

watched  by  a  wolf,  —  a  legend  common  tomanyaainta; 
a  caldron  of  boiling  oil,  the  instrument  of  hi>  martyr- 
dom, 

St.  Vitus  is  found  in  the  sacred  pictures,  principally 
at  Venice  and  at  Prague.  The  fine  cathedral  at  Prague 
is  dedicated  to  him,  and  on  his  shrine  there  is  a  very 

good   modern   statue  of  him.  standing,  mild,   beautiful, 

and  young,  with  his  cock  beside  him. 

The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Vitus,  standing  in  a  caldron 
with  tire  underneath,  ami  St.  George  and  St.  Wolf- 
gang, as  Protecton  of  Bavaria,  on  each  aide,  by  Bas- 

Betti  of   VerOOa,  I  saw  at   Munich. 

*  Tl rik'in  "f  tl «k  a*  an  attribute  "f  St.  Vitus  id  a  dis- 
puted point.  It  apiwant  that  from  v.ry  ancient  tlmei  It  was  a 
nutan  i"  oflbr  up  a  c.k-w  to  him,  ami  m  late  iu  the  beginning  of 
lip  eighteenth  century  this  wua  duuc  by  the  cuiinui.ui  people  Or 
i'rague. 


THE   GREEK    MARTYRS. 


not  become  popular. 


SHALL  group  together  here  those  Greek 
Martyrs  who  have  been  accepted  and  particu- 
larly reverenced  by  the  Latin  Church,  though 
as  subjects  of  Art  and  patron  saints  they  have 


St.  Thecla,  Virgin  and  Martyr. 

Ital.  San  Tecla.     Fr.  St.  Thecle.     Ger.  Die  Heilige  Thekla.     Pa- 
troness of  Tarragona.     Sept.  23. 

Such  was  the  veneration  paid  to  this  saint  in  the 
East,  and  in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity,  that  it  was 
considered  the  greatest  praise  that  could  be  given  to  a 
woman  to  compare  her  to  St.  Thecla.  Some  of  the 
ancient  fathers  assure  us  that  she  had  studied  profane 
literature  and  philosophy,  and  was  famous  for  her  elo 
quence.* 

Her  story  is  contained  in  a  work  entitled  "  The  Acts 
of  Paul  aud  Thecla,"  known  and  circulated  in  the  first 
century,  but  condemned  as  spurious  by  St.  Johu  the 
Evangelist. 

"  It  is  related,  that  when  the  apostle  Paul  arrived  at 
Anconium,  he  preached  iu  the  house  of  Onesiphorus  ■ 

'  Baillet,  Vies  des  Saints.     Tillemont,  torn.  ii.  p.  66. 


,66       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

u..i'l  H  certain  virgin,  named  Thecla,  sat  at  a  window  in 
her  house,  from  whence,  by  the  advantage  of  ■  window 
in  the  house  where  Paul  was,  Bhe  listened  to  his  Ber 
mons  concerning  God,  concerning  charity,  concerning 
Faith  in  Christ,  and  concerning  prayer,  until  with  ex 
ceeding  joy  Bhe  was  Bubdued  to  the  doctrines  of  the 
faith.  ' 

•■  Now  this  virgin  Thecla  was  betrothed  to  a  youth 
named  Thamyris,  who  loved  her  much  ;  but  when  she 
would  do)  be  prevailed  upon  to  depart  from  the  win- 
dow, her  mother  senl  i"  Thamyris,  and  complained 
to  him  that  her  daughter  would   not  move  from  the 

window,  nor  eat,  nor  drink,  BO    intent  was   Bhe   to   hear 

the  discourses  of  Paul.     80  Thamyris  went  and  Bpoke 

to    her,  and   .-aid,  '  Theela  !    m\    betrothed  !    why  sitte-t 

thou  in  this  melancholy  posture  '  turn  to  Thamyris, 

and  blush  !  '      Ber  mother,  Theoelia,  also  chid  lur,  but 

it  was  t"  no  purpose.  Then  they  wept  exceedingly, — 
Thamyris  that  he  had  lost  his  betrothed,  Theoclea  that 
Bhe  had  lost  her  daughter,  and  the  maids  that  they  had 
lost  their  mi  so  then-  was  an  universal  mount- 

ing  ill   the    hOUSe.       But    all    the>e    things   made   no    im 

pression  upon  Thecla,  who  did  not  even  turn  ber  head  ; 
for  she  regarded  only  the  discourse  of  Paul,  and  his 

WOrds,  which  marie  her  heart   burn  within  her. 

••  Then  the  young  man  complained  t"  the  governor 
and  the  governor  ordered  Paul  to  be  hound,  and  to  be 
put  in  prison  till  he  should  be  at  leisure  to  hear  him 
fully.  But  in  the  night,  Thecla,  taking  off  her  ear 
rings,  gave  them  to  the  turnkey  of  the  prison,  who 

Opened    the   doors   of  the    prison    and    let    her    in  ;     and 

when  she  had  made  a  present  of  a  lilvez  looking  u 
to  the  jailer  she  was  allowed  to  enter  the  room  where 

Paul  wa-  :  and  .-he  -at  down  at  his  feet,  and  heard 
from  him  the  great  thin--  of   God.       And  when  the  he 

held  hi-  courage,  and   listened   t"  his  eloquence,  >h<- 

kissed  Id-  Chains  in  a  transport  of  faith  and  admiration 

•■  When  tin-  gover •  beard  these  things,  he  ordered 

Panl    t"    he   BCOUrgcd    and    driven    out    of   the   <  it\  ,  and 


ST.    TJIECLA.  167 

Thecla  to  be  burned.  Then  the  young  men  and  women 
gathered  wood  and  straw  for  the  burning  of  Thecla, 
who  being  brought  naked  to  the  stake  extorted  tears 
from  the  governor,  for  he  was  surprised,  beholding  the 
greatness  of  her  beauty.  Then  the  people  kindled  the 
pile  ;  but  though  the  flame  was  exceedingly  large,  it 
did  not  touch  her,  for  God  took  compassion  on  her  ; 
the  fire  was  extinguished,  and  she  was  preserved,  and 
made  her  escape.  And  Paul,  taking  Thecla  along  with 
him,  went  for  Antioch.  There  a  man  named  Alexan- 
der accused  her  before  the  governor,  and  she  was  con- 
demned to  be  thrown  among  the  beasts,  which  when 
the  people  saw,  they  cried  out,  saying,  '  The  judgments 
declared  in  this  city  are  unjust  !  ' 

"  But  Thecla  desired  no  other  favor  of  the  governor 
than  that  her  chastity  might  be  guarded  till  she  should 
be  cast  to  the  wild  beasts.  The  day  arrived,  and  she 
was  brought  to  the  amphitheatre  in  the  presence  of  a  mul- 
titude of  spectators,  and,  being  stripped  of  her  drapery, 
she  had  a  girdle  put  round  her  body,  and  was  thrown 
into  the  place  appointed  for  fighting  with  the  beasts, 
and  the  lions  and  the  bears  were  let  loose  upon  her. 
But  the  women  who  were  in  the  theatre  were  struck  with 
compassion,  and  groaned,  and  cried  out, '  O  unrighteous 
judgment !  0  cruel  sight !  The  whole  city  ought  to 
suffer  for  such  crimes  ! '  and  one  of  them,  called  Tris- 
sina,  wept  aloud.  Meantime  a  lioness,  which  was  of 
all  the  most  fierce,  ran  upon  Thecla,  and  fell  down  at 
her  feet ;  and  the  bears  and  the  he-lions  lay  as  though 
they  were  fast  asleep,  and  did  not  touch  her.  Upon 
this  the  governor  called  Thecla  from  among  the  beasts, 
and  said  to  her,  '  Who  art  thou,  woman,  that  not  one 
of  the  beasts  will  touch  thee  ?  '  And  Thecla  replied, 
'  I  am  a  servant  of  the  living  God,  and  a  believer  in 
Jesus  Christ  his  Son.'  Then  the  governor  ordered  her 
clothes  to  be  brought,  and  said  to  her,  '  Put  on  your 
apparel,'  and  he  released  her. 

"  Then  Thecla  went  home  with  Trissina  :  but  desir- 
ing: much  to  see  Paul,  she  resolved  to  travel  in  search 


i68       SACRED   AND   LEG1  VDABT  ART. 

of  him  ;  and  Trieaina  sent  large  Minis  of  money  to 
Paul  by  her  hands,  also  much  clothing  for  the  poor. 
So  Thecla journeyed  till  Bhe  found  Paul  preaching  the 
word  of  God  at  Myra  in  Lycia.  Thence  Bhe  returned 
to  Iconitim,  and  after  many  yean  spent  in  preaching 
and  converting  the  people  Bhe  was  led  by  the  Spirit  to 
a  mountain  near  Seleucia,  where  sin-  abode  many  years, 
and  underwent  many  grievous  temptations,  which  sho 
overcame  by  the  help  of  the  Lord.  Sin-  enlightened 
many  people,  and  wrought  so  minis  miraculous  cures, 
that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  and  adjacent  coun- 
tries brought  their  sick  t<>  that  mountain,  and  when 
they  came  to  the  door  of  her  cave  they  were  instantly 
cured;  Buch  great  power  had  God  bestowed  on  the  Vir- 
gin Thecla  I  —  Ins uch  that  the  physicians  of  Seleu- 
cia were  held  of  no  account,  and  losl  all  the  profit  of 
their  trade,  r<>r  no  one  regarded  them.  And  they  were 
tilled  with  envy,  and  began  to  contrive  how-  they  should 
destroy  her;  for  the]  said  within  themselves,  'This 
woman  mii-t  be  a  priestess  of  the  great  goddess  Diana, 

and  the  wonders  she  performs  are  by  virtue  of  her 
chastity  ;  and  if  we  Can  deStTOJ  that,  she  will  he  \an- 
i|iu-.lied  '  :    and  they  hired  some  fellows,  suns  of  Belial, 

to  go  to  the  mountain  and   offer  her  violence.       So  they 

went,  and  the  blessed  Thecla  came  out  to  meet  them, 

and    they  laid    hold  opOD   her,  and    she  tied    from    them, 

praying  for  deliverance.  And  behold  I  the  rock  opened 
behind  her,  forming  a  cavity  so  large  that  a  man  might 

enter  in  ;  ami  she  ran  thither,  and  the  rock  closed  upon 
her,  and   she  was  seen   no  more.       The  men   st 1  per 

fectly  astonished  at  so  prodigious  a  miracle,  and  having 
caught  hold  of  her  veil,  a  piece  of  it  remained  in  their 
hand-  as  evidence  of  this  great  wonder. 

••  Thus  Buffered  the  blessed  \  Irgin  and  martyr  Thecla, 

who  came  from  [contain  at  eighteen  years  of  age,  and 
afterwards,  partly  in  journeys  and  travels,  and  partly 
in  a  monastic  hie  in  the  cave,  lived  seventy-two  years; 

BO    that    she    was    ninety    years   of  a^'e    when    the    Lord 

translated  her." 


ST.  E  UP  II EM  I  A.  169 

Although  the  lions  spared  St.  Thecla,  she  is  con- 
sidered the  first  female  martyr,  and  is  honored  as  such 
in  the  Greek  Church.  In  the  Latin  Church  the  par- 
ticular veneration  professed  for  her  by  St.  Martin  of 
Tours,  in  the  fourth  century,  contributed  to  render  her 
highly  popular  ;  yet  I  have  met  with  very  few  represen- 
tations of  her. 

In  the  devotional  pictures  and  miniatures  she  gen- 
erally wears  a  loose  mantle  of  dark  brown  or  gray,  and 
holds  the  palm.     Several  wild  beasts  are  around  her. 

In  a  Madonna  picture  by  Lorenzo  Costa  she  stands 
on  one  side  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  arrayed  in  a  long 
robe  of  a  violet  color,  holding  the  palm  ;  and  with  no 
other  attribute  :  the  figure  and  attitude  are  singularly 
elegant ;  the  countenance  mild,  thoughtful,  and  sweet.* 

In  a  picture  by  Marinari  she  is  seen  in  prison,  her 
hands  fettered,  and  an  angel  presents  to  her  fruit  and 
flowers :  t  of  this  incident  there  is  no  mention  in  the 
legend  I  have  cited.  As  yet  I  have  not  met  with  any 
picture  in  which  Paul  and  Thecla  are  represented  to- 
gether :  such  may  possibly  exist.  The  scene  in  the 
dungeon,  with  Paul  teaching  and  Thecla  seated  at  his 
feet,  would  be  a  beautiful  subject. 


St.   Euphemia   of   Chalcedonia,   Virgin  and 
Martyr. 

Ital.  Sant'  Eufemia.    Fr.  Sainte  Euphemie.     Sept.  16,  a.  d.  307. 

This  Greek  saint,  with  her  soft,  musical  name,  and 
the  fame  of  her  beauty  and  her  fortitude,  is  one  of 
those  whom  the  Eastern  Church  has  distinguished  by 
the  epithet  Great.  She  is  particularly  interesting  in 
the  history  of  Art,  for  all  that  can  be  certainly  known 
of   her  rests  on  the  description  of  a  picture,  which 

*  Bologna  Gal. 

t  Engraved  under  this  name  in  the  Etrwia  Pittrice  ;  perhaps 
a  St-  Dorothea. 


i7o       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  MIT. 

description,  however,  is  so  ancient,  and  so  well  au- 
thenticated thai  it  leaves  n<>  donbt  as  u>  the  principal 
circumstances  pertaining  t<>  her,  —  her  existence,  her 
name,  the  manner  of  her  martyrdom,  and  the  pi 
where  she  Buffered.  I  have  already  alluded  to  this  pic- 
tuiv,  as  an  evidence  of  the  Btyle  and  signification  of 
Buch  representations  in  very  early  tunes. 

It  has  happened  thai  a  few  of  the  homilies  of  As- 
tcriu-,  bishop  of  Aina.-ea  in  Pontus,  who  lived  and 
wrote  between  860  and  WO,  have  been  preserved  to 
us,  and  among  them  is  a  homily  preached  on  the  day 
consecrated  to  the  memory  of  St  Euphemia.*  The 
bishop,  to  excite  the  imagination  and  the  seal  of  his 
congregation,  displays  a  picture  of  the  saint,  at  the 
same  time  describing  it  most  eloquent!]  in  detail. 

■•  \\Y  see  her,"  he  Bays,  "in  tins  picture,  portrayed 
with  all  that  beauty  ami  grace  which  distinguished  her 
in  her  lifetime,  yet  with  that  i lestyand  gravity  which 

showed  her  inward  spirit  :  and  attired  in  the  plain  dark- 

brown  mantle  which  in  Greece  was  worn  by  the  phi- 
losophers, and  which  expressed  a  renunciation  of  ull 
worldly  pleasures  and  vain  ornaments. 

«We  Bee  her  bronghl  before  the  judge  Priscus  by 
two  Boldiere,  one  of  whom  drags  her  forward  ;  the  other 

pushes  her  on  behind.     Bui  though  from  i lesty  her 

•  are  caul  down,  there  is  an  expression  in  her  face, 
which  Bhows  it  is  !i"t  tear.  We  gee  her,  in  another 
part  of  the  picture,  tortured  by  two  executioners,  <"ie 
of  whom  has  seized   her  long  hair,  and  pulls  bach  her 

head,   tO  force  her  tO    l'ai-e    it  ;    the   Other  strike-    her  mi 

the  mouth  with  a  wooden  mallet  ;  the  blood  Bows  from 
her  tips;  and  at  the  piteous  Bight,  tears  flow  from  the 

-  ..I    the   spectators  ;    their   hearts   melt  within   them. 

•■In  the  background  i-  Been  the  interior  of  a  dun 
St.  Euphemia,  seated  on  the  earth,  raises  her  hands  !•• 
heaven,  and  prays  for  mercy,  and  fur  strength  t"  hear 
ser  sufferings :  over  her  head,  behold  I  the  cross  appears  j 

•  it  hi  i  u.  .1  in  ti..  .  "ii.  ctton  i.f  •'  Las  Ptees  ds  I'lgUsa,"  roL  t. 


ST.  E  UP  HEM  I  A.  171 

either  to  show  her  confidence  in  the  sign  of  our  redemp- 
tion, or  to  signify  that  she  too  must  suffer.  Then,  near 
to  the  prison  we  sec  a  pile  of  fagots  kindled,  and  in 
the  midst  stands  the  beautiful  and  courageous  martyr. 
She  extends  her  arms  towards  heaven  ;  her  countenance 
is  radiant  with  hope,  with  faith,  with  joy." 

The  description  ends  here,  and  Asterius  does  not 
mention  any  further  circumstances  attending  her  mar- 
tyrdom ;  but,  according  to  the  legend,  the  flames,  as 
was  usual  in  such  cases,  were  rendered  innocuous  by 
miraculous  intervention :  she  was  then  thrown  to  the 
lions ;  but  they  crouched  and  licked  her  feet,  and  re- 
fused to  harm  her.  Priscus,  on  seeing  this,  was  like  to 
swoon  with  despite  and  mortification ;  so  one  of  his 
soldiers,  to  do  him  a  pleasure,  rushed  upon  the  maiden, 
and  transfixed  her  with  his  sword.  This  form  of  the 
legend  must  have  prevailed  in  the  time  of  St.  Ambrose; 
but  in  other  legendaries  it  is  related  that  the  lions  at- 
tacked her,  but  did  not  devour  her,  and  that  the  execu- 
tioner finished  her  with  the  sword. 

St.  Euphemia  suffered  in  the  tenth  persecution,  at 
Chalcedonia  in  Bithyuia,  not  far  from  Byzantium,  and 
about  the  year  307  or  311.  The  picture  described  by 
Asterius  must  have  been  executed  soon  after  the  death 
of  the  saint,  when  her  memory  was  fresh  in  the  minds 
of  the  people,  and  at  a  period  when  classical  Art,  though 
on  the  decline,  retained  at  least  its  splendid  forms,  and 
influenced  all  the  Christian  representations.  We  may 
therefore  infer  the  beauty  and  the  accuracy  of  the  de- 
lineation ;  it  shows  also  that  the  manner  of  representing 
many  scenes  in  the  same  picture  already  prevailed. 

So  ancient  was  the  worship  paid  to  St.  Euphemia, 
that  within  a  century  after  Her  death  there  were  four 
churches  dedicated  to  her  in  Constantinople  alone; 
others  in  Rome,  Alexandria,*  Carthage ;  in  short, 
throughout  the  East  and  West,  temples  rose  every- 
where to  her  honor,  and  many  wonderful  miracles  were 

*  See  Vol.  I.  p.  15tt 


i7a        SACh'/:/)   AXD  LEGENDARY  ART. 

imputed  to  her.     In  th<-  beginning  of  the  eight!]  een- 

tnry,  Leo  tlie  Iconoclast  ordered    Iter  eliurch  to  be  pro- 

failed,  and  her  relies  to  be  cast  into  the  Bee  :  bnl  this 
only  increased  the  devotion  paid  to  her ;  the  relics  re- 
appeared  in  the  island  ut'  Lemnoa,  and  thence  wen 
dispersed  to  many  places,  even  to  France.  In  tho 
Western  Church,  Bhe  was  accepted  as  a  saint  in  the 
limrth  century,  and  a  church  was  dedicated  to  her  in 
Koine  in  the  fifth.  Every  one  who  has  visited  Verona 
will  recollect  the  beautiful  church  which  bean  her 
name.*  Though  so  celebrated  in  the  early  times,  her 
popularity  has  diminished  ;  or  Ikus  been  superseded  hy 
the  fame  of  later  saints. 

A  very  early  mosaic  represents  St.  Bnphemia  stand- 
ing between  two  serpents,  but  I  donol  find  any  mention 
ut'  serpents  in  the  legends  I  have  consulted/!  In  all 
the  representationa  Bince  tin'  revival  of  Art,  she  has  the 
lion  ami  the  Bword.  Thus  sin-  appears  in  a  beaatiful 
and  dignified  figure  by  Andrea  oiantegna,  with  the 
lily,  emblem  of  chastity,  in  one  hand,  in  the  other 
the  palm.  The  sword  in  her  hosom,  the  lion  fit  bet 
side.) 

In  the  church  <>f  St.  Bnphemia  at  Milan  there  is  one 
most  admirable  picture,  a  thinned  Virgin  and  Child  by 
Marco  Oggione.  Tin-  Virgin  has  nil  the  intellectual 
dignity  and  character  of  the  school  of  Leonardo :  the 
Child  benda  towards  St.  Catherine,  who  kneels,  pre 
seined  by  St.  Ambrose:  mi  the  other  side  kneels  St. 
Bnphemia,  presented  by  John  the  Baptist ;  she  baa  an 

*  Whether  tie'  St.  BnphemU  who  i*  revennoed  ill  through 
i  lenUoal  »iiii  tip-  Qreek  nlnt  it  not  olesr.     In  the 

Italian  legend  ibe  i  I         •    I   i ■    *         ifll  red  martyr- 

dom with  her.    The  remaini  o(  Bt,  Bupbemta  tod  St.  [nnooi 

■  bronghl  from  Aqollela  and  deposited  Id  Um 
cathe.ir  it  of  Vicente  I  tonus  [UUUe,  p 

f  At  Ki'.r.i,. .  si   Verdlana  it  represented  between  two  ter| 
Bhe  wan  11  Valiombrottan  nun.    Bee  Legendi  of  Monastic  <  "r.iere. 

;  I'p'uii.na.  iii  the  Ban  Mannslo  si  Klteo,  ;ii  ti  li  -i  lovelj 
ftgnit  .if  ■  Pirmeln  taint,  Browned,  with  k  sword  in  ler  howim, 
c       i  i  -'   i  mis,  whist  i  tellers  to  npreoeot  Bt  Kupiiemiav 


ST.  EUPHEMIA.  173 

instrument  of  torture  at  her  feet  which  looks  like  a  saw. 
It  is  a  magnificent  example  of  the  Milanese  school. 

In  a  picture  by  Simone  Cantarini,  she  is  represented 
standing  with  her  lion  at  her  side,  and  pointing  to  the 
Virgin  in  glory :  she  wears  a  yellow  tunic  buttoned 
down  the  front,  a  crimson  mantle,  and  a  white  veil 
thrown  over  her  head.* 

In  her  church  at  Verona  she  stands  over  one  of  the 
altars,  bearing  her  palm,  and  accompanied  by  her  lions. 
I  have  never  met  with  any  historical  picture  from  her  life. 

Many  other  Christian  martyrs  were  exposed  in  the 
amphitheatres,  principally  at  Rome,  at  Carthage,  and 
at  Lyons,  where  the  taste  for  these  horrid  spectacles  was 
most  prevalent ;  but  they  are  not  interesting  as  subjects 
of  Art.  I  must  regret  that  the  martyrdom  of  Vivia 
Perpetua  and  Felicitas  has  never  been  worthily  treated  : 
in  fact,  I  have  never  seen  any  ancient  representation  of 
St.  Perpetua,  except  in  the  mosaic  at  Ravenna ;  t  and 
therefore,  confining  myself  within  the  limits  assigned 
to  this  work,  I  shall  not  dwell  upon  her  fate.  The 
well-authenticated  story  of  these  two  women,  of  their 
high-hearted  constancy  and  meek  fortitude,  has  been 
told  so  beautifully  by  Mr.  Milman,  that  I  pass  it  over 
with  the  less  regret ;  only  observing,  that,  as  her  history 
is  accepted  as  authentic  by  Protestants,  it  remains  open 
to  Protestant  artists.  It  affords,  not  one,  but  many 
scenes  of  surpassing  interest,  full  of  picturesque  and 
dramatic  sentiment,  and  capable  of  being  treated  with 
the  utmost  tragic  pathos,  without  touching  on  the  horri- 
ble and  revolting.  Perpetua  binding  up  her  tresses  in 
the  amphitheatre,  after  she  had  been  exposed  before  the 
people  and  wounded  by  the  wild  beasts  let  loose  upon 
her,  is  an  image  one  can  hardly  endure  to  bring  be- 
fore the  fancy :  but  Perpetua  in  prison ;  before  her 
judges ;  turning  from  her  father  ;  taking  leave  of  her 
infant  child  ;  \  and  rising  superior  to  every  temptation, 

*  Bologna  Gallery.  t  v.  p.  131. 

J  Herr  Vogel  of  Dresden  has  lately  painted  a  fine  picture  of  St. 
Perpetua  looking  through  the  bars  of  her  prison  at  her  infant 
child. 


,74       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

every  allurement,  to  deny  her  Redeemer:  Perpctua 
going  forth,  accompanied  hv  the  slave  l-\lii-itas  (her- 
self recently  a  mother),  to  meet  a  frightful  death,  with 
:i  mild,  womanly  >i>irit,  withonl  assumption  or  defiance  ; 
both  young,  with  Dothing  to  Bostaio  them  bnl  faith,  and 
thai  courage  from  on  high  which  has  never  been  denied 
to  those  who  steadfastly  tni>t  in  the  Hereafter;  —  these, 
Burely,  are  themes  which  in  their  lofty  beauty  might  be 
held  not  unworthy  of  Christian  Art  and  Christian  sym- 
pathy in  our  times,  It  is  rare  to  find  any  sacred  Bubject 
of  deep  and  genera]  interest  almost  untouched;  hut  here 
the  field  is  open.* 

St.  Felicitas,  the  African  Blave  and  coiii|):mion  of  St 
Perpetua,  must  not  be  confounded  with  St  Felicitas, 
the  ooble  Soman  matron,  whose  Btory  I  have  placed 
among  the  Soman  Martyrs. 


St.   1'iiocas  of  Sinope,  Martyr. 

Hal.  San  Foci.    TheQreek  patron  of  gardens  and  gardeners.  July 
3,  A.  D.  303. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  third  century  a  holy  man 
named   Phocas  dwell  outside  the  gate  of  the  city  of 
Sinope,  in  Pontus,  and  lived  by  cultivating  a  little  gar 
den,  the  produce  of  which,  alter  supplying  his  own  De- 
rides, lie  distributed  to  the  poor.     Uniting  prayer 

and  contemplat with  labor  and  charity,  bis  garden 

was  to  him  an  instructive  hook,  his  flowers  supplied  him 
with  a  fund  of  boly  meditation,  and  his  little  cottage 
was  open  to  all  strangers  and  travellers  who  were  in 
want  of  a  lodgin 

*  "Tin-  Act*  of  St.  Perpetoa  and  Bt  F<'iiclta»,"  though  oon- 
.  ithentlc  by  ell  the  b  un- 

known to  the  early  :irt i-t-*  Bhe  bj  oommemorated  bj  ivnullian 
and  ,*t.  Angutine,  :lo< i  her  atorj  it  Length  maj  )"■  bond  In  n.iii- 
i- 1 .  -."    m  in  i,t.    Bee  alao,  w Virla  Perpatna,  a 

Dramatia  v-  m,  In  five  Act*,"  by  Sarah  flower  AUama. 


ST.  PHOCAS.  175 

One  night,  as  he  sat  at  his  frugal  supper  of  herbs, 
some  strangers  knocked  at  his  door,  and  he  invited 
them  to  enter  and  repose  themselves.  He  set  food  be- 
fore them,  and  gave  them  water  for  their  feet ;  and 
when  they  had  eaten  and  were  refreshed,  he  asked  them 
concerning  their  business.  They  told  him  that  they 
were  sent  there  in  search  of  a  certain  Phocas,  who  had 
been  denounced  as  a  Christian  ;  and  that  they  were  com- 
missioned to  kill  him  wherever  they  should  find  him. 
The  servant  of  God,  without  betraying  any  surprise,  con- 
ducted them  to  a  chamber  of  repose,  and  when  they 
were  at  rest  he  went  into  his  garden  and  dug  a  grave 
amid  the  flowers.  The  next  morning  he  went  to  his 
guests  and  told  them  that  Phocas  was  found  ;  and  they, 
rejoicing,  asked,  "  Where  is  the  man  ?  "  He  replied, 
"  I  myself  am  he."  They  started  back,  unwilling  to 
imbrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  their  host ;  but  he 
encouraged  them,  saying,  "  Since  it  is  the  will  of  God, 
I  am  willing  to  die  in  His  cause."  Then  they  led  him 
to  the  brink  of  the  grave,  struck  off"  his  head,  and  buried 
him  therein. 

This  interesting  old  saint  appears  in  the  Greek  pic- 
tures and  mosaics.  Those  who  visit  St.  Mark's  at 
Venice  will  find  him  in  the  vestibule  on  the  left  hand, 
among  the  saints  who  figure  singly  on  the  vault,  stand- 
ing in  colossal  guise,  with  a  venerable  beard,  in  the 
dress  of  a  gardener,  and  holding  a  spade  in  his  hand. 
His  name  is  inscribed,  and  also  distinguishes  a  similar 
figure  in  the  Cathedral  of  Monreale,  at  Palermo.  Ex- 
cept in  genuine  Byzantine  Art,  I  have  not  met  with 
St.  Phocas.  The  Latin  patron  saint  of  gardeners  is 
St.  Fiacre,  an  Irish  saint  domiciliated  in  France.  Turn 
to  his  legend  further  on. 


i76       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ALT. 


St.  Pantaleon  of  NlOOXBDiA,  MvurvR. 

En  Wreck,  Panteleemon,  which  Blpnifles  "all-merciful."     [tal.  San 
Pantaleone.     Patron  of  physicians.    July  127,  fourth  ceutury. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  -aims  of  the  medical 
profession  have  been  especially  popular  in  the  great 
trading  towns,  such  as  Venice,  Florence,  Lyons,  Mar- 
seilles; —  cities  which,  through  their  intercourse  with 
the  East,  and  the  influx  of  strangers,  were  constantly 
exposed  to  the  plague  and  other  epidemic  disorders.     I 

have  already  spoken   of  St.   Koch,  St.  Cosmo,  and   St. 

Damian,  with  reference  to  those  localities.  St.  Panta- 
loon, another  of  these  beatified  physicians,  is  particu- 
larly  interesting  in  Venetian  Art,  and  his  odd  Greek 

name  familiar  to  all  who  remember  Venice.  Those 
critics  who    Seem     inclined    tO  doubt    bjfl   real    cxiMence, 

and  who  have  derived  bis  name  from  the  Venetian  war- 
cry,  Pianta   I .'  "Plant  the  Lion  I"  are,  I  think, 

mistaken,  for  he  was  a  Greek  Baint  of  celebrity  in  the 
sixth  century,  when  Justinian  dedicated  to  him  a  church 
at  Constantinople  ;  and  I  think  it  more  probable  that 
the  Venetians  introduced  him  into  their  city  from  the 

Levant. 

According  to  the  legend,  Pantaloon  was  born  at  \i- 
comedia  in  Bithynia,  the  Bon  of  a  heathen  lather  and  a 
Christian  mother,  and,  after  having  made  himself  mi 
tor  of  all  the  learning  and  science  of  the  Greeks,  he  at- 
tached himself  particularly  to  the  study  of  medicine. 
The  legend  adds,  that  he  was  remarkable  for  his  beauti- 
ful person  and  graceful  maimer.-.,  and  that  he  became 
the  favorite  physician  of  the  Emperor  Galerius  Max- 
imum. 

During  his  residence  In  this  heathen  conn.  Pantaloon 
was  in  danger  of  forgetting  all  the  Christian  precepts 
which  he  had  learned  from  his  mother.     But,  form 

liately,  iv  veiicraUc  Christian  priest,  named  Ilcrmolaus, 


ST.  PANTALEON.  177 

undertook  to  instruct  him,  and  Pantaleon  became  an 
ardent  Christian.  When  the  persecution  broke  out, 
knowing  that  he  could  not  remain  concealed,  like  his 
master  Hermolaus,  he  saw  plainly  that  he  must  antici- 
pate a  cruel  martyrdom  ;  and,  instead  of  endeavoring 
to  escape,  he  prepared  himself  to  meet  it  by  those  acts 
of  charity  for  which  his  profession  as  physician  afforded 
so  many  opportunities.  He  went  about  healing  the  sick, 
restoring  sight  to  the  blind,  raising  the  dead,  or  those 
who  were  nigh  to  death.  And  being,  in  the  midst  of 
these  good  works,  accused  before  the  emperor,  he  ob- 
tained, as  he  had  desired,  the  glorious  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom, being  beheaded  together  with  his  aged  master 
Hermolaus,  who  came  forth  from  his  retreat  to  share 
his  fate  ;  but  for  Pantaleon,  they  first  bound  him  to  an 
olive-tree,  and,  according  to  the  poetical  legend,  no 
sooner  had  his  blood  bathed  the  roots  of  the  tree  than 
it  burst  forth  into  leaves  and  fruit. 

This  saint  is  uniformly  represented  young,  beardless, 
and  of  a  beautiful  countenance.  As  patron,  he  wears 
the  long,  loose  robe  of  a  physician,  and  sometimes,  in 
allusion  to  the  circumstances  of  his  martyrdom,  he 
holds  the  olive  instead  of  the  palm,  or  both  together. 
As  martyr,  he  stands  bound  to  an  olive-tree,  with  both 
hands  over  his  head,  and  a  nail  driven  through  them 
into  the  trunk  of  the  tree  ;  the  sword  at  his  feet.  In 
such  pictures  we  must  distinguish  between  St.  Panta- 
leon and  St.  Sebastian. 

His  church  at  Venice  is  particularly  interesting  to 
those  who  love  to  study  Venetian  character.  It  is  the 
parish  church  of  a  dense  and  populous  neighborhood, 
and  I  used  to  go  there  more  for  the  sake  of  looking  at 
the  people  —  the  picturesque  mothers  with  their  infants, 
the  little  children  reciting  their  catechism  —  than  to 
study  Art  and  pictures.  The  walls  are  covered  with 
the  beneficent  actions  of  the  saint,  and  with  Scriptural 
incidents  which  have  reference  to  the  healing  art.  None 
of  these,  however,  are  particularly  good.  Among  them 
are  the  following  subjects  :  — 

VOL.  II.  12 


i78       BACHED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

1.  The  saint  heals  :i  sick  child  :  by  Paul  Veronese. 
2.  He  raises  a  dead  man.  .'5.  His  charities  to  the  poor, 
ami  rarious  miracles,  arc  upon  the  ceiling,  bj  Pumiani ; 
while  in  other  parts  of  the  church  we  Bee  the  pool  of 
Bethesda,  the  miracle  of  the  loaves  ami   Fishes,  ami 

other  works  of  healing  ami  charity.  St.  Pantaloon  was 
at  one  time  very  popular  at  L7OD8,  hut  I  know  not 
whether  any  vestiges  remain  of  tin-  reverence   formerly 

paid   t<>   him    there  ;    nor  do    I    remcinhcr  any  pictures 

representing  him  except  at   Venice. 


St.    Dorothea     of     Cappadocia,    Virgin    and 
Martyr. 

Hal.  Santa  Dorotet.     Fr.  Saintc  Dorotli.u.     Fell,  fi,  a.  I..303. 

••  Iv  the  province  of  ( lappadocia,  ami  in  the  citj  of 
Cesarea.  dwelt  a  noble  virgin  whose  name  was  I  Dorothea. 
In  the  whole  city  there  was  none  to  he  compared  to 
her  in  beauty  ami  grace  of  person,  she  was  a  Chris- 
tian, and  served  God  day  ami  night  with  prayers,  with 

Basting,  and  with  alms. 

••  The  governor  of  tin-  city,  by  name  Sapritius  (or 
Pabricius),  was  a  verj  terrible  persecutor  of  the  Chris- 
tians,  ami  bearing  of  the  maiden,  and  of  her  j_rreat  beau 
ty,  he  ordered  her  to  he  brought  before  him.    she  came, 
with    her   mantle-   folded    on    her   I m.   and    her  ey<  - 

meekrj  cast  down.  The  governor  asked,  'Who  an 
thou  '  '  and  -he  replied,  •  I  am  Dorothea,  a  rirgin  and 
rvanl  of  •><  sus  <  Jhrist.'  He  said,  •  Thou  must  serve 
our  gods,  or  die.'  Bhe  answered  mildly,  'Be  it  bo; 
the  sooner  shall  I  stand  in  the  presence  of  Hun  whom 
I  most  desire  to  behold.'  Then  the  governor  asked 
her,  •  Whom  meanest  thou  > '  she  replied,  •  I  mean 
the  Son  of  God,  Christ,  mine  espoused  !  hi*  dwelling  is 
paradise  ;  by  his  tide  are  joys  eternal ;  and  in  hi«  gar- 
den grow  celestial  fruits  and  rosea  that  never  fade.' 
Then  Sapritius,  ovt  n  ome  by  her  eloquence  and  beauty, 


ST.  DOROTHEA.  179 

ordered  her  to  be  carried  back  to  her  dungeon  Ami 
he  sent  to  her  two  sisters,  whose  names  were  Calista 
and  Christeta,  who  had  once  been  Christians,  but  who, 
from  terror  of  the  torments  with  which  they  were  threat- 
ened, had  renounced  their  faith  in  Christ.  To  these 
women  the  governor  promised  large  rewards  if  they 
would  induce  Dorothea  to  follow  their  evil  example  ; 
and  they,  nothing  doubting  of  success,  boldly  under- 
took the  task.  The  result,  however,  was  far  different ; 
for  Dorothea,  full  of  courage  and  constancy,  reproved 
them  as  one  having  authority,  and  drew  such  a  picture 
of  the  joys  they  had  forfeited  through  their  falsehood 
and  cowardice,  that  they  fell  at  her  feet,  saying,  '  O 
blessed  Dorothea,  pray  for  us,  that,  through  thy  inter- 
cession, our  sin  may  be  forgiven  and  our  penitence  ac- 
cepted !  '  Aud  she  did  so.  And  when  they  had  left 
the  dungeon  they  proclaimed  aloud  that  they  were  ser- 
vants of  Christ. 

"  Then  the  governor,  furious,  commanded  that  they 
should  be  burned,  and  that  Dorothea  should  witness- 
their  torments.  And  she  stood  by,  bravely  encourag- 
ing them,  and  saying,  '  0  my  sisters,  fear  not !  suffer 
to  the  end !  for  these  transient  pangs  shall  be  followed 
by  the  joys  of  eternal  life ! '  Thus  they  died :  and 
Dorothea  herself  was  condemned  to  be  tortured  cruelly, 
and  then  beheaded.  The  first  part  of  her  sentence  she 
endured  with  invincible  fortitude.  She  was  then  led 
forth  to  death  ;  and,  as  she  went,  a  young  man,  a  law- 
yer of  the  city,  named  Theophilus,  who  had  been  present 
when  she  was  first  brought  before  the  governor,  called 
to  her  mockingly,  '  Ha  !  fair  maiden,  goest  thou  to  join 
thy  bridegroom  ?  Send  me,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  fruits 
and  flowers  of  that  same  garden  of  which  thou  hast 
spoken  :  I  would  fain  taste  of  them  ! '  And  Dorothea, 
looking  on  him,  inclined  her  head  with  a  gentle  smile, 
and  said,  '  Thy  request,  0  Theophilus,  is  granted  ! ' 
Whereat  he  laughed  aloud  with  his  companions  :  but 
she  went  on  cheerfully  to  death. 

"  When  she  came  to  the  place  of  execution,  she  knelt 


180       SACRFD  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

down  and  prayed  ;  and  suddenly  appeared  at  her  side 
a  beautiful  boy,  with  hair  bright  aa  sunbeams, — 

'A  smooth  hoed,  glorious  thing, 
With  thousand  blearing!  during  In  lii>  ryes.' 

In  his  hand  he  held  a  basket  containing  three  apples, 
and  three  fresh-gathered  and  fragrant  roses.  She  said 
tn  him,  ■  Carry  these  to  Theophilos,  say  that  Dorothea 
hath  Bent  them,  and  that  1  go  before  him  to  the  garden 
whence  they  came,  and  await  him  there.'  With  these 
words  she  bent  her  neck,  and  received  the  death  stroke, 

"Meantime  the  angel  (Cur  it  was  an  angel)  went  to 
seek  Theophilos,  and  Found  him  still  laughing  in  merry 

in 1  over  the  idea  of  the  promised  gift.     The  angel 

placed  before  him  the  basket  <>t'  celestial  fruit  and  flow- 
ers,  saying,  •  Dorothea  sends  thee  these, '  and  vanished. 
What  words  can  express  the  wonder  <>f  Theopbilus  ' 
Struck  bj  tlic  prodigy  operated  in  his  favor,  his  heart 
melted  within  him  ;  he  tasted  of  the  celestial  fruit,  and 
a  new  life  was  bis  ;  he  proclaimed  himself  a  servant  <>f 
HiriM,  and,  following  the  example  of  Dorothea,  suf- 
fered with  likr  constancy  in  the  cause  of  truth,  and  ob- 
tained  the  crown  of  martyrdom." 

St.  Dorothea  is  represented  with  roses  in  her  band  ; 
or  crowned  with  roses;*  or  offering  a  basket  of  fruit 
and  flowers  to  the  Virgin  or  the  infant  Christ  ;  <>r  at- 
tended  by  an  angel  holding  a  basket,  in  which  an  t1 
apples  and  three  roses.  The  last  is  the  most  peculiar 
and  tin-  most  characteristic  attribute  :  other  saints  have 
Bowers,  or  are  crowned  with  roses  ;  Dorothea  alone  has 
the  attendant  angel   holding  the   basket  of  fruit  and 

(lowers.       She    lieais    the    palm  of  eolirse,  ami   oeensioll- 

ally  the  crown,  as  mart]  r 

St.  Dorothea  is  more  popular  in  the  German  and 

Flemish    than    the    Italian    BCl Is,    and    there    are    lew 

*    It  is  usual  in  catalogues  and  description*  of  pictures  to  llml 
Bt»  D  -■    Kosa  ;  a  mistake  arlnlng 

from  the  attribute  0<  il,.  Rosalia  and  8t.  Rosa  will  be 

found  anions  HM  "  Monastic  legends. " 


ST.  DOROTHEA.  181 

early  pictures  of  her.  I  found  her  in  an  old  Siena  pic- 
ture, with  roses  in  her  lap,  and  holding  a  bouquet  of 
roses  in  her  hand.*  liubens  and  Vandyek  have  both 
painted  her  crowned  with  roses,  and  holding  her  palm. 
In  a  beautiful  Madonna  picture  by  Israel  v.  Melem,  she 
stands  on  the  left  of  the  Virgin,  crowned  with  roses,  and 
with  a  basket  of  roses  before  hcr.t 

St.  Dorothea  and  her  companions,  St.  Calista  and 
St.  Christeta,  are  represented  in  three  ancient  marble 
statues  in  the  C/iiesa  dell'  Abazia  at  Venice,  attributed 
to  the  Maestro  Bartolomeo  (fourteenth  century). 

The  principal  incident  of  her  legend  is  so  picturesque 
and  poetical,  that  one  is  surprised  not  to  meet  with  it 
oftener ;  in  fact  I  have  never  met  with  it ;  yet  the  in- 
terview between  Dorothea  and  Theophilus,  and  after- 
wards between  Theophilus  and  the  angel,  are  beauti- 
ful subjects  :  the  first  scene  has  a  tragic  interest,  and 
the  latter  an  allegorical  significance  as  well  as  a  pictu- 
resque beauty,  which  should  have  recommended  them 
to  painters. 

The  martyrdom  of  St.  Dorothea  has  been  several 
times  painted.  The  picture  by  Jacopo  Ligozzi  is  a 
grand  scenic  composition,  in  the  style  of  his  master 
Paul  Veronese,  and  almost  equal  to  him.  The  scaf- 
fold, and  near  it,  on  horseback,  the  inexorable  Sapri- 
tius,  who  has  just  given  the  command  to  strike;  the 
ferocious  executioner  ;  the  figure  of  the  gentle  and 
beautiful  victim,  kneeling  with  an  expression  of  placid 
faith  :  the  angels  hovering  with  garlands  of  roses  above, 
and  the  various  attitudes  of  the  spectators,  —  are  all 
admirably  painted  in  the  dramatic,  or  rather  scenic, 
style  proper  to  the  school. £ 

Carlo  Dolce.  St.  Dorothea  kneeling,  with  hands 
bound,  and  by  her  side  the  angel  with  his  basket  of  ce- 
lestial fruit  and  flowers  :  one  of  his  best  pictures  ;  the 
sweetness  and  elegance  of  his  manner  suited  the  subject, 
and  he  is  here  less  tame  than  usual. § 

*  Siena  Acad.  t  Boisseree  Gal. 

\  Brescia,  PP.  Conventuali  §  Darmstadt  Gal. 


,82      BACRED  and  legendary  art. 

Rubens.    St.  Dorothea  Btanding,  with  rosea  and  palm, 
Vandyck.     St.  Dorothea  standing,  with  her  palm, 
roses,  and  apples  from  Paradise.* 

The  legend  <>f  Dorothea  is  the  Bubjecl  of  Massinger'a 
tragedy  of  "The  Virgin  Martyr";  he  was  assisted  by 
Decker,  t<>  whom  the  critics  attribute  much  that  is 
coarse,  offensive,  and  profane  in  the  dialogue.  It  con- 
tains, however,  Bcenes  and  passages  of  great  beauty  ; 
and  these  are  given  withoul  the  alloy  in  Murray's 
•■  Family  Library ."  I  One  critic  observes  thai  of  the 
character  of  the  heroine  "  it  is  impossible  to  Bpeak  too 
highly  ;  her  genuine  and  dignified  piety,  her  unshaken 
constancy,  her  lofty  pity  for  her  persecutors,  her  calm 
contempl  of  torture,  and  her  heroic  death,  exalt  the 
mind  in  no  ordinary  d<  gree."  The  religions  action  is 
varied  and  rendered  more  romantic  by  making  Antoni- 
nus, the  brave  and  amiable  son  of  the  cruel  Sapritius, 
in  love  with  Dorothea:  for  her  sake,  he  refuses  the 
daughter  of  Diocletian,  and  Dorothea's  lu.st  prayer  is 
for  him  :  — 

"  i  ;r;uit  tti.it  the  love  of  this  young  man  for  me, 
In  which  In-  langolahee  to  death,  may  be 
to  the  love  ol  Heaven  I" 

Her  prayer  is  granted  ;  Antoninus  is  converted,  and 
dii  -  of  grief  on  witnessing  her  cruel  martyrdom.  The 
laal  gcene  between  Theophilus  and  the  Emperor  Dio- 
cletian i-  ascribed  wholly  t<>  Massinger.  It  contains  the 
line  passage  in  which  the  Christian  saint  is  exalted 
above  the  classical  heroines  of  antiquity  :  — 

»  Dorothea  bul  hereafter  nami  i 
v in  rUe  ap  erlth  reverence,  sod  do  man, 
As  thing*  unworthy  of  your  thoughts,  remember 
What  the  canonised  Bpartan  ladles  were, 

\\  I,,,  1,1.  ...ImaiUof.     Ymir  own  mntronii, 

■  (.u,  dunes,  vbose  agorae  you  yet  keep 
Ah  h.iiy  relict,  iii  her  history 

•  Beta  ptotnree  :irc  engrarad  *>y  dalle. 
t  Di ,     i  rol.  I. 


ST.  CYPRIAN  AND  ST.  J  US  TINA.        183 

Will  find  a  second  urn  :  Gracchus'  Cornelia, 

Paulina,  that  in  death  desired  to  follow 

Her  husband  Seneca,  nor  Brutus'  Portia, 

That  swallowed  burning  coals  to  overtake  him,— - 

Though  all  their  several  worths  were  given  to  one, 

With  this  is  to  be  mentioned. 

"  They,  out  of  desperation, 
Or  for  vainglory  of  an  after-name, 
Parted  with  life  :   this  had  not  mutinous  sons 
As  the  rash  Gracchi  were  ;  nor  was  this  saint 
A  doting  mother  as  Cornelia  was. 
This  lost  no  husband  in  whose  overthrow 
Her  wealth  and  honor  sank  ;  no  fear  of  want 
Did  make  her  being  tedious  ;  but  aiming 
At  an  immortal  crown,  and  in  His  cause 
Who  only  can  bestow  it,  who  sent  down 
Legions  of  ministering  angels  to  bear  up 
Her  spotless  soul  to  heaven,  who  entertained  it 
With  choice  celestial  music  equal  to 
The  motion  of  the  spheres  ;  she,  uncompelled, 
Changed  this  life  for  a  better." 


St.  Cyprian  and   St.  Justina  of  Antioch. 

Ital.  San  Cipriano  il  Mago  e  Santa  Giustina.       Fr.  St.  Cyprien 
le  Magicien  et  Sainte  Justine.     Sept.  26,  a.  d.  304. 

It  is  surprising  that  this  very  beautiful  and  antique 
legend  has  not  oftener  been  treated  as  a  subject  of  Art. 
It  is  full  of  picturesque  capabilities  of  every  kind.  Cal- 
deron  founded  on  it  one  of  his  finest  autos,  the  "  Magico 
Prodigioso  "  ;  part  of  which  —  the  scene  in  which  the 
maiden  is  tempted  by  demons  —  Shelley  has  beautifully 
translated.  Though  I  have  never  met  with  the  story 
in  Western  Art,  except  in  one  or  two  miniatures,  others 
may  have  been  more  fortunate ;  for  which  reason,  and 
because  of  its  singular  beauty,  I  give  it  at  length. 

"  In  the  city  of  Antioch  dwelt  a  virgin  wonderfully 
fair,  and  good,  and  wise ;  her  name  was  Justina.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  a  priest  of  the  idols ;  but  having 
listened  to  the  teaching  of  the  Gospel,  she  not  only  be- 
came a  Christian  herself,  but  converted  her  parents  to 


184       SACIil  D  AND   LEGENDARY  MIT. 

the  true  faith.  Man]  looked  upon  this  beautiful  maiden 
with  eyes  of  love;  among  them  a  noble  youth  of  tlio 
city  of  Antioch,  whose  name  was  Aglaides;  and  he 
wooed  her  with  Boft  words  and  gifts,  bat  all  in  vain.  Cur 
Justine  had  devoted  herself  to  the  service  of  God  and  a 
lift  of  chastity  and  good  works,  and  she  refused  to  lis- 
ten to  liim  :  and  he  was  wellnigh  in  desperation. 

"Now  in  the  same  city  of  Antioch  dwell  Cyprian 
the  magician,  a  man  deeply  vened  in  all  the  learning 
of  the  pagan  philosophers,  and  moreover  addicted  from 
his  youth  to  the  study  of  astrology  ami  necromancy. 
When  he  had  exhausted  all  the  learning  of  his  own 
country,  he  travelled  into  the  East,  into  the  land  of  the 
Chaldeee,  and  into  Egypl  ;  and  to  Argos,  and  to  Ath- 
ens; and  he  had  made  himself  familiar  with  all  terrible 
and  forbidden  arts.  He  bad  subjected  to  his  might  the 
spirits  of  darkness  and  the  elements  ;  be  could  command 

the  powers  of  hell  ;   he  <  mild  raise  storms  anil  tempests, 

and  transform  men  and  women  into  beasts  of  burden. 
It  was  said  that  he  offered  the  Mood  of  children  t<>  his 
demons,  and  manj  other  crimes  were  imputed  to  him, 

too  dreadful   to  he  here  related. 

■  Aglaides  being,  as  I  have  said,  in  despair  and  con- 
fusion of  mind,   because  of  the  coldness  of  Jostina, 

repaired    to    Cyprian  J    lor    he   said,    'Surely   this   great 

magician,  who  can  command  the  demons  and  the  ele- 
ments, can  command  the  will  of  a  weak  maiden':  then 
In-  explained    the  matter  tO  him,  and   required  his  help. 

Hut  no  sooner  had  Cyprian  beheld  the  beautiful  and 
virtuous  maiden,  than  he  became  himself  so  deeply  en 
amored,  that  all  rest  departed  from  him,  and  be 
solved  to  possess  her.  A-  yet,  nothing  had  been  aide  to 
t  In-  power,  and,  tit  1 1  of  confidence,  lie  summoned 
In-  demons  to  in-  aid.  He  commanded  them  to  till 
the  mind  of  the  chaste  Justine  with  images  of  earthly 
beauty,  and  to  inflame  and  pollute  hear  fancj  with 
\  i-ions  of  vol ii |  it  i i  delight     She  was  oppressed,  she 

was  alarmed.  -In-  felt  that  tin  -e  were  promptings  of  the 
evil  one,  and  she  n  listed  with  all  her  might,  being  well 


ST.   CYPRIAN  AND  ST.  JUSTINA.        185 

assured  that  as  long  as  her  will  remained  unconquered, 
Christ  and  the  Virgin  would  help  her ;  —  and  it  was 
so  ;  for  when  she  invoked  them  against  her  enemy,  he 
left  her  in  peace,  and  tied. 

When  Cyprian  found  that  his  demon  was  foiled,  he 
called  up  another,  and  then  another,  and  at  length  the 
prince  of  darkness  himself  came  to  his  aid :  but  it  was 
all  in  vain.  Justina  was  fearfully  troubled,  her  pure 
and  innocent  mind  became  the  prey  of  tumultuous 
thoughts ;  demons  beset  her  couch,  haunted  her  sleep, 
poisoned  the  very  atmosphere  she  breathed ;  but  she 
said  to  her  almost  failing  heart,  '  I  will  not  be  dis- 
couraged, I  will  strive  with  the  evil  which  besets  me ; 
thought  is  not  in  our  power,  but  action  is ;  my  spirit 
may  be  weak,  but  my  will  is  firm ;  what  I  do  not 
will,  can  have  no  power  over  me.'  Thus,  although 
grievously  tempted  and  tormented,  she  stood  fast,  trust- 
ing in  the  God  whom  she  worshipped,  and  conquered 
at  last,  not  by  contending,  but  by  never  owning  herself 
subdued,  and  strong  in  her  humility  only  by  not  con- 
senting to  ill.  So  the  baffled  demon  returned  to  his 
master  and  said,  '  I  can  do  nothing  against  this  woman  ; 
for,  being  pure  and  sinless  in  will,  she  is  protected  by 
a  power  greater  than  thine  or  mine !  ' 

"  Theu  Cyprian  was  astonished,  and  his  heart  was 
melted ;  and  he  said  to  the  demon,  '  Since  it  is  so,  I 
contemn  thee  and  thy  power;  and  I  will  henceforth 
serve  the  God  of  Justina.'  He  went  therefore,  full  of 
repentance  and  sorrow,  and,  falling  at  her  feet,  ac- 
knowledged the  might  of  her  purity  and  innocence, 
and  confessed  himself  vanquished  ;  upon  which  she  for- 
gave him  freely,  and  rejoiced  over  him ;  and  in  her 
great  joy  she  cut  off  her  beautiful  hair,  and  made  an 
offering  of  it  before  the  altar  of  the  Virgin,  and  gave 
much  alms  to  the  poor. 

"  Soon  afterwards  Cyprian  was  baptized  and  became 
a  fervent  Christian ;  all  his  goods  he  distributed  to  the 
poor,  and  became  as  remarkable  for  his  piety,  absti- 
nence, and  profound  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  as  he 


i86  SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

had  fon,j<Tlv  been  for  his  diabolical  arts,  his  wicked 
ness,  his  luxury,  and  nis  pride.  Bocfa  was  bis  humility 
that  he  undertook  .he  muuiesl  offices  for  the  Bervice  of 
the  faithful,  ami  he  and  Justina  1 1 > 1 1 1 u : 1 1  i \  strengthened 
and  edified  cadi  other  by  their  virtues  and  by  their  holy 
conversation. 

"  At  this  time  hrokc  forth  the  last  and  most  terrible 
persecution  against  the  Christians;  and  when  the  gov- 
ernor of  Antiocb  found  thai  no  menaces  could  shake 
the  faith  of  Cyprian  and  Justina,  he  ordered  them  to  be 
thrown  together  into  a  caldron  of  boiling  pitch;  but  by 
a  miracle  they  escaped  unharmed.  The  governor  then, 
fearing  the  people,  who  venerated  Cyprian  and  Justina, 
sent  them  with  an  escort  to  the  Km  perm  Diocletian, 
who  was  then  at  Nicomedia  languishing  in  sickni 
and  the  emperor,  hearing  thai  they  were  Christiana, 
without  any  form  of  trial  ordered  them  to  be  instantly 
beheaded;  which  was  dune.  Thus  they  received  to- 
gether the  crown  of  martyrdom,  and  in  name  and  in 
fame  have  lierumr  inseparable. 

Winn  St  Cyprian  and  St.  Justina  are  represented 
together,  he  is  arrayed  in  the  habit  of  a  Greek  bishop, 

without    a    mitre,    bearing    the    I'alm    ami    sword,    and 

trampling  his  magical  books  under  Id-  feel  :  she  holds 

the   palm ;    and   a   unicorn,   the  emblem  of  chastity, 

crouches    at    her    feet 

In  that  Greek  Ms  of  die  works  of  Gregory  Na/lan- 
zen  to  which  I  have  so  often  referred,  as  containing  the 
earliest  known  examples  of  the  treatmenl  of  legendan 

Subjects,   I    found    the  story  of  Cyprian  and   Justina  in 
tour  miniatun 

i.  Justina  seeks  refuge  at  the  feet  of  Christ,  from 
the  demon  who  pursues  her.  ii.  Cyprian  engaged  in 
hi^  magical  incantations,  burning  incense,  be.,  and  a 
demon  ris<  -  behind  him.  •').  He  is  kceeling  as  a  peni- 
tent at  tin  feel  of  Justina.  4.  They  surfer  martyrdom 
ther.  The  figures,  ruined  as  they  are  most  freely 
anil  nobly  designed. 

•  i • , r i -  1 1 1 1 .  N.t      UBS. Gnoqms, a  t>  887 


ST.  JUSTINA    OF  ANTIOCH.  187 

Every  one  who  has  been  at  Vienna  will  probably 
remember  the  St.  Justina  of  the  Belvedere,  so  long 
attributed  to  Pordcnone,  but  now  known  to  be  the  pro- 
duction of  a  much  greater  man,  Bonvicino  of  Brescia 
(II  Moretto).  She  stands  in  a  landscape;  one  hand 
sustains  her  drapery,  the  other  holds  her  palm ;  she 
looks  down,  with  an  air  of  saintly  dignity  blended  with 
the  most  benign  sweetness,  on  a  kneeling  votary.  No 
copy,  no  description,  could  convey  the  expression  of 
the,  countenance,  which  has  the  character  of  Venetian 
beauty,  elevated  by  such  a  serious  and  refined  grace, 
that  the  effect  of  the  combination  is  quite  inconceivable. 
There  is  a  tradition  i-elative  to  this  picture  which  great- 
ly enhances  its  interest ;  it  is  said  to  represent  Alphonso 
I.  of  Ferrara  at  the  feet  of  Donna  Laura  Eustochio : 
she  was  a  beautiful  woman,  of  low  origin,  whom  Al- 
phonso married  after  the  death  of  Lucretia  Borgia ; 
some  say  she  had  been  his  mistress,  but  this  is  not  cer- 
tain ;  and,  at  all  events,  when  Duchess  of  Ferrara  she 
won  by  her  virtues  the  respect  and  love  of  all  classes  : 
the  people  of  Ferrara  held  her  in  such  reverence,  that 
once,  when  threatened  by  an  inundation,  they  imputed 
their  preservation  solely  to  her  prayers.* 

It  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  St.  Justina  of  Antioch 
from  another  saint  of  the  same  name,  St.  Justina  of 
Padua,  the  more  especially  as  the  painters  themselves 
appear  to  have  confounded  them.  The  reader,  there- 
fore, will  do  well  to  turn  at  once  to  the  legend  of  Jus- 
tina of  Padua,  further  on  :  she  is  much  more  popular 
in  Western  Art  than  the  Greek  heroine  and  martyr  of 
Antioch,  but  not  nearly  so  interesting. 

*  According  to  Ticozzi,  Titian  painted  her  several  times,  e  nuda, 
e  vestita.  I  have  never  seen  in  any  gallery  a  portrait  by  Titian 
recognized  as  the  portrait  of  Donna  Laura  ;  but,  for  several  reasons, 
on  which  I  cannot  enlarge  in  this  place,  I  believe  the  famous  pic- 
ture in  the  Louvre,  styled  "  Titian's  Mistress,"  to  be  the  portrait 
of  this  peasant-duchess.     She  died  in  1573 


1 88        SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 


St.    AfOLLOHIA  of   Ai.i:.\  \m>i:i  \,    VlBOIN   AND 

Maktyk. 

FY.  Sainte  Apollinc.    Patroness  apainst  toothache,  and  all  diseases 
of  the  teeth,     reb.  9,  k,  d.  260. 

"  Thbbe  dwelt  in  tin'  city  of  Alexandria  a  1 1 1 :  i  l.-  i  -  - 
trate  who  bad  great  riches,  bat  be  and  his  wife  also 
were  heathens.  They  bad  do  children,  and  day  and 
night  they  besought  their  false  gods  t<>  grant  them  a 
son  or  a  daughter  t<>  inherit  their  wealth.  Meantime, 
for  so  it  pleased  God,  three  pious  pilgrims,  servants  of 
the  Lord,  arrived  in  the  dry,  and  being  hungry  ami 
weary, they  begged  an  alms  lor  the  love  of  the  Redeemer 

ami  the  Blessed  Virgin  his  mother.      Now  as  they  were 

thus  begging  opposite  to  the  house  of  the  magistrate, 
his  wife,  being   astonished,  called   to  them  ami   said, 

•  What  new  manner  of  begging  i-  this  '    in  whose  name 

do  ye  ask  alms  ! '     Then  the  pilgrims  preached  to  her 

the  merit>  of  Chri>t    and  of  the   Virgin.      The  woman, 

being  greatly  moved  bj  their  words,  asked  whether  it 
were  possible  that  the  Virgin-mother  of  (mil,  of  whom 
they  Bpoke,  could  grant  her  prayer  to  have  a  child  ' 
Ami  they  answered,  without  doubt.     Thereupon  she 

Called    them    in.    ami    gave    them    alms,    ami    meat    ami 

drink  :  ami  addressed  her  prayer,  full  of  faith,  to  the 
ll"l\  Virgin.  Her  prayer  was  heard,  ami  she  brought 
forth  a  daughter,  to  whom  Bhe  gave  the  name  of  Apol 

Ionia. 

••  A-  the  maiden  grew  up  ami  flourished  as  a  (lower 
in  grace  and  beauty,  her  mother  ceased  doi  to  relate  to 
her  the  wonderful  circumstances  of  her  birth  ;  ami  thus 
she  became  a  true  Christian  at  heart,  and  with  a  long- 
ing wish  to  he  baptized.  With  this  purpose,  and  di- 
rected by  an  angel,  she  found  her  win  to  St.  Leonine, 

the  difCiple  of  St.  Anthony,  ami  desired  to  be  made  a 
Christian  ;  so  he  baptized  her  ;   and  suddenly  then'  ap» 


ST.  APOLLONIA.  x%^ 

pearcd  an  angel  holding  a  garment  of  dazzling  white, 
which  he  threw  over  the  maiden,  saying,  '  This  is 
Apollonia,  the  servant  of  Jesus  !  go  now  to  Alexandria, 
and  preach  the  faith  of  Christ.'  She,  hearing  the  di- 
vine voice,  obeyed,  and  preached  to  the  people  with 
wondrous  eloquence.  Many  were  converted ;  others 
ran  to  ccraplain  to  her  father,  and  to  accuse  her  of 
breaking  the  law ;  but  she  defended  herself ;  and  her 
father,  incensed,  gave  her  up  to  the  power  of  the  heathen 
governor,  who  commanded  her  instantly  to  fall  down 
and  worship  the  idol  set  up  in  the  city.  Then  St.  Ap- 
ollonia,  being  brought  before  the  idol,  made  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  and  commanded  the  demon  who  dwel*- 
witliin  it  to  depart ;  and  the  demon,  uttering  a  loud 
cry,  broke  the  statue,  and  fled,  shrieking  out,  '  The 
Holy  Virgin  Apollouia  drives  me  forth  ! '  The  tyrant, 
seeing  this,  ordered  her  to  be  bound  to  a  column  ;  and 
all  her  beautiful  teeth  were  pulled  out,  one  by  one,  with 
a  pair  of  pincers  ;  then  a  fire  was  kindled,  and  as  she 
persisted  in  the  faith,  she  was  flung  into  it,  and  gave 
up  her  soul  to  God,  being  carried  into  heaven  by  his 
angels." 

The  cautious  Baillet  admits  that  the  Virgin  Apol- 
lonia  was  put  to  death  in  a  tumult  of  the  people  against 
the  Christians,  and  that  "  ils  lui  casserent  d'abord  toutes 
les  dents  par  des  coups  horribles."  But  the  above  is 
the  legend  followed  by  the  painters. 

St.  Apollonia  is  represented  with  the  palm  as  mar- 
tyr, and  holding  a  pair  of  pincers  with  a  tooth  :  or  the 
pincers,  as  in  later  pictures,  are  placed  near  her  ;  in  the 
beautiful  picture  of  St.  Apollonia  in  our  National  Gal- 
lery, the  pincers  are  lying  on  a  table  ;  in  a  picture  by 
Hemlinck,  she  wears  a  golden  tooth,  suspended  as  an 
ornament  to  her  neck-chain.  There  is  a  St.  Apollonia 
by  Furini  in  the  Rinuccini  Palace  at  Florence,  a  head 
of  singular  beauty,  bent  back,  as  if  preparing  for  the 
torture  ;  the  ferocious  executioner  seen  behind.  She 
does  not,  however,  appear  to  be  popular  as  a  patron 


i9o       8ACR1  D  AA  D   LEG1  A  DART  ART. 

Baint,  DOT  are  pictures  of  her  very  common.  The 
I i 1 1 •  ■  ~ t  I  have  Been  is  that  by  ETranceeco  Granacci  in  the 
Munich  Gallery.  It  ia  a  single  figure,  nearly  lii'e-.-i/e, 
and  forma  one  wing  of  a  beantifh]  altar-piece,  which 
Qranacci  painted  for  the  Bake  of  a  favorite  niece,  who 
was  a  nun  in  the  convent  of  St.  Apollonia  at  Florence. 
Granacci  was  a  favorite  pnpil  of  Michael  Angelo,  and 
caught  some  of  hie  grandeur  of  form  :  bul  in  hia  treat- 
ment ofaaubject  he  rather  reaemblee  Ghirlandqjo.  On 
the  predella  beneath  he  represented  in  six  compartments 
the  life  of  the  Baint.  I.  St.  Apollonia,  after  tier  bap- 
dam,  hears  the  voice  of  angels  Bending  her  forth  to 
preach  the  Gospel.  2.  She  ia  preaching  to  the  | 
pie,  — a  noble  figure  ;  her  auditors  are  principally  old 
men,  who  appear  n>  be  pondering  her  words.  •'!.  She 
is  brought  before  the  judge,  who,  according  to  one  ver- 
sion of  the  legend,  was  her  father,  and  just  such  a  cruel 
pagan  aa  the  father  of  si.  Barbara.  4-  She  is  bound 
to  a  pillar,  and  scourged  ;  tbeacene  ia  a  guard-room  n 
prison,  with  Boldiers  in  the  background.      •">.   She  i> 

.-e:lt,, |  with  her  hands  bound,  ami  has  all  her  teeth 
pulled  out  by  an  executioner.  0.  She  kneels,  and  a 
BOldier   behind    is  abOUl    tO  strike  oil'  her    head   with  an 

axe.  This  predella,  separated,  aa  it  often  happens,  from 
tin-  principal  Bubject,  ia  now  in  the  "  Accademia  delle 

Belle  Arti  "  at  Florence. 

It  i-  Decessary  to  observe  that  St.  Apollonia  has  a 

pair  <>f  pincers,  and  St.  Agatha  a  pair  of  .-hear-,  which 

in  Borne  of  the  old  pictures  are  not  well  discriminated. 

The  .Martyrdom  of  St   Apollonia  is  Bometimes  found 

in  the  chapels  dedicated  to  her.    Bhe  is  generally  bound 

to   a   pillar,   and    an   executioner   Btanda    near  ;     I    have 

never  seen  him  in  the  very  act  of  pulling  out  her  teeth, 

•  pt  in  one  or  twocoarse  miniatures.     In  the  duomo 

at  Milan,  which  doe-  not  abound  in  good  picture-,  one 

of  the  l>c?t  is Procaccino's  Martyrdom  ol  st-  Apollonian 


THE  SEVEN  SLEEPERS  OF  EPUESUS.    191 


The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus. 

Ital.  Li  Sette  Dormienti.     Fr.  Les  Sept  Dormants.     Les  Sept  B  ' 
fans  d'Ephese.     Ger.  Die  Sieben  Schlafer.    June  27. 

During  the  persecution  under  the  Emperor  Decius 
there  lived  in  the  city  of  Ephesus  seven  young  men, 
who  were  Christians  ;  their  names  were  Maximian, 
Malchus,  Marcian,  Dionysius,  John,  Serapion,  and  Con- 
stantine ;  and  as  they  refused  to  offer  sacrifice  to  tho 
idols,  they  were  accused  before  the  tribunal.  But  they 
fled  and  escaped  to  Mount  Ccelian,  where  they  hid 
themselves  in  a  cave.  Being  discovered,  the  tyrant  or- 
dered that  they  should  roll  great  stones  to  the  mouth 
of  the  cavern,  in  order  that  they  might  die  of  hunger. 
They,  embracing  each  other,  fell  asleep. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  thirtieth  year  of  the 
reign  of  the  Emperor  Theodosius,  that  there  broke  out 
that  dangerous  heresy  which  denied  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead.  The  pious  emperor,  being  greatly  afflicted, 
retired  to  the  interior  of  his  palace,  putting  on  sack- 
cloth and  covering  his  head  with  ashes  :  therefore  God 
took  pity  on  him,  and  restored  his  faith  by  bringing 
back  these  just  men  to  life  ;  which  came  to  pass  in  this 
manner.  A  certain  inhabitant  of  Ephesus,  repairing 
to  the  top  of  Mount  Ccelian  to  build  a  stable  for  his 
cattle,  discovered  the  cavern  ;  and  when  the  light  pen- 
etrated therein,  the  sleepers  awoke,  believing  that  their 
slumber  had  only  lasted  for  a  single  night ;  they  rose  up, 
and  Malchus,  one  of  the  number,  was  despatched  to  the 
city  to  purchase  food.  He,  advancing  cautiously  and 
fearfully,  beheld  to  his  astonishment  the  image  of  the 
cross  surmounting  the  city-gate.  He  went  to  another 
gate,  and  there  he  found  another  cross.  He  rubbed  his 
eyes,  believing  himself  still  asleep,  or  in  a  dream,  and 
entering  the  city  he  heard  everywhere  the  name  of 
Christ  pronounced  openly  ,  and  he  was  more  and  mora 


i92       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

ronfuiiiiili-ii.  When  he  repaired  to  the  baker's,  lie  of- 
fend in  payment  an  ancient  coin  of  the  time  of  the 
Emperor  Decina,  and  they  looked  at  him  with  astonish- 
ment, thinking  that  he  had  found  a  hidden  treasure. 
And  when  they  accused  him,  he  knew  not  what  to  re- 
ply. Beeing  his  confusion,  they  bound  turn  and  dragged 
him  through  the  Btreets  with  contumely  ;  and  he  looked 
round,  seeking  someone  whom  he  knew,  but  not  ■  ; 
in  all  the  crowd  was  familiar  to  him.  Ami  being 
brought  before  the  bishop,  the  truth  was  disclosed  t" 
the  great  amazement  of  all.  The  hisliop,  the  ^ovcrner, 
and  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  city,  followed  him 
tn  the  entrance  of  the  cavern,  w  here  the  other  six  youths 
wiri-  found.  Their  faces  had  the  freshness  of  roses,  and 
the  brightness  of  a  holy  li;_dit  was  around  them.  The- 
odosius  himself,  being  informed  of  this  great  wonder, 
hastened  to  the  cavern,  and  one  of  the  sleepers  >ai«l  to 
him,  ••  Believe  in  u^,  <>  Emperor  I  for  we  have  been 
raised  before  the  Daj  of  Judgment,  in  order  that  thou 
mightest  tru-t  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  !  "  And 
having  said  this,  they  bowed  their  heads  and  gave  up 
their  spirit-  to  God.  Tiny  had  Blept  in  their  cavern 
for  one  hundred  and  ninet]  -i\  years. 

Gibbon,  in  quoting  this  poetical  fable,  observes  that 

the  tradition  may  be  traced  to  w  ithin  half  a  century  of  the 

supposed  miracle.  About  tin- end  of  the  sixth  century, 
it  was  translated  from  the  Byriac  into  the  Latin,  and  was 
spread  over  the  whole  of  Western  Christendom.  Nor 
was  it  confined  to  the  Christian  world.  Mahomet  has 
introduced  it  asa  divine  revelation  into  the  Koran.  It 
has  penetrated  Into  Abyssinia.  It  has  been  found  in 
B  mdinavia  :  in  fact,  in  the  remotest  regions  of  the  <  »I<1 
World,  this  singular  tradition,  in  onr  form  or  another, 
appears  to  have  been  known  and  accepted. 

The  Seven  Sleepers  of  Bpbesus,  extended  in  t'nir 

•  side  by  side,  occur  perpetually  in  the  miniatui 

ancient  sculpture,  and  stained  glass  of  the  thirteenth 

mid  fourteenth  ram tn rift,     That  they  are  represented  in 

tin   Meat  of  the  Chapel  of  Edward  the  Confessor  at 


THE  SEVEN  SLEEPERS  OF  ErUESVS. 


193 


Westminster.  In  general  the  name  of  each  is  written 
over  his  head.  They  carry  palms  as  martyrs.  I  have 
never  seen  them  with  any  other  attributes,  but  in  the 
( linnan  "  Iconographie  "  it  is  said  that  "  in  an  old  rep- 
resentation," not  otherwise  described  as  to  age  or  local- 
ity, the  seven  sleepers  are  thus  individualized  :  —  John 
and  Constantino  bear  each  a  club,  Maximian  has  a 
knotted  club,  Malchus  and  Marcian  have  axes,  Serapi- 
011  a  torch,  and  Dionysius  a  large  nail.  What  these 
attributes  may  signify,  —  whether  alluding  to  the  trades 
they  exercised,  or  the  kind  of  martyrdom  to  which  they 
were  condemned,  but  did  not  suffer,  —  is  not  explained; 
and  I  have  never  met  with  any  effigies  thus  discrimi- 
nated. 


vol.  n.  13 


THE   LATIN   MARTYRS. 


THE  FOUR  GREAT  VIRGINS  OF  THE  LATIN 
CHUBCH. 


St.   Cecilia,   VlBOIH   ami   Mahtyk. 

Fr.  Saintc  Cyclic  The  name  in  Italian,  German,  ami  Spanish  is 
the  name  as  in  English  ami  Latin.  Patroness  of  music  ami  nut 
sicians.     Nov.  22,  a.  d.  280. 

gT.  CECILIA  and  St.  Catherine  present 
themselves  before  the  fancy  as  the  mnscsof 
Christian  poetic  art;  —  the  former  presid- 
ing over  mnsic  and  song,  the  latter  over  lit- 
eratnre  and  philosophy.  In  their  character  of  patron 
saints,  we  mighl  therefore  expert  to  find  them  ■■tuner 
combined  in  the  same  picture  ;  r<>r  the  appropriate  ilif- 
ference  of  expression  in  each  —  the  grave,  intellectual, 
contemplative  dignity  of  St.  Catherine,  and  the  rapl  in 
ipiration  of  St  Cecilia  —  prescrl  the  mosl  beantifnl 
rontrast  thai  ■  painter  could  desire.  It  i>,  however, 
i >nt  seldom  thai  we  find  them  together:  when  grouped 
with  other  ssints,  Bt  Cecilis  is  generally  in  companion- 
ship with  St.  Agnes,  and  St.  Catherine  with  St.  l 
bare  or  M.n\  Magdalene.  To  understand  this  M|>|uir- 
enl  anon  inly  we  musl  bear  in  m  in' 1 1 1  mt,  while  the  Greek 
patronesses,  Si   Catherine,  St  Bupbemia,  St  Barbara, 


ST.   CECILIA. 


195 


St.  Margaret,  arc  renowned  throughout  all  Christen- 
dom, the  Four  Gke.vt  Virgins  of  the  Latin 
Church  (for  such  is  their  proper  designation),  St.  Ce- 
cilia, St.  Agnes,  St.  Agatha,  and  St.  Lucia,  are  almost 
entirely  confined  to  Western  Art,  and  fall  naturally  in- 
to companionship.  Of  these,  the  two  first  were  Roman, 
and  the  two  last  Sicilian,  martyrs. 

The  beautiful  legend  of  St.  Cecilia  is  one  of  the  most 
ancient  handed  down  to  us  by  the  early  Church.  The 
veneration  paid  to  her  can  be  traced  back  to  the  third 
century,  in  which  she  is  supposed  to  have  lived  ;  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  main  incidents  of  her 
life  and  martyrdom  are  founded  in  fact,  though  mixed 
up  with  the  usual  amount  of  marvels,  parables  and  pre- 
cepts, poetry  and  allegory,  not  the  less  attractive  and 
profitable  for  edification  in  times  when  men  listened  find 
believed  with  the  undoubting  faith  of  children.  In  »nis 
as  in  other  instances,  I  shall  make  no  attempt  to  supa- 
rate  historic  truth  from  poetic  fiction,  but  give  tht  le- 
gend according  to  the  ancient  version,  on  which  the 
painters  founded  their  representations. 

"  St.  Cecilia  was  a  noble  Roman  lady,  who  liveo  in 
the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Alexander  Severus.  Her  par- 
ents, who  secretly  professed  Christianity,  brought  her  up 
in  their  own  faith,  and  from  her  earliest  childhood  i;he 
was  remarkable  for  her  enthusiastic  piety  :  she  carried 
night  and  day  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  concealed  within 
the  folds  of  her  robe  ;  and  she  made  a  secret  but  solemn 
vow  to  preserve  her  chastity,  devoting  herself  to  heaven- 
ly things,  and  shunning  the  pleasures  and  vanities  of 
the  world.  As  she  excelled  in  music,  she  turned  her 
good  gift  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  composed  hymns, 
which  she  sang  herself  with  such  ravishing  sweetness 
that  even  the  angels  descended  from  heaven  to  listen  to 
her,  or  to  join  their  voices  with  hers.  She  played  vn 
all  instruments,  but  none  sufficed  to  breathe  forth  that 
flood  of  harmony  with  which  her  whole  soul  was  filled ; 
therefore  she  invented  the  organ,  consecrating  it  to  the 
service  of  God. 


196        SACRED  A.YD  LEGENDARY  ART. 

"  When  she  was  ahout  sixteen,  her  parents  married 
her  to  a  young  Roman,  virtuous,  rich,  and  of  Doble 
birth,  named  Valerian.  He  was,  however,  Mill  in  the 
darkness  of  the  old  religion.  Cecilia,  in  obedience  to 
her  parents,  accepted  of  the  husband  they  bad  ordained 
for  her;  hut  beneath  her  bridal  mho  she  pul  on  a 
coarse  garment  of  penance,  and,  as  she  walked  to  the 
temple,  renewed  her  tow  of  chastity,  praying  t<>  God 
that  Bhe  might  have  strength  to  keep  it  i  —  and  it  bo  fell 
out ;  for,  by  her  fervent  eloquence,  she  nol  onlj  per- 
Buaded  her  husband  Valerian  n>  respect  her  vow,  hut 

converted  him  to  the  true  faith.      Bhe  t< >I<1  him  that  she 

had  a  guardian  angel  who  watched  over  her  night  and 
day,  and  would  sutler  no  earthly  lover  to  approach  her : 

1  I  have  an  angel  which  thus  loveth  me, — 
Thai  witli  kti  ;it  lore,  Whether  I  wake  or  sleep, 
Is  ready  ay  my  body  for  to  k«-i  p  '  ■ 

And  when  Valerian  desired  to  see  this  angel,  she  sent 
him  to  seek  the  aged  St.  Urban,  who,  being  persecuted 

by    the    heathen,    had    BOUgfat    refuse    in    the    eataeotnhs. 

Alter  listening  to  the  instruction  of  that  holy  man,  the 
conversion  of  Vnleriuii  was  perfected,  and  he  was  bap- 
tized. Returning  then  to  his  wife,  he  heard,  as  he  en- 
tered, the  most  enchanting  music  ■  and,  on  reaching 
her  chamber,  beheld  an  angel,  who  was  standing  near 

her.  and  who  held  in  his  hand  tWO  CTOWnS  of  roses  gath- 
ered ill  Paradise,  immortal  in  their  freehni  --  and  per- 
fume, but  invisible  to  the  cms  of  unbelievers.  With 
■  he  encircled  the  brows  of  <  'cilia  and  Valerian,  ai 
they  knelt  before  him  ;  and  be  said  to  Valerian,  •  Be- 
cause thou  hast  followed  the  chaste  counsel  ofth]  wife, 
and  ha.st  believed  her  words,  ask  what  thou  wilt,  it  shall 
be  granted  to  thee.'  And  Valerian  replied,  •  I  have  ■ 
brother  named  Tiburtins,  whom  I  love  as  my  own  soul ; 
■it  that  Ins  eyes  also  may  be  opened  to  the  truth.' 

And    the  angel   replied  with   a  eel.  siial   smile,  i  Thy  re- 

•    i      Ohaaoari    -WhohMglYen  mi  almost  lit. rnl  version  of  the 
wlJ  legend  in  the  *' S«icoiiJ  Nunncs  Tale." 


ST.    CECILIA.  197 

quest,  0  Valerian,  is  pleasing  to  God,  and  ye  shall  both 
ascend  to  His  presence,  bearing  the  palm  of  martyr- 
dom.' And  the  angel,  having  spoken  these  words,  van- 
ished. Soon  afterwards  Tiburtius  entered  the  chamber, 
and  perceiving  the  fragrance  of  the  celestial  roses,  but 
not  seeing  them,  and  knowing  that  it  was  not  the  sea- 
son for  flowers,  he  was  astonished.  Then  Cecilia,  turn- 
ing to  him,  explained  to  him  the  doctrines  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  set  before  him  all  that  Christ  had  done  for. 
us  •  —  contrasting  his  divine  mission,  and  all  he  had 
done  and  suffered  for  men,  with  the  gross  worship  of 
idols,  made  of  wood  and  stone  ;  and  she  spoke  with 
such  a  convincing  fervor,  such  a  heaven-inspired  elo- 
quence, that  Tiburtius  yielded  at  once,  and  hastened  to 
Urban  to  be  baptized  and  strengthened  in  the  faith. 
And  all  three  went  about  doing  good,  giving  alms,  and 
encouraging  those  who  were  put  to  death  for  Christ' ; 
sake,  whose  bodies  they  buried  honorably. 

"  Now  there  was  in  those  days  a  wicked  prefect,  of 
Rome,  named  Almachius,  who  governed  in  the  emper- 
or's absence  ;  and  he  sent  for  Cecilia  and  her  husband 
and  brother  and  commanded  them  to  desist  frowi  the 
practices  of  Christian  charity.  And  they  said,  '  How 
can  we  desist  from  that  which  is  our  duty,  for  fear  of 
anything  that  man  can  do  unto  us  3 '  The  two  brothers 
were  then  thrown  into  a  dungeon,  and  committed  to  the 
charge  of  a  centurion  named  Maximus,  whom  they  con- 
verted, and  all  three,  refusing  to  join  in  the  sacrifice  to 
Jupiter,  were  put  to  death.  And  Cecilia,  having  washed 
their  bodies  with  her  tears,  and  wrapped  them  in  her 
robes,  buried  them  together  in  the  cemetery  of  Calix- 
tus.  Then  the  wicked  Almachius,  covetous  of  the 
wealth  which  Cecilia  had  inherited,  sent  for  her,  and 
commanded  her  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  threatening  her 
with  horrible  tortures  in  case  of  refusal ;  she  only  smiled 
in  scorn  :  and  those  who  stood  by  wept  to  see  one  so 
young  and  so  beautiful  persisting  in  what  they  termed 
obstinacy  and  rashness,  and  entreated  her  to  yield  ;  but 
she  refused,  and  by  her  eloquent  appeal  so  touched  their 


i9X        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

uoart>,  that  forty  persona  declared  themselves  Chris- 
tians and  ready  to  'li>'  with  her.  Then  Almachiua 
struck  with  terror  and  rage,  exclaimed,  •  W lint  art  thou 
woman  ' '  and  Bhe  answered,  '  I  am  a  Roman  of  noble 
race.'  lie  said,  ■  I  ask  of  thy  religion  ' '  and  she  said, 
'Thou  blind  one,  thou  art  already  answered  ! '  Alma- 
chins,  more  and  more  enraged,  commanded  that  they 

should  carry  her  hack    to  her  own   house,  and   till   her 

bath  with  boiling  water,  and  east  her  into  it;  bnt  it  had 
no  more  effect  on  her  body  than  if  she  had  bathed  in  a 
fresh  Bpring.     Then  Almachins  sent  an  executioner  to 

put  her  to  deatli  with  the  BWOrd  ;   hut  his  hand  trembled, 

so  that  after  having  given  her  three  wounds  in  the  neck 
and  breast,  he  went  his  way,  leaving  her  bleeding  and 

luilf  dead.  She  lived,  however,  for  the  space  of  three 
days,  which  she  spent  in  prayers  and  exhortations  to 
the  converts,  distributing  to  the  poor  all  she  possessed  ; 

and  -h.-  called  to  her  St.  Urban,  and  desired  that  her 
house,  in  which  she  then  lav  dying,  should  lie  converted 
into  a  place  of  worship  for  the  Christiana.  Tims,  full 
of  faith  and  charity,  and  singing  with  her  Bweel  voice 

praises  and   hymns  to  the  last  moment,  she  died   at   the 

end  of  three  days.  The  Christians  embalmed  her  body, 
and  she  ua.-  buried  by  Urban  in  tin'  same  cemetery  with 
her  husband." 

A    ■  online'  to  her  wish,  the  house  of  Cecilia  wa-  emi- 
tted a-  a  church,  the  chamber  in  which  she  Buffered 
martyrdom  being  regarded  a-  a  -pot  of  peculiar  sancti- 
ty.     There  i-  nention  of  a  council    held    in   the  church 

of  St.  Cecilia  by  Pope  8ymmachus,  in  the  year  500. 
rwards,  in  the  troubles  and  invasions  of  the  barba- 
rians, this  ancient  church  fell  into  ruin,  and  ua-  rebuilt 
by  Pope  Paschal  I.  in  the  ninth  century.  It  is  related 
that,  while  engaged  in  this  work,  Paschal  had  a  dream, 

in  which  St.  ('cilia  appeared   to  him,  and  revealed  the 

spot  in  which  she  lay  buried  ;  accordingly  search  was 

made,  and  her  body  WBS  found  in  the  cemetery  of  (  a- 
lixtUS,  wrapt  in  a  shroud  of  gold  tittUe,  and  round  he/ 


ST.   CECILIA.  199 

feet  a  linen  cloth  dipped  in  her  blood  :  near  her  were 
the  remains  of  Valerian,  Tiburtius,  and  Maximus, 
which,  together  with  hers,  were  deposited  in  the  same 
church,  now  St.  Cecilia-in-Trastevere.  The  little  room, 
containing  her  bath,  in  which  she  was  murdered  or  mar- 
tyred, is  now  a  chapel.  The  rich  frescos  with  which 
it  was  decorated  arc  in  a  state  of  utter  ruin  from  age 
and  damp  ;  but  the  machinery  for  heating  the  bath,  the 
pipes,  the  stoves,  yet  remain.  This  church,  having 
again  fallen  into  ruin,  was  again  repaired,  and  sumptu- 
ously embellished  in  the  taste  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
by  Cardinal  Sfondrati.  On  this  occasion  the  sarcopha- 
gus containing  the  body  of  St.  Cecilia  was  opened  with 
great  solemnity  in  the  presence  of  several  cardinals  and 
dignitaries  of  the  Church,  among  others  Cardinal  Baro- 
nius,  who  has  given  us  an  exact  description  of  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  body,  which  had  been  buried  by  Pope 
Paschal  in  820,  when  exhumed  in  1599.  "  She  was 
lying,"  says  Baronius,  "  within  a  coffin  of  cypress 
wood,  enclosed  in  a  marble  sarcophagus  ;  not  in  the 
manner  of  one  dead  and  buried,  that  is,  on  her  back, 
but  on  her  right  side,  as  one  asleep  ;  and  in  a  very 
modest  attitude  ;  covered  with  a  simple  stuff  of  taffety, 
having  her  head  bound  with  cloth,  and  at  her  feet  the 
remains  of  the  cloth  of  gold  and  silk  which  Pope  Pas- 
chal had  found  in  her  tomb."  Clement  VIII.  ordered 
that  the  relics  should  remain  untouched,  inviolate  ;  and 
the  cypress  coffin  was  enclosed  in  a  silver  shrine,  and 
replaced  under  the  altar.  This  re-interment  took  place 
in  presence  of  the  pope  and  clergy,  with  great  pomp  and 
solemnity,  and  the  people  crowded  in  from  the  neigh- 
boring towns  to  assist  at  the  ceremony.  Stefano  Ma- 
derno,  who  was  then  in  the  employment  of  the  Cardinal 
Sfondrati  as  sculptor  and  architect,  and  acted  as  his  sec- 
retary, was  not,  we  may  suppose,  absent  on  this  occa- 
sion ;  by  the  order  of  the  Cardinal  he  executed  the 
beautiful  and  celebrated  statue  of  "  St.  Cecilia  lying 
dead,"  which  was  intended  to  commemorate  the  attitude 
in  which  she  was  found.     It  is  thus  described  by  Sir 


200       SACRED   AND    LEGENDARY  ART. 

Charles  Bell  :  "The  body  lies  on  its  side,  the  limbs 
a   little   drawn  np;    the   bands   BR  delicate  and    line, — 

they  are  not  locked,  bnt  crossed  at  the  wrists  the  arms 
are  Btretched  out.     The  drapery  is  beautifully  modelled, 

and  i lestly  covers  the  limbs.     The  bead  is  enveloped 

in  linen,  but  the  general  form  is  seen,  and  the  artist  has 
contrived  to  convey  by  its  position,  though  not  offen- 
sively, that  it  is  separated  from  the  body.  A  gold  cir- 
clet is  round  the  neck  to  conceal  the  place  of  decolla- 
tion^). It  is  the  statue  of  a  lady,  perfect  in  form,  and 
affecting  from  the  resemblance  to  reality  in  the  drapery 
of  white  marble,  and  the  unspotted  appearance  of  the 

statue  altogether.       It    lies  as  no   living   body  eould    lie, 

and  yet  correctly,  as  the  dead  when  left  t<>  expire,  —  I 
mean  in  the  gravitation  of.the  limbs." 

It  must  be  remembered  that  Cecilia  did  not  rafter 
decollation  :  that  her  bead  was  net  separated  from  the 

body;  and  the  gold  band  is  to  eoneeal  the  wound  in  the 

neck  :  otherwise,  this  description  of  the  statue  agrees 
exactly  with  the  description  which  Cardinal  Baronius 

has  given  of  the  bo.lv  of  the  saint  when  found  in  1599. 

The  ornament-  round  the  shrine,  of  broti/.e  and  rare 

and    pri-eii.ii>   marbles,   arc   in   the   wor.st    ta>te,  and    do 

not  harmonize  with  the  pathetic  simplicity  of  the  figure. 

At   what    period    St.   Ceeilia   eame   to   l.e   regarded    as 

the  patron  saint  of  music,  and  accompanied   by  the 
musical  attributes,  I  cannot  decide.     It  i>  certain  that 
in  the  ancient  devotional  representations  she  is  not  so 
distinguished  ;  nor  in  the  old  Italian  series  of  rabj 
from  her  lift  have  I  found  any  in  which  she  i>  figured 

ringing,  or  playing  upon  instruments. 

The  oldest  representation  of  St  Ceeflia  I  have  met 
with  is  a  rude  picture  or  drawing  discovered  on  the  wall 

Of  the   catacomb   called    the   cemetery  of    San  [4*0080. 

It  is  a  half-length,  with  the  martyr's  crown  on  her  head, 

and  her  name  inscribed.* 

Next  to  this  i-  the  colossal  mosaic  figure  in  the  apsis 
sf  her  church  at  Home     The  composition  is  one  ol  the 

*   K'Aiduomrt,  pi.  xl.,  sixth  '.r  KTenttl  »  ntury. 


ST.   CECILIA.  20 1 

most  majestic  of  these  grand  devotional  groups.  In 
the  centre  stands  the  Redeemer  ;  the  right  hand,  raised, 
gives  the  benediction  in  the  Greek  manner;  in  the  left 
he  has  a  roll  of  writing :  on  his  left  hand  stands  St. 
Peter  with  the  keys,  beyond  him  St.  Cecilia  with  a 
crown  in  her  hand,  and  her  husband  St.  Valerian  :  on 
the  right  of  Christ  is  St.  Paul,  and  behind  him  St. 
Agatha,  with  a  crown  on  her  head,  and  Pope  Paschal 
I.,  by  whom  the  edifice  was  dedicated.  The  date  of 
this  mosaic  is  about  817. 

The  third  in  point  of  antiquity  to  which  I  can  refer 
is  an  undoubted  picture  of  Cimabue,  painted  for  the 
old  church  of  St.  Cecilia  at  Florence  (now  destroyed). 
She  is  here  quite  unlike  all  our  conventional  ideas  of 
the  youthful  and  beautiful  patroness  of  music,  —  a  grand 
matronly  figure  seated  on  a  throne,  holding  in  one  hand 
the  Gospel,  in  the  other  the  palm.  The  head-dress  is 
a  kind  of  veil ;  the  drapery,  of  a  dark  blue,  which  has 
turned  greenish  from  age,  is  disposed  with  great  breadtli 
and  simplicity  :  altogether  it  is  as  solemn  and  striking 
as  the  old  mosaic.  This  picture  stood  over  the  high 
altar  of  her  church,  and  around  it  are  eight  small  com 
partments  representing  scenes  from  her  life ;  the  inci- 
dents selected  being  precisely  those  which  were  painted 
in  the  portico  of  her  church  at  Rome,  and  which  in  the 
time  of  Cimabue  existed  entire. 

Previous  to  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century  St. 
Cecilia  is  seldom  seen  with  her  musical  instruments. 
She  has  generally,  when  grouped  with  other  martyrs, 
the  palm  and  the  crown  of  red  and  white  roses,  with 
occasionally  an  attendant  angel.  But  St.  Dorothea  has 
also  the  palm,  the  crown  of  roses,  and  the  angel ;  it 
is  therefore  necessary  to  observe,  first,  that  Dorothea 
generally  carries  a  book,  while  St.  Cecilia,  when  she 
has  anything  in  her  hand  besides  the  palm,  has  a  scroll 
of  music ;  secondly,  St.  Dorothea,  besides  the  roses  on 
her  head,  has  frequently  roses  in  her  hand,  or  in  a 
basket ;  thirdly,  the  angel  attending  on  Cecilia  carries 
a.  garland,  or  some  musical  instrument,  while  the  angel 


202       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

attending  on  St.  Dorothea  carries  Broil  and  flowers  in  a 
basket  When  accompanied  by  her  musical  attributes, 
St.  Cecilia  is  easily  distinguished;  Bhe  is  in  general 
richly  dressed,  wearing  jewels,  <>r  a  turban  <>n  bet 
head,  when  she  does  not  wear  her  wreath  of  red  and 
white  roses,  —  the  roses  gathered  in  paradise  :  she  holds 
the  palm  and  music  in  her  hand  :  an  organ  or  some 
other  musical  instrument  is  placed  near  her.  Some- 
times Bhe  is  t  <  >  i  n  - 1 1  i  1 1  <_r  the  organ,  and  ringing  to  her  own 
accompaniment;  or  she  is  playing  on  the  viol;  the  at- 
tendant angel  near  her  either  holds  the  scroll  or  the 
palm,  or  be  crowns  her  with  re 

The  moat  celebrated  of  the  modern  representations 
of  St.  Cecilia,  as  patroness  of  music,  is  the  picture  by 
Raphael,  painted  by  him  f<>r  the  altar-piece  <>f  her 
chapel  in  the  church  of  S;in  Qiovanni-in-Monte,  Dear 
Bologna.  Bhe  stands  in  the  centre,  habited  in  a  rich 
robe  of  golden  tint,  and  her  hair  confined  by  :i  band  of 
jewels.  In  her  hand  she  bears  a  small  organ,— but 
seem-  about  to  drop  it  as  Bhe  lucks  np,  listening  with 
ecstatic  expression  t<>  ;i  group  <>t  angels,  who  are  sing- 
ing above.  Scattered  and  broken  at  her  feet  lie  the 
instruments  of  secular  music,  the  pipe,  Bute,  tabor,  ftc. 
To  tin-  right  of  St  Cecilia  Btands  St.  Paul,  leaning  on 
ln>  .-wonl :  behind  him  i>  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  with 
the  eagle  at  bis  feet :  t<.  the  left,  in  front,  1 1 ««-  Magda- 
lene, m>  already  described, and  behind  her  St.  Augnstine 
bad's  original  drawing,  engraved  bj  Marc  Anto- 
nio, has  always  appeared  t<>  me  preferable  t"  the  finished 
picture.  The  Bketcfa  is  from  the  simple,  beautiful  n. 
of  thi  ilia. 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  1ms  given  as  a  parody  of  this 
famous  picture,  in  liis  portrait  of  Mrs.  Billingtoo;  but, 
instead  of  the  organ,  he  has  placed  a  music-book  in  her 
hands:  a  change  which  showed  both  his  taste  and  l>in 
judgment,  and  lent  to  the  borrowed  figure  an  original 
lignificani 

•  it  gmva  occa»lon  i  mpllmeiit  paid  to  Uw 


ST.   CECILIA.  203 

We  will  turn  now  to  a  German  St.  Cecilia.  In  the 
picture  by  L.  v.  Leydcn,  in  the  Munich  Gallery,  she  is 
standing,  magnificently  attired  in  a  violet-colored  tunic, 
and  over  it  a  crimson  mantle  ;  her  hair  bound  with  a 
small  jewelled  turban  ;  a  little  angel,  with  frizzled  hair, 
much  like  a  wig,  sustains  a  small  organ,  on  which 
she  plays  with  one  hand,  blowing  the  bellows  with  the 
other.  The  expression  of  the  face  as  she  listens,  rapt, 
to  her  own  sweet  music,  —  the  odd  but  poetical  concep- 
tion, —  and  the  vivid  splendor  of  the  coloring,  are  very 
remarkable.  The  figure  is  about  one  third  the  size  of 
life. 

By  Moretto  we  have  two  beautiful  representations  of 
St.  Cecilia  as  patroness,  attended  by  other  saints. 

1.  She  stands  in  the  centre  of  the  picture,  holding 
the  organ  under  her  left  arm  ;  with  the  right  she  em- 
braces St.  Lucia  :  on  the  other  side  stands  St.  Barbara 
gracefully  leaning  on  her  tower ;  St.  Agnes  and  St. 
Agatha  are  seen  behind,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  descends 
upon  the  group  from  above. 

2.  In  the  picture  in  San  Giorgio  at  Verona.  Here 
the  composition  is  varied.  St.  Cecilia  is  in  the  centre, 
crowned  with  roses,  and  attired  in  magnificent  red  dra- 
pery :  she  looks  up  with  an  expression  of  adoration  , 
the  organ  and  scrolls  of  music  are  at  her  feet.  On  the 
right  are  St.  Lucia  looking  down,  and  St.  Catherine 
looking  up  ;  on  the  left,  St.  Barbara,  also  looking  up, 
and  St.  Agnes  with  her  lamb,  looking  down.*  Both 
these  pictures  are  full  of  character  and  expression  ;  and 
here  St.  Cecilia  is  not  only  patroness  of  music,  but  pa- 
tron saint  in  a  more  general  and  exalted  sense. 

singer  by  Haydn:  "What  have  you  done?"  said  he  to  Sir 
Joshua  ;  "  you  have  made  her  listening  to  the  angels  ;  you  should 
have  represented  the  angels  listening  to  her  .' " 

*  When  standing  before  this  picture  with  a  friend  who  had  given 
more  attention  to  physiology  than  to  art,  he  was  struck  by  the  pe- 
culiar expression  in  the  eyes  of  St.  Cecilia,  which  he  said  he  had 
often  remarked  as  characteristic  of  musicians  by  profession,  or  those 
devoted  to  music,  —  an  expression  of  liste?iing  rather  than  seeing 


*o4       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Sometimes  a  tlramatic  feeling  has  been  given  n>  tbeee 
representations  ;  tor  instance,  where  St.  Cecilia  is  play- 
ing to  the  Virgin,  and  St.  Antony  of  Padua  is  listening, 
as  in  a  picture  by  Garofalo.  Again,  where  St.  Cecilia 
is  Boated  before  an  organ,  attired  in  the  rich  Florentine 
costume  of  the  sixteenth  century  ;  near  her  Btands  St. 
Catherine  listening  to  the  heavenly  strains  of  her  com- 
panion :  as  in  a  picture  by  Giulio  Campi.*  In  a  com- 
position by  Parmigiano  .-he  i-  playing  on  the  spinet, 
which  is  held  before  her  by  two  angels,  —  an  idea  which 
appears  to  have  been  borrowed  by  Paul  Delaroche. 

Domenichino  was  at  Rome  on  the  occasion  of  the 
opening  of  the  sarcophagus  of  St.  Cecilia  in  the  reign 
of  Clement  VIII.,  ami  when  the  discover]  of  the  relics 
entire  had  ki ml l.-.l  the  popular  enthusiasm  to  an  ex- 
traordinary degree  :  during  the  next  half-century  there 
were  few  artists  who  did  not  attempt  a  St.  Cecilia  ;  bat 
Domenichino  led  the  way.  He  painted  -ix  single  fig- 
ure-<>f  St.  Cecilia  as  patron  -aim.  Of  these,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  i-  the  half-length  which  represents 
her  in  rich  drapery  of  violet  and  amber,  crowned  with 
red  and  white  roses  ;  an  angel  bearing  her  palm  i>  seen 

behind,  and  BO  Organ  tO  the  left  ;  .-he  hold-  a  scroll  of 
music  in  her  hand.t  The  UOble  air  of  the  head,  and 
the  calm    intellectual    expression   of  the   feature-,  -inn, 

however,  better  Buited  to  a  St.  Catherine  than  to  a  St. 

1  dia.  She  i.-  here  a  great  patron  -aint  in  the  gen- 
eral Bense,  and  the  attributes  serve  to  individualize  her. 
In  the  picture  in  the  Lorn  re,  an  angel  stands  before  her, 
holding  open  the  music-book,  from  which  -he  Bings,  ac- 
companying herself  on  the  % i«.l.  in  the  Borghese  pic- 
tun-  -he  wear-  a  magnificent  jewelled  turban,  and  is 
listening  with  an  entrain. -.|  expression  to  tie  song  of 
invisible  angels. 
I  Jut,  iii '  tprasion,  Lord  Lansdowne's  Domenichino  ex- 
all  the  rest  ;  and  her.   '     l      ilia  combines  the  two 

•  I'retnoiia.     .-  ado. 

t   It  ni  in  Hi'-  Collection  <,i  Mr.  Weill  of  1UJ -leaf,  and  thcro  ii 
•t  fine  engraving  bj  Sharp. 


ST.   CECILIA.  203 

characters  of  Christian  martyr  and  patroness  of  music. 
Her  tunic  is  of  a  deep  red  with  white  sleeves,  and  on  her 
head  she  wears  a  kind  of  white  turban,  which,  in  the  art- 
less disposition  of  its  folds,  recalls  the  linen  head-dress  in 
which  her  body  was  found,  and  no  doubt  was  intended 
to  imitate  it.  She  holds  the  viol  gracefully,  and  you 
almost  hear  the  tender  tones  she  draws  from  it ;  she 
looks  up  to  heaven  ;  her  expression  is  not  ecstatic  as 
of  one  listening  to  the  angels,  but  devout,  tender,  mel- 
ancholy, —  as  one  who  anticipated  her  fate,  and  was 
resigned  to  it ;  she  is  listening  to  her  own  song,  and 
her  song  is,  "  Thy  will  be  done  !  " 

I  might  cite  many  other  beautiful  examples  of  St. 
Cecilia  exhibited  as  patroness  of  music,  but  the  subject 
is  one  which  needs  no  interpretation.  It  is  a  frequent 
and  appropriate  decoration  on  the  doors  of  orgaus.  I 
remember  an  organ  on  the  inner  doors  of  which  were 
painted,  on  one  side  St.  Gregory  teaching  the  choris- 
ters, on  the  other  St.  Cecilia  singing  with  the  angels. 

She  is  very  seldom  represented  in  devotional  pictures 
as  the  virgin-martyr  only  ;  but  I  remember  one  strik- 
ing example  ;  it  is  in  a  picture  by  Giulio  Procaccino. 
She  leans  back,  dying,  in  the  arms  of  an  angel ;  her 
hands  bound,  her  hair  dishevelled  ;  the  countenance 
raised  to  heaven,  full  of  tender,  enthusiastic  faith  :  one 
angel  draws  the  weapon  from  her  breast ;  another,  weep- 
ing, holds  the  palm  and  a  wreath  of  roses.  This  pic- 
ture was  evidently  painted  for  a  particular  locality,  be- 
ing on  a  high  narrow  panel,  the  figure  larger  than  life, 
and  the  management  of  the  space  and  the  foreshorten- 
ing very  skilful  and  fine.* 

I  know  not  any  picture  of  St.  Cecilia  sleeping,  except 
Alfred  Tennyson's  :  — 

"  There,  in  a  clear  walled  city  on  the  sea, 
Near  gilded  organ-pipes  —  her  hair 
Bound  with  white  roses  —  slept  St  Cecily  ;  — 
An  angel  looked  at  her  !  " 

*  Milan,  Brera. 


2o6       SACRED   AND   LI  Gl  ND  \R1  ART. 

Very  charming  I —  hut  the  roses  brought  from  para- 
dise Bhould  be  red  and  white,  symbolical  of  love  and 

purity,  for  in  paradise  the  two  are  inseparable,  and  pa- 
rity without  love  as  impossible  as  love  without  purity. 
There  is  a  very  lovely  figure  <>t'  St  Cecilia  by  Luini; 
she  Btands  crowned  with  white  roses  and  anemones, 

with  the  palm,  and  book,  and    organ-pipes  at  her  feet* 

Detached  scenes  from  the  lift  of  St  Cecilia  do  not 
often  occur.  Those  generally  selected  are  "  the  angel 
crowning  her  and  her  husband,"  and  ber  ••  mart]  rdom." 

The  first,  which  is  a  most  attractive  Bubject,  1  have 
never  Been  we'd  treated  ;  all  the  examples  which  have 
fallen  under  my  notice  are  rapid  or  theatrical.  There 
is  one  in  the  Gallery  of  Counl  Harrach  at  Vienna,  a 
Venetian  picture  of  the  Cagliari  school,  which  is  Inter- 
esting :  th<-  faces  arc  like  portraits. 

Her  martyrdom  is  represented  in  two  ways  ;  she  is 
either  exposed  to  the  flames  in  her  hath,  01  Blabbed  by 
the  executioner. 

In  the  Illuminated  Creek  Menology  (ninth  century), 
perhaps  the  oldest  existing  example,  she  is  murdered  in 
her  hath  ;  Valerian  and  Tiburtius  lie  headless  on  the 
ground.  The  hath  is  often  in  the  form  of  a  great  cal- 
dron, with  flames  beneath,  and  sometimes  we  find  the 
superscription  (Ps.  Ixvi.  12),   Per  ignem  el  aquam,  Ac. 

■•  We  went    through    lire  and    through  water,  hut    Thou 

broughtesl  us  out  into  a  wealthy  place." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  thai  the  bo  called  "  Martyrdom 
of  St.  Fetiriiu,"  engraved  after  Raphael  bj  Man  An 
tonio,  and  one  of  his  finest  prints,  is  the  Martyrdom  of 

St.   Cecilia,  and    that    the    two    hcadlcv-    figures    OH    the 

ground  represent  Valerian  and  Tiburtius.     There  ex- 
a  v. hut  of  the  same  composition,  executed  be- 
fore tiit-  death  of  Raphael  (about  i:>i7).  inscribed  ••  the 
Martyrdom  of  St  Cecilia,"  which  seems  t"  »  I  thi  q 

tiuli  at   1 

In  the  later  examples  she  i^  generally  kneeling,  and 
I,.  sizes  her  hy  the  long  hair  and  prepares 

I     M  chi.!  .  Milau. 


ST.  CECILIA.  205 

to  plunge  his  sword  into  her  bosom  ;  the  organ  is  in 
the  background,  a  violin  and  a  book  lie  near  her,  and 
an  angel  descends  from  above  with  a  wreath  of  roses  : 
as  in  a  much-praised  picture  by  Riminaldi,  painted  for 
the  chapel  of  St.  Cecilia  at  Pisa.* 

The  composition  by  Poussin  is  very  fine  and  dra- 
matic. Cecilia  has  received  her  death  wound,  and  is 
dying  on  the  marble  floor  of  her  palace,  supported  in 
the  arms  of  her  women  ;  St.  Urban  and  others  stand 
by  lamenting.  Here,  as  well  as  in  Domenichino's 
fresco,  two  women  are  occupied  in  wiping  up  the  blood 
which  flows  from  her  wounds.  The  introduction  of 
this  disagreeable  and  superfluous  incident  may  be  ac- 
counted for  by  the  tradition  that  the  napkin  stained 
with  her  blood  was  found  in  the  catacombs  at  her  feet. 

The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Cecilia  by  Lionello  Spada,  in 
the  San  Michcle-in-Bosco  at  Bologna,  is  much  praised 
by  Lanzi.  She  is  exposed  to  the  flames  in  her  bath  : 
"  —  con  unfuoco  cost  vero  e  vivace  che  in  solo  mirando  rende 
colore."     It  is  now  scarcely  visible. 

In  the  Munich  Gallery  is  a  half-length  St.  Cecilia  at- 
tributed to  Leonardo,  but  not  by  him ;  which  rather  re- 
minded me,  in  dress  and  arrangement,  of  the  Giovanna 
d'Arragona  in  the  Louvre. 

The  life  of  St.  Cecilia  treated  as  a  series  affords  a 
number  of  beautiful  and  dramatic  subjects.  There  are 
several  examples,  some  of  them  famous  in  the  history 
of  Art.  The  most  ancient  of  which  there  is  any  men- 
tion is,  or  rather  was,  a  set  of  frescos  painted  in  the 
portico  of  her  church  at  Rome,  supposed  to  have  been 
executed  by  Byzantine  painters,  in  the  ninth  century,  by 
order  of  Pope  Paschal  I.  These  were  utterly  destroyed 
when  the  church  was  rebuilt  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
with  the  exception  of  one  compartment ;  but  correct 
copies  had  been  previously  made,  which  exist  in  the 
library  of  the  Barberini  Palace.  The  series  comprises 
the  following  subjects  :  — 

*  Florence,  Pitti  Pal. 


Zo8       8ACR1  D   .ia  D   LEG1  \  D  \i:v   ART. 

1.  The  marriage  feast  of  Valerian  ami  St.  Cecilia. 
-■_  Cecilia  Bested  in  discourse  with  her  husband, 

.3.  Valerian  mounts  liis  horse  ami  goes  to  Beek  St. 
Urban,     i    The  baptism  of  Valerian. 

5.  An  =  i ? i — <  1  crowns  Valerian  ami  Cecilia.  6.  Ce- 
cilia preaches  to  the  guards. 

7.    She  is  exposed  In  the  flames  in  her  hath.      8.   Her 

martyrdom. 

9.  she  is  laid  in  the  tomb.  10.  she  appears  in  a 
vision  to  Pope  Paschal. 

The  compartment  containing  the  last  two  subjects 

remains  entire,  and  is  fixed  aurain>t  the  wall  in  the  in- 
terior  of    her   church,    to    the    right    of    the    high    altar. 

Pope  Paschal  i-  Been  asleep  on  hi-  throne  with  his  tiara 
on  his  head;  the  saint  Btands  before  him,  and  appears 
to  he  revealing  the  place  of  her  burial  in  the  catacombs  ; 
on  the  other  Bide  the  same  Pope  is  seen  with  his  attend 
ants  in  the  act  of  laving  her  body  in  the  sarcophagus 
the  Btory  is  very  expressively  though  artlesslj  told  :  the 
Btyle  Greco-Italian.  It  is  worth  remarking,  that  St.  Ce- 
cilia lure  weni's  a  head-dress  like  a  turban,  ami  that 

when  her  body  W8S  found  her  head  was  hound  in   folds 

of  cloth.  As  great  attention  was  drawn  to  these  re- 
mains  just  when   Domemchino  ami  others  of  the  Ca 

racci  school  were  pointing  at   Rome,  the  idea  may  have 

been  thus  suggested  of  representing  her  in  a  sort  of 
turban,  as  we  Bee  her  in  so  many  pictures  of  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

(tn  each  side  of  the  figure  of  8t  Cecilia  by  Cimabue 
(already  described)  are  four  small  subjects  from  her  life; 
the  Bcei  ■  ■•  d  are  the  same  a-  iii  tin'  old  frescos  of 

Pope  Paschal,  but  the  treatment  is  widely  different. 

1.    Cecilia,   seated    at    a    hampiet    with    three    otl 
ami    live   attendant-,  of  whom    two  are   playing   on  the 

tai«>r  and  pipe      •_'.  Cecilia,  seated  on  a  couch,  con 
verses  with  her  husband  Valerian,  who  stand-  before 
her.      She  is  exhorting  him  to  observe  the  vow  she 
had  made  to  heaven  before  her  nuptial  vow  to  him.    .'i. 


ST.   CECILIA.  z  9 

Urban  baptizes  Valerian.  4.  An  angel  crowns  Cecilia 
and  Valerian.  5.  Cecilia  converts  Tiburtius.  6.  Ce- 
cilia  preaches  to  the  people.  7.  She  is  brought  before 
the  prefect.  8.  She  is  put  into  the  bath  full  of  boiling 
water :  three  executioners  surround  her. 

Francia,  assisted  by  Lorenzo  Costa,  painted  the  life 
of  St.  Cecilia  in  ten  compartments  round  the  walls  of 
her  chapel  at  Bologna.  The  building  is  now  dese- 
crated, and  forms  a  kind  of  public  passage  leading 
from  one  street  to  another.  The  only  compartment 
in  tolerable  preservation  is  the  scene  of  the  marriage  of 
St.  Cecilia  and  Valerian,  charming  for  simplicity  and 
expression :  she  seems  to  shrink  back  reluctant,  while 
her  mother  takes  her  hand  and  places  it  in  that  of 
Valerian.  In  the  same  series,  Urban  instructing  Vale- 
rian, and  the  alms  of  St.  Cecilia,  both  by  Lorenzo 
Costa,  are  very  beautiful.  Of  the  other  compartments 
only  a  figure  here  and  there  can  be  made  out. 

By  Pinturicchio  there  is  a  series  of  five  small  pic- 
tures from  the  life  of  St.  Cecilia  in  the  Berlin  Gallery. 

Lastly,  there  is  the  series  by  Domenichino,  celebrated 
in  the  history  of  Art.  A  short  time  after  the  discovery 
of  the  relics  of  St.  Cecilia,  a  chapel  was  dedicated  to 
tier  in  the  church  of  San  Luigi  at  Rome ;  and  Dome- 
nichino was  employed  to  decorate  it  with  the  history 
of  the  saint. 

The  story  is  told  in  five  large  compositions. 

1.  Cecilia  distributes  her  possessions  to  the  poor. 
She  is  in  the  background  standing  on  the  terrace  or 
balcony  of  her  house,  while  a  crowd  of  eager  half-naked 
wretches  are  seen  in  the  front ;  twenty-two  figures  in 
all.  It  is  a  rich  dramatic  composition,  but  the  atten- 
tion, instead  of  being  concentrated  on  the  benign  saint, 
is  distracted  by  the  accessaries,  among  which  are  two 
naughty  boys  quarrelling  for  a  garment.  This  is  surely 
a  discord  in  point  of  sentiment.  2.  An  angel  crown* 
with  roses  St.  Cecilia  and  Valerian  as  they  kneel  on 

VOL.   II.  14. 


2io       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY   ART. 

each  ride.  8.  St.  Cecilia  refuses  to  sacrifice  to  idols. 
4.  Her  martyrdom.  She  lies  wounded  to  death  on 
some  marble  steps;  —  her  attitude  very  graceful  and 
pathetic.  St.  Urban  l<»iks  on  pitying  ;  two  women  are 
wiping  up  the  blood.     In  all,  fifteen  figures. 

<  >n  the  ceiling  of  the  chapel  is  the  apotheosis  of  the 
saint,  she  i-  carried  into  heaven  In  angels,  tine 
bean  the  or^an,  others  the  sword,  tin-  palm,  and  the 
crown. 

On  tin-  whole,  St.  Cecilia  is  nut  -,>  frequent  a  rabject 
of  painting  as  we  mighl  have  expected  from  the  beauty 

and  antiquity  of  her  legend.      She  is  seldom  seen  in  the 

old  (Trench  works  of  An  :  she  ha-  been  a  favorite  with 
the  Roman  and  Bologneee  schools,  hut  comparatively 
neglected  by  Venetian,  Spanish,  and  German  painter.-; 

and    in    point  of  general    popularity  she    yields   hoth   to 

St.  Catherine  and  St.  Barbara.* 


St.  Agues,  ViBom   \m>  BIabttb. 

Lat.  Sancta  Agn<'S.     Ital.  Sant' AgncHe.    Spa.  Santa  Inez.    Fr. 
Ste.  Agnes.    Jan.  21,  a.  D.  'Mi. 

Tin:    legend   of  this   illustrious  virgin   is   one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  Christian  Church.       It    is  also,  in  its  main 

points,  one  of  the  mosl  authentic.  St.  Jerome,  writ- 
ing in  the  fourth  century,  informs  OS  that,  in  his  time, 
the  lame  of  St.  Agnes  was  spread  through  all  nations, 

and  that  homilies  and  hymns,  and  other  effusions  in 
prose  and  \er-e.  had  hei  ti  w  rit ten  in  her  honor  in  all  lati- 

gnagi  -  Her  tender  sex,  her  almost  childish  years,  her 
beauty,  innocence,  and  heroii  defence  of  her  chastity, 
the  high  antiquity  of  tin-  veneration  paid  to  her,  have- 
all  combined  to  invest  the  person  and  character  of  St. 
Agnes  with  a  charm,  an  interest,  a  reality,  to  which  the 
iceptical  are  not  wholly  insensible. 

•  \\     >  ...   two ohnrehet  in  Rnglaod  dadJoatsd  lobar    odssJ 

Ail»t'*'L,  111  Buck*,  tad  mother  at  W.-i  BUney,  in  Norfolk. 


ST.  AGNES.  211 

The  legend  docs  not  tell  us  who  were  her  parents, 
nor  what  their  rank  in  life,  but  takes  up  her  history 
abruptly.     Thus :  — 

"There  lived  in  the  city  of  Rome  a  maiden  whose 
name  was  Agnes  (whether  this  name  was  her  own,  or 
given  to  her  because  of  her  lamb-like  meekness  and  in- 
nocence, docs  not  seem  clear).  She  was  not  more  than 
thirteen  years  old,  but  was  filled  with  all  good  gifts  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  having  loved  and  followed  Christ  from 
her  infancy,  and  was  as  distinguished  for  her  gracious 
sweetness  and  humility  as  for  her  surpassing  beauty. 

"  It  chanced  that  the  son  of  the  prefect  of  Rome 
beheld  her  one  day  as  he  rode  through  the  city,  and 
became  violently  enamored,  and  desired  to  have  her 
for  his  wife.  He  asked  her  in  marriage  of  her  parents, 
but  the  maiden  repelled  all  his  advances.  Then  he 
brought  rich  presents,  bracelets  of  gold  and  gems,  and 
rare  jewels  and  precious  ornaments,  and  promised  her 
all  the  delights  of  the  world  if  she  would  consent  to  be 
his  wife.  But  she  rejected  him  and  his  gifts,  saying, 
'Away  from  me,  tempter!  for  I  am  already  betrothed 
to  a  lover  who  is  greater  and  fairer  than  any  earthly 
suitor.  To  him  I  have  pledged  my  faith,  and  he  will 
crown  me  with  jewels,  compared  to  which  thy  gifts  are 
dross.  I  have  tasted  of  the  milk  and  honey  of  his  lips, 
and  the  music  of  his  divine  voice  has  sounded  in  mine 
ears  :  he  is  so  fair  that  the  sun  and  moon  are  ravished 
by  his  beauty,  and  so  mighty  that  the  angels  of  heaven 
are  his  servants  !  ' 

"  On  hearing  these  words,  the  son  of  the  prefect  was 
seized  with  such  jealousy  and  rage,  that  he  went  to  his 
home  and  fell  upon  his  bed  and  became  sick,  almost  to 
death  ;  and  when  the  physicians  were  called,  they  said 
to  the  father,  '  This  youth  is  sick  of  unrequited  love, 
and  our  art  can  avail  nothing.'  Then  the  prefect 
questioned  his  son,  and  the  young  man  confessed,  say- 
ing, '  My  father,  unless  thou  procure  me  Agnes  to  be 
my  wife,  I  die.' 

"  Now  the  prefect,  whose   name  was   Sempronius, 


212        SACRi:i>   AND   LEGENDARY  MIT. 

tenderly  loved  his  son  :  and  he  repaired,  weeping,  to 
\  nes  and  to  her  parents,  ami  besought  them  to  accept 
his  Mm  :  Inn  Agnes  made  tin-  Bame  answer  as  before, 
ami  the  prefect  was  angered  to  think  that  another  Bbould 
he  preferred  before  his  Bon,  ami  he  inqnired  of  the  neigh- 
bors to  what  great  prince  Agnes  was  betrothed  '  And 
one  Baid,  •  Knowest  thou  not  that  Agnes  has  been  a 
Christian  from  her  infancy  upwards,  and  the  husband 

of  whom   shr  speaks    is    t ther   than    JeBUS  Christ?' 

When  the  prefect  heard  this  he  rejoiced  greatly,  lor  an 

cilict  hail  gone  forth  against  the  Christians,  ami  he 
knew  that  shr  was  in  his  power.  Se  sent  lor  her, 
therefore,  ami  Baid,  •  Bince  thou  art  so  resolved  against 

an   earthly  liu-haml,  thou  shall  enter  the   service  of  tl** 

Idesa  Vesta.'     To  which  Agnes  replied  with  disdaisj 

•  Thinkest  thou  that  I,  who  would  not  listen  to  thy  son, 
who  yel  18  a  man,  ami  can  hear  ami  see,  ami  mow    ami 

Bpeak,  will  how  down  bo  vain  images,  which  are  hut 
insensible  wood  ami  stone,  or,  which  is  worse,  to  the 
demons  who  inhabit  them  ? ' 

••  When  Sempronius  heard  these  words  he  (ell  into  a 
fury  ;  he  threatened  her  with  death  in  the  most  hideous 
form-;  he  loaded  her  tender  limbs  with  chains;  ami 
ordered  her  to  he  dragged  before  the  altars  of  the  l-oiK; 
hut  she  remained  firm.  Ami  as  neither  temptation  m>r 
the  liar  of  death  could  prevail,  he  thought  of  other 
means  to  ranquish  her  resistance;  lie  ordered  her  to  be 
carried  bj  force  to  a  place  of  infamy,  and  exposed  to 

the  i t  degrading  outrages.     The  soldier.-.,  who  .li 

ged  her  thither,  stripped  her  of  her  garments ;  ami  when 
she  -:iu  herself  thus  exposed,  she  bent  down  her  head 

in  meek  shame  and  prayed  ;   and  i ediately  her  hair, 

which  was  already  long  ami  abundant,  became  like  a 

veil,  covering  her  who!.-  person  from  head  to  font  ;  and 

those  who  looked  upon  her  were  Beized  with  awe  and 
(ear  as  "f  something  sacred,  ami  dared  not  lift  their 

So  they  .shut  her  up  in  a  chamber,  and  sho 
prayed  that  the  Limbs  that  had  been  eon-e.  rated  to 
Jesus  Christ  should  not  l>c  dishonored.     And  suddenly 


ST.  AGNES.  213 

ehe  saw  before  her  a  white  and  shining  garment,  with 
which  she  clothed  herself  joyfully,  praising  God,  and 
saying,  '  I  thank  thee,  0  Lord,  that  I  am  found  worthy 
to  put  on  the  garment  of  thy  elect ! '  And  the  whole 
place  was  filled  with  miraculous  light,  brighter  than  the 
sun  at  noonday. 

"  But  meantime  the  young  Sempronius  thought  with- 
in himself,  '  Now  is  this  proud  maiden  subdued  to  my 
will.'  So  he  came  into  the  chamber  ;  but  the  moment 
he  approached  her  he  was  struck  with  blindness,  and 
fell  down  in  convulsions,  and  was  carried  forth  as  one 
dead.  His  father  and  his  mother  and  all  his  relations 
ran  thither,  weeping  and  lamenting,  until  Agnes,  melted 
to  compassion  by  their  tears,  and  moved  by  that  spirit 
of  charity  which  became  the  espoused  of  Christ,  prayed 
that  he  might  be  restored  to  health  ;  and  her  prayer 
was  granted. 

"  When  Sempronius  saw  this  great  miracle,  he  would 
fain  have  saved  St.  Agnes  ;  but  the  people,  instigated 
by  the  priests,  cried  out,  <  This  is  a  sorceress  and  a 
witch,  who  kills  men  with  a  look  and  restores  them  to 
life  with  a  word  ;  —  let  her  die  ! '  And  the  tumult  in- 
creased. So  the  prefect,  being  afraid,  sent  one  of  his 
deputies  to  judge  the  maiden. 

"  As  the  people  persisted  in  their  clamorous  cries 
against  her,  and  as  she  openly  and  boldly  professed  her- 
self a  Christian,  the  deputy  ordered  a  pile  of  fagots 
to  be  heaped  together,  and  a  fire  to  be  kindled,  and  they 
threw  Agnes  into  the  midst ;  but  when  they  looked  to 
sec  her  consumed,  behold  the  flames  were  suddenly  ex- 
tinguished, and  she  stood  unharmed,  while  the  execu- 
tioners around  were  slain  by  the  force  of  the  fire,  which 
bad  had  no  power  over  her. 

"  But  the  people  and  the  idolatrous  priests,  instead 
of  seeing  in  this  miracle  the  hand  of  God,  cried  out  the 
more, '  She  is  a  sorceress,  and  must  die  !  '  Then  Agnes, 
raising  her  hands  and  her  eyes  to  heaven,  thanked  and 
blessed  the  Lord,  who  had  thus  openly  asserted  his 
power  and   defended  her  innocence ;   but   the  wicked 


2i4       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

deputy,  incited  by  tin-  tumult  of  the  people,  and  fear- 
ing ti>r  himself  commanded  one  of  the  executioners  to 
ascend  the  pile  and  end  her  with  the  sword  ;  which  was 
done  :  and  she,  looking  steadfastly  up  to  heaven,  yield- 
ed 1 1 1 >  her  pure  >j>iri t ,  and  fell  bathed  in  her  blood. 

■■  Her  parents  and  her  relatives  t« ■< >k  her  body  and 
carried  it,  weeping  and  Binging  hymns,  n>  the  cemetery 
outside  the  city,  on  the  Via  Nomentana  :  and  there  they 
laid  her  in  ;i  tomb.  And  daj  and  night  the  Christians 
assembled  in  that  place  to  offer  up  their  devotions. 
And  it  happened  that,  on  a  certain  day,  as  her  parents 
with  many  others  were  praying  bj  her  sepulchre,  St. 

es  herself  appeared  before  them,  all  radiant  ol 
pect  ;  by  her  side  was  a  lamb,  whiter  than  the  driven 
snow.  Ami  she  said,  •  Weep  not,  dr\  your  tears,  and 
rejoice  with  exceeding  J03  ;  for  me  a  throne  is  pn  pared 
by  the  Bide  of  Him  whom  on  earth  1  preferred  to  all 
others,  and  to  whom   I  am  united  forever  in  heaven.' 

And  having  BBid  these  word-  she  \ani.-hcd.  Then  the 
Christian  monmera  wiped  away  their  tears,  and  re- 
turned  to   their   houses   with  joy  and   thanksgiving." 

St.  Agnes  is  the  favorite  saint  of  die  Roman  women  ; 

the  traditional  reverence  paid    to  her  memory  ha.-    been 

kept  alive  even  to  tin-  hour  by  their  local  associations, 

and  by  the  two  fainoti-  churches  at  Komc  bearing  In  r 
name,  one  within  and  one  without  the  wall-. 

The  first    stand-    00    the   wc-t  side  of   the    I'la/va     \a 
vona.  on   the  very  BpOl  where   stood   the   QOUSe  ol'  infa- 
my to  which  she  was  dragged  by  the  soldiers.     The 
chamber  which,  for  her  preservation,  was  filled  with 

heavenly  light,  ha-  become,  from  the  change  of  lc\el  all 
over    Koine,    as    well    a-    the    position    of    the    church,    a 

subterranean  oil,  and  is  now  a  chapel  of  peculiar  sanc- 
tity, into  which  yon  descend  by  torch-light.    Tin'  tl • 

retains  the  old   i an,  and  over  the  altar  I-  a  bat  relief, 

representing  St.  Agnes,  with  Hasped  hand.-,  and  cov- 
ered only  by  her  long  tresses,  while  two  ferot  ious  sol- 
diers drive  her  before  tin  in      The  upper  church,  as  a 


ST.  AGNES.  2i 5 

piece  of  architecture,  is  beautiful,  and  rich  in  precious 
marbles  and  antique  columns.  The  works  of  art  are 
all  mediocre,  and  of  the  seventeenth  century,  but  the 
statue  over  her  altar  has  considerable  elegauce.  Often 
have  I  seen  the  steps  of  this  church,  and  the  church  it- 
self, so  crowded  with  kneeling  worshippers  at  matins 
and  vespers  that  I  could  not  make  my  way  among 
them ;  —  principally  the  women  of  the  lower  orders, 
with  their  distafl's  and  market-baskets,  who  had  come 
there  to  pray,  through  the  intercession  of  the  patron 
saint,  for  the  gifts  of  meekness  and  chastity,  —  gifts  not 
abounding  in  those  regions. 

The  other  church  of  St.  Agnes  —  the  Sant'  Ag- 
nese  beyond  the  Porta-Pia  —  is  yet  more  interesting. 
According  to  the  old  tradition,  it  was  erected  by  Con- 
stantine  the  Great,  at  the  earnest  request  of  his  daugh- 
ter Constantia,  only  a  few  years  after  the  death  of  Ag- 
nes, and  to  commemorate  the  spot  in  which  she  was 
laid.  This  has  been  controverted,  but  it  remains  cer- 
tain that  the  church  was  in  625  an  ancient  edifice,  and 
at  that  time  restored.  Notwithstanding  many  subse- 
quent renovations,  it  retains  its  antique  form  and  most 
of  its  antique  decorations,  and  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  and  venerable  of  the  old  churches  of 
Rome.  So  deep  below  the  present  level  of  the  soil  is 
the  floor  of  the  church,  that  we  have  to  descend  into  it 
by  a  flight  of  marble  steps.  The  statue  of  the  saint, 
of  bronze  and  oriental  alabaster,  stands  over  the  high 
altar  :  beneath  it  is  the  sarcophagus  containing  her  re- 
mains, —  more  authentic  than  such  relics  usually  are. 
The  mosaic  in  the  apsis  (a.  d.  625-638)  represents 
her  standing,  crowned,  and  holding  a  book  in  her  hand, 
in  the  Byzantine  manner.  Out  of  the  earth  spring 
flowers,  and  a  sword  lies  at  her  feet  ;  both  in  allusion 
to  her  martyrdom.  On  the  right  is  Pope  Honorius, 
holding  the  church  ;  and  on  the  other  side,  Pope  Sym- 
machus,  holding  a  book. 

So  ancient  is  the  worship  paid  to  St.  Agnes,  that, 
flext  to  the  Evangelists  and  Apostles,  there  is  no  saint 


216       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

whose  efflgj  is  elder.  It  la  found  on  the  ancient  jrlass 
and  earthenware  vessels  used  by  the  Christiana  in  the 
early  pari  of  the  third  century,  with  her  name  inscribed, 
which  leaves  no  donbt  <>!'  her  identity.  Bnt  neither  in 
these  images,  nor  in  the  mosaic,  is  the  lamb  introduced, 

which  ill  later  times  has  heroine  her  iliseparahle  attri- 
bute, as  the  patroness  of  maidens  and  maidenly  modesty. 

she  bears  the  palm  as  martyr,  —  Beldom  the  I k.     I 

have  seen  her  holding  a  branch  of  olive  together  with 
the  palm,  and  sometimes  crowned  with  olive. 
As  her  effigies  are  not  easily  mistaken,  and  abound 

in  every  form  and  every  s<  1 1  of  Art,  I  .shall  confine 

myself  to  a  few  celebrated  exampli 

1.  She  is  often  looking  down  meekly,  as  in  a  hciuiti- 
ful  and  rare  engraving  by  Martin  Schoen. 

2.  As  martyr,     she  is  seated,  partly  veiled,  holding 

her  palm  in  the  righl  hand,  with  the  other  embracing 
her  lamb,  and  looking  np  with  a  mild,  trusting  faith  ; 
the  drapery  amber  and  violet  ;  as  in  a  picture  by  An- 
drea del  Satto  in  the  DuOmO  at  Pisa.  It  is  the  head 
of  his  beautiful  but  worthless  wife,  more  idealized  thuu 

usual, 

•'t.  As  martyr,  she  presents  her  palm  to  Christ;  ils 
in  a  picture  bj    Titian  in  the   Lou\  re. 

).  As  patroness  of  maidenhood,  she  presents  a  mm 
to  the  Madonna  ;  as  in  a  lovelj  picture  h\  Paul  Vero- 
nese.* 

5.  In  the  altar-piece  by  Domenichino  at  Windsor, 
she  stand-  leaning  on  a  pedestal,  in  the  likeness  of  a 
young  girl  of  about  twelve  or  thirteen,  magnificently 

attired,  and  her  long  hair  confined  by  a  tiara;  her 
hands  are  joined  in  supplication,  yet  she  looks  up  to 
heaven  as  one  trusting  and  assured;  at  her  side  an 
angel  caresses  ■■<■  lamb;  another  angel  descends  from 
above  with  the  palm:  —  a  splendid  picture,  well  re 
membered  by  all  who  have  visited  the  Windsor  collec- 
tion, and  universally  known  by  the  fai i~  engraving 

I     do   DOt    admire   It,    l|o\\e\er  .  —  It     Is    liol 
•    \  .mi.   Acad. 


ST.  AGNES.  217 

in  character ;  it  is  too  regal,  too  sumptuous,  too  tri- 
umphant ;  and  the  portrait-like  Lead,  and  rather  heavy 
figure,  deficient  altogether  in  ideal  sanctity  and  eleva- 
tion. There  is  a  tradition  that  it  is  the  portrait  of  the 
artist's  daughter. 

Domeuichino  professed  an  especial  veneration  for  St. 
Agnes,  and  was  often  called  upon  to  paint  her.  Be- 
sides the  single  figure  at  Windsor,  he  painted  for  bet- 
church  at  Bologna  the  famous  Martyrdom  which  is  now 
iu  the  Gallery  there.  The  saint  kneels  upon  the  pile  of 
fagots  ;  the  fire  has  just  been  extinguished  by  divine  in- 
terposition ;  two  of  the  executiouers  lie  prostrate  on  the 
ground ;  a  third  has  seized  her  hair,  and,  drawing  back 
her  head,  plunges  the  sword  into  her  bosom  :  there  are 
several  spectators,  and  among  them  the  usual  group  of 
frightened  women  and  children.  Above,  the  heavens 
open  in  glory,  and  Christ  delivers  to  an  angel  the  palm 
and  crown  which  are  to  recompense  the  martyr.  This 
picture,  which  has  always  been  reckoned  amongst  the 
most  celebrated  productions  of  the  Bologna  school,  as 
a  masterpiece  of  dramatic  arrangement  and  expression, 
is  to  me  sovereignly  displeasing.  In  the  first  place, 
there  is  something  not  only  shocking,  but  positively  un- 
natural, in  the  stupid,  brutal  indifference  with  which  the 
executioner  slaughters  the  young  and  beautiful  saint. 
It  is  a  murder,  and  not  a  martyrdom,  which  we  see 
before  us  ;  —  the  women  who  look  on  ought  to  fly,  or 
hide  their  faces,  from  such  a  spectacle.  To  complete 
the  discordant  feeling,  and  in  contrast  with  the  cold- 
blooded horror  of  the  lower  part  of  the  picture,  we  be- 
hold a  chorus  of  angels  piping  and  fiddling  up  in  the 
sky,  with  the  most  unsympathizing  self-complacency. 

The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Agnes,  by  Tintoretto,  in  the 
S.  Maria  dell'  Orto  at  Venice,  is  treated  like  a  theatri- 
cal scene :  there  is  a  flight  of  steps,  on  which  are  a 
number  of  spectators,  and  on  the  summit  is  the  saint, 
kneeling,  attired  in  virgin  white,  and  prepared  to  re- 
teive  the  stroke  of  the  executioner. 

The  same  subject  by  Joanes,  at  Madrid,   "  contains 


n8       8ACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

gome  beautiful  Raphaeleeque  beads."  1  know  not  how 
the  action  ia  represented. 

With  St.  Agnes  is  sometimes  introduced  her  friend 
and  foster  sister  Ermentiana,  \\1m>  was  stoned  becauM 
Bhe  reproved  the  pagans  for  their  barbarity. 

Other  subjects  from  the  life  of  8t  Agnes  must  occur 
rarely.  I  remember  but  one:  Bhe  restores  the  son  of 
Bempronius  t<>  life.  The  vision  of  the  glorified  saint 
in  the  Christian  mourners  appears  t"  me  capable  of  the 
mosl  beautiful  treatment,  bnl  I  have  not  mel  with  one 
example.  It  is  generally  as  the  patron  sainl  <>t  innci- 
cence,  or  as  the  virgin  martyr,  that  St  Agnes  is  brought 

hcli  >n-  US.* 

Richardson  describes  a  picture  of  a  young  saint 
kneeling,  and  protected  from  violence  by  die  appari- 
tion of  an  angel,  who  fills  the  whole  chamber  with 
li^'ht.  He  rails  the  Bubject  St.  Cecilia,  but  it  i>  evi 
dently  St.  Agm  -  In  his  time  this  picture  was  in  the 
Borghese  Palace,  and  attributed  to  Correggio.  I  have 
ti"  recollection  of  such  a  picture. 


Si.  Agatha,  Vtbgih   un>  M  lb n  it. 

Lot.  Sancta  Agatha.  FV  Balnte  Agntht.  Itu/.  Banta  Acata. 
',.  D  it  !  \  Mill  i  Patroness,  against  Ire,  and  all  dis- 
eases of  the  breast.  I'atroneea  nf  Malta  and  of  Catania  K.li. 
6,  a.  d.  261 

« Tin  i.i.  dwelt  iii  the  city  of  Catania,  in  Sicily, 
a  certain  Christian  maiden  whose  name  was  Agatha. 
In  those  days  reigned  the  emperor  Decins,  who  had 
strangled  Iih  predecessor  Philip;  and,  t"  make'  it  be- 
lieved by  all  thai  be  had  put  him  t"  death  '>ut  "t  great 

teal  and  for  being  a  Christian,  nol  from  tives  of 

ambition,  this  Decins  sent  his  emissaries   throughout 

the  empire  to  op] and  persecute  the  <  Ihrisrians,  and 

many  were  put  t"  death.     And  t'>  Sicily  Decins  sent 

•  \\ '.  bare  only  two  char  I  igtaod  dedicated  Inbername. 


ST.  AC  AT  If  A. 


219 


his  creature  Quintianus,  and  made  him  king  over  the 
whole  island.  Not  long  had  Quintianus  reigned  in 
Sicily  when  he  heard  of  the  great  beauty  and  perfection 
of  the  maiden  Agatha,  and  he  sent  to  have  her  brought 
before  him  ;  and  he  tempted  her  with  rich  presents,  and 
flatteries,  and  promises,  but  she  rejected  all  with  dis- 
dain. Then  Quintianus  sent  for  a  courtesan,  named 
Frondisia,  who  had  nine  daughters,  more  wicked  and 
abandoned  than  herself,  and  he  delivered  Agatha  into 
their  hands,  and  he  said,  '  Subdue  this  damsel  to  my 
will,  and  I  will  give  ye  great  riches.'  Then  Frondisia 
took  Agatha  home  to  her  house,  and  kept  her  there  for 
thirty-three  days,  and  tempted  her  with  great  promises, 
and  flattered  and  cajoled  her ;  and  seeing  this  availed 
not,  they  persecuted  her  day  and  night :  but  her  heart 
was  fixed  as  a  rock  in  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  all 
their  promises  and  all  their  threats  were  as  the  empty 
air.  At  the  end  of  thirty-three  days,  Frondisia  re- 
turned to  Quintianus  and  said  to  him,  '  Sooner  shall 
that  sword  at  thy  side  become  like  liquid  lead,  and  the 
rocks  dissolve  and  flow  like  water,  than  the  heart  of 
this  damsel  be  subdued  to  thy  will.'  Then  Quintianus 
in  a  fury  commanded  her  to  be  brought  to  him,  and 
said,  '  Who,  and  what  art  thou,  audacious  girl  ?  '  And 
Agatha  replied,  '  I  am  a  free  woman,  and  the  servant 
of  Jesus  Christ.'  And  he  said,  '  Dost  thou  call  thyself 
free  who  art  constrained  to  serve  1 '  And  she  said,  '  I 
am  the  handmaid  of  Christ,  whom  to  serve  is  perfect 
freedom.'  Then  Quintianus  said,  '  Abjure  thy  master, 
and  serve  our  gods,  or  I  will  have  thee  tortured.'  To 
which  St.  Agatha  replied,  '  If  thou  shouldst  throw 
me  to  the  wild  beasts,  the  power  of  Christ  would  ren- 
der them  meek  as  lambs  ;  if  thou  shouldst  kindle  a 
fire  to  consume  me,  the  angels  would  quench  it  with 
dews  from  heaven ;  if  thou  shouldst  tear  me  with 
scourges,  the  Holy  Spirit  within  me  would  render  thy 
tortures  harmless.'  Then  this  accursed  tyrant  ordered 
St.  Agatha  to  be  bound  and  beaten  with  rods  ;  and  he 
commanded  two  of  his  slaves  to  tear  her  tender  bosom 


no        BACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

rruellv  with  iron  shears;  and  as  her  blood  flowed  forth, 
Bhc  said  to  him,  '  0  thou  tyrant !  shamesl  thou  not  to 
Mat  me  so,  —  thou  who  hast  been  aoorished  and  fed 
from  tin'  breast  of  a  mother  ! '  And  this  was  her  onlj 
plaint  Then  she  was  carried  from  the  place  of  torture 
into  a  dark  dungeon.  And  abont  midnight  there  came 
to  her  a  man  of  a  fair  and  venerable  aspect,  carrying 
in  bis  hand  a  va.se  of  ointment  ;  and  before  him  walked 
a  yonth  bearing  a  waxen  torch  :  it  ma  the  holj  apostle 

Peter,  and  the  youth  was  one  of  the  angel.- of  ( Jod  ;  bot 

St.  Agatha  knew  it  not,  and  Bach  a  glorious  light  filled 

the  prison,  that  the  guards  were  seized  with  tenor, 
and  tied,  leaving  the  door  open.  Then  came  one  to 
St.    Agatha    and    cried,    '  Arise    and    tlv  !  '       lint    she 

said,  'God  forbid  that  I  should  fly  from  my  crown 
of  martyrdom,  and  he  tin-  occasion  that  my  keepers 

should  suffer  tor  my  flight  tortures  and  death  :  I  will 
not  tlv!'  Then  St.  Peter  said  to  her,  •  1  am  come  to 
heal  thee,  <)  my  daughter  1 '     I'm  she  drew  her  veil 

more  closely OTer  her  wounded   bosom,  and  replied  with 

virgin  modesty,  '  If  it  he  the  will  of  my  Saviour  Christ 

that    1  should   be  healed,   he   will    himself   heal  lne.'       St. 

Peter  answered,  'Fear  not,  for  Christ  ha.-  sent  me  to 
minister  to  thee ! '     So  he  ministered  to  her,  restoring 

with  celestial  medicines  her  mutilated  bOBOm,  anil  her 
body  torn  with  Btripea;  and  when  he  had  done  K>,  he 
vanished,  and  St.  Agatha  knelt  and    blessed    the  power 

of  Christ,  who  bad  visited  her  with  this  great  mercy. 
"The  rage  and  fury  of  Quintianua  not  being  ap- 
peased, lie  -'nt  again  to  have  her  brought  before  him, 
and  being  astonished  to  behold  her  restored,  he  -aid, 

•  Who  hath  healed  the  '  '  She  replied,  '  lie.  whom  I 
Confess  and  adore  With  my  heart  and  with  my  lips, 
bath  sent  his  apostle  and  healed  me  and  delivered  me!' 
Then  QuintianUS  ordered  a  great  fln  tO  be  kindled,  and 
they  hound    the   holy  maiden    hand  and    t"ot  and    flung 

her  upon  it  ;  and  in  that  moment  a  terrible  earthquake 
ensued,  which  mad'  1 1 n-  city  quake,  and  the  people  ran 
urmed  to  the  palace,  and  cried  out,  'This  ha-  fallen 


ST.  AGATHA.  221 

upon  us  because  of  the  sufferings  of  this  Christian  dam- 
sel !  '  and  they  threatened,  that  if  Quintianus  did  not 
desist  from  tormenting  her  they  would  burn  him  in  his 
palace  with  all  his  family.  So  Quintianus  ordered  her 
to  be  taken  from  the  flames,  and  again  cast  into  the 
dungeon,  scorched  and  in  miserable  pain ;  and  she 
praved  that,  having  thus  far  suffered  and  proved  her 
faith,  she  might  be  permitted  to  see  the  glory  of  God  ; 
which  prayer  was  heard,  for  her  pure  spirit  immediately 
departed  and  ascended  to  eternal  glory.  The  Chris- 
tians who  dwelt  in  Catania  came  to  the  prison  and  car- 
ried away  her  sacred  remains,  and  embalmed  them,  and 
buried  her  with  great  devotion  in  a  tomb  of  porphyry. 
"  Now  you  shall  know  that  nigh  to  the  city  of  Cata- 
nia in  Sicily  there  is  a  huge  mountain,  and  on  the 
summit  a  vast  gaping  chasm,  whence  are  vomited  fire 
and  smoke  :  the  blessed  St.  Gregory  saith  that  it  is  one 
of  the  mouths  of  hell,  but  the  people  call  it  Mongibello 
(Mount  Etna).  In  about  a  year  after  the  martyrdom 
of  St.  Agatha,  this  mountain  opened  itself,  and  there 
flowed  forth  a  stream  of  fire,  consuming  all  before  it ; 
and  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  of  Catania,  men  and 
women,  Christians  and  Pagans,  fled  for  refuge  to  the 
tomb  of  the  martyr  Agatha,  and  taking  her  silken  veil, 
which  lay  upon  it,  they  fixed  it  on  the  top  of  a  lance, 
and  went  forth  in  long  procession  to  meet  the  torrent 
of  fire,  which  bad  already  reached  the  walls  of  the  city ; 
but  it  pleased  God  that  by  the  virtue  of  this  sacred  relic, 
the  fire  was  turned  aside,  and  the  mountain  ceased  to 
bellow,  and  there  was  calm.  On  beholding  this  great 
miracle,  all  the  heathens  who  dwelt  in  the  city  were 
converted  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  received  baptism."* 

When  represented  as  patron  saint,  either  as  a  single 
figure  or  grouped  with  other  saints,  St.  Agatha  bears 
in  one  hand  the  palm,  in  the  other  a  dish  or  salver,  on 
which  is  the  female  breast,  in  allusion  to  her  martyr- 
dom :  if  she  wear  the  crown,  as  in  some  early  rcprcsenta- 

*  Legende  dellu  SS.  Vergiui. 


222       BACRED  AND  LI  01  ND  \RY  ART. 

tions,  it  is  the  crown  of  the  bride  and  mart)  t  of  ( 'lirist. 
The  Bheare,  the  instrument  <>t'  ber  cruel  martyrdom,  are 
K>tnetames  in  ber  hand,  <>r  beside  her.  sin-  generally 
wean  a  long  veil,  in  allusion  to  her  legend.  The  ex- 
pression should  be  that  of  majesty  a~  well  a^  modesty. 

Over  the  high  altar  of  her  church  at  Brescia  is  a 
large  picture  by  Calisto  da  Lodi,  representing  St.  Aga 
tha  suspended  i>n  a  cross.     She  is  dressed  in  a  dark 
olive-green  tunic;   the  attitude  fine  and  simple;  and 
the  expression  of  complete  but  dying  resignation  in  tin- 
head  most  lovely  ;  the  manner  of  her  Buffering  indi 
cated  by  a  few  spots  <>t  blood  on  her  bosom,  which, 
however,  is  delicatelj  veiled.     At  the  r<>"t  of  the  en 
Btand  St.  Peter,  St  Paul,  and  two  martyr  virgins, —  I 
think  St.  Lucia  and  St.  Barbara. 

The  atrocious  Bubjeci  <>i  her  martyrdom  has  been 
Beldom  represented,  and  is  rarely  Been  exhibited  in  an] 
church,  perhaps  because  of  the  effect  it  is  likelj  to  pro- 
duce nil  the  feelings  and  fancies  of  women.  In  spiti- 
of  nil  possible  discretion  on  the  part  of  the  painter, 
and  ever]  attempt  to  Boften  the  circumstances,  they  re- 
main in  the  highest  degree  horrible  and  revolting.  She 
i-  usually  bound  to  a  pillar  (in  the  earl]  representa- 
tions always  to  a  cross),  nndraped  t<>  the  waist,  and  <>n 
each  Bide  a  slave  or  executioner  with  a  pair  of  shears. 
The  most  famous  picture  <>t'  tl>i>  Bubject  is  that  of  i 
l.;i-t!an  del  Piombo,  painted  for  the  ('animal  of  An 
gon,  and  now  in  the  1'itti  Palace,  >>n  which  an  lavished 
wonderful  powera  of  expression  and  color  —  us  it  is 
said  — for  I  never  could  l""k  at  it  Bteadily.  Vandyck 
abo  has  treated  it  with  horrible  force  and  truth,  and  to 
both  these  painten  one  might  address  the  reproach 
which  St.  Agatha  addressed  t<>  her  tormentor.  I  i 
some  pictures  Bhe  is  merelj  bound  and  preparing  foe 
the  torture,  the  bosom  bared,  and  the  eyes  uplifted  with 
vu  expression  of  devout  faith  and  resignation;  ■  as  in 

*  Tli'-  in.'  bi  ad  by  Domeulcbino,  In  thi  ooll<  i  tioo  "i  Lord  Biles. 

iii-r.-,  i-.ii  i'<l  u  -  i  i'h'  .•    i"  i"-  iii'iii.  in'  iiiii"'-  hvorttC 

U  uwfl  v  I  bj  .i  iwofd. 


ST.  LUCIA. 


223 


the  noble  fresco  by  Parmigiano,  and  in  two  other  com- 
positions by  Campi  and  by  Ticpolo.  In  the  Duomo  at 
Verona,  there  is  an  altar  in  marble  dedicated  to  St. 
Agatha.  At  the  top  she  is  on  a  cross,  suffering  her 
cruel  martyrdom,  an  executioner  with  the  shears  on 
each  side  ;  beneath,  she  lies  in  the  tomb,  with  her  long 
veil  gracefully  thrown  over  her ;  the  whole  treated 
with  singular  elegance  and  good  taste,  and  more  en- 
durable in  sculpture  than  in  painting. 

"  St.  Peter  healing  St.  Agatha  in  prison,"  is  a  sub- 
ject sometimes  met  with.  The  scene  is  a  dungeon  ; 
St.  Agatha  lies  extended  on  the  ground,  her  drapery 
drawn  over  her  bosom.  The  apostle,  a  venerable  man 
with  a  long  white  beard,  bends  over  her,  a  vase  of 
ointment  in  his  hand,  and  beside  him  a  box  like  a 
medicine  chest,  containing  vials,  &c. ;  a  youth  (or  an 
angel)  bears  a  torch.  This  is  the  obvious  and  usual 
treatment,  slightly  varied  ;  and  it  would  be  a  beautiful 
subject  if  the  associations  were  less  intensely  painful. 

Among  the  remains  of  Art  relative  to  St.  Agatha 
may  be  mentioned  the  subterranean  chapel  at  Malta. 
According  to  a  tradition  of  the  island,  the  ground  once 
belonged  to  her  family  :  it  is  carved  out  of  the  livino- 
rock,  and  the  walls  covered  with  frescos,  containing  at 
least  twenty-four  figures  nearly  life-size  ;  most  of  them 
have  peeled  off  the  surface,  hut  those  which  remain  are 
of  extraordinary  beauty.  The  style  is  that  of  the  early 
Tuscan  school  ;  the  date,  about  the  middle  of  the  fif- 
teenth century. 


St.  Lucia,  Virgin  and  Martyr. 

Eng.  St.  Luce,  or  Lucy.  Fr.  Ste.  Luce,  or  Lucie.  Patroness  of 
the  city  of  Syracuse.  Patroness  against  all  diseases  of  the  eyes  ; 
and  patron  saint  of  the  laboring  poor.     Dec.  13,  a.  d.  303. 

"  When  the  wicked  Diocletian,  and  the  yet  more 
wicked  Maximian,  ascended  the  throne  of  the  empire, 
they  sent  as  governor  to  Sicily  one  of  their  creatures,  a 


224       SACRED  AND   I.I '.l  VDARY  ART. 

man  sold  to  all  evil,  Darned  Pascasius.  At  that  time 
there  lived  iii  the  city  of  Syracuse  a  noble  and  virtuous 
damsel,  whose  name  was  Lucia  ;  her  mother  being  ■ 
widow,  named  Eutychia.  Lucia,  who  had  been  early 
instructed  in  Christianity,  secretly  dedicated  her  maid 
enhood  to  Jesus  Christ  ;  but  her  mother  did  not  know 
it.  and,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  Lucia  waa  betrothed  by 
her  relations  to  a  youth  of  the  Bame  city,  aoble  and  of 
greal  riches  ;  but  he  was  a  pagan. 

•■  \'"\\  it  happened  that  the  mother  of  Lncia  had 
long  Buffered  from  a  grievous  disorder,  and  her  daughter 
counselled  her  to  make  a  pilgrimage  t<>  the  t<>tnl>  of  the 
glorious  virgin  St.  Agatha,  assuring  her  that  by  her  inter- 
cession, and  the  power  of  ( !hriat,  she  would  certainh  be 
restored  to  health.  Accordingly  theyjourneyed  together 
tu  the  city  of  Catania,  and  while  praying  fervently  be- 
Bide  the  tomb,  for  the  restoration  of  her  mother,  Lucia 
beheld  in  a  vision  the  martyr  St.  Agatha,  who  appeared 
to  her,  Burrounded  by  a  choir  of  angels,  clad  in  pre- 
cious Btonea,  and  brighter  than  the  Bun,  and  said,  •<> 

my  siMer  handmaid  of  Christ  !    well  art  thou  called   I. a 

cia,  who  art  indeed  a  light  and  a  mirror  to  the  faithful  ! 
What  dost  thou  ask  of  me  which  shall  not  be  granted 

to  thine  own  faith  and  sanctity  '     Behold  !    thy  mother 
is   from    thi>    hour    healed  ;    and   as   the  city  of  Catania 

h;i>  been  through  me  defended,  bo  Bhall  the  city  of  Byr 
acnae  be  for  thy  sake  favored  and  protected  of  heaven.' 
When   Lucia  heard  these  words,  she  awoke  from  her 
vision  with  greal  joy,  and  found  her  mother  healed  : 

and    Bhe  persuaded    her    mother   to  allow   her  to   remain 

unmarried,  and  moreover  entreated  that  her  dowry 
might  !><•  given  to  the  poor.  Her  mother  waa  troubled 
at  this  request  ;  but  she  answered.  •  M\  child,  1  am 
content  ;  do  with  all  my  posst  isions  as  thou  wilt,  only 
let  me  die  first, lest  during  my  lifetime  I  become  a  beg- 
gar.' Whereupon  Lucia  smiled,  and  said,  '  Of  a  cei 
t.iinty,  < )  mj  mother,  God  hath  little  care  for  that  which 
a  man  dedicates  to  ln>  service  only  when  he  can  no 
longer  enjoy  it  himself.     What  doth  it  profit  to  leave 


ST.  LUCIA  225 

behind  that  which  we  cannot  cany  away  ?  '  Then  her 
mother,  being  struck  with  these  words,  said,  '  Do  as 
thou  wilt,  my  daughter.'  So  Lucia  sold  all  their  pos- 
sessions, and  gave  the  money  to  the  poor  and  the  sick, 
and  the  widows  and  the  orphans.  And  when  the  young 
man  to  whom  she  was  betrothed  saw  this,  he  was  en- 
raged, and  he  went  and  denounced  her  to  the  governor 
as  being  a  Christian  :  so  Pascasius  ordered  her  to  be 
brought  before  him,  and  commanded  her  to  sacrifice  to 
his  idols  ;  and  when  she  refused,  he  ordered  her  to  be 
carried  to  a  place  of  shame,  and  treated  with  indignity, 
and  humbled  to  his  will.  And  she  said,  '  My  body  is 
in  thy  power  ;  but  know,  that  there  can  be  neither  sin 
nor  shame  to  which  the  mind  doth  not  consent.  If 
thou  shouldst  cut  off  my  hand  and  with  it  offer  incense 
to  thine  idols,  God  would  not  impute  it  to  me  as  sin. 
Thou  mayst  not  force  my  will,  for  that  is  beyond  thy 
power.'  Then  Pascasius,  in  his  fury,  commanded  that 
they  should  drag  her  away  ;  but,  behold  a  miracle  !  — 
for  when  these  bold  and  wicked  and  shameless  men  ad- 
vanced to  seize  her,  she  became  suddenly,  by  the  power 
of  God,  immovable.  They  brought  ropes,  fastening 
them  to  her  waist,  her  arms,  and  legs ;  and  men  and 
oxen  pulled  with  all  their  might,  but  in  vain  ;  the  more 
they  pulled,  the  more  firmly  she  stood  there.  Then 
Pascasius  sent  for  the  magicians  and  enchanters  ;  but 
they  also  failed,  with  all  their  spells  and  enchantments, 
to  move  her  from  the  spot.  Then  he  ordered  a  great 
fire  to  be  kindled  around  her  ;  but  she  prayed  that  the 
fire  might  not  harm  her,  and  that  the  enemies  of  Christ 
might  be  confounded.  Pascasius,  seeing  that  she  was 
not  destroyed  by  these  means,  became  more  and  more 
furious  ;  whereupon  one  of  his  servants,  to  do  him 
pleasure,  pierced  her  throat  with  a  sword  or  poniard. 
Thus  she  died,  and  the  Christians  took  her  body  and 
buried  it  exactly  on  the  very  spot  where  she  had  suf- 
fered martyrdom.  There  a  church  was  erected  soon 
afterwards,  and  called  by  her  most  blessed  name." 

vol.  11.  1 5 


226       SAC/;//'   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

There  i.-  no  mention  here,  nor  in  any  of  the  oldest 
legends,  <>f  the  loss  of  her  eve.-..  The  dei  ice  of  some  of 
the  early  painters,  to  express  her  name,  lamia,  liijhl,  by 
the  emblem  of  an  eye  or  eyeajplaced  near  her,  Beeme  to 
have  given  rise  to  the  invention  of  this  additional  inci- 
dent in  her  Btory  :  a  signal  instance  of  that  conversion 
of  the  image  or  metaphor  into  a  bet,  which  1  have  so 
often  had  occasion  bo  notice. 

The  Btorj  in  the  more  modern  legend  is  thus  re- 
lated :  — 

••  In  the  city  wherein  the.  blessed  Lucia  dwelt,  then 
dwell  also  a  youth,  who,  having  once  beheld  her,  became 
enamored  <>f  her  beaut] .  ami,  bj  messages  ami  prom 
and  gifts,  he  ceased  not  to  woo  her;  hut  Lucia,  being 
a  Christian  ami  fearing  God,  resisted  all  these  attacks 
on  her  virtue.  Now  this  youth,  in  his  letters  ami  his 
tender  speeches,  was  accustomed  to  protest  that  it  was 
tin-  brightness  of  her  eyes  w  inch  inflamed  him,  and  that 
it  was  lor  the  sake  of  those  beautiful  eyes  he  pursued 
her.  Leaving  her  no  rest,  because  those  eyes  left  him  no 
rest,  by  day  or  by  night.  Lucia,  considering  these 
things,  and  calling  to  mind  the  words  of  Christ,  •  It' 
thine  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it  out,  and  east  it  from  thee,' 
and  fearing  leal  her  eyes  should  he  the  cause  of  damna- 
tion to  the  yonng  man,  and  perhaps  also  to  herself, 

(ailed  for  a  Knife  and  took  out  her  beautiful  e\e>,  and 
sent  them  to  her  lover  in  a  dish,  with  these  words  : 
'  Here  haSl   thou  what    thou   hast  so  much  desired  ;    and 

for  the  rest,  I  beseech  thee,  leave  me  now  in  pen 

Whereat  the  y< g  man,  being  utterly  astonished,  and 

full  of  grief  ami  remorse,  not  onlj  ceased  his  pursuit, 
hut  became  also  a  convert  of  Christ,  and  lived  e\rr 
afterwards  an  example  of  virtue  and  chastity. 

■•  But  God  would  not  suffer  that  the  blessed  Lucia, 
having  given  this  proof  of  her  couragi  and  pii  tj ,  Bhould 
remain  blind  :  lor  one  day,  a-  she  knelt  in  prayer,  be- 
hold '  her  ■  jres  were  restored  to  her  more  beautiful  than 
before.  And  if  any  one  doubts  of  this  great  miracle,  let 
dim  consult  the  writings  of  that  learned  and  praisewor 


ST.  LUCIA. 


227 


thy  man  Filippo  Bergomense,  and  also  of  that  famous 
Spaniard  Don  Juan  Maldonato,  where  they  will  find  it 
all  set  down  as  I  have  related.  And  this  is  the  reason 
that  St.  Lucia  is  invoked  against  blindness  and  all  dis- 
eases of  the  eyes,  and  that  in  her  effigy  she  is  repre- 
sented bearing  two  eyes  in  a  dish."  * 

There  is  a  version  of  her  legend  which  represents  her 
as  having  suffered  martyrdom  by  the  loss  of  her  eyes, 
and  this  has  sometimes  been  followed  by  the  painters  ; 
but  it  is  no  authority. 

Devotional  pictures  of  St.  Lucia  bearing  her  eyes  in 
a  dish,  or  on  a  salver,  are  commonly  met  with.  As  her 
eyes  were  bored  out  by  an  awl,  she  often  carries  this 
instrument  in  her  hand ;  I  have  seen  her  with  her  two 
eyes  on  it  as  on  a  skewer  ;  but  this  is  utterly  bad  taste : 
neither  are  the  eyes  an  invariable  attribute  ;  much  more 
beautiful,  and  far  superior  in  significance  and  feeling, 
are  those  figures  which  represent  her  as  carrying  a  flam- 
ing lamp  in  her  hand.  When  she  stands  with  her  lamp, 
she  appears  in  the  character  given  to  her  by  Dante,  — 
the  type  of  celestial  light  or  wisdom.  She  is  thus  rep- 
resented in  a  graceful  bas-relief,  by  Luca  della  Robbia, 
over  the  door  of  her  church  at  Florence.  In  an  altar- 
piece  within  the  same  church  she  stands  on  one  side  of 
the  Madonna,  with  her  eyes  in  a  dish  ;  —  this  picture  is 
remarkable  and  interesting,  as  being  the  only  undoubted 
production  of  Domenico  Veneziano,  who  was  assassin- 
ated by  Andrea  del  Castagno.  F.  Angelico  represents 
her  with  her  lamp,  beautiful,  fair-haired,  and  in  pale- 
green  drapery. 

In  a  picture  by  Baroecio,  St.  Lucia  presents  her 
palm  to  the  Madonna,  while  an  angel  holds  her  eyes  in 
a  cup,  and  St.  Antony  is  in  deep  meditation. t 

She  has  sometimes  a  sword  or  poniard  in  her  neck  ; 
or  a  wound  in  her  neck,  from  which  rays  of  light  pro- 

*  There  are  only  two  churches  dedicated  to  her  in  England ; 
at  Dumbleby,  in  Lincolnshire,  and  Great  Upton,  in  Shropshire. 
t  Louvre,  864. 


228       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

reed,  iii  allusion  to  her  name  ;  as  in  a  picture  by  Carlo 
Dolce  in  the  Florence  Gallery.  1  have  not  found  in 
the  old  masters  any  characteristic  type  of  expression. 

Pictures  from  her  historj  are  doI  commonly  mel 
with.  In  her  martyrdom  she  is  seen  with  ropes  aliout 
her  waist,  licr  neck,  her  arms  ;  men  and  oxen  are  tag 
giug  with  all  their  might  in  rain  :  bs  in  the  ancient 
fresco  at  Padua,  where  her  air  and  attitude,  so  expres- 
sive <>f  meek  confidence,  are  charming.     Or  she  is 

hound  to  a  stake,  and  a  soldier  is  about  to  pierce  bet 
neck  with  a  sword  :  as  in  a  picture  bj  Massarotti,  in  tier 

church  at  Cremona;  and  in  a  picture  by  Pesellino, 

where  the   tyrant   orders   her  execution,  and    the   even 

tioner  pierces  her  neck  with  a  poniard.*  In  her  apothe- 
osis, she  is  borne  into  heaven  in  a  glory  <>f  angels,  one 

of  whom  carries  her  eves:  as  in  a  picture  by  l'alina  iii 
her  church  at    Venice. t 


In  looking  hack  to  the   legends  of  these  famous  Vir- 
pin-. Mart  vis,  we  cannot  hut  feel  that  they  rise  u]>  in  the 

fancy  w  ith  a  distincl  individuality,  which  has  not  alwaj  ■ 
—  indeed  has  but  seldom  —  been  attended  to  by  the 
beat  painters  :  in  general,  when  grouped  together,  they 

are  too  much  alike  ;   and  in  the  separate  figures,  the  old 

painters  give  us  certain  abstractions  of  feminine  purity 

and   grace,   without  much   regard   to   characteristic   dis- 
ritnination. 

In  St.  Cecilia,  the  Roman  Lady  and  the  Muse,  we 
should  have  majesty  and  a  rapt  inspiration  ;  the  eyes 

should  listen  rather  than  look. 

The  expression  in  8l  mould  be  extremi  aim- 

BarUa  QaJ  a». 
t  Thi-  ririiiiiiii  palinnim  "f  ayai  \»  Bt  omiu,  ■  prinoMiirho 
ni  bom  blind,  and  » •• .  :n:i.-  ■bbeai  -t  Hobenberg  in  the  eighth 
oaotoiy.    Stii- will  be  found  among  the monastic  Mints.    In 
. r..i  Qannao  catalogue!  I  bavasaen  thi  St.  J       i  "i  the  Italian 
ptetuma  »tylcd  St.  Ottilia,  who  wa»  an  abbess,  and  not  >  n 


ST.  LUCIA. 


-*9 


plicity  and  meekness,  and  the  girlhood  should  not  be 
forgotten  :  she  may  look  down.  In  St.  Agatha,  the 
character  should  be  a  noble  fortitude,  with  a  look,  per- 
haps, of  trustful  supplication  for  the  power  to  endure. 
In  St.  Lucia  should  prevail  a  calm  intellectual  expres- 
sion ;  with  eyes  as  beautiful  and  refulgent  as  possible  : 
she  is  the  type  —  not  of  learning  and  knowledge,  for 
this  is  St.  Catherine's  department  —  but  of  wisdom, 
"  the  wisdom  from  above,  which  is  pure  and  gentle." 
Thus  Dante  has  introduced  her  as  the  messenger  from 
the  Virgin  to  Beatrice,  — 

"  Lucia,  nimica  di  ciascun  crudele,"  — 

the  gentleness,  and  the  "  occhi  belli,  lucenti,"  not  being 
forgotten.* 

*  Inf.  c.  ii.    Purg.  ix.    Par.  xxxii. 


THE   ROMAN    MARTYRS. 


Ill'  following  martyrs  are  to  be  fonnd  most 
frequently  in  the  Roman  churches  and 
works  of  nil.  Many  of  them  are  exclu- 
sively Roman  :  they  are,  in  net,  merely 
local  Baints.  Bui  at  Rome  local  influence!  till  the 
mind,  a-  Rome  itself  once  filled  the  universe. 

The  effect  produced  noon  the  fancy  by  the  remains 
of  early  Christian  Art,  still  <  •  v  i  >  t  i  1 1  L_r  within  the  walls  of 
Rome,  will  vary  of  course  with  the  character,  turn  <it' 
mind,  and  earlj  associations  of  those  who  \isit  them  ; 
inn  to  nunc  can  they  be  wholly  indifferent,  and  on 
many  they  will  leave  a  profound,  and  even  melancholy 
impression.  Whether  contemplated  in  connection  with 
religious  feeling,  <>r  religious  history,  they  are  full  of 
interest 

For  myself,  I  must  say  that  I  know  nothing  to  com- 
pare  with  a  pilgrimage  among  the  antique  churches 
scattered  over  the  Esqniline,  the  Csalian,  and  the  Aven- 
tine  Hills.  Thej  stand  apart,  each  in  its  solitude, amid 
gardens,  ami  vineyards,  ami  heaps  of  nameless  rums  ; 

—  h'  "iij,  of  cypresses,   there  s  loftj    pin • 

solitary  palm  :  tin-  tutelar]  saint,  perhaps,  some  Sani' 
AchiUeo,  or  Santa  Bibiana,  whom  we  never  beard  of 
before, — mi  altar  rich  in  precious  marbles,  —  columns 
of  porphyry,  —  tin-  old  frescos  dropping  from  the  wall.. 


ST.  PRAXEDES  AND  ST.  PUDENTIANA.  231 

—  the  everlasting  colossal  mosaics  looking  down  so 
solemn,  so  dim,  so  spectral ;  — these  grow  upon  us,  until 
at  each  succeeding  visit  they  themselves,  and  the  associa- 
tions with  which  they  are  surrounded,  become  a  part 
of  our  daily  life,  and  may  he  said  to  hallow  that  daily 
life  when  considered  in  a  right  spirit.  True,  what  is 
most  sacred,  what  is  most  poetical,  is  often  desecrated 
to  the  fancy  by  the  intrusion  of  those  prosaic  realities 
which  easily  strike  prosaic  minds ;  by  disgust  at  the 
foolish  fabrications  which  those  who  recite  them  do  not 
believe,  by  lying  inscriptions,  by  tawdry  pictures,  by 
tasteless  and  even  profane  restorations ;  by  much  that 
saddens,  much  that  offends,  much  that  disappoints  ;  — 
but  then  so  much  remains!  —  so  much  to  awaken,  to 
elevate,  to  touch  the  heart,  —  so  much  that  will  not 
from  the  memory ;  so  much  that  makes  a  part  of  our 
after-life. 

The  pleasure  and  the  interest  that  I  had  in  connect- 
ing these  venerable  and  desolate  old  churches  with  the 
traditions  of  the  early  faith,  I  would  now  share  with 
others.  And  first,  in  that  hollow  at  the  foot  of  the 
Esquiline,  and  near  to  the  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  we 
come  upon  two  ancient  churches  dedicated  to  two 
charitable  sisters :  one  of  which  is  considered  as  the 
first  building  ever  consecrated  publicly  for  Christian 
worship,  —  in  other  words,  as  the  most  ancient  church 
in  the  known  world. 


St.  Praxedes  and  St.  Podentiana. 

Ital.  Santa  Prassede  e  Santa  Pudenziana.     Fr.  Sainte  Prassede  et 
Sainte  Poteutienne.     July  21,  May  19,  A.  D.  148. 

It  is  related,  that  when  St.  Peter  came  to  Rome  he 
lodged  in  the  house  of  a  patrician  whose  name  was 
Pudens,  and  that,  in  a  short  space  of  time,  this  Pudens, 
with  his  wife  Sabinella,  his  son  Novatus,  and  his  two 
daughters,  Praxedes  and  Pudentiana,  were  converted 
to  the  faith  and  baptized  :  soon  afterwards,  their  parents 


zy.        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

mid  brothers  being  dead,  the  oaten  were  left  alone,  in- 
heriting great  riches,  among  which  were  certain  public 
baths,  anil  Beveral  honses  at  the  foot  of  the  Esquiline. 
At  this  time  began  the  tir-t  great  persecution  of  the 
Church,  in  which  St.  Peter  and  manj  saints  perished. 
And  these  two  Bisters,  Praxedes  and  Pudentiana,  went 
ni •■  hii  aiding,  and  comforting,  and  encouraging  their 
poorer  brethren.  They  Bought  out  those  who  had  b 
tortured  and  mutilated,  received  them  into  their  hon 
and  ministered  t"  them  ;  they  visited  those  who  were  in 
prison,  Bending  them  food  and  clothing.  Such  works 
of  mercy  as  tenderly-nurtured  women  shrink  from,  they 
performed  fearlessly:  the  bodies  of  the  martyred  Chris- 
tum.-, which  were  cast  nut   in   number.- ,  without   hurinl, 

they  Bought  for,  and  reverently  washed  and  >h led, 

and  laid  in  the  caves  beneath  their  house;  and  the  Mood 
thej  collected  with  ;i  Bponge,  and  deposited  in  a  certain 
well.  In  all  these  things  they  wen-  assisted  by  a  certain 
holy  man  nanieil  Pastorus,  wbo  waited  upon  them  with 
exceeding  devotion.  Thus  they  passed  their  li\es  in 
works  of  piety,  daily  braving,  for  the  sake  of  their  Buffer- 
ing brethren,  the  power  of  the  tyrant,  and  the  terrors  of 
tin-  law,  yet  bj  Borne  miracle  escaping  the  fate  to  which 
they  ware  ever  exposed  :  at  length  they  died,  alter  dis- 
tributing all  their  remaining  g Is  to  tlu-  poor,  and 

were  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla.  Pastorus, 
who  Burvived  them,  wrote  a  brief  chronicle  of  their  vu> 
toes.  The  house  of  Pndens,  already  sanctified  by  the 
preaching  of  Peter  and  by  the  good  works  of  the  two 
holy  Bisters,  was  consecrated  as  a  place  of  Christian 
worship  by  Pope  Pius  I.  in  the  year  141. 

Their  churches  are  among  the  most  Interesting  relics 
of  ancient  Christian  Rome.     That  of  Santa  Prassede 
is  remarkable  for  the  poetical  significance  and  richness 
of  the  mosaics  executed  by  order  of  Pope  Paschal  I 
about  the  year  si7,  when  he  restored  the  then  ancieui 

ami  ruined  church.      The  decoration  of  the  apsis  nearly 

mbles  that  of  the  church  of  Si.  <  Sosmo  and  Bt    I  >e 
mi. in      The  Saviour,  a  majestic  colossal  figure,  stands 


ST.  PRAXEDES  AND  ST.  PUDENTIANA.   233 

in  the  midst,  one  hand  extended,  the  other  holding  the 
Gospel  as  a  roll.  On  the  right,  St.  Peter  presenting 
St.  Praxedes  ;  on  the  left,  St.  Paul  presenting  St.  Pu- 
dentiana :  the  two  saints  are  richly  draped,  and  bear 
crowns  of  offering  in  their  hands.  Farther  to  the  left 
is  seen  St.  Zeno  holding  the  book  of  the  Gospel ;  *  last 
on  the  right  is  Pope  Paschal,  the  restorer  of  the  edifice, 
bearing  a  church  in  his  hands,  and  with  the  square 
nimbus  over  his  head,  denoting  that  he  still  existed  at 
the  time,  and  had  not  the  dignity  of  saint.  Palms 
close  the  composition  on  each  side  :  on  one  of  them  sits 
the  Phcenix,  emblem  of  Immortality  ;  beneath  this,  and 
running  round  the  apsis,  are  seen  Christ  as  the  Lamb, 
and  the  twelve  Apostles  as  sheep,  in  the  usual  manner. 
In  front  of  the  arch  over  the  tribune,  we  have  the  Lamb 
of  God  throned,  and  the  glorification  of  the  martyrs  as 
described  in  the  Revelations.  Lower  down,  the  elders 
bearing  crowns  in  their  hands  ;  and  in  front  of  the  arch, 
over  the  choir,  the  same  motif  continued.  The  heavenly 
Jerusalem  is  seen  above,  guarded  by  angels,  Christ 
standing  in  the  midst :  the  blessed  company  of  saints 
and  martyrs  are  seen  in  multitudes  on  each  side ;  some 
bearing  crowns  and  some  palms ;  all  assisting,  as  it 
were,  as  witnesses  of  the  exaltation  of  the  two  pious 
and  devoted  sisters,  who  had  been  their  refuge  on  earth. 

In  the  same  church  are  some  bad  modern  frescos 
representing  Pudens  and  Sabinella,  and  in  the  centre 
is  the  well  which  received  the  blood  of  the  martyrs. 
They  show  among  the  relics  in  the  sacristy  the  holy 
sponge  of  St.  Praxedes,  in  a  silver  shrine,  remarkable 
for  its  execrable  taste  and  bad  workmanship. 

The  church  of  St.  Pudcntiana  —  the  more  ancient  of 
the  two  —  is  even  more  curious  and  interesting,  though 
the  mosaic  decorations  are  less  rich.  The  mosaic  of 
the  apsis  represents  Christ  in  the  midst,  and  on  each 

*  This  St.  Zeno  is  not  the  Bishop  of  Verona,  who  will  be  found 
among  the  bishops,  but  one  of  the  many  martyrs  who  suffered  in 
the  time  of  St.  Praxedes,  and  to  whom  she  and  her  sister  minis- 
Vered.  —  Catalorjus  Sanctorum  Italia,  Julii  ix. 


234       BACHED   -in/'  LEGENDARl    ART. 

side  St.  Praxedes  and  St.  Padentiana  bearing  martyi 
crowns  in  their  hands,  in  gold  and  green  drapery, 
and.  as  Ear  a.^  I  could  understand,  presenting  each 
five  martyrs  in  white  garments  t"  ih<-  Saviour.  The 
modern  altar-piece  by  Pomerancio,  exhibits  the  two 
Bistere  wiping  up  the  blood  of  the  martyrs ;  one  Bquei 
the  Bponge  into  a  » u|> :  the  priest  assisting  represents 
Pastorns.  Above,  in  a  glory,  is  1 1 1« -  apotheosis  of  St. 
Padentiana.  In  the(  haetani  Chapel,  on  the  left,  then 
a  fine  modern  mosaic  after  the  cartoon  of  Frederic  Zuc- 
chero,  representing  again  the  two  sisters  wiping  up  the 
blood  of  the  slaughtered  .-aims.  There  is  here  another 
well,  containing,  as  it  is  said,  the  relics  of  three  thou- 
■ainl  martyrs;  and  a  modern  picture,  representing  St. 
peter  baptizing  Pudens  and  his  family. 

Elsewhere  I  have  ool  met  \\iih  any  picture  of  these 
earliest  Sisters  of  <  Iharity.  1  have  aeen  a  print  bearing 
(he  name  of  Correggio,  representing  a  beautiful  female 
paint  with  Bowing  hair  and  a  veil ;  a  cup  in  one  hand, 
and  in  the  other  a  sponge  distilling  drops  of  blood  ; 
underneath  is  inscribed,  "Sh  Potentienne."  Of  St 
Praxedes  I  have  never  met  with  any  separate  represen- 
tation. There  is  an  altar  dedicated  to  her  in  the 
Cathedra]  at  Milan,  which  perplexed  me  till  I  recol- 
lected that  St.  Charles  B meo  was  cardinal  of  Santa 

Prassede.* 

On  the  other  ride  of  the  Bsquiline,  and  on  the 
road  leading  from  the  Colosseum  to  the  Lateran,  sur- 
mounting  n   heap  of  -and   and    nuns.   \\c   conic   tO   the 

church  of  the  "  Quattro-Coronati,"  the  Pour  Crowned 
Brothers.  On  this  spot,  some  time  in  the  fourth 
tentury,  were  found  the  bodies  oi  four  men  who  had 
Buffered  decapitation,  whose  names  being  then  unknown, 
they  were  merely  distinguished  as  <  oboh  \  1 1.  -  rowned, 
that  is,  with  the  crown  of  martyrdom.  There  i>  great 
obscurity  and  confusion  in  the  history  of  the* 
and  their  companion-,  the  live  martyrs,  ••  I  <  iuque  Mui 

Lhi  "  Hod  I 


THE  "  QUATTRO-CORONATI."  235 

tiri,"  who  are  honored  in  the  same  place  anil  on  the 
same  day.     It  is  plain  that  the  early  painters  did  not 

distinguish  them,  and  therefore  I  shall  not  attempt  to 
do  so. 

The  legend  relates  that,  in  the  reign  of  Diocletian, 
there  lived  in  Rome  four  brothers,  who  were  Christians, 
and  who  were  cunning  artificers  in  wood  and  stone,  ex- 
celling in  sculpture  and  architecture.  "  In  those  days," 
says  Gibbon,  "  every  art  and  every  trade  that  was  in 
the  least  concerned  in  the  framing  or  adorning  of  idols, 
was,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Christians,  polluted  by  the 
stain  of  idolatry ;  a  severe  sentence,  since  it  devoted  to 
eternal  misery  the  far  greater  part  of  the  community 
employed  in  the  liberal  or  mechanical  professions  " ; 
while  those  who  refused  to  profane  their  art  were  as  cer- 
tainly condemned  to  poverty  and  starvation  if  not  to 
martyrdom.  And  this  was  the  fate  of  the  four  crowned 
brothers.  They  refused  to  exercise  their  known  skill  in 
obedience  to  the  emperor,  saying,  "  We  cannot  build  a 
temple  to  false  gods,  nor  shape  images  of  wood  or  stone 
to  ensnare  the  souls  of  others."  Whereupon  some  of 
them  were  scourged,  and  some  were  enclosed  in  iron 
cages  and  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  some  were  decapi- 
tated (Nov.  4,  a.  d.  400).  We  are  not  told  how  these 
punishments  were  awarded,  nor  how  their  names  and 
fate  were  afterwards  revealed  to  a  "  santo  huomo  "  :  but 
here  stands  their  church  to  witness  to  their  conscientious 
piety  and  courage,  and  here  it  has  stood  for  fourteen 
centuries.  It  is  held  in  particular  respect  by  the  builders 
and  stone-cutters  of  Rome,  who  are  the  proprietors  of 
the  principal  chapel  in  it,  which  is  dedicated  to  St.  Syl- 
vester, while  the  convent  attached  to  the  church  belongs 
to  a  Sisterhood  of  Charity,  who  have  the  care  and  edu- 
cation of  deserted  orphans. 

These  "  Santi  Coronati,"  and  their  companions  the 
"  Cinque  Martiri,"  of  the  same  trade,  are  found  not  only 
in  Roman  Art,  for  I  have  seen  them  in  the  old  sculp- 
ture and  stained  glass  of  Germany,  and,  as  I  romertibcr, 
in  a  curious  old  picture  at  Nuremberg.     They  are  easily 


236       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY   ART. 

distinguished  when  they  do  occur,  for  they  stand  bohm 
times  four,  sometimes  five,  in  a  row,  bearing  ]>nlms 
with  crowns  npon  their  heads,  and  various  implements 
ni  art,  sinh  us  the  rule,  the  Bquare,  the  mallet,  the  chisel, 
at  their  feet  Scene-  from  their  legend  are  very  uncom- 
mon :  in  those  I  have  Been,  the  Bubjecta  selected  have 
been  the  same. 

l.  They  refuse  to  bnild  the  idolatrous  temple  :  they 
are  kneeling  before  the  emperor,  holding  their  imple- 
ments in  their  hands  :  tin  guards  around.  2.  They 
are  bound  to  four  pillars,  and  tortured.  .'<.  They  an 
Bhttt  ii|i  in  an  iron  cage,  and  casl  into  the  sea. 

These  three  pictures  1  found  in  a  predella,  by  Alfani, 
highly  finished,  and  full  of  expression  ' 

i  They  are  lying  together  in  a  sarcophagus,  with 
crowns  npon  their  heads.  This  Bubject  1  found  in  their 
church. 

The  names  differ,  and  therefore  I  give  those  usually 
inscribed  either  within  their  glories  or  over  their  heads  : 
—  Severianus,  Carpophorns,  Severn-  (or  Secundus), 
Victoriniis,  Clandios,  Symplioriiin,  Cnstorius,  Sinijil i- 
eius. 


On  the  other  siile  of  this  solitary  lane  Btands  the  far 

more  celebrated  church  of  Ban  Clemente,  one  of  the 
most  extraordinary  monument-  of  Christian  Rome. 
lien-,  according  to  an  ancient  tradition,  re]  ther 

the  relics  of  St   [gnatins,  the  hi is  bishop  of  Anti- 

och,  and  St.  <  i  i  \n  m.  the  fellow-laborer  of  St.  Paul. 
I  -hall  not  here  give  a  di  gcription  of  tin-  Bingnlar  ami 
interesting  church,  the  favorite  study  of  artists  ami  anti 
queries;  ii  may  he  found  in  Plattner  Vt  Murray, 
ami  every  Oerman,  Italian,  ami  English  guide  to  tin 
antiquities  of  Home  ;  hut  content  myself  with  telling 

what    they    do    not    tell,  —  the    legend    of  St.    Clement, 

arhose  dwelling  -t I  upon  this  spot. 

Ih   was  the  disciple  of  Si    Peter  .-mil  St    Paul,  and 

*  Perugia    \>  id 


ST.   CLICMHXT. 


237 


the  third  bishop  of  Rome.  He  is  also  considered  as  one 
of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  and  the  same  person  to 
whom  St.  Paul  alludes  in  his  epistle  to  the  Philippians 
(eh.  iv.  3),  "  I  eutreat  thee,  true  yoke-fellow,  help  those 
women  which  labored  with  me  in  the  Gospel  ;  with 
Clement  also,  and  with  other  my  fellow-laborers,  whose 
names  are  in  the  book  of  life." 

According  to  the  legendary  story  of  St.  Clement,  he 
presided  over  the  church  at  Rome  for  many  years,  con- 
verting numbers  of  people  to  the  true  faith,  and  amongst 
others  Domitilla,  the  niece  of  the  Emperor  Domitian, 
and  another  noble  Roman  lady  whose  name  was  Theo- 
dora. Through  the  protection  of  Domitilla,  his  life 
was  secure  during  the  reign  of  Domitian.  In  the  year 
100,  under  Trajan,  began  the  third  general  persecution, 
which  was  the  more  afflicting  because  this  emperor  was 
in  other  respects  famous  for  his  humanity  and  his  justice. 

The  prefect  who  governed  Rome,  during  the  absence 
of  Trajan  on  his  expedition  against  the  Dacians,  com- 
manded Clement  to  be  brought  before  him,  and  on  lis 
refusal  to  sacrifice  to  the  false  gods  he  ordered  him  to 
be  banished  to  an  island  whither  many  convicts  were 
sent  and  obliged  to  work  in  the  quarries  of  stone.  There 
did  many  Christians  already  sigh  in  chains,  and  several 
voluntarily  accompanied  the  good  bishop,  willing  to 
partake  of  his  banishment.  Clement  found  the  unhappy 
prisoners  not  only  condemned  to  hard  labor,  but  suffer- 
ing cruelly  from  the  want  of  water,  which  they  had  to 
bring  from  a  distance  of  ten  miles.  The  saint,  moved 
with  compassion,  knelt  down  and  prayed ;  and,  raising 
his  eyes,  he  suddenly  saw  a  lamb  standing  upon  the  sum- 
mit of  a  rising  ground,  which,  remaining  invisible  to  all 
beside  himself,  he  knew  could  be  none  other  than  the 
Lamb  of  Ged ;  therefore  St.  Clement  took  up  a  pick- 
axe, and  went  before  the  people  to  the  hill,  and,  dig- 
ging there,  a  clear  and  abundant  stream  gushed  forth, 
to  the  great  consolation  of  the  people.  (Observe  the 
beautiful  and  significant  allegory  !)  This  miracle  only 
the  more  incensed  his  enemies,  and  they  ordered  him  to 


e38       BACKED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

be  bound  to  an  anchor  and  cast  into  the  Bea.  But  short 
wns  their  triumph!  for,  at  the  prayer  of  the  Christian 
disciples,  the  Bea  withdrew  for  the  space  of  three  miles, 
and  they  discovered  a  little  mined  temple  which  had 
been  formerly  bnried  by  the  waters  :  and,  wonderful  to 
relate,  within  it  was  found  the  body  of  St.  ('lenient 
with  the  anchor  round  hi>  neck  ;  and,  as  it  is  related  by 
credible  witnesses,  thi*  miracle  <li<l  noi  happen  only 
nine,  but  everj  year  at  the  anniversary  of  his  martyr- 
dom the  sea  retired  during  Beven  days,  leaving  a  dry 
path  for  those  who  wenl  to  honor  the  relics  of  the  Baint 
in  this  new  gpeciee  of  submarine  tomb.  And  thi>  lasted 
for  nian\  years;  and  many  grave  authors,  who  affinn 
this  miracle,  also  relate,  thai  a  certain  woman,  ac- 
companied  by  her  son,  being  at  prayer  within  the  tem- 
ple, her  child  fell  asleep,  and  the  sea  rising  suddenly  the 
mother  Bed,  leaving  him  behind  in  her  tear,  and  when 

Bhe  reached  the  shore  .-he  WTUUg  her  hands.  Weeping 

bitterly,  and  passed  thai  year  in  great  affliction.  The 
next  year,  returning  i"  pa}  her  devotions  at  the  Bhrine, 
to  her  joyful  Burprise  Bhe  found  ber  bou  there,  sleeping, 
just  a-  Bhe  had  left  him. 

St.  ('lenient,  in  the  devotional  pictures,  appears  lnrt> 
iteil  as  pope,  Bometimes  with  the  tiara,  hut  generally 
without  it ;  mi  anchor  at  Ins  side,  ur  a  small  anchor 
uspended  round  his  Deck,  In  the  ancient  mosaic  in 
his  church  at  Rome  (twelfth  centurj  i  he  is  thus  repre- 
sented  Beated  by  St  Peter  and  holding  the  anchor  in 
Ins  hand.  In  the  frescos  of  the  little  chapel  already 
alluded  to,  "ii  the  wall  opposite  to  the  lite  of  St  <  Cather- 
ine, Bdasaccio  or  one  of  his  scholar-  painted  a  series  of 
the  life  ol  St.  Clement,  now  in  a  most  ruined  state;  we 
can  distinguish  the  scene  of  the  flood,  and  St.  Clement 
discovering  the  fountain  of  living  waters  — the  waters 
oi  religious  truth  and  consolation  —  to  his  thirsty  and 
fainting  disciples.  The  other  subjects  are  scarcely  to  I  s 
raized  *  

•  Th-'  ohnrefa  ■■<  •-••  Clement,  la  the  Strand,  Is  d<  Heated  to  this 

tenor,  vhich  the  beedli » 


ST.  BIBIANA,  239 

Far  away  from  these  churches,  and  in  a  desolate  spot 
amid  vineyards  and  ruins,  between  the  Santa  Croce  and 
the  Porte  Maggiore,  stands  the  small  ancient  church  of 
Santa  BlBIANA,  dedicated  to  her  about  the  year  468. 
She  was  a  young  Roman  lady,  who,  with  her  father 
Flavianus,  her  mother  Dafrosa,  and  her  sister  Demetria, 
suffered  martyrdom  in  the  reign  of  Julian  the  Apostate. 
Persisting  in  her  faith,  she  was  scourged  to  death,  or, 
according  to  another  authority,  first  scourged  and  then 
pierced  with  a  dagger  (Dec.  2,  a.  d.  362).  The  column 
to  which  she  was  bound  is  .shown  within  the  church, 
placed  there  by  Urban  VIII.  when  he  restored  the 
ruined  edifice  in   1622. 

The  statue  of  St.  Bibiana,  in  marble,  by  Bernini, 
stands  upon  the  altar ;  a  graceful  figure,  leaning  against 
a  pillar,  and  holding  the  palm  in  her  hand.  The  nave 
of  the  church  is  painted  with  a  series  of  large  frescos, 
which  exhibit  her  story  in  detail.  1.  Bibiano  refuses 
to  sacrifice  to  idols.*  2.  The  death  of  Demetria,  who, 
according  to  the  legend,  fell  dead  to  the  earth  before 
sho  was  touched  by  the  executioner.  3.  Bibiana  bound 
to  a  column,  and  scourged.  4.  Her  body,  being  cast 
forth  unburied,  is  found  by  a  dog.  5.  Olympia,  a 
noble  Roman  matron,  founds  the  church,  which  is  dedi- 
cated by  Pope  Simplicius. 

Between  these  large  historical  subjects  are  single  de- 
votional figures,  of  a  colossal  size,  representing  Bibiana, 
Dafrosa,  Flavianus,  Demetria,  and  Olympia.  Though 
in  a  mannered  taste,  they  have  much  grandeur,  and  are 
reckoned  by  Lanzi  among  the  finest  works  of  the  mas- 
ter, —  Pietro  da  Cortona. 


On  the  brow  of  the  Caelian   Hill,  and  in  a  most 

and  other  officials  bear  on  their  buttons,  &c,  and  which  also  sur- 
mounts the  weathercock  on  the  steeple.  To  choose  the  anchor  — 
the  symbol  of  stability  —  for  a  weathercock,  appears  strangely  ab- 
surd till  we  know  the  reason.  There  are  in  England  forty-seven 
churches  dedicated  to  St.  Clement. 
*  Eng.  by  Mercati,  1626.     Bartsch,  xx.  p.  140. 


t4o       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Striking  situation,  looking  across  to  the  ruins  on  the 
Palatine,  stands  the  church  of  the  tun  brothers  St, 
Johb  and  St.  I'm  l,  who  were  martyred  in  the  same 
vcar  with  Hiliiana,  and  whose  chnrch  bas  existed  Bince 
the  Mar  499.  They  were  officers  in  the  Bervice  of 
Constantia,  whom  the  old  legends  persist  in  represent- 
ing as  a  most  virtuous  Christian  (though,]  believe, she 
was  far  otherwise),  and  wire  put  to  death  by  Julian  the 
Apostate.  Their  house  Btood  upon  this  >]  ■<  >t ,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  Bites  in  ancient  Borne. 

In  devotional  pictures  these  Baints  are  always  repre 
Bented  Btanding  together  in  the  Soman  military  cos- 
tume, and  bearing  the  Bword  and  the  palm. 

Their  (anions  church  at  Venice,  the  SS.  Giovanni  c 
Paolo,  can  never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  have  lin- 
gered  around  its  wondrous  and  precious  monuments; 
l>ut  among  them  we  may  geek  in  rain  for  the  Soman 
tutelary  Baintt, — at  least  I  did  :  and  1  believe,  notwith- 
standing the  magnificence  of  their  chnrch,  the  Venetians 
know  nothing  about  them.  The  Dominicans,  who 
raised  this  edifice  in  the  thirteenth  century,  were  emi- 
grants from  the  convent  of  St.  .John  and  St.  l'aul,  at 
Home,  and  carried  their  patrons  with  them. 

On  the  southern  side  of  the  Cslian  Mill  stand  the 

San  Stefano  and  the  Santa   Maria  delia  Na\  i.clla  ;  tin  n 

a~  we  descend  into  the  valley,  in  that  desolate  hollow  be- 
tween the  Csalian  and  the  Aventine,  and  close  to  the 
hath-  of  <  laracalla,  stands  the  old  church  of  >>s  .\i  aso 

and  A(  ii  i  i.i.i  •■ 

These  two  saints,  Kerens  and  Achilleus,  are  pecu- 
liar to  Some.  They  wen-  tin-  chamberlains  of  Flavia 
Domitilla,  grand  niece  of  the  Emperor  Domitian,  and 
daughter  of  Flavins  Clemens  and  the  elder  Domitilla, 

both  of  whom  had  Buffered    tor  their  adhesion  to  ( 'hris- 

tianiu.  Flavia  Domitilla  was  betrothed  to  Aurelian, 
son  of  the  consul ;  hut  her  two  chamberlains,  zealous 
Christians,  prevailed  upon  her  to  refuse  this  union  with 

an    idolater;    for  which    cause    thev  wire  beheaded,  and 

Domitilla  was  at  the  same  time  put  to  death  at  Terra* 
tinu  (May  IS). 


ST.  SAB  IN  A.  241 

St.  Nercus  and  St.  Aehilleus  arc  represented  stand- 
ing in  secular  habits,  bearing  palms  in  their  hands,  on 
each  side  of  Domitillu,  who  is  richly  dressed  as  prin- 
cess, and  bears  her  palm  ;  —  as  in  a  picture  hy  Rubens, 
painted  when  he  was  in  Rome  in  1604,  and  now  over 
the  high  altar  of  S.  Maria  della  Vallicella. 

The  Martyrdom  of  SS.  Nerco  and  Achilleo  in  the 
church  of  S.  Maddalena  de'  Pazzi  at  Florence,  is  a  chef- 
d'eeuvre  of  Pocetti. 

Not  far  from  this  church  is  another  of  great  antiquity, 
dedicated  to  St.  Cesareo,  who  perished  at  Terracina, 
because  he  opposed  himself  to  the  worship  of  Apollo. 
Though  very  little  is  known  of  him,  he  was  celebrated 
in  the  sixth  century,  both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West. 
At  present  his  name  and  fame  seem  to  be  confined  en- 
tirely to  Rome. 

Ou  the  other  side  of  the  baths  of  Caracalla,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  Aventine,  we  come  upon  the  little  church  of 
Santa  Balbina.  Of  its  foundation  all  that  we  know 
is,  that  it  was  an  ancient  church  in  the  time  of  Gregory 
the  Great  (a.  d.  590). 

St.  Balbina  is  another  saint  peculiar  to  Rome.  Ac- 
cording to  the  legend,  she  was  the  daughter  of  the  prefect 
Quirinus,  and  discovered  the  chains  of  St.  Peter,  which 
had  long  been  lost  (March  31,  a.  d.  130).  She  is 
represented  veiled,  and  holding  a  chain  in  her  hand,  or 
witli  fetters  near  her. 

On  the  summit  of  the  Aventine  are  several  of  the 
most  interesting  of  these  old  churches.  That  of  St. 
Sabina  was  dedicated  to  a  noble  Roman  matron,  who 
suffered  martyrdom  in  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Hadrian 
(Aug.  29,  second  century).  This  church,  built  upon 
the  site  of  her  house,  existed  in  423.  Though  spoilt, 
as  usual,  by  whitewashing  and  restoration,  it  is  singu- 
larly elegant.  The  altar-piece,  by  Frederic  Zucchero, 
represents  St.  Sabina  as  dragged  up  the  marble  steps 
i>f  a  temple  by  an  executioner  with  a  drawn  sword. 
With  her  was  martyred  her  Greek  slave  Seraphia,  who 

VOL.    II.  l6 


242  \-CRl  D  AND   LEGENDARY  AR1 

was  also  a  zealous  Christian,  and,  as  the  legend  relates, 
had  converted  her  mistress.  St.  Babina,  though  a 
Etonian  saint,  i>  among  those  nol  confined  to  Rome. 
I  saw  at  Venice,  in  the  San  Zaccaria,  a  most  lovely 
picture  by  the  Vivarini  of  afurano,  in  which  she  is  rep- 
resented with  her  palm  ami  crown,  richlj  dressed,  ami 
Burronnded  by  worshipping  angeb;  on  the  right,  St. 
Jerome  ;  ami  on  the  Kit,  another  saint  in  a  short  tunic, 
fastened  with  a  gold  belt,  bearing  a  palm.  The  i 
qnisite  softness  of  this  picture,  the  lovelj  color,  ami  tin' 
divine  expression- in  the  faces,  fender  it  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  productions  of  the  early  Venetian  school. 


N'"t  far  from  the  church  of  St.  Sahina  is  thai  <>\  Si 
Pribi  \. 

<  »n  tln>  Bpot,  according  to  the  old  tradition,  stood  the 
house  of  Aquila  and  PrisciUa,  where  St  Peter  lodged 
when  at  Rome,  and  who  are  the  same  mentioned  by 
St.  Paul  a>  tent-makers;  and  here  is  shown  the  font 
from  which,  according  to  the  Bame  tradition,  St.  peter 
baptized  the  firsl  Roman  converts  t"  Christianity.  The 
altar-piece  represents  the  baptism  of  St.  Prisca,  whose 
remains  being  afterwards  placed  in  thi>  church,  it  has 
since  borne  her  name.  According  to  the  legend,  the 
was  a  Human  virgin  of  illustrious  birth,  who  at  the  age 
of  thirteen  was  exposed  in  the  amphitheatre.     A  Serce 

lion  was  let  loose  upon  her,  hut  her  youth  and  inno- 
cence disarmed  the  fury  of  the  Bavagc  beast,  which, 
instead  ..I  tearing  her  to  pieces,  humbly  licked  berfeet; 
—  to  the  great  consolation  of  the  Christians,  and  the 
confusion  of  the  idolati  i  Being  led  hack  to  prison, 
she  was  there  beheaded.  St.  Prisca  is  not  peculiar  to 
Rome  ;  -he  appears  in  old  prints  and  pictures,  and  in 
l  nch  sculpture  and  Btainod  glass,  bearing  her  palm, 
anil  witn  a  lion  at  her  side:  sometimes  also  an  eagle, 
becauM  it  i^  t<  lated  that  an  eagle  watched  by  her  body 
till  it  wits  laid  iii  the  grave;  for  thus,  Bays  tin    story 


ST.  PETER   AND   MARCELLINU3.        213 

was  virgin  innocence  honored  bythe  kingly  bird  as  well 

■is  by  the  kingly  beast.  St.  Prisca  was  so  much  ven- 
erated in  England  that  her  name  is  preserved  in  our 
reformed  calendar. 


In  the  valley  behind  the  Esquiline,  in  that  long, 
Jonely  road  between  Santa  Maria  Maggiorc  and  the 
Lateran,  stands  the  church  of  SS.  Pieiro  e  MarceUino, 
ivhom  we  style  St.  Peter  Exorcista  and  Marcel- 
linus.  They  are  always  represented  together.  Their 
legend  relates,  that  in  the  last  persecution  under  Dio- 
cletian they  were  cast  into  prison.  Artemius,  keeper 
of  the  dungeon,  had  a  daughter  named  Paulina,  and 
she  fell  sick ;  and  St.  Peter  offered  to  restore  her  to 
health  if  her  father  would  believe  in  the  true  God.  And 
the  jailer  mocked  him,  saying,  "  If  I  put  thee  into  the 
deepest  dungeon,  and  load  thee  with  heavier  chains, 
will  thy  God  then  deliver  thee  1  If  he  doth,  I  will  be- 
lieve in  him."  And  Peter  answered,  "Be  it  so;  not 
out  of  regard  to  thee,  for  it  matters  little  to  our  God 
whether  sueh  an  one  as  thou  believe  in  him  or  not,  bat 
that  the  name  of  Christ  may  be  glorified,  and  thyself 
confounded." 

And  in  the  middle  of  the  night  Peter  and  Manvi- 
finus,  in  white  shining  garments,  entered  the  chambo* 
of  Artemius  as  he  lay  asleep,  who,  being  struck  with 
awe,  fell  down  and  worshipped  the  name  of  Christ ; 
and  be,  his  wife,  his  daughter,  and  three  hundred  others, 
were  baptized.  After  this  the  two  holy  men  were  con- 
demned to  die  for  the  faith.  And  the  executioner  was 
ordered  o  lead  them  to  a  forest  three  miles  from  Rome, 
that  the  Christians  might  not  discover  their  place  of 
sepulture.  And  when  he  had  brought  them  to  a  soli- 
tary thicket  overgrown  with  brambles  and  thorns,  he 
declared  to  them  that  they  were  to  die,  upon  which  they 
cheerfully  fell  to  work  and  cleared  away  a  space  lit  for 
the  purpose,  and  dug  the  grave  in  which  they  were  io 


244       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY   ART. 

be  laid.     Then  they  were  heheaded,  ami  died  encourag- 
ing each  other.    (Jane  2.) 

The  fame  of  SS.  Pietro  e  Marcellino  is  not  confined 
to  Rome.  In  the  reign  of  Charlemagne  they  were 
venerated  as  martyrs  thronghonl  Italy  ami  Gaul;  anil 
Eginhard,  the  Becretarj  of  Cbaiiemagne,  who  married 
his  daughter  Emma,  in  -aid  to  I, aw  beld  them  in  par- 
ticular honor.  Everyone,  1  believe,  knows  the  beauti- 
ful Btoryof  Eginhard  and  Emma.  And  the  connection 
nf  these  saints  with  them  as  their  chosen  protectors 

lends    an    interest    to    their   solitary,  deserted   ehureh. 

They  are  always  represented  together,  in  priestly 
habits,  bearing  their  palms.  In  the  Rama  Sottenmea 
of  I{'>.>i".  p.  126,  there  is  an  ancient  fragment  found 
in  the  catacombs  which  represents  St.  Peter  Exorcista, 
St.  Mareellinns,  and  Paulina  Btanding  b  gether.  In  a 
picture  by  <  lervasio  <  Satti,  over  the  altar  of  their  church 
at  Cremona,  the  two  saints,  habited  as  priests,  baptise 
Paulina,  the  daughter  of  the  jailer;  the  real  of  the 
family  and  many  converts  being  present 


On  the  western  brow  of  the  Aventine,and  not  fur 
from  the  Priorata,  there  stood,  in  the  year  SOS  or  306, 
a  little  oratory,  which  a  Greek  woman  of  birth  and 

fortune,  named   Aglae,  had    reared  over  the  remains  of 

her  lover  Boniface.     According  to  the  story,  they  hail 

lived    together  in   sin   and    luxury  for  many  years;    but 

when  the  last  dreadful  persecution  of  the  Christians 
burst  hath  like  a  storm,  both  were  seised  with  a  deep 
compassion  for  the  sufferers,  and  with  compunction  tot 
their  own  sinful  and  shameful  life  ;   and   Aglae  sent 

away  her    lover   with    inneh    gold    ami    treasure    I'M'  the 

purpose  of  redeeming  the  Christian  martyr-  from  t<>r 
tare,  or  at  least   then-  precious  remains   from   insult. 
Boniface  did  a-  he  was  commanded,  but  m  his  zeal  he 
ed  himself  to  death,  and  expiated  his  forma  sins 


ST.  ALEXIS.  245 

by  a  glorious  martyrdom.  His  mutilated  body  being 
brought  borne  to  Aglae,  she  immediately  retired  from 
the  world,  distributed  her  goods  to  the  poor,  and  built 
a  hermitage  and  an  oratory,  in  which  she  deposited  the 
remains  of  Boniface,  and  spent  the  rest  of  her  life  in 
prayers,  tears,  and  penitence.  Both  were  subsequently 
canonized. 

But  the  oratory  of  Aglae  and  Boniface  was  soon 
afterwards  almost  forgotten  in  the  superior  fame  of  the 
church  of  St.  Alexis,  whose  story,  as  given  in  the 
Legendario  Romano,  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of 
the  sacred  romances  of  the  middle  ages.* 


St.  Alexis. 

Lat.  S.  Aletius.  Ital.  Sant'  Alessio.  Tr.  St.  Alexis.  Ger. 
Der  Heilige  Alexius,  Patron  saint  of  pilgrims  and  beggars.  July 
17,  a.  d.  400. 

In  the  days  when  Innocent  I.  was  pope,  and  Arca- 
dius  and  Honorius  reigned  over  the  East  and  West,  there 
lived  a  man  in  Rome  whose  name  was  Euphemian,  rich 
and  of  senatorial  rank ;  he  had  a  house  and  great  pos- 
sessions on  the  Cselian  Hill,  but  he  had  no  son  to  inherit 
his  wealth.  He  and  his  wife,  whose  name  was  Aglae, 
besought  the  Lord  earnestly  to  grant  them  offspring, 
and  their  prayer  was  heard;  for  after  many  years  they 
had  a  son,  and  called  him  Alexis.  And  Alexis  from 
his  childhood  had  devoted  himself  to  the  service  of  God, 

*  Baillet  says  distinctly  :  "  Cette  histoire  de  St.  Alexis  semble 
etre  plutJt  one  exhortation  faite  a  la  mauiere  des  paraboles  pour 
exciter  au  mepris  du  munde  et  a  l'amour  des  humiliations,  que  la 
relation  de  quelque  histoire  veritable.  II  paroit  pourtant  que 
l'auteur  n'a  point  produit  du  neant  le  fonds  sur  lequel  il  a  voulu 
travailler  et  que  l'Eglise  n'a  point  cru  que  Saint  Alexis  ne  fut 
qu'une  idee  de  saintete  ou  un  saint  imaginaire,  puisqu'elle  lui  a 
decerne  un  culte  public  en  Orient  et  en  0«oident."  —  B'tilii  t,  Vie.» 
des  Saints,  Juillet  xvii. 


246       SACRED   AND   1.1  Gl  \  DART  ART. 

and  became  remarked  by  all  for  his  humility,  his  piety, 
and  hi>  charity.  Although  outwardly  he  went  clothed 
in  Mlk  and  gold,  as  became  his  rank,  yel  he  wore  a  Imir 
sliin  ii'-x t  his  body  ;  and  though  he  had  a  Btniling  and 
pleasant  countenance  towards  all,  yel  in  bis  chamber  he 
wepl  incessantly,  bewailing  In.--  own  Binful  Btate  and  that 
of  the  world,  and  made  a  Becrel  tow  i"  devote  himself 
wholly  to  tin'  Bervice  of  God. 

And  wlnn  he  was  of  a  proper  a-'-  his  lather  wished 

him  to  marry,  and    chose  out    for   liis  wife  a   maiden  of 

noble  birth,  beautiful  and   graceful  and   virtuous,  one 

uh it  was  impossible  to  look  on  without  being  irre 

Bistibly  attracted.  Alexis,  who  had  never  disobeyed  his 
parents  from  his  infancy  upwards,  trembled  within  him- 
Belf  tor  the  vow  lie  had  spoken,  ami  seeing  his  bride, 

how  fair  she  wa>  and   how    rirtUOUB,  he  trembled   vet  the 

more;  hut  he  did  not  dare  to  gainsay  the  words  of  his 
father.  <>n  the  appointed  da)  the  nuptials  were  cel- 
ebrated with  greal  pomp  and  feetivitj  ;  hut  when  evening 
came  the  bridegroom  had  disappeared,  and  thej  Bought 
him  everywhere  in  vain  ;  and  when  they  questioned  the 
bride,  she  answered,  "Behold,  he  came  into  mj  chamber 
and  gave  me  this  ring  of  gold,  and  this  girdle  of  pre- 
cious st. uh-.  and    tin-  veil  Of  purple,  and    then    he  bade 

me  farewell,  and  I  know-  not  whither  he  has  gone  !  " 
And  they  were  all  astonished,  ami.  seeing  he  returned 
Mot,  thej  gave  themselves  np  to  grief :  his  mother  spread 
cloth  on  the  earth,  and  sprinkled  it  with  ashes,  and 
sal  down  upon  it;  and  his  wife  took  off  her  jewels  and 

bridal    robes,   and    darkened     her   windows,   and    put   on 

widow's  attire,  weeping  continually;  and  Buphemian 
>eut  servants  and  messengers  to  all  parts  of  the  world 

to  .seek    his  Mill,   hilt    he    wa-    nowhere   to   he   loiilld. 

In  the  mean  time,  Alexis,  after  tal  ing  leave  of  his 
bride,  disguised  himself  in  the  habit  of  a  pilgrim,  fled 
from  his  father's  house,  and  throwing  himself  into  a 
little  boat  he  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber;  at  <>>ti:i 
he  embarked  in  a  vessel  hound  for  Laodii  ca,  and  thence 
he  repaired  toEdi    la,  a  city  of  Mesopotamia,  and  dwelt 


ST.  ALEXIS.  247 

there  in  great  poverty  and  humility,  spending  his  days 
in  ministering  to  the  sick  and  poor,  and  in  devotion  to 
the  Madonna,  until  the  people,  who  beheld  his  gnat 
piety,  cried  out  "  A  saint !  "  Then,  fearing  for  his  vir- 
tue, he  left  that  place  and  embarked  in  a  ship  bound  for 
Tarsus,  in  order  to  pay  his  devotions  to  St.  Paul.  But 
a  great  tempest  arose,  and  after  many  days  the  ship,  in- 
stead of  reaching  the  desired  port,  was  driven  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Tiber,  and  entered  the  port  of  Ostia. 

When  Alexis  found  himself  again  near  his  native 
home,  he  thought,  "  It  is  better  for  me  to  live  by  the 
charity  of  my  parents,  than  to  be  a  burden  to  stran- 
gers "  ;  and,  hoping  that  he  was  so  much  changed  that 
no  one  would  recognize  him,  he  entered  the  city  of  Rome. 
As  he  approached  his  father's  house,  he  saw  him  come 
forth  with  a  great  retinue  of  servants,  and,  accosting 
him  humbly,  besought  a  corner  of  refuge  beneath  his 
roof,  and  to  eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  his  table  : 
and  Euphemian,  looking  on  him,  knew  not  that  it  was 
his  son  ;  nevertheless  he  felt  his  heart  moved  with  un- 
usual pity,  and  granted  his  petition,  thinking  within 
himself,  "  Alas  for  my  son  Alexis  !  perhaps  he  is  now 
a  wanderer  and  poor,  even  as  this  man  !  "  So  he  gave 
Alexis  in  charge  to  his  servants,  commanding  that  ho 
should  have  all  things  needful. 

But,  as  it  often  happens  with  rich  men  who  have 
many  servitors  and  slaves,  Euphemian  was  ill  obeyed  ; 
for,  believing  Alexis  to  be  what  he  appeared,  a  poor, 
ragged,  way-worn  beggar,  they  gave  him  no  other  lodg- 
ing than  a  hole  under  the  marble  steps  which  led  to  his 
father's  door,  and  all  who  passed  and  repassed  looked 
on  his  misery  ;  and  the  servants,  seeing  that  he  bore  all 
uncomplaining,  mocked  at  him,  thinking  him  an  idiot, 
and  pulled  his  matted  beard,  and  threw  dirt  on  his  head  ; 
but  he  endured  in  silence.  A  far  greater  trial  was  to 
witness  every  day  the  grief  of  his  mother  and  his  wife  : 
for  his  wife,  like  another  Ruth,  refused  to  go  bark  to 
the  house  of  her  fathers  ;  and  often,  as  he  lay  in  his 
dark  hole  under  the  steps,  he  heard  her  weeping  in  her 


a48       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

chamber,  and  crying,  "0  my  Alexis!  whither  art  thoi\ 
gone  '  w  liy  hast  t li< >n  espoused  me  onlj  to  forsake  me  '  " 
And,  hearing  her  thus  tenderly  lamenting  and  upbraid 
in-  hisali.-HMicc,  he  was  surclv  tempted  ;  nevertheless  lie 
remained  steadfast 

Thus  many  years  passed  away,  until  his  emaciated 
frame  sunk  under  his  sufferings,  ami  it  was  revealed  u< 
him  thai  he  should  die.  Then  he  procured  from  a  ser. 
rant  of  the  house  pen  and  ink.  ami  wrote  a  lull  account 
■tall  these  things,  and  all  that  lm<l  happened  to  him  in 
his  life,  and  pnt  the  letter  in  hi.-*  bosom,  expecting  death. 

It  happened  about  tin*  lime,  on  a  certain  feasl  day, 
iliat  Pope  Innocent  was  celebrating  high  mass  before 
the  Emperor  Honorim  and  all  his  court,  and  suddenly 

a    voice   was    heard   which    said,    "Seek   the    servant   of 

( tad  who  is  aboul  to  depart  from  this  life,  and  who  shall 
pray  tor  the  city  of  Koine!"     So  the  people  tell  on 

their  faces,  and  another  \oiee  said,  "  Where  shall  we  seek 

him  '  "  And  the  firsl  voice  answered,  "  In  the  house 
of  Euphemian  the  patrician."  And  Euphemian  was 
Btanding  next  to  the  emperor,  who  said  to  him,  ••  Whal  ! 
hast  thou  inch  a  treasure  in  thy  house,  ami  hast  not 
divulged  it  !  Let  us  now  repair  thither  immediately." 
So  Euphemian  went  before  to  prepare  the  waj  :  ami  as 
he  approached  his  house,  a  servant  met  him.  Baying, 

"  The  poor  beggar  whom  thou  hast  sheltered  hast  died 
within  this  hour,  and  we  have  laid  him  on  the  Btepi  be- 
fore the  dOOr."       And    Euphemian   ran  U]>  the  BtepB  and 

uncovered  the  lace  of   tin-  beggar,  and   it  seemed  to  him 

the  face  of  an  angel,  such  a  glory  of  Ughl  proceeded 

from  it  ;    and    his  heart    melted  within    him,  and    he  fell 

on  his  knees  ;  ami  a-  the  emperor  ami  In-  court  came 
near,  he  said.  "Tin.--  i-  the  servant  of  God  of  whom  the 
\oice  spake  just  now."     And  when  the  pope  saw  the 

letter  which  WaS  in  the  dead  hand  Ol  AleXIS,  he  humhlv 
asked    him  to  deliver   it  ;    and    the   hand    relinquished   it 

forthwith,  and  the  chancellor  read  it  aloud  before  all  the 
tibly. 
But  now  what  word-  -hall  describe  thecmotio     nl  In.- 


ST.  ALEXIS. 


249 


father,  when  he  knew  that  it  was  his  son  who  lay  before 
him  '.  and  how  the  mother  and  the  wife,  rushing  forth 
distracted,  flung  themselves  on  the  senseless  body,  and 
could  with  difficulty  be  separated  from  it  ?  and  how  for 
seven  days  they  watched  and  wept  beside  him  ?  and 
how  the  people  crowded  to  touch  his  sacred  remains, 
and  many  sick  and  infirm  were  healed  thereby  ?  But 
all  this  *I  pass  over  :  let  it  suffice  that  on  the  spot  where 
stood  the  house  of  Euphemian  the  church  of  St.  Alexis 
now  stand*.  •  The  marble  steps  beneath  which  he  died 
are  preserved  in  the  church,  in  a  chapel  to  the  left  of 
the  entrance,  and  beneath  them  is  seen  the  statue  of  the 
saint  lying  extended  on  a  mat  in  the  mean  dress  of  a 
poor  pilgrim,  his  staff  beside  him,  and  the  letter  in  his 
hand.  The  remains  of  Aglae  and  the  martyr  Boniface 
also  rest  in  this  church  under  the  high  altar. 


"6* 


Although  St.  Alexis  did  not  perish  by  a  violent 
death,  yet,  through  his  extreme  sufferings, .  and  the 
spirit  of  resolute  yet  humble  resignation  in  which  they 
were  met  and  endured,  he  is  supposed  to  have  merited 
the  honors  of  martyrdom.  I  have  seen  figures  of  St. 
Alexis  in  which,  in  addition  to  the  pilgrim's  habit,  rag- 
ged and  worn,  and  the  beggar's  dish,  he  carries  the 
palm.  In  the  mosaics  of  Monreale  he  stands  among 
the  glorified  martyrs,  of  colossal  size,  in  a  white  vest, 
a  blue  mantle,  the  crown  on  his  head,  and  the  cross, 
through  which  he  triumphed,  in  his  hand. 

But  in  general  we  find  St.  Alexis  represented  in  the 
old  pictures  and  prints  as  penitent,  pilgrim,  and  beggar-, 
in  the  churches  of  the  ascetic  orders,  and  in  hospitals 
and  houses  of  refuge  for  the  poor,  which  are  placed  un- 
der his  protection,  we  find  his  effigy  with  the  character- 
istic ragged  attire,  and  expression  of  pathetic  resigna- 
tion and  humility. 

1 .  There  is  a  fine  statue  of  St.  Alexis  on  the  facade 
of  the  church  of  the  Trinita  at  Florence. 

2.  In  a  picture  by  Pietro  da  Cortona  at  Alton  Tow- 
ers, St.  Alexis  is  dying  under  the  steps  of  his  father's 


250       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

door,  holding  the  cross  and  a  paper  pressed  to  bis 
bosom.  The  figure  is  life-size,  and  very  forcible  in 
color  and  expression. 

3.  In  11  very  fine  picture  by  Annibal  Caracci,  painted 
for  the  Mendicanti  at  Bologna,  St.  Alexis,  as  pilgrini 
and  beggar,  .stands  with  St.  Louis.  St.  Catherine,  St. 
Clara,  and  St.  John  the  Baptist:  be  might  be  mistaken 
for  St.  Kuril,  but  that  the  last-named  Baint  haa'always 
the  plague-spot,  which  distinguishes  his  effigies  from 
those  of  St.  Alexis. 


At  the  foot  of  the  Capitoline  Hill,  on  the  left  band 
as  we  descend  from  the  Ara  Coeli  into  the  Forum,  there 
Btood  in  very  ancient  times  a  small  chapel  dedicated  to 
the  memory  of  St.  dXibtika,  a  Roman  virgin,  who  was 
martyred  in  the  persecution  nnder  Alexander  Sererus. 
The  veneration  paid  to  her  was  of  very  early  date,  and 
the  Roman  people  were  accustomed  to  assemble  there 
on  the  first  day  <>f  the  year.  This  observance  was, 
however,  confined  to  the  people,  and  not  very  general 
till  1684  ;  an  era  which  connects  her  in  rather  an  inter- 
esting manner  with  the  lii-turv  of  Art.  In  this  year,  as 
they  «cre  about  to  repair  her  chapel,  they  discovered, 
walled  into  the  foundations,  a  sarcophagus  of  terra-cotta, 

in  which  was  the  hod\  of  B   \  < > 1 1 r i ^r  female,  w  li<>-«-  se\  I  1 1  d 

head  reposed  in  a  separate  casket    These  remains  were 

Very  naturally  Supposed   to  be  those  of  the  saint  who  had 

so  long  been  honored  on  that  spot.     The  discovery  was 

hailed  with    the   inmost    exultation,   not    bj    the    people 

only,  but   by  those  who  led  the  minds  and  the  con- 
si  iences  of  the  people.    The  pope  himself,  Urban  VI 1 1  . 
composed  hymns  in  her  praise;  and  Cardinal  Franc 
Barberinj  undertook  to  rebuild  her  church,     Amongst 
ih who   shand    the    general  enthusiasm,  was   the 

painter    I'ietro    da    CoitOna,  who    was    nt    Rome    at    t In* 

time,  and  who  ntv  eaniesti}  dedicated  himscll  and  his 
powers  to  the  glorification  of  St    Martina.     1 1 •  i  <  l.un  1/ 


ST.  ANA8TASIA.  251 

had  already  been  given  to  the  Academy  of  Painters, 
and  consecrated  to  St.  Luke,  their  patron  saint.  It 
is  now  "San'  Luca  e  Santa  Martina."  Pietro  da 
Cortona  erected  at  his  own  cost  the  chapel  of  St.  Mar- 
tina, and,  when  he  died,  endowed  it  with  his  whole 
fortune.  He  painted  for  the  altar-piece  his  host  picture, 
in  which  the  saint  is  represented  as  triumphing  over  the 
idols,  while  the  temple,  in  which  she  had  been  led  to 
sacrifice,  is  struck  by  lightning  from  heaven,  and  falls 
in  ruins  around  her.*  In  a  votive  picture  of  St.  Mar- 
tina kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  Virgin  and  Child,  she 
is  represented  as  very  young  and  lovely  ;  near  her,  a 
horrid  instrument  of  torture,  a  two-pronged  fork  with 
barbed  extremities,  and  the  lictor's  axe,  signify  the 
manner  of  her  death.  The  picture  called  "  une  Jeune 
Martyre"  by  Guido  Cagnacci,  in  the  Orleans  Gallery, 
is  a  St.  Martina. 


Not  far  from  the  church  of  San  Gregorio,  and  just 
under  the  Palatine  Hill,  we  find  the  church  of  St. 
Anastasia,  who,  notwithstanding  her  beautiful  Greek 
name,  and  her  fame  as  one  of  the  great  saints  of  the 
Greek  calendar,  is  represented  as  a  noble  Roman  lady, 
who  perished  during  the  persecution  of  Diocletian  :  the 
same,  I  presume,  who  in  Didron's  "  Manual  of  Greek 
Art"  is  styled  "  AnastasielaKomaine."  Her  story  is 
mixed  up  with  that  of  St.  Chrysogonus  (Grisogono), 
who  also  suffered  martyrdom  at  that  time,  and  is  chiefly 
celebrated  for  his  influence  over  the  mind  of  Anastasia, 
and  the  courage  with  which  he  inspired  her.  She  was 
persecuted  by  her  husband  and  family  for  openly  pro- 
fessing the  Christian  faith,  exposed  to  many  trials, 
sorrows,  and  temptations,  and  through  all  these,  being 
sustained  by  the  eloquent  exhortations  of  Chrysogonus, 
•  she  passed  triumphantly,  receiving  in  flue  time  the 
crown  of  martyrdom,  being  condemned  to  the  flames. 

*  There  is  a  small  copy  of  this  once-admired  picture  in  the  Dul- 
vyich  Gallery. 


zy_       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Chrysogonus  was  pat  to  death  by  the  sword,  and  hi* 
body  thrown  into  the  sea 

According  to  the  bes(  authorities,  these  two  Bainta  f  1  i<l 
not  Buffer  at  Rome,  bat  in  Dlyria  ;  yel  al  Rome  we  are 
assured  that  Anastasia,  after  her  martyrdom,  was  buried 
by  Iiit  friend  Apollina  in  the  garden  of  her  house,  un- 
der tlic  Palatine  Hill,  and  close  to  die  (  Srcus  Maximus. 
I  hi  re  stood  the  church  dedicated  to  her  in  the  fourth 
century,  and  there  it  now  stands. 

It  was  one  of  the  principal  churches  in  Rome  in  the 
time  of  St.  Jerome,  who,  according  to  an  ani  ient  tradi- 
tion, celebrated  mass  at  one  of  the  altar.-,  which  is  .-till 
regarded  on  this  account  with  peculiar  veneration.  To 
St.  Anastasia  is  dedicated  a  beautiful  church  at  Verona; 
when',  however,  I  looked  in  vain  for  any  picture  repre- 
senting her.     The  proper  attributes  are  the  palm,  the 

stake,  and  the  fagOtS. 

With  regard  to  St.  Chrysogonus,  his  Bne  church  in 
the  Trastevere,  existing  since  599,  was  modernized  by 
Scipio  Borghese,  cardinal  of  San  Grisogono,  in  1623; 
when  Guercino  painted  tor  the  ceiling  of  the  nave  his 
grand  picture  of  the  saint  carried  op  to  heaven  by 
angels.  This  picture  now  decorates  the  ceiling  of  the 
Duke  of  Sutherland's  gallery  at  Stafford  House.  1 
have  never  seen  any  other  picture  of  St.  Chrysogonus: 

hk  proper  attributes  are  the  sword  and  the  palm,  which 

in  Guercino's  picture  are  home  by  angels. 


Not  far  from  the  church  of  San  GriSOgOnO,  and  on  :i 

rising  ground,  stand-  the  church  of  San  Pancrazjp,  our 
8i  Pahchab.  In  the  persecution  under  Diocletian, 
ihis  young  saint,  who  was  onlj  fourteen  yean  of  age, 
offered  himself  voluntarily  as  a  martyr,  defending  bold- 
ly before  the  emperor  the  cause  of  the  Christians.  He 
was  thereupon  beheaded  by  the  sword,  and  bis  bodj 
was  honorably  buried  by  the  Christian  women.  His 
church  near  the  Gati  oi  San  Pancrazio,  al  Rome,  lm» 
existed  since  the  year  500. 


ST.  SUSANNA.  253 

St.  Pancras  was  in  the  middle  ages  regarded  as  the 
protector  against  false  oaths,  and  the  avenger  of  perjury. 
It  was  believed  that  those  who  swore  l>y  St.  Pancras 
falsely  were  immediately  and  visibly  punished;  hence 
his  popularity.  We  have  a  church  dedicated  to  him  in 
London,  and  a  large  parish  hearing  his  mime  :  French 
kings  anciently  confirmed  their  treaties  in  the  name  of 
St.  Pancras.  I  recollect  no  effigy  of  him  ;  but  he  ought 
to  be  represented  as  a  boy  of  a  very  beautiful  counte- 
nance, richly  dressed  in  the  secular  habit,  and  bearing 
his  palm  and  sword. 


Except  at  Rome  I  have  never  seen  any  effigy  of  St. 
Susanna; — but  I  think  it  probable  that  such  may 
exist.  It  appears,  however,  that  those  who  bore  the 
name  of  Susanna  preferred  as  their  patroness  the  chaste 
matron  of  the  Old  Testament  to  the  virgin  martyr  of 
the  Roman  legend.  It  is  related  that  this  Susanna  was 
of  illustrious  birth,  the  daughter  of  Gabinius,  who  was 
the  brother  of  Pope  Caius,  and  also  nearly  related  to 
the  Emperor  Diocletian.  She  was  very  fair,  but  more 
especially  remarkable  for  her  learning  and  her  subtle 
and  penetrating  intellect.  Diocletian,  hearing  every- 
where of  her  praises,  was  desirous  to  marry  her  to  his 
adopted  son  Maxim  us ;  but  she,  who  had  made  a  vow 
of  perpetual  chastity,  refused  to  listen  to  these  tempting 
offers.  Whereupon  the  emperor  desired  his  wife,  the 
Empress  Serena,  to  send  for  her,  and  to  endeavor  to 
overcome  her  obstinacy.  Now  the  empress,  unknown 
to  her  husband,  was  really  a  Christian  ;  therefore  she 
rather  encouraged  Susanna  in  her  resistance.  Diocle- 
tian, being  enraged  at  her  firmness,  sent  an  executioner, 
who  put  her  to  death  in  her  own  house  (Aug.  11,  a.  d 
290). 

She  is  chiefly  honored  at  Rome,  and  would  appear 
to  be  little  known  out  of  that  city.  Her  statue  in  mar- 
ble by  Fiamingo,  over  her  altar  in  the  church  of  Santa 
Maria  di  Loretto  near  the  Forum  of  Trajan,  is  one  of 


254        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

his  finest  works,  and  very  simple  and  elegant  She 
bolds  the  Bword  and  palm  as  martyr;  but  I  know  not 
any  other  attribute  by  which  she  is  distinguished. 


St.  Chrysanthns  (or  San  Grisante)  and  St.  Darin 
Buffered  martyrdom  together  at  Rome,  about  the  year 
257  ;  or,  as  others  Bay,  under  the  reign  of  Numerian, 
about  2S4.  Their  story  is  very  obscure.  One  legend 
represents  St.  Daria  as  a  Vestal  virgin,  who,  on  her 
conversion  to  Christianity,  extinguished  the  Bacred  fire, 
and  was  consequently  buried  alive  :  and  it  is  also  re- 
lated that  she  was  married  to  St.  Chrysanthns,  who 
converted  her.  I  mention  them  here  because  they  ap- 
pear in  the  early  mosaics  at  Ravenna,  and  have  been 
introduced  into  the  magnificent  altar-piece,  by  GKulio 
Campi,  in  the  church  of  St.  Sigismond  at  Cremona. 
This  church  was  dedicated  by  Francesco  Sforza,  on  the 
occasion  of  his  marriage  with  Bianca  Maria  Visconti, 
the  heiress  of  Milan,  which  was  celebrated  on  the  fi  - 
tival  of  St.  ChryBanthus  and  St.  Dana  (October  25).* 


B  i     El  nr.NiA,  anciently  one  of  the  nmst  popular  ami 

potential  saints  in  the  Roman  calendar,  was  the  daughter 
of  Philip,  proconsul  of  Egj  pt  in  the  reign  oft  lommodus. 
She  was  brought  np  at  Alexandria  in  all  the  wisdom 
■  if  tlii'  Gentiles,  was  converted  to  Christianity,  and,  in 
learning,  eloquence,  ami  courage  seems  to  have  been 
the  prototype  of  8t  Catherine,  by  whom,  however,  she 
has  been  completely  eclipsed.     According  to  the  legend, 

she  put  on  man's  attire,  and  became  a  monk  in  Egypt, 
under  the  name  of  the  abbot  Engenius;  hut  afterwards, 
returning  to  Rome,  Bhe  Buffered  martyrdom  by  the 
tword,  ander  the  Emperor  Sevens.     She  rarely  ap 

•  F'ir  ii  fiirth'-r  account  <>f  this  picture,  Me  the  u  Legends  of  th« 

>i     ,       Orders." 


ST.  F  ELICIT  AS  AND  HER  SEVEN  SONS.  255 

pears  in  works  of  art,  having  lost  her  popularity  before 
the  period  of  the  revival.  We  find  her  in  the  proces- 
sion of  martyrs  at  Ravenna  ;  and  I  have  seen  a  picture 
of  her  martyrdom  in  the  Bologna  Gallery,  by  Giovanni 
Sementi,  treated  with  much  sentiment. 


The  two  saints  who  follow,  though  counted  among 
the  Roman  martyrs,  are  of  general  interest.  They  have 
many  chapels  at  Rome,  but  no  church  dedicated  in  their 
name. 


St.   Felicitas  and  her   Seven   Sons,  Martyrs. 

Ital.  Santa  Felicita.    Fr.  Sainte  Felicite.    Patroness  of  male  heirs. 
Nov.  23,  a.  D.  173. 

"  In  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Marcus  Aurelius  An- 
toninus, there  was  a  great  persecution  of  the  Christians. 
They  were  deemed  the  cause,  if  not  the  authors,  of  all 
the  terrible  calamities,  the  plagues  and  wars,  famines 
and  earthquakes,  which  at  that  time  desolated  the  em- 
pire, and  an  inexorable  edict  condemned  them  either  to 
sacrifice  or  to  die.  In  this  persecution,  Polycarp  per- 
ished in  the  East,  and  Justin  in  the  West. 

"  At  the  same  time  there  dwelt  in  Rome  an  illus- 
trious matron  named  Felicitas,  a  widow  having  seven 
sons,  whom  she  brought  up  in  the  Christian  faith,  de- 
voting herself  to  a  life  of  virtuous  retirement,  and 
employing  her  days  in  works  of  piety  and  charity.  Her 
influence  and  example,  and  the  virtuous  and  modest 
deportment  of  her  sons,  caused  many  to  become  Chris- 
tians, so  that  the  enemies  of  the  faith  were  greatly 
enraged  against  her  ;  and  as  she  was  exceedingly  rich, 
those  who  shared  in  the  spoil  of  the  martyrs  were  eager 
to  accuse  her.  She  was  accordingly  cited  before  the 
tribunal  of  Publius,  the  prefect  of  the  city,  who,  at  first 
with  mildness    and  then  with  threatening  words,  en- 


aS6       SACRED    \M>   I  I  Gl  A  DARY  ART. 

deavored   in  vain  to  induce  her  to  deny  Christ,  and 
rifice  to  the  false  gods.     And  the  prefect  said  to  her, 

•  If  thon  hast  do  regard  for  thyself,  at  teasl  have  com- 
passion <»n  thy  Bons,  and  persuade  them  t<>  yield  to  the 
law.'  Hut  she  replied  that  her  sons  would  know  how 
tn  choose  between  everlasting  death  and  everlasting  life. 
Then  the  prefect  called  them  all  one  after  another  be- 
fore him,  and  commanded  them  to  abjure  Christ,  on 
pain  of  torments  and  of  death  ;  but  their  mother  cm  our- 
aged  them  to  persevere  in  resistance,  Baying  to  them, 

•  My  -mis,  be  strong  in  heart,  and  look  up  to  heaven, 
where  Christ  and  all  his  saint.-  await  your  coming  ;  and 
defy  this  tyrant  boldly,  for  bo  Bhall  the  King  of  glory 
reward  von  greatly.'  <  »n  bearing  these  words  the  pre- 
fed  was  enraged,  and  he  commanded  the  executioners 
to  .-nikc  her  on  the  mouth,  and  put  her  to  Bilence  ;  but 
she  continued  to  exhort  her  sons  to  die  rather  than  to 
yield.     Then,  one  after  another,  they  were  tortured  and 

put  to  death  before  the  eyes  of  their  mother:  lir>t,  the 
eldest,  whose   inline   was  Jaiiiinrius,  was  scourged   with 

thongs  loaded  with  lead  until  he  died  ;  next  to  him, 
Felix  and  Philip  were  beaten  with  clubs  ;  Sylvanue  was 

flung  from  a  rock  ;  and   Alexander,  Yitali.-.  and  Martial 

were  decapitated.  During  their  Bufferings  the  mother 
heroically  Btood  by,  and  ceased  not  to  comfort  and 
encourage  them ;  and  when  she  beheld  them  extended 
in  death  before  her,  -he  lifted  up  her  voice  ami  blessed 
(tod  that  she  hud  brought  forth  Beven  rans worth]  t<> 
be  saints  in  paradise.  Her  hope  was  to  follow  them 
speedily  ;  but  the  tyrant,  through  a  refinement  of  cruelty, 
caused  her  life  to  be  prolonged  for  four  month.-  in  prison, 
in  order  that  she  might  Buffer  a  daily  martyrdom  of 
agony,  hoping  to  subdue  her  -|>irit  through  affliction 

but  -he  remained  firm  in  the  faith,  -till  refusing  -teadily 

and  meekly  to  yield,  and  desiring  no  other  men*]  hut 
that  of  speedily  following  her  martyred  children.     A 
length  the  nme  iii  her  deliverance  arrived,  and.  being 
dragged  from  prison,  she  was  tortured  in  various  ways, 
uml  then  beheaded;  or.  as  lome  say,  thrown  into  a 


ST.  FELICITA&  AND  HER  SEVEN  SONS.  257 

caldron  of  boiling  oil.     This  happened  on  the  23d  day 
of  November,  a.  d.  173." 

St.  Felicitas  bears  the  palm  as  martyr;  as  matron 
and  widow  she  is  hooded  or  veiled,  with  ample  drapery, 
as  in  a  beautiful  figure  by  Spinello :  *  she  is  usually 
accompanied  by  her  seven  sons.  The  earliest  example 
is  a  most  curious  fragment  of  fresco,  found  in  the  cata- 
combs, and  now  preserved  in  the  Vatican.  She  is 
standing  in  the  midst  of  her  sons,  with  arms  outspread 
m  prayer,  and  of  colossal  proportions  compared  with 
the  other  figures,  who  are  ranged  in  a  line  on  each  side, 
and  their  names  inscribed  above. 

In  a  singular  picture,  attributed  to  Neri  de'  Bieci  (a. 
d.  1476),  and  now  preserved  in  the  sacristy  of  the  church 
of  Santa  Felicita  at  Florence,  she  is  seated  on  a  throne, 
a  majestic  colossal  figure,  holding  in  one  hand  the  Gos- 
pel, which  rests  on  her  knee,  in  the  other  the  palm, 
while  her  sons,  small  in  proportion,  and  treated  as 
accessaries  or  attributes,  are  ranged  on  each  side,  the 
youngest  standing  rather  in  front.  All  have  palms  and 
golden  glories,  and  wear  rich  dresses  ;  and  all  but  the 
youngest  appear  as  warriors. 

By  Garbieri.  St.  Felicitas  presents  her  seven  sons 
at  the  feet  of  the  Madonna  and  Child.  In  the  church 
of  St.  Maurice  at  Mantua. 

In  the  so-called  "  Martyrdom  of  St.  Felicitas,"  a 
famous  composition  by  Raphael,  a  female  saint  is  repre- 
sented standing  in  a  caldron  or  bath,  her  hands  clasped 
in  prayer.  Two  headless  bodies  lie  on  the  ground  : 
the  prefect  is  seen  on  his  tribunal  surrounded  by  his 
lictors,  and  groups  of  amazed  or  sympathizing  spec- 
tators are  standing  around.  An  angel,  exquisite  for 
grace  and  movement,  and  cleaving  the  air  like  a  bird, 
comes  down  from  above  with  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  we  have  here  the  death  of 
St.  Cecilia,  and  not  the  death  of  St.  Felicitas  ;  that 
this   was   the   subject    designed   by  Raphael   probably 

*  One  of  the  attendant  figures  in  a  Coronation  of  the  Virgiu,  in 
the  Florence  Academy. 

VOL.    II.  J  7 


25S        SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY   ART. 

about  tlio  time  thai  In-  painted  the  St.  Cecilia  al  Ro- 
logna,  and  that  1 1 1  *  -  print  was  afterwards  misnamed.* 

TV  M'vm  Jewish  brethren,  who  with  their  heroic 
mother  are  celebrated  in  the  Second  Book  of  Macca- 
bees, are  Bometimes  introduced  into  ecclesiastical  di 
ration.     They  have  a  place  among  the  Greek  martyrs, 
and  tin1  representation  is  bo  exactly  1  ik<-  that  fit'  St. 

Felieitas  and  her  sons,  that  I  know  imt  liow  to  distin- 
guish them  further  than  to  observe,  that  in  churches 
constructed  under  the  influence  of  Byzantine  An,  seven 
young  martyrs  grouped  together  with  their  mother  most 
probably  represent  the  Jewish  brethren  [let  sept  Madia- 
b4es] ;  for  St.  Pelicitas,  though  so  famous  in  the  W<  it, 
wa.-  not  accepted  in  1 1 1*-  East.t 

*  Tin;  composition  was  paint,  d  by  one  of  the  pupils  of  Rapli at  1 
on  tin-  led  wall  ..f  the  chapel  of  the  VtUa  tfagliani,  near  Boom  ; 
but  it  la  nearly  destroyed.  The  fine  engraving  of  Marc  Antonio 
ii .-.  however,  preserved  the  original  design  In  all  its  beauty. 

t  Ihe  contusion  winch  anciently  exUted  between  these  Jewish 

and   Christian  martyrs  was   inch  that  the   name  "f   K  licitas  was 

given  to  the  mother  of  the  Maccabees.  The  church  of  Santa 
FeUoita  at  Florence  stands  where  stood  a  chapel  dedicated  to  the 
Sctte  Maccabei,  and  the  hymn  in  the  ancient  office  Ol  the  '  hurch 
shows  that  the  two  mothers  were  confounded  uuder  the  same 
name .  — 

*8alve  !  Banota  Felicitas 

Noblllbul  nun  liliis, 

Tn  Dorid  i  II  Bunditaa 
Ornata  septt-m  ftliis, 

Vos  1    .'■    -ul,  M.-aica 
\  ixistis  corile  simplicc, 
I'nrrcptatpn-  Dominica 
Servastis  menle  aupplice  !  " 

V.  Uicua,  Chiese  Fiorrntine,  ix 


ST.    VERONICA.  259 

St.  Vehonica. 
Ital.  Santa  Veronica.     Fr.  Sainte  V6ronique. 

Th«  festival  of  St.  Veronica  (La  Sainte  Face  de  J.  C.)  is  held  on 
Shrove  Tuesday. 

It  is  an  ancient  tradition,  that  when  our  Saviour  was 
on  his  way  to  Calvary,  bearing  his  cross,  he  passed  by 
the  door  of  a  compassionate  woman,  who,  beholding 
the  drops  of  aj^ony  on  his  brow,  wiped  his  face  with  a 
napkin,  or  as  others  say,  with  her  veil,  and  the  features 
of  Christ  remained  miraculously  impressed  upon  the 
linen.  To  this  image  was  given  the  name  of  Vera 
Icon,  the  true  image,  and  the  cloth  itself  was  styled  the 
Sudarium  (Ital.  II  Sudario  ;  Fr.  Le  Saint  Suaire).  All 
the  stories  relative  to  the  sudarium  belong  properly  to 
the  legendary  life  of  Christ ;  I  shall  therefore  only  ob- 
serve here,  that  the  name  given  to  the  image  was  insen- 
sibly transferred  to  the  woman  of  whom  the  legend  is 
related.  The  active  imagination  of  the  people  invented 
a  story  for  her,  according  to  which  she  was  Veronica  or 
Berenice,  the  niece  of  King  Herod,  being  the  daughter 
of  his  sister  Salome,  who  had  been  devoted  to  the  pomps 
and  vanities  of  the  world,  but,  on  witnessing  the  suffer- 
ing and  meekness  of  the  Saviour,  was  suddenly  con- 
verted. The  miraculous  power  of  the  sacred  image 
impressed  upon  her  napkin  being  universally  recog- 
nized, she  was  sent  for  by  the  Emperor  Tiberius  to  cure 
him  of  a  mortal  malady.  But  the  wicked  emperor 
having  already  breathed  his  last,  she  remained  at  Rome 
in  company  with  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  until  she 
suffered  martyrdom  under  Nero  ;  or,  according  to  an- 
other legend,  she  came  to  Europe  in  the  same  vessel 
with  Lazarus  and  Mary  Magdalene,  and  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom either  in  Provence  or  Aquitaine.  I  think  it 
unnecessary  to  enter  further  into  these  legends,  which 
have  been  rejected  by  the  Church  since  the  eleventh 


26j       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  MtT 

century.  But  the  memory  of  the  compassionate  woman, 
and  the  legend  of  the  miracolons  image,  continue  to  l>o 
blended  in  the  imaginations  of  the  people.  In  the 
ancient  pictures  of  the  procession  to  Calvary,  St.  Ve- 
ronica  is  Beldom  omitted. 

The  devotional  figures  always  represent  her  as  dis- 
playing the  Bacred  handkerchief.  Sometimes,  in  allu- 
sion to  the  legend,  she  is  Btanding  between  St.  Peter 
and  St.  Paul,  as  in  a  picture  by  Ugo  da  Carpi  in  the 
ristj  of  the  Vatican  ;  and  in  a  woodcut  by  Albert 
Dtirer,  —  very  fine  and  solemn.  Sometimes  tlie  mirac- 
ulotis  image  is  of  colossal  proportions  ;  as  in  a  vary 
curious  old  picture  in  the  Boisseree  Gallery.  In  St. 
Peter's  at  Koine,  one  of  the  chapels  under  the  dome  is 
dedicated  to  St.  Veronica.  An  ancient  image  of  our 
Saviour,  painted  on  linen,  and  >tyled  the  Vera  [eon,* 
is  regarded  by  the  people  as  the  veritable  napkin  of 
St.  Veronica,  and  is  exhibited  among  the  relics  of  the 
church.  In  this  chapel  the  mosaic  over  the  altar,  after 
a  design  by  Andrea  Sacchi,  represents  the   Saviour 

Binking  under  the  weight  of  the  CT088,  and  St.    Yeroniea 

kneeling  beside  him  in  white.     It  is  a  rimple,  elegant 

Composition,  very  matter  of  faet,  and  QOt  in  the  least 
either  my.-teriou-  or  poetical. 


I  have  now  clone  with  the   Roman    Martyr.-.      Those 

which  follow  here  are  honored  principally  in  the  north 
ol  Italy,  and  their  effigies  are  to  be  found  in  the  works 
of  Art  in  Tuscany,  Lombardy,  and   Venice.     I  have 

lidded    those  few   French  and    Spanish    BaintS  who  have 

i general  interest  in  connection  with  Art,  either  because 
their  celebrity  has  been  widely  diffused,  or  because  of 
the  beauty  and  importance  of  those  productions  In 
ivhich  they  have  been  represented. 

■   Wham  U  la  I  it  the  name  of  yeroniea  li  derived. 


MARTYRS    OF    TUSCANY,    LOMBARDY, 
SPAIN,   AND    FRANCE. 


HE  early  Martyrs,  who  figure  almost  exclu- 
sively in  pictures  of  the  Tuscan  schools,  are 
rather  curious  as  subjects  of  ancient  Art, 
than  either  interesting  or  celebrated. 

St.  Reparata  was  for  six  hundred  years  (from  680 
to  1298)  the  chief  patroness  of  Florence.  According 
to  the  old  Florentine  legend,  she  was  a  virgin  of  Cesarea 
in  the  province  of  Cappadocia,  and  bravely  suffered  a 
cruel  martyrdom  in  the  persecution  under  Decius,  when 
only  twelve  years  old.  She  was,  after  many  tortures, 
beheaded  by  the  sword  ;  and  as  she  fell  dead,  her  pure 
spirit  was  seen  to  issue  from  her  mouth  in  form  of  a 
dove,  which  winged  its  way  to  heaven. 

The  Duomo  at  Florence  was  formerly  dedicated  to 
St.  Reparata ;  but  about  1298  she  appears  to  have  been 
deposed  from  her  dignity  as  sole  patroness  ;  the  city 
was  placed  under  the  immediate  tutelage  of  the  Virgin 
and  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  the  church  of  St.  Repa- 
rata was  dedicated  anew  under  the  title  of  Santa  Maria- 
del-Fiore. 

I  have  never  seen  any  representation  of  Santa  Rep- 
arata except  in  the  old  Florentine  pictures.  In  these 
she  is  frequently  introduced  standing  alone  or  near  the 
Madonna,  bearing  the  crown  and  palm  as  martyr,  and 
sometimes  also  a  banner,  on  which  is  a  red  cross  on  a 
white  ground. 


26z       SACRED  AND  LEGENDAR]    ART. 

In  fi  picture  1 1 y  Angelo  Gaddi  she  wears  a  green  robe, 
and  bears  the  crown,  hook,  and  banner.  In  another 
ancient  Florentine  picture  Bhe  is  in  a  white  robe  and 
reel  mantle,  with  the  same  attributes,  in  a  grand  com 
position  of  Fro  Bartolomeo,  representing  the  Madonna 
Burrounded  by  many  Baints,  n n>  1  especially  the  i 
lectors  of  Florence,  St.  Reparata,  who  is  on  the  left  of 
tin-  Virgin,  bean  the  palm,  ami  leans  her  hand  mi  the 
lunik,  she  i-  sometimes  represented  Btanding  with  St. 
Ansano,  the  patron  of  Biena,  as  in  a  picture  by  Simone 
Menmii.*     Such  pictures,  I  apprehend,  must  have  been 

painted  when   Florence  and    Siena  were  at  peace.       It  is 

difficult  to  distinguish  St.  Reparata  from  St.  Ursula, 

unlc.-s  where  the    latter  saint    hear.-   her  javelin  :    where 

there  is  a  doubt,  ami  the  picture  is  undeniably  Fiona- 

tine,  the  locality  ami  the  traditions  muBl  he  consulted. 

Another  saint,  who  is  sometimes  represented  in  the 

old  Florentine  pictures,  is  St   Verdiana  (a.  i>.  1S22), 

usually  dres.-ed   a.s  a    Vallomhrosian   nun,   hut   she  did 

not  belong  to  any  order,     she  is  represented  with 
pents  feeding  from  her  basket 


Who,  that  remembers  Florence,  does  not  remember 
well  the  S  \s  M  i m  \  mi  in  Monte  towering  on  it.s  lofty 
eminence  above  the  city,  and  risible  along  the  Lung1 

Arno  from  the  I'oiite  al!c  <  .r.i/ic  to  the  1'ontc  alia  ( Jar- 
raja  '  —  ami  the  enchanting  riews  of  the  valley  of  the 
Arno  as  seen  from  tin-  marble  steps  of  the  ancient 
church  '  —  and  the  old  dismantled  fortress  defended  by 
Michael  Angelo  against  the  Medici'  —  ami  the  long 
avenue  of  cypresses  and  tin-  declivities  robed  in  vine- 
raids  ami  olive  grounds  between  the  gate  of  San  Mini- 
uto  ami  the  lofty  heights  above  '  Hut  for  the  old  saint 
himself,  he  ha-  fared  not  much  better  than  St  Repa- 

According  to  the  Florentine  legend,  St.  Miniai  "r 

•  ah  tii'  i  tin  i    r-  dm  Qattarjr. 


ST.  ANSANO.  263 

Miniato  was  an  Armenian  prince  serving  in  the  Roman 
avmy  under  Decius.  Being  denounced  as  a  Christian, 
he  was  brought  before  the  emperor,  who  was  then  en- 
camped  upon  a  hill  outside  the  gates  of  Florence,  and 
who  ordered  him  to  be  thrown  to  the  beasts  in  the  Am- 
phitheatre. A  panther  was  let  loose  upon  him,  but  when 
he  called  upon  our  Lord  he  was  delivered  ;  he  then  suf- 
fered the  usual  torments,  being  cast  into  a  boiling  cal- 
dron, and  afterwards  suspended  to  a  gallows,  stoned, 
and  shot  with  javelins  ;  but  in  his  agony  an  angel  de- 
scended to  comfort  him,  and  clothed  him  in  a  garment 
of  light :  finally  he  was  beheaded.  His  martyrdom  is 
placed  in  the  year  254. 

There  is  a  town  bearing  his  name  half-way  between 
Florence  and  Pisa,  celebrated  as  the  birthplace  of  Fran- 
cesco Sforza,  and  the  first  seat  of  the  Buonaparte  fam. 

iiy- 

Effigies  of  this  saint  are  confined  to  Tuscany ;  all 
those  I  have  seen  are  in  his  church  near  Florence,  never 
having  visited  the  cathedral  at  San-Miniato.  He  is 
represented  in  the  attire  of  a  prince,  with  a  scarlet  robe, 
a  golden  crown,  one  or  two  javelins  in  his  hand,  a  lily 
and  a  palm  ;  and  is  thus  exhibited  in  a  very  old  picture 
of  the  Giotto  school,  with  his  life  in  eight  small  com- 
partments painted  around  the  principal  figure. 

The  Greek  mosaic  in  the  choir  of  his  church  (elev- 
enth century),  represents  him  as  standing  on  one  side 
of  Christ  (the  Virgin  and  St.  John  on  the  other) ;  he 
wears  the  regal  crown  and  mantle,  and  holds  the  Greek 
cross.  An  old  fresco,  engraved  in  the  "  Etruria  Pit- 
trice,"  represents  him  with  similar  attributes. 

St.  Ansano  appears  only  in  the  pictures  of  the  an- 
cient Siena  school.  He  was,  until  the  end  of  the  thir- 
teenth century,  the  chief  patron  of  the  city  of  Siena; 
but  his  popularity  has  waned  before  that  of  the  modern 
yatrons,  St.  Bernardino  and  St.  Catherine. 

Ansanus  Tranquillinus  was  the  son  of  a  noble  Ro- 
man.    His  nurse,  Maxima,  a  Christian  woman,  caused 


z64       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Iiim  t<>  be  Becretly  baptized  :  be  grew  op  to  the  a^c  of 
nineteen  in  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  then  disclosed  his 
religion,  converting  and  baptizing  man]  ;  hence  hi 
considered  as  the  apostle  of  Siena  In  the  terrible  per 
Becntion  under  Diocletian,  after  many  Bufferings  and 
many  miracles,  operated  through  faith  and  charity, 
Ansanns  was  beheaded  <>n  the  banks  of  tin-  aver 
Arbia.* 

St.  Ansani)  appean  in  the  Siena  pictures  a-  a  youth 
richly  dressed,  bearing  the  palm.  The  city  with  its 
massive  towers  is  often  introduced  into  the  background  i 
sometimes  as  patron,  he  carries  il  in  his  hand.  As  one 
\vln>  preached  the  faith,  and  baptized,  he  bean  also  the 
standard  of  the  cross. 

There  is  a  graceful  figure  of  St  Ansano  in  a  picture 
by  Simone  Memmi,  in  which  be  holds  a  palm  with  a 
cluster  of  dates  depending  from  it  ;  the  companion  tij,r- 
ure,  called  in  the  catalogue  St.  Julitta,  a  .-aim  .win  >  had 
no  connection  with  this  pan  of  Italy,  1  suppose  to  be 
St.  Reparata.1  A  fine  Btatue  of  St.  Anaano  baptizing 
the  Sienese  converts  is  in  the  Duomo  of  Siena. 

^wn'l'iw  i^  scarcely  known,  I  believe,  beyond 
tin'  wall>  uf  the  little  town  of  San  Gemignano.  Sho 
was  not  properly  a  martyr,  m>t  having  died  a  riolenJ 
death  ;  but  Nuil:  and  cruel  Bufferings  from  disease,  en- 
dured not  only  with  patience  bul  cheerfulness,  during 
which  sin-  worked  with  her  hands  a.s  Long  as  il  was  pos- 
sible, and  ministered  to  the  poor,  procured  her  the  honor 
of  canonization.  The  people  regarded  her,  while  In  ing, 
with  enthusiastic  veneration;  and  it  is  related,  that  at 
the  m sni  of  Iht  death  all  the  IkIU  in  San  Gemigna- 
no tolled  spontaneously,  untouched  by  human  bands  ; 
—  a  poetical  figure  of  speech,  expressing  the  intense 
ami  universal  grief.  She  had  been  warned  of  her  ap- 
proaching end  by  a  vision  of  St.  Gregory,  whom  Bhe 
held  in  especial  honor;  and  when  borne  to  the  place  of 
sepulture,  she  was  teen  to  raise  her  emaciated  hand  and 

italogus  Sanctorum  Iti  t  fUxtoa  Qal 


ST.  TORPET.  265 

bless  her  aged  nurse,  who  was  thereupon  delivered  from 
a  grievous  malady. 

All  these  incidents  were  painted  in  the  beautiful  little 
chapel  of  Santa  Fina,  in  the  cathedral  of  San  Gemig- 
nano,  by  Sebastian  Mainardi,  with  a  delicate  and  pa- 
thetic grace,  and  a  truth  and  tenderness  of  sentiment, 
worthy  of  Angelico  himself.  There  are  no  tragic  hor- 
rors, little  to  strike  the  eye  or  seize  the  attention  ;  but 
the  whole  story,  as  expressed  in  Art,  is  the  glorification 
of  feminine  patience,  fortitude,  and  charity.  St.  Fina 
died  on  the  12th  of  March,  1253. 


Effigies  of  St.  Torpe,  or  Torpet,  appear  to  be  pe- 
culiar to  the  locality  of  Pisa ;  he  was  the  patron  saint 
of  that  city,  until  superseded  by  San  Ranieri.  Accord- 
ing to  the  Pisan  legend,  he  was  a  noble  Roman,  who 
served  in  the  guards  of  the  Emperor  Nero,  was  con- 
verted by  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  suffered  martyrdom  for 
the  faith  in  the  year  70  (May  IT).  The  perpetual  in- 
tercourse between  the  ports  of  Western  Italy  and  those 
of  Provence  introduced  St.  Torpe  into  France,  where 
he  was  long  known  and  venerated  under  the  name  of 
St.  Tropes.  The  port  of  St.  Tropez,  east  of  Marseilles, 
bears  his  name,  and  has  a  fine  old  church  dedicated  to 
his  memory. 

Except  in  the  churches  of  Pisa,  I  have  not  met  with 
St.  Torpe.  In  the  Duomo  there,  is  a  picture  represent- 
ing him  as  a  Roman  warrior,  and  bearing  the  white 
banner  with  a  red  cross  :  anywhere  else  he  might  be 
mistaken  for  a  St.  George.  In  the  same  church  is  his 
martyrdom  ;  he  is  beheaded  by  an  executioner. 

The  old  Pisan  chronicle  relates,  that  in  a  frightful 
dearth  caused  by  the  want  of  rain,  the  bed  of  the  Arno 
being  completely  dry,  the  head  of  St.  Torpe  was  carried 
in  grand  procession  through  the  city  ;  and  such  was  the 
efficacy  of  his  intercession,  that  a  sudden  flood  descend- 
ing from  the  mountains  not  only  overflowed  the  banks 


166       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

of  tin-  river,  bul  swept  away  part  of  the  pious  proces- 
uon,  and  with  it  the  head  of  the  Baint  The  people 
were  in  despair;  bat,  lo!  two  angels  appeared  to  the 
rescae,  dived  under  the  waves,  and  brought  up  the  head, 
which  they  restored  to  the  hands  of  t h«-  archbishop. 
This  picturesque  Btory  is  also  represented  in  the  I  tnomo 
at  Pisa. 

St.  Torpe  does  not  appear  in  the  most  ancient  works 
ofPisau  An,  nut  even  in  the  Campo  Santo :  before  the 

thirteenth  century  be  had  been  c pletely  eclipsed  by 

St.  Ranieri ;  bnl  in  the  seventeenth  century  liis  celeb- 
rity revived,  ami  all  the  pictures  I  saw  of  him  were  of 
that  period. 

St.    EPHBSDS   ami    St.    POTITUB    (Sant'   EfeSO  ami 
San   Podto)  an'  also,  I    believe,  peculiar  to  Pisu.      The 

ml  relates  that  St  Ephesus,  an  officer  in  the  service 
of  the  Emperor  Diocletian,  was  sent  to  destroy  all  the 
Christians  in  Sardinia;  bat,  being  warned  in  a  dream 

1 1 « » r  In  persecute  the  .-ervants  of  the  I.uril,  he  turned  his 
arms  against    the  Pagans,  ami  with    his  friend  St.  l'oti- 

tit-.,  a  native  of  Cagliari,  Buffered  martyrdom  in  the 
Christian  cause. 

The  Pisans  ha\  ini;  Subdued  the  island  of  Sardinia  in 

the  eleventh  century,  bore  the  relics  of  these  two  Sar- 
dinian Miints  in  triumph  to  their  city,  and  placed  them 
within  the  precincts  of  the'  Duomo. 

The  legend  of  St.  Ephesus  i.-  among  the  frescos  of 
the  Campo  Santo,  painted  by  Spinello  Aretino. 

1.  lie    kneels,    ill   the    hahit    of  a  warrior,  before    the 

Roman  emperor,  and  receives  his  commission  to  extir- 
pate the  Christiana.      On  the  other  side  i-  seen   the 
apparition  of  our  Lord,  w ho  commands  him  to  di 
from  persecuting  the  servants  of  Christ 

2.  St.  Ephesus,  having    become  a  Christian  soldier, 

fights  against  the  heathen,  and  receives  from  St.  Mi- 
chael, an  armed  angelic  warrior  on  horseback,  the 
Christian  standard  (the  cross  on  the  red  -found,  which 
Ls  the  standard  of  Pisa) ;  in  the  next  compartment  be 


ST.  JULIAN.  267 

fs  seen  combating  the  Pagans,  assisted  by  St.  Michael. 
The  insular  position  of  Sardinia,  with  regard  to  Pisa, 
is  expressed  by  water  flowing  round  it,  with  fishes,  &c. 
3.  The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Ephesus ;  he  is  seen  in  a 
blue  robe  embroidered  with  stars,  kneeling,  unharmed, 
in  the  midst  of  a  fiery  furnace,  while  the  flames  issuing 
from  it  destroy  the  soldiers  and  executioners. 

Three  other  compositions,  which  represented  the 
martyrdom  of  St.  Potito,  and  the  translation  of  the 
relics  from  Sardinia  to  Pisa,  are  now  wholly  ruined 
,*nd  effaced. 

St.  Liberale  (April  37),  venerated  in  the  Friuli, 
is  said  to  be  represented  by  Giorgione  in  a  beautiful 
picture  now  in  the  Duomo  at  Castelfranco,  anil  in  a 
picture  by  Varottari,  in  S.  M.  dei  Carmine  at  Venice.* 


The  patron  saint  of  Rimini  is  St.  Julian  of  Cilicia, 
one  of  the  Greek  martyrs  who  have  been  celebrated  in 
Western  Art.  Nothing  is  known  or  recorded  of  him 
but  the  courage  with  which  he  endured  a  cruel  and 
prolonged  martyrdom,  of  which  St.  Chrysostom  has 
given  a  full  account.  I  imagine  that  it  is  this  St.  Ju- 
lian of  Rimini  who  is  introduced  into  a  splendid  picture 
by  Lorenzo  Credi,  as  the  pendant  of  St.  Nicholas  of 
Bari ;  they  wrould  naturally  be  placed  together  as  patron 
saints  of  two  of  the  greatest  ports  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  Adriatic.  He  is  also  standing  with  St.  Nicholas,  and 
accompanied  by  St.  Barbara  and  St.  Christina  kneel- 
ing, in  a  beautiful  little  "  Coronation  of  the  Virgin," 
by  the  same  painter.  In  the  devotional  pictures,  St. 
Julian  is  represented  young  and  graceful,  often  with 
flowing   hair ;   with  a   melancholy   yet   benign   aspect, 

*  The  figure  called  St.  Liberale  (more  probably  a  St.  George), 
by  Giorgioue,  is  the  same  figure  (uearly)  as  the  little  St.  George 
which  belonged  to  Mr.  Rogers,  and  which  is  now  in  the  National 
Gallery. 


268       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

richly  dressed  in  the  Becnlar  habit,  bearing  bis  palm, 
sometimes  the  standard  of  victory,  and  the  Bword. 

Hi-  whole  history  is  painted  in  the  church  of  Ban 
Giuliano  at  Rimini.  One  of  tin-  scenes  represents  him 
as  thrown  into  the  Bea  in  a  sack  full  of  Berpents:  in 
another  the  sarcophagus  containing  his  body  is  guided 
over  the  waves  by  angels  till  it  arrives  on  the  Bhores  of 
the  territory  of  Rimini.  1  have  never  Been  these  pic- 
tures, which  are  by  Bettino,  an  early  artist  of  Rimini, 
and  dated  1408 ;  but  Lord  Lindsaj  praises  them  high- 
ly.* In  the  same  church  is  the  Martyrdom  of  the 
saint,  over  the  high  altar,  by  Paul  Verom 

There  are  no  leas  than  twelve  saint-  of  this  name; 
but  the  two  most  famous  are  this  St.  .Julian  the  Mar- 
tyr, who  is  represented  young,  and  with  the  palm  and 
Bword;  and  St.  Julian  Bospitator,  the  patron  saint  <it' 
travellers,  who  is  generally  in  the  drees  of  a  hermit,  and 
accompanied  by  a  Btag. 


The  martyrs  who  appear  in  the  pictures  of  t In-  Lom- 
bard Bchool,  though  in  some  instances  obscure,  and 
confined  to  certain  localities,  are  interesting  from  the 

h.aiitv  and  value  of  the  pictures  in  which  they  arc  rc]>- 

resented. 
I  begin  with  those  of  Milan. 


Si     fjh  ,:\  \-n  -    \m.    Si      I'i;<>t\siu8. 

Itaj.    s-  BY.  B(     ik-rvais  ct  Bt   PMtalC 

Jane  19,  a.  d.  09. 

Tin.  pamon  for  relics  (for  I  can  call  it  by  no  other 
name)  which  prevailed  from  the  third  to  the  fourteenth 
rentury,  had  been  introduced  from  the  imaginative 
East;  and,  as   1  have  already  observed,   may  he  ac- 

•  i    Bki  i'ii.  ■  ..r  ChriatUn  Art. 


S3".  GERVA81U&  AND  ST.  PROTASIUS.   269 

counted  for  oil  the  most  natural  grounds.  The  remains 
of  those  who  had  perished  nobly  for  an  oppressed  faith 
were  first  buried  with  reverential  tears,  and  then  guarded 
with  reverential  care.  Periodical  feasts  were  celebrated 
on  their  tombs, — the  love-feasts  (agapce)  of  the  ancient 
Christians  :  subsequently,  their  remains  were  transferred 
to  places  of  worship,  and  deposited  under  the  table  or 
altar  from  which  the  sacrament  was  distributed.  Such 
places  of  worship  were  supposed,  of  course,  to  derive  an 
especial  sanctity,  and  thence  an  especial  celebrity,  from 
the  possession  of  the  relics  of  martyrs  highly  and  uni- 
versally honored.  I  have  not  time  to  trace  more  in 
detail  the  growing  influence  of  such  impressions  on  the 
popular  mind  ;  but  to  this  particular  aspect  of  religious 
enthusiasm  we  owe  some  of  the  grandest  remains  of 
ancient  Art,  in  architecture,  sculpture,  and  painting. 

Already,  in  the  fourth  century,  no  sacred  edifice  was 
deemed  complete,  or  could  lay  claim  to  the  reverence 
of  the  people,  unless  it  could  boast  the  possession  of 
some  hallowed  remains ;  and  as  the  offerings  of  the 
faithful  were  multiplied  by  their  devotion,  it  became  too 
much  the  interest  of  the  priesthood  to  lend  themselves 
to  these  pious  impositions  ;  and  even  the  churchmen  of 
the  highest  rank  for  energy  and  intellect  were  either 
seized  by  the  prevalent  enthusiasm,  or  turned  it  to  ac- 
count for  their  own  interests  and  purposes. 

When  St.  Ambrose  founded  a  new  church  at  Milan 
(a.  d.  387),  the  people  besought  him  to  consecrate  it 
by  some  holy  relics :  these,  however,  were  not  easily 
procured ;  at  that  time  they  had  not  become  articles  of 
barter  or  merchandise.  St.  Ambrose  was  most  anxious 
to  gratify  his  faithful  people ;  it  was  also  an  object  of 
importance  to  intercept  some  of  the  pilgrims,  who  day 
by  day  passed  by  the  city  of  Milan  on  their  way  to  the 
shrines  at  Rome.  The  legend  goes  on  to  relate,  that, 
"  while  possessed  with  these  thoughts,  St.  Ambrose 
went  to  pray  in  the  church  of  St.  Nabor  and  St.  Felix ; 
and  as  he  knelt,  a  kind  of  trance,  which  was  not  ex- 
actly sleep,  fell  upon  him.     In  a  vision  he  beheld  two 


27o       SACRKD  AND  LEGENDARY   ART. 

young  men,  of  incomparable  beauty,  clothed  in  white 
garments;  with  them  were  St  Peter  and  St.  Paul  :  and 
it  was  revealed  to  St  Ambrose  that  these  two  young 
men  were  martyrs  whose  bodies  U13  near  the  Bpol  where 
be  knell  He  then  convoked  his  clergy,  and  com- 
manded that  Bearch  Bhonld  be  made,  and  the  bodies  of 
two  men  were  discovered  in  the  >|  ><  >i  indicated.  They 
were  of  gigantic  Bize,  their  heads  were  found  separated 
from  the  bodies,  and  a  quantity  of  blood  was  in  the 
tomb  ;  also  a  record  or  writing  dix  lu>in-  their  names 
and   fate." 

They  were  Gervasius  and  Protasius,  —  twin  brothers, 

who  bad  Buffered  tor  the  faith  under  the  Emperor  Nero. 
Having  been  Bent  hound  to  Milan,  together  with  Naza- 

rus  and   (Vlsus,   they   were   drought    before   Count  Ar- 

te.-ius,  who,  Bharing  in  the  enmity  of  his  master  against 
the  <  Ihristians,  commanded  them  to  sacrifice  to  hi*  idols. 
On  their  refusal,  he  condemned  Gervasius  to  be  beaten 
to  death  with  Bcourges  loaded  with  lead;  and  ordered 
Protasius  to  be  beheaded.  A  good  man,  whose  nam.' 
u;h  Philip,  carried  home  their  bodies  and  buried  them 
honorably  in  his  own  garden  ;  and  they  remained  undis- 
covered until  this  wonderful  revelation  to  St.  Ambrose. 
on  the  Becond  day  alter  the  discover]  ot  the  relief,  they 
were  borne  in  solemn  procession  to  the  Basilica.  And 
as  thev  passed  along  the  Btreets,  many  of  those  who 
were  sick  or  possessed  by  evil  Bpirits  threw  themselves 
iu  the  way,  that  thej  might  touch  the  drapery  with 
which  the  bodies  were  covered  ;  and  immediately  they 
were  healed.  Among  these  wasa  man  named  Several, 
well  known  to  all  the  city,  who  had  been  blind  for  many 

years,    and  was   reduced    to    live   upon   the   alms  trf  the 

charitable:  having  obtained  permission  to  touch  the 
bones  of  these  holj  martyrs,  he  was  restored  to  sight ; 
which  miracle,  hem-  performed  before  all  the  multitude 
who  accompanied  the  procession,  admitted  of  no  doubt; 
niel  raised  the  popular  enthusiasm  to  it>  height  St 
Ambrose  gave  thanks  to  God  lor  his  mercy,  and  laid 
the  bones  of  the  martyrs  beneath  the  altar,  saying,  "  I*  * 


ST.  GERVASfUS  AND  ST.  PROTASIUS.   271 

the  victims  l>c  borne  in  triumph  to  the  place  where 
Christ  is  the  sacrifice  :  he  upon  the  altar,  who  suffered 
for  all ;  they  beneath  the  altar,  who  were  redeemed  by 
his  suffering  !  "  The  Arians,  the  enemies  of  Ambrose, 
did  not  only  mock  at  this  revelation,  they  even  accused 
him  of  having  bribed  Severus  and  others  to  play  a  part 
in  this  religious  drama  ;  but  his  authority  carried  every- 
where conviction,  and  the  church  was  dedicated  under 
the  names  of  the  new  saints  Gervasius  and  Protasius. 
After  the  death  of  St.  Ambrose,  who  was  laid  in  the 
same  spot,  it  took  his  name,  and  is  now  "  Sant'  Am- 
brogio  Maggiore,"  one  of  the  most  remarkable  churches 
in  Christendom.  It  does  not  appear  that  St.  Gervasius 
and  St.  Protasius  obtained  great  popularity  either  in 
Italy  or  Spain ;  even  at  Milan  they  are  less  esteemed 
than  several  other  saints.  But  it  is  otherwise  in  France. 
Some  part  of  their  relics  having  been  carried  thither  by 
St.  Germain,  bishop  of  Paris,  in  560,  their  story  at 
once  seized  upon  the  popular  imagination ;  under  their 
French  names  St.  Gervais  et  St.  Protais,  they  became 
the  patron  saints  of  five  or  six  cathedrals,  and  of  parish 
churches  innumerable.  The  best  pictures  of  these  saints 
are  to  be  met  with  in  the  French  school.  In  the  de- 
votional effigies  they  usually  stand  together,  Gervasius 
bearing  a  scourge  with  the  thongs  loaded  with  lead,  as 
in  the  legend,  and  Protasius  bearing  the  sword.  Where 
one  only  is  represented,  it  is  St.  Gervasius. 

At  Venice,  in  the  church  of  SS.  Protasio-e-Gervasio, 
called  by  the  people,  after  their  peculiar  manner  of  ab- 
breviation, San  Trovaso,  there  is  a  picture  by  Lazza- 
riui,  of  the  two  saints  in  glory,  carrying  palms,  not 
very  good. 

The  fine  pictures  relating  to  the  history  of  these 
saints,  executed  when  the  convent  of  St.  Gervais  at 
Paris  was  at  the  height  of  its  riches  and  popularity, 
are  now  dispersed ;  they  were  the  chefi-d' ceuvre  of  the 
French  school  of  the  seventeenth  century,  when  distin- 
guished by  such  artists  as  Niccolo  Poussin,  Le  Sueur, 
and  Champagne. 


z-z       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

I.  St.  Ambrose  sees  in  ;t  vision  Gerrasios  sad  Pro- 
tasius,  who  are  presented  t<>  him  by  St.  Paul.  -i.  St. 
Ambrose,  attended  by  bis  clergy,  digs  for  the  relics. 
Two  designs  by  Le  Sueur,  t<>  be  executed  in  Btained 
glass;  verj  fine  and  Bimple.  Engraved  in  Landon, 
and  in  tin'  unsee,  bm  not  now  in  the  Louvre. 

:i.  St.  Gerrasios  and  Protasius,  being  brought  before 
tlir  Btatue  of  Jupiter,  refuse  to  sacrifice  :  many  figures, 
life-size,  and  more  dramatic  than  is  usual  with  Le 
Sueur;  the  beads  <>('  the  two  young  Baints  have  a  pale, 
meek,  refined  grace,  most  expressive  of  their  vocation 
as  Christians,  ami  in  contrast  with  tin-  coarse  forms, 
furious  looks,  and  violent  gestures  <>f  the  pagan  priests 
ami  Boldiers  around  them. 

Far  inferior  arc  the  pictures  of  Champagne,  in  the 
Louvre,  also  large  life-size  compositions,  each  about 
twenty  feet  in  length. 

I.    l'r<ita.-iii>   and  (ier\a>iu.-  appear  In  Si.  Ambrose, 

who  i.-  not  asleep,  but  at  prayer.  2.  The  relics  of  the 
saints  conveyed  in  grand  procession  to  the  basilica  of 

St.   Ambrose    (not    tO    the   cathedral,   where    they   never 

reposed)  :  the  martyred  brothers  lie  extended  on  s  i>ier, 
the  bees  seen  as  it'  newly  dead;  which  is  a  deviation 
from  the  legend  :  the  nek  and  noosossod  crowd  to  kiss 
the  white  drapery  which  lies  over  them,  covered  with 
flowers.  Among  those  who  press  forward  i>  the  blind 
man  Severus;  St.  Ambrose  and  bis  clergy  follow,  .-- i 1 1 jx - 

ing  hymns  ;  both  pictures  are  scenic  and  theatrical,  and 
the  head.-,  com iix mphu  '■  Neither  in  this  picture,  nor 
in  any  others  I  have  -ecu,  are  St.  GerVBSiUS  and  St. 
PlOta>iii-    represented    as    giants,    which,    in    Strict    ad- 

herence  to  the  Btoiy,  tiny  ought  to  have  been. 


\    ording  to  tin-  Ambrosian  legend,  Si    Vnu.is, 

the   hmOUl    martyr  ami    patron  saint    of   Kavcnna,  WSJ 

the  lather  of  St.  Gervasiui  and  Protasius,  solved  in  the 

army  of  the  ESmperOt  Nero,  and  WIS  DM  of  the  converts 


ST.    VI TALIS.  273 

of  St.  Peter.  Seeing  a  Christian  martyr  led  to  death, 
whose  courage  appeared  to  he  sinking,  he  exhorted  him 
to  endure  bravely  to  the  end,  carried  off  his  body,  and 
buried  it  honorably ;  for  which  crime,  as  it  was  then 
considered,  he  was  first  tortured,  and  then  buried  alive. 
His  wife  Valeria,  and  his  two  sons  Gervasius  and  Pro- 
ta.-itis,  fled  to  Milan.  The  church  at  Ravenna,  dedi- 
cated to  this  saint  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Justinian, 
is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  monuments  of  Byzantine 
architecture  in  Italy.  It  was  erected  over  the  spot 
where  he  was  buried  alive,  and  dedicated  hyr  St.  Eclc- 
sias  about  the  year  547.  The  Greek  mosaics  in  the 
vault  of  the  tribune  represent  the  Saviour  seated  on  the 
globe  of  the  universe :  on  his  right  baud  St.  Vitalis 
offers  his  crown  of  martyrdom  ;  and  on  the  left  St. 
Eclesias  presents  his  church.  Round  the  arch  of  the 
choir,  are  the  heads  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  St.  Vitalis, 
St.  Gervasius,  and  St.  Protasius,  in  medallions.  For 
this  church,  Baroccio  painted  the  Martyrdom  of  the 
patron  saint  now  in  the  Brera  at  Milan.  It  is  a  crowded 
composition;  the  executioners  thrust  him  down  into  the 
pit,  and  fling  earth  and  stones  upon  him :  and  among 
the  spectators  are  a  mother  and  her  two  children,  one 
of  whom  presents  a  cherry  to  a  magpie.  I  have  seen 
this  incident  praised  as  expressing  the  complete  inno- 
cence and  unconsciousness  of  the  child  ;  but  it  interferes 
with  the  tragic  solemnity  of  the  scene,  and  is,  to  my 
taste,  trivial  and  disagreeable.  The  celebrity  of  San 
Vitalis  extended,  with  that  of  St.  Gervasius  and  St. 
Protasius,  all  over  Europe  ;  there  are  churches  dedicated 
to  him  not  only  in  Italy,  but  in  France  and  Germany. 

For  the  high  altar  of  the  church  of  San  Vitale,  at 
Venice,  Carpaccio  painted  his  masterpiece, — the  saint, 
habited  as  a  Roman  soldier,  mounted  on  a  white  charger, 
and  bearing  the  Christian  standard  of  victory. 

It  was  in  the  church  of  St.  Nabor  and  St.  Felix 
that  Ambrose  knelt  when  he  was  visited  by  "the  revela- 
tion," as  described  above.  St.  Nabor  and  St.  Felix 
were  two  Christians  of  whom  nothing  more  is  related 

VOL.    II.  l8 


274       8ACRED   AND   LI.UKN  DARY  ART. 

than  that  they  died  for  the  faith  in  the  reign  of  Dio 
cletian.  They  were  martyred  in  the  city  of  Milan, 
buried  by  a  Christian  named  Philip  in  his  garden,  and 
an  oratory  was  built  over  their  remains,  which  in  the 
time  of  St.  Ambrose  tia<l  become  the  church  of  88. 
Nabor  and  Felix  ;  it  i>  now  San  Francesco.  The  old 
mosaics  in  the  chapel  of  San  Satiro  represent  them  in 
Becular  and  classical  costume  ;  but  in  a  picture  by  Sam 
macchini  (a  Coronation  of  the  Virgin  with  several 
saints),  SS.  Nabore  and  Felice  stand  in  from  in  com- 
plete armor.* 


St.  Nazarius  and  St.  Celsus  (/fa/.  58.  Nazaroe 
Celso)  are  two  Milanese  martyrs  of  great  celebrity  in 
Art 

St.  Nazariue  was  the  ton  of  a  Jew  named  Africanns, 
but  his  mother  Perpetua  was  a  Christian,  and  caused 
her  son  to  be  baptized  by  St.  Peter.  Nazarius  grew  up 
under  his  mother's  tuition  a  fervent  Christian,  and, 
accompanied  by  a  young  disciple  Darned  Celsus,  be 
travelled  through  Cisalpine  Gaul,  preaching  the  Gospel 
and  converting  many.  They  came  to  Genoa,  where 
the  people,  being  obstinate  pagans,  laid  hold  of  them 
and  flung  them  jnto  the  sea  ;  hut  the  sea  refused  to 
drown  them  ;  and,  after  many  wanderings,  thej  came 
to  Milan,  where  Gervasius  ami   Protasius  had  testified 

lo  the  truth,  and   Na/arin>  comforted   and   strengthened 

them.    Some  short  time  afterwards  In-  and  his  youthful 
disciple  Celsus  suffered  together,  being  beheaded  out 
hide  the   Porta  Romans  at  Milan.     Tin'  beautiful  an- 
tique church  of  San  Na/aro   Maggiore,  at  Milan,  still 

Standi  a   record  of  their  name.-  and    late. 

I    .11  more  remarkable  is  that  extraordinary  monu- 
ment of  Byzantine  An,  the  church  of  ss.  Nazan 
i  elso  at  Ravenna,  better  known  as  the  « Mausoleum 
,i  Galla  l'laeidi.i,"  i.uilt  ami  dedicated  by  thai  empress 

•    l:   i  vim  <..il 


ST.  LUPO,  ETC.  275 

about  the  year  447.  Among  the  antique  mosaics  with 
which  the  walls  are  covered  I  sought  in  vain  for  the 
tutelary  saints. 

They  are  always  represented  together,  St.  Nazarus 
old,  and  St.  Celsus  as  a  youth  and  sometimes  even  as 
a  boy.  They  hear  the  palm  and  the  sword  as  martyrs, 
but  are  not  otherwise  distinguished  ;  there  are  effigies 
of  them  in  the  church  of  St.  Nazaro  at  Milan,  but 
probably  not  of  very  great  merit,  for  I  confess  that  I 
have  no  recollection  of  them,  while  Titian's  altar-piece 
in  their  church  at  Brescia  cannot  easily  be  forgotten. 
The  central  subject  is  the  resurrection  of  Christ ;  on  the 
left  wing  is  the  portrait  of  the  provost  Averoldi,  for 
whom  the  picture  was  painted,  and  who  is  recommended 
to  the  Divine  favor  by  St.  Nazarius  and  St.  Celsus. 
St.  Nazarius  is  bearded ;  St.  Celsus,  as  a  youth,  stands 
in  front,  and  both  are  in  armor.  On  the  right  wing  is 
a  beautiful  figure  of  St.  Sebastian,  drooping  and  half 
dead.  The  picture  is  a  votive  offering  in  commemo- 
ration of  a  pestilence. 


St.  Lupo,  Duke  of  Bergamo,  his  wife  St.  Adelaide, 
their  daughter,  St.  Grata,  and  St.  Alexander,  the 
Martyr,  form  a  group  of  saints  interesting  only  at  Ber- 
gamo.    The  two  last  are  patron  saints  of  the  city. 

St.  Grata,  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  was  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  and  led  a  most  chaste  and  holy 
life ;  and  when  Alexander,  one  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
Theban  legion,  was  decapitated  outside  the  gate  of  Ber- 
gamo, she  wrapped  up  the  severed  head  in  a  napkin, 
and  buried  the  sacred  remains  honorably.  According 
to  the  Bergamesque  chronicle,  St.  Grata  converted  her 
father  and  mother  from  the  superstition  of  the  Pagans ; 
and  Duke  Lupo,  by  her  advice,  founded  the  Cathedral 
at  Bergamo.  After  the  death  of  her  parents,  Grata 
governed  the  republic  of  Bergamo  with  singular  pru- 
dence,  "  ruling  the  people  more  by  kindness  than  by 


z76      SACian  A\/>  i.i:<:i:xi>aky  ART. 

fear,  ami  mora  by  example  than  by  the  terrors  of  the 
law"; — and  everywhere  protecting  and  propagating 
Christianity.  She  built  three  churches,  and  founded  an 
hospital  for  the  poor  and  sick,  in  which  she  ministered 
tn  the  Bufferers  with  her  own  hands  ;  and,  after  govern- 
ing the  state  in  great  prosperity  for  Beveral  years,  she 
died,  and  her  pure  spirit  ascended  into  heaven,  there  t>> 
receive  the  due  reward  of  her  righteousness.  ( k.  t>.  300. ) 
lu  the  pictures  of  Cariani,  Salmeggia,  and  Lorenzo 
Lotto,  all  excellent  painters  of  Bergamo,  we  find  these 
saint-  constantly  represented.  St.  Alexander  is  habited  as 
a  Roman  warrior,  bearing  the  palm  :  St.  <  Irata  is  usually 
carrying  the  head  of  St.  Alexander,  which  is  her  proper 
attribute;  St.  Lupo  wears  a  royal  crown,  and  St.  Ade- 
laide a  CTOWn  and  long  veil  :  as  in  a  picture  by  Sal- 
meggia, now  in  the    Brera   at   .Milan.      There  is  a  line 

statue  of  St.  Lupo  in  a  tabernacle  above  the  porch  of 
ihr  ( lathedral  of  Bergamo. 

In    the   church    of    Sant'   Alessandro-in-Oolonna,    at 

Bergamo,  1  found  two  very  poetical  ami  dramatic  pic- 
tures of  the  martyrdom  <>l' St.  Alexander.  In  the  Bret 
he  is  decapitated  ;  in  the  second,  lie  is  home  to  the 
tomb  by  two  Christian  converts:  St.  Grata  follows, 
carrying  the  Bevered  bead  reverently  folded  in  a  napkin  : 
as  the  drops  of  blood  fall  to  the  earth,  flowers  Bpring 
forth,  which  are  gathered  by  the  maidens  attending  mi 
St.  Grata.  Bere  we  have,  in  a  novel  form,  the  familiar 
and  poetical  allegory  which  represents  flowere, or  foun- 
tains of  pure  water,  or  branches  of  olive,  springing 

from   the   blood  of  the   martyr. 

St.  Adelaide  "t  B<  i  amo  moat  not  be  confounded 
with  the  German  Si  Adelaide,  wife  of  the  Bmperoi 
i  Mho  the  Second. 


Si   Julia,  a  noble  virgin,  martyred  in  Corsica  about 
the  third  century,  sometimes  appears  grouped  with  the 
ian   Hunts  s    one  of  the  patroi  il  the  ciri 


ST.  JULIA,   ETC.  277 

Her  relics  w^re  brought  from  Corsica  to  Brescia,  and  a 
beautiful  church  and  convent  were  dedicated  to  her. 

An  altar-piece  by  Andrea  del  Sarto,  in  the  Berlin 
Gallery,  represents  the  throned  Virgin  and  Child ;  on 
her  right  hand,  St.  Peter,  St.  Benedict,  and  St.  Onofrio  ; 
on  the  left,  St.  Paul,  St.  Anthony  with  fire  in  his  hand, 
and  St.  Catherine  ;  in  front,  half  length,  St.  Celsus  in 
a  rich  secular  costume,  and  St.  Julia,  young,  beautiful, 
and  richly  dressed,  holding  her  palm.  I  presume  the 
picture  to  have  been  originally  painted  for  the  convent 
of  Santa-Giulia,  in  Brescia.  St.  Julia  and  St.  Afra 
are  sometimes  found  together  in  the  Brescian  pictures 


St.  Panacea.  I  have  only  seen  this  saint  in  one 
picture  painted  by  Gaudenzio  Ferrari,  in  an  altar-piece 
in  San  Giovanni  at  Varallo  :  she  was  a  poor  girl  of  the 
Vallais,  cauonized  for  her  chastity,  her  industry,  and 
the  perfect  patience  with  which  she  suffered  the  injuries 
of  a  cruel  step-mother.* 


The  other  patron  saints  of  Brescia,  San  Faustino 
and  San  Giovita  (Faustinus  et  Jovita),  and  St.  Afra, 
appear  in  some  beautiful  pictures  of  the  Brescian  school. 

At  the  time  that  St.  Apollonius  preached  the  Gospel 
at  Brescia,  Faustino  and  Giovita,  two  brothers,  were 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  led  a  most  holy  and 
exemplary  life,  preaching  to  the  people,  ministering  to 
the  poor,  and  being  zealous  in  all  good  works.  They 
were  seized  by  order  of  the  Emperor  Adrian,  and  thrown 
into  the  Amphitheatre;  but  as  the  wild  beasts  refused 
to  attack  them,  they  were  beheaded  outside  the  gates  of 
Brescia,  in  the  year  119  or  121. 

The  Brescians  honor,  as  their  patroness,  St.  Afra. 
With  regard  to  the  identity  of  this  saint,  there  is  some 

*  This  is  the  local  lrgeud.  [  do  not  find  her  in  any  catalogue 
of  saints. 


278       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

inexplicable  confusion,  which  leads  us  in  suppose  thai 
there  were  two  saints  of  this  name. 

The  Breacian  St.  Afra,  whose  noble  church  is  one 
of  tin-  chief  ornaments  of  the  city,  appears  t<»  have 
been  a  woman  of  patrician  birth,  who  was  converted 
by  witnessing  the  good  works  "I  San  Faustino  and 
San  Giovita;  she  also  Buffered  a  cruel  martyrdom, 
together  with  a  certain  Calocerus.  These  BaintB  appear 
in  the  pictures  of  the  best  Breacian  painters,  Moretto, 

Foppa,  1! inino,*  Gambara,  and  Cossale;  and  only 

in  the  churches  of  Brescia,  where  the  group  of  the 
Bishop  ApoUoniua  with    Faustino  and  Giovita,  some 
times  with  and  Bometimee  without  St.  Aira,  constantly 
recurs  ;   Apolloniua  in  the  episcopal  robes,  and  Faus- 
tino and  Giovita  sometimes  habited  as  deacons. 

1.  Bassano.  In  her  church  at  Brescia,  St.  Afra,  and 
other  converts  baptized  by  St.  Apolloniua  :  Faustino 
and  Giovita  administer  the  Bacrament.  A  scene  by 
torchlight,  ill  composed,  but  rery  effective. 

2.  Paul  Veronese.  Over  her  altar  on  the  left  side 
of  the  same  church,  is  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Aira;  she 
is  upon  a  hiedi  sea  Hold,  attired  in  a  rich  dress  of  ^"ld 
network,  and  looking  up  to  heaven  with  a  beautiful 
expression  of  resigned  faith;  the  headless  bodies  "i 
Faustino  and  Giovita  lie  on  the  ground  (one  of  the 

severed  heads  is  the  portrait  of  Paolo  himself,  and   miv 

tine),  and  St.  Apollonins  is  exhorting  and  comforting 

the  martyr:   one  of  the  finest  works  of  the  painter  lor 
color  and  dramatic  expression. 

:t.  Grazio  Cossale.     During  the  siege  of  Brescia  by 

\     COlb    l'ic.-inino  (A.    I>.     1439),    l'au-tm..   ami    GlOVitS 

are  seen  defending  the  city,  and  hurling  hack  the  can- 
non-balls Of  the  ellelllN  . 

The  other   St.  A]  k\,  whom    I  will  mention  Inn-  to 

•  in  s   m.i..'          •  .  .;  Brescia  is  tin  msaterpli  ec  of  9.  Bo« 
niniiiiiii,  representing  the  Bishop  spoil u  dispensing  the  holy 

•arrninent   t"    Faustino,    Oiove  to,  uii'l    Aire,   who   kl      I 

him. 


ST.  AFRA.  279 

prevent  confusion,  is  the  patroness  of  Augsburg.  "  Sho 
was  a  woman  of  that  city  who  had  for  a  long  time 
followed  the  profession  of  courtesan  ;  and  it  happened 
that  a  certain  holy  man  whose  name  was  Narcissus, 
flying  from  the  persecution  which  afflicted  the  Chris- 
tians in  the  reign  of  Aurelian,  took  refuge  in  the  house 
of  Afra,  without  knowing  that  she  was  abandoned  to 
sin.  When  she  found  out  that  it  was  a  Christian 
priest,  she  was  overcome  with  fear  and  respect,  and  by 
a  feeling  of  shame  for  a  profession  which  it  cost  her, 
for  the  first  time,  an  effort  to  avow.  The  good  man 
took  the  opportunity  to  exhort  her  to  repentance  ;  she 
listened  to  him  weeping,  and  fell  at  his  feet,  entreating 
to  be  baptized ;  he,  knowing  that  Christ  had  never  re- 
jected a  repentant  sinner,  administered  to  her  baptism, 
and  assured  her  of  forgiveness. 

"  And  Afra  had  three  handmaidens,  who,  like  her- 
self, had  led  a  dissolute  life.  She  brought  them  to  the 
feet  of  the  Christian  priest,  and  begged  that  he  would 
instruct  them  also  in  the  way  to  salvation.  Meantime 
those  who  were  in  pursuit  of  the  priest  came  to  search 
for  him  in  the  dwelling  of  Afra  ;  but  she  concealed 
him,  first  in  her  own  house,  and  then  in  that  of  her 
mother  Hilaria  ;  and,  by  her  help,  he  afterwards  escaped 
to  his  own  country,  which  was  Spain. 

"  But  the  idolaters  seized  upon  Afra,  and  accused 
her  of  having  assisted  in  the  escape  of  a  Christian,  and 
of  being  a  Christian  herself.  The  judge,  whose  name 
was  Gaius,  and  who  had  known  her  former  profession, 
was  astonished  at  the  modesty  and  dignity  with  which 
she  replied  to  his  questions,  and  acknowledged  herself 
to  be  a  follower  of  Christ.  '  How  ! '  said  he,  '  do  you, 
a  woman  of  evil  life,  expect  to  be  accepted  by  the  God 
of  the  Christians  ? '  To  which  Afra  meekly  replied, 
•  It  is  true  I  am  unworthy  to  bear  the  name  of  Chris- 
tian ;  nevertheless,  He  who  did  not  reject  Mary  Mag- 
dalene, when  she  washed  his  feet  with  her  tears,  will 
not  reject  me.'  And,  continuing  constant  in  the  faith, 
she  was  condemned  to  be  burned  alive  :  so  they  tied 


iXo        SACUIh   AM)   1.1  ',1  m>m:y  ART. 

her  to  a  stake,  and  heaped  round  her  a  pile  of  vine 
branches.  Then  ^ln-  lifted  up  her  eyes  t<>  heaven,  and 
prayed,  saying,  '0  Thou,  who  didst  call,  nol  the  right 
eous,  but  the  erring,  to  repentance,  and  who  hasl  prom- 
ised that  even  at  the  eleventh  hour  Thou  wouldst 
receive  the  Binner  who  called  upon  Thee,  accept  of  my 
penitence,  and  let  the  torments  1  am  about  to  Buffer  be 
received  as  an  expiation  '>t'  my  sin,  that  through  this 
temporal  fire  I  may  be  delivered  from  the  eternal  fire 
which  shall  consume  both  body  and  soul!'  Having 
said  these  words,  her  spirit  departed,  and  was  carried 
by  the  angels  into  heaven  ;  and  a  few  days  afterwards 
her  mother  Hilaria,  and  her  three  maidens,  Digna, 
Eunomia,  and  Eutropia,  also  perished  for  the  faith  with 
a  like  constancy  "     (August  5,  a.  i>.  .'i<>7.) 

This  Si.  AiVa  appears  onlj  in  the  German  pictures 
of  the  Buabian  Bchool.  Behind  the  choir  of  the  Cathe- 
dral at  Augsburg,  there  is  a  large  altar-piece  by  Chris- 
toph  Amberger,  in  which  the  painter  has  represented  in 

the  centre    the    Madonna   ami  Child  ;    on   the   left  wine;, 

the  Bishop-patron  of  Augsburg,  St.  Ulrich  ;  on  the 
right,  the  martyrdom  of  St.    Afra.     In  the  predella 

beneath,  five  half-length  figures:  —  St.  Hilaria  in  the 

centre,  nml    mi    each    Bide    St.    Eunoinia,   St.    Eutropia, 

St.  Digna,  and  the  holy  man,  St.  Narcissus.  I  saw 
this  picture  in  1855.  It  has  a  peculiar  mixture  of  Ger 
man  ami  Italian  feeling ;  is  correctly  drawn,  and  lull 
i.f  refined  sentiment  in  the  expression,  particularly  in 

the    St.    Hilaria.       Over    the    high    altar    in    tin-   game 

church,  the  same  saints  arc  represented  in  colored  sculp- 
ture, modern,  hut  in  an  admirable  style. 

Winn  a  bishop  is  seen  in  company  with  the  German 
St.  Afra,  it  is  St.   Ulrich,  bishop  of  Augsburg  in  978; 
while  the  companion  of  the  Brescian  St.  Ada  i-  St 
ApoQoniua,  bishop  of  Brescia  in  .'J"u. 


ST.   (JURIST  IN  A.  28i 


St.  Christina  and  St.  Justina. 

These  are  two  famous  Virgin  Martyrs  who  figure  in 
the  churches  all  over  the  North  of  Italy,  both  being 
patronesses  of  the  Venetian  States.  There  is,  how- 
ever, this  difference  :  that  while  the  fame  of  St.  Justina 
of  Padua  is  confined  to  Italy,  and  her  etfigy  to  Italian 
Art,  St.  Christina  is  venerated  in  France,  Sicily,  and 
Bohemia. 


St.  Christina. 

Hal.  Santa  Cristina.  Fr.  Sainte  Christine.  Patroness  of  Bol- 
sena,  and  one  of  the  patronesses  of  the  Venetian  States.  July 
24,  a.  d.  295. 

The  legend  of  this  saint  is  one  of  those  which  have 
been  rejected  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  The 
little  town  of  Tiro,  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Bolsena, 
which,  according  to  tradition,  was  her  birthplace,  has 
since  been  swallowed  up  by  the  waters  of  the  lake,  and 
no  trace  of  it  remains.  She  is  celebrated,  however,  all 
over  Northern  and  Central  Italy ;  and  is  the  subject 
of  some  beautiful  pictures  of  the  Venetian  school. 

Her  legend,  as  given  in  the  Perfetto  Legendario,  rep- 
resents her  as  the  daughter  of  Urban  us,  a  Roman 
patrician,  and  governor  of  the  city.  He  was  an  idol- 
ater, but  his  daughter,  who  had  been  early  converted 
to  the  faith  of  Christ,  called  herself  therefore  Christina. 
"  One  day,  as  she  stood  at  her  window,  she  saw  many 
poor  and  sick,  who  begged  alms,  and  she  had  nothing 
to  give  them.  But  suddenly  she  remembered  that  her 
father  had  many  idols  of  gold  and  silver ;  and,  being 
filled  with  the  holy  zeal  of  piety  and  charity,  she  took 
these  false  gods  and  broke  them  in  pieces,  and  divided 
them  amongst  the  poor.  Strange  it  was  to  see  one 
tarrying  away  the  head  of  Jove,  and  another  the  hand 


t8a       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

of  Venus,  and  a  third  the  lyre  <>f  Apollo,  and  a  fourth 
the  trident  of  Neptune.  But,  alas  !  when  her  father 
returned,  and  beheld  what  had  been  done,  what  words 
could  express  his  rage  and  fury  !  He  ordered  his  ser- 
vants i"  Beize  her  and  to  beat  her  with  rods,  and  throw 
her  inti)  a  dark  dungeon  ;  but  the  angels  of  heaven 
visited  and  comforted  her,  and  healed  her  wounds. 
Then  her  father,  seeing  thai  torments  did  Dot  prevail, 
ordered  them  to  tie  a  millstone  round  her  neck,  and 
throw  her  into  the  lake  of  Bolsena  :  but  the  angels  still 

watched  over  her;  they  sustained  the  Mone,  go  that  she 

did  not  sink,  but  floated  on  the  surface  of  the  lake; 
and  the  Lord,  who  beheld  from  heaven  all  thai  this 
glorious  virgin  suffered  for  his  Bake,  Bent  an  angel  to 
clothe  her  in  a  white  garment,  and  to  conduct  her  safe 
to  land.  Then  her  lather,  utterl]  astonished,  Btruck 
his  forehead  and  exclaimed,  'What  meanetb  this  witch- 
craft '  '      And  lie  ordered  that  they  Bhould  light  a  fiery 

furnace  and  throw  her  in;  but  she  remained  there  five 
<lay>  unharmed,  Binging  the  praisei  of  God.  Then  he 
ordered   that    her  head  should    he  shaved,  anil  that  >he 

should  be  dragged  to  the  temple  of  Apollo  to  sacrifice  ; 
but  no  sooner  had  she  looked  upon  the  idol,  than  it  fell 

down  before  her.       When  her  lather  saw  this,  his  terror 

was  bo  great  that  lie  gave  up  the  ghost 

"But  the  patrician  Julian,  who  succeeded  him  as 
governor,  w;l-  not  less  barbarous,  for,  hearing  that 
Christina  in  her  prison  sang  perpetually  the  praises  of 
Gtod,  he  ordered  her  tongue  to  be  cut  out,  but — oh 
miracle  !  she  only  sang  more  Bweetlj   than  ever,  and 

uttered  her  thanksgivings  aloud,  to  the  wonder  of  all 
who    heard    her.       Then    he  shut    her   up   in  a  dungeon 

with  serpents  and  venomous  reptiles;  but  thej  became 
in  her  presence  harmless  a-  doves.  So,  being  well- 
nigh  in  de-pair,  this  perverse  pagan  caused  hex  to  bo 

bound    toa  post,  and    ordered    his   soldier-  to  -hoot  her 

with  arrow-  nil  -he  died.     Thus  -he  at  length  received 
the  hardly-earned  crown  of  martyrdom  ;  and  the  anj  i 
full  of  joy  and  wonder  at  such  invincible  fortitude,  bore 
lier  p-.ie  spirit  into  heaven." 


ST.    CHRISTINA.  283 

la  the  island  of  Biseutina,  in  the  lake  of  Bolsena,  is 
a  small  church  dedicated  to  her,  and  painted  it  is  said 
by  the  Caraeci  ;  but  few,  I  believe,  have  visited  it.  The 
superb  Cathedral  of  Bolsena  is  also  consecrated  in  her 
lame. 

In  devotional  pictures,  the  proper  attribute  of  St. 
Christina  is  the  millstone.  She  has  also  the  arrow  or 
arrows  in  her  hand,  and  bears,  of  course,  the  crown 
and  palm  as  martyr.  When  she  bears  the  arrow  only, 
it  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  her  from  St.  Ursula;  but 
in  early  Italian  Art,  a  female  saint  bearing  the  arrow, 
and  not  distinguished  by  any  of  the  royal  attributes,  is 
certainly  St.  Christina.  Pictures  of  her  are  common 
in  all  the  cities  of  Northern  and  Central  Italy,  but 
more  especially  at  Bolsena,  Venice,  and  Treviso.  We 
find  her  frequently  grouped  with  the  other  patrons  of 
this  part  of  Italy ;  for  example,  with  St.  Barbara 
of  Ferrara,  with  St.  Catherine  of  Venice,  with  St.  Jus- 
tina  of  Padua,  &c. 

I  shall  give  a  few  examples. 

1.  St.  Christina,  as  patron  saint,  stands,  crowned  and 
bearing  her  palm,  between  SS.  Peter  and  Paul.  In  a 
beautiful  picture  by  D.  Mazza.* 

2.  Johan  Schoreel.  She  stands  as  martyr,  one  hand 
on  a  millstone,  the  other  bearing  a  palm  ;  her  dress  is 
that  of  a  lady  in  the  time  of  Henry  VIII. 

3.  Vincenzio  Catena.  St.  Christina  kneeling  on  the 
surface  of  Lake  Bolsena  :  angels  sustain  the  millstone, 
which  is  fastened  round  her  neck  by  a  long  rope ;  in 
the  skies  above,  our  Saviour  appears  with  his  banner, 
as  victor  over  sin  and  death,  and  gives  to  an  angel  a 
white  shining  garment  in  which  to  clothe  the  martyr. 
This  is  a  variation  from  the  commonplace  angel  with 
the  crown  and  palm  ;  and  the  whole  picture  is  as  pure 
and  charming  in  sentiment  as  it  is  sweet  and  harmoni- 
ous in  color. t 

4.  Lorenzo  di  Credi.  St.  Christina  kneeling  and 
holding  the  arrow,  grouped  with  St    Nicholas  of  Bari. 

*  Venice.  Abbazia.  t  Venice.  S.  Maria-Mater-Domini 


t84         SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

St.    Julian   of   Rimini,   and   St.    Barbara  of  Ferrara 
Above  is  the  Coronation  of  tin-  Virgin.* 

St.  Christina  is  sometimes  represented  with  a  sword 
in  tier  bosom,  as  in  an  altar-piece  by  Bissolo  :it  Trc- 
vi.M>,  and  another  by  Palina  :  it  is  then  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish her  from  St.  Justina.t  In  an  ancient  picture 
byJacopo  Avan/.i,  in  the  Bologna  Gallery, she  is  bound 

to  B  tree,  and  two  executioners  shoot  lier  with  arrows, 

in  the  presence  of  prefect  Julian. 

Pan!  Veronese  painted  the  whole  history  of  St.  Chris- 
tina in  B  series  of  tell  picturo,  which  existed  formerly  in 
the  church  Of  Sunt1  Antonio  in  the  islaml  of  Toreello  at 

Venice.     I  saw  six  of  these  in  the  Academy  al  Venice, 

the  others  apparently  are  dispersed  or  lost.  1.  St. 
Christina  is  baptised.  -'.  She  refuses  to  adore  the 
Btatue  of  Apollo.  .'!.  She  breaks  the  gold  and  silver 
idols,  and  gives  them  to  the  poor.  4.  She  is  BCOOrgad, 
5.  She  is  comforted  by  angels,  who  bring  to  her  fruits 
and   flowers  in   her  dungeon.      6.    She   is  in  B  boat  or. 

Lake  Bolsena;  two  men  prepare  to  throw  her  overboard 

with  a  millstone  round  her  neck,  while  her  father  is 
seen  giving   his  orders  from   the  shore. 


St.  Justina  of  Padua,  Virgin  and  Martyr. 

Lat.  Justina  l'atavina  I'rbia  Piotectrlx.     Ital.  Suiitii  Qtalttaa  dl 
Padova,   Fr.  Bainto  Jaattne  de  Padona.    Patron  saint  of  Padua 

and  of  Vunioe.     October  7,  A.  n.  :iiU. 

Tims  saint,  famous  in  the  Paduan  and  Venetian  terri- 
tories, was,  according  to  the  legend,  a  rirgin  of  royal 

birth,  who  dwelt  in  the  city  of  1'adua.      KiliL'  VitaliciuO, 
•  It  whh  in  the  roll.cti.ni  i.f  Mr.  Bogen.      When  I  lir-l  pup  inl«r 

.  tore,  it  Med  t"  bang  la  bli 1-  droom  out  of  light  ■  ■(  i 

■ad  I  unil  often  to  go  up  to  l""k  tl  It,  — "  So  one  eUe,"  be  hbM, 

bI  II  "    Of  late  y-irw  It  wan  brought  down,  covered 

wiih  plate  gteaa,and  bung  In  bit  drawing-room,  —  admired  bj  ML 

■   Perhaps,  In  theaeand  ilmllar  laatanoea,  th  n  into 

t  ill'  'I,  and  'l"  realty  repn  -  ol  Bt.  Joattaa. 


ST.  J  US  TIN  A.  285 

her  father,  having  been  baptized  by  St.  Prodocimo 
(Prosdoeimus),  a  disciple  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  brought 
zip  his  daughter  in  the  true  faith.  After  the  death  of 
her  father,  Justina  being  accused  before  the  Emperor 
Maximum  as  a  Christian,  he  commanded  that  she 
3hould  be  slain  by  the  sword ;  and  she,  opening  her 
arms  to  receive  the  stroke  of  the  executioner,  was 
pierced  through  the  bosom,  and  fell  dead. 

In  the  year  453,  Opilio,  a  citizen  of  Padua,  founded 
in  her  honor  the  magnificent  church  which  bears  her 
name :  and  as  early  as  the  sixth  century  we  find  her 
almost  as  celebrated  in  the  West,  as  her  namesake,  the 
illustrious  virgin  and  martyr  of  Antioch,  was  in  the 
East.  Her  church  at  Padua,  having  fallen  into  ruin, 
was  sumptuously  restored  by  the  Benedictine  Order  in 
the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  collections 
made  for  this  purpose  throughout  the  north  of  Italy 
awakened  the  enthusiasm  of  the  neighboring  states,  and 
it  is  from  this  time  that  we  find  Justina  represented  in 
the  pictures  of  the  Paduan  and  Venetian  schools,  and 
most  frequently  in  the  pictures  of  Paul  Veronese.  In 
the  single  figures  she  is  richly  dressed,  wearing  the 
crown  and  bearing  her  palm,  as  princess  and  as  martyr, 
and  in  general  with  the  sword  transfixing  her  bosom, 
which  is  her  proper  attribute.  She  is  thus  represented 
in  a  beautiful  figure  by  Vittore  Carpaccio ;  *  and  in  the 
fresco  by  Luini  in  San  Maurizio,  at  Milan,  where  she 
is  called  by  some  mistake  St.  Ursula.  In  the  Venetian 
altar-pieces  St.  Justina  is  often  placed  on  one  side  of 
the  Madonna,  accompanied  either  by  St.  Mark  or  St. 
Catherine.  As  patroness  of  Venice,  we  find  her  inter- 
ceding in  heaven  for  the  Venetians,  as  in  a  picture  in 
the  Arsenal  at  Venice  :  in  another,  we  have  St.  Justina 
and  St.  Mark  presenting  Venice  (under  the  form  of  a 
beautiful  woman,  crowned  and  sumptuously  attired)  to 
the  Virgin  ;  the  naval  battle  of  Carolari  is  seen  below : 
a  grand,  scenic,  votive  picture,  painted  for  the  State  by 
Paul  Veronese.! 

*  Milan,  Brera.  t  Venice,  Ducal  Pal. 


286        SACK/:!)    AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

In  the  magnificent  church  of  Santa  <  riustina  at  Padua, 
the  altar-piece  by  Paul  Veronese  represents  the  Bcenc 
of  her  martyrdom  :  amid  a  crowd  "l  people,  the  <\< .  u 
doner  plunges  a  sword  into  her  bosom  ;  Christ,  with  the 
Virgin,  St.  .John,  and  a  numerous  company  of  Bairns 
unci  angels,  receives  her  into  glory  above.  This,  to  my 
taste,  is  a  heavy,  crowded  picture;  the  fine  engraving 
by  Agostino  Caracci  has  given  it  more  celebrity  than 
it  deserves,  In  the  same  church,  in  the  centre  <>t  the 
choir,  stands  a  chest  or  shrine,  on  which  is  Bculptured 
the  history  of  the  life  of  Santa  Giustina  in  five  com* 
partments,  l.  She  is  baptized  by  St.  Prodocimo,  n. 
The  baptism  of  her  parents.  •'!.  she  is  geized  by  the 
emissaries  of  Maximian,  and  dragged  <>nt  of  her  chariot. 
4.  sin-  ig  martyred  by  the  Bword.  r>.  She  is  borne  t< > 
the  grave  bj  St.  Prodocimo  and  others. 

In  sonic   Venetian    pictures   the  attribute  of  the  nni- 

corn,  which  belongs  properly  to  St.  Justina  of  Antioch, 
has  been  given  t"  s*.  Jnstina  of  Padua  :  and  when  this 
i*  the  case  it  i>  not  easj  t"  determine  whether  the 
mistake  arose  from  ignorance  or  design.  In  Domeni- 
chino's  picture  of  St.  Justina  caressing  a  unicorn  in  a 
forest,  it  is,  I  imagine,  St.  Justina  of  Antioch  who  is 
represented.*  In  Moretto's  Bplendid  picture  i>t'  the 
Duke  Alfonso  I.  at  the  feel  <>t  St.  Justina,1  I  should 
suppose  that  the  artist  had  the  patroness  of  Padna  and 
Venice,  and  not  the  martyr  of  Antioch  in  his  mind;  — 
or  perhaps  confounded  the  t\\>>.  Neither  must  it  be 
forgotten  that  a  beautiful  female  attended  bj  a  unicorn 
i-  tomel -  mererj  allegorical,  representing  Chastity; 

but   when    the    palm    ami    BWOrd    are    added.    It    is    mi- 

doubtedly  a  St.  Justina ;  and  if  the  picture  be  bj   a 
Venetian  artist,  it  the  figures  be  in  the  Venetian 
mine,  if  Venice  be  seen  in  the  distance,  or  St,   Mark 
introduced,  —  then  it  is  probablj  St.  Justina  of  Padua.' 
otherwise,  when  a  female  saint  appears  alone,  or  In  a 

•  or  the  allegory  "f  Chastity.  •  \  li  atui  Qal. 


S'J.    FILOMFXA.  287 

company  of  martyrs,  attended  by  a  unicorn,  it  is  St. 
Justina  of  Antiocli. 

St   Justina  figures  on  the  Venetian  coins  struck  by 
the  Doges  Leonardo  Donato  aud  Pasqoale  Cicogna. 


Tlie  last  of  these  Italian  martyrs  who  appears  worthy 
of  record,  as  a  subject  of  painting,  is  one  of  very  recent 
celebrity,  and,  perhaps,  the  most  apocryphal  sainl  in 
the  whole  calendar,  —  which  is  saying  much. 


St.  Filomena. 

Lat.  Sancta  Philumena.    Fr.  Sainte  Philomene.     Aug.  10,  303. 

Ix  the,  year  1802,  while  some  excavations  were  going 
forward  in  the  catacomb  of  Priscilla  at  Rome,  a  sepul- 
chre was  discovered  containing  the  skeleton  of  a  young 
female ;  on  the  exterior  were  rudely  painted  some  of 
the  symbols  constantly  recurring  in  these  chambers  of 
the  dead  :  an  anchor,  an  olive  branch  (emblems  of  Hope 
and  Peace),  a  scourge,  two  arrows,  and  a  javelin  :  above 
them  the  following  inscription,  of  which  the  beginning 
and  end  were  destroyed  :  — 


LL'MEXA    PAX    TE    CUM    FI 


The  remains,  reasonably  supposed  to  be  those  of  one 
of  the  early  martyrs  for  the  faith,  were  sealed  up  and 
deposited  in  the  treasury  of  relics  in  the  Lateran ;  here 
they  remained  for  some  years  unthought  of.  On  the 
return  of  Pius  VII.  from  France,  a  Neapolitan  prelate 
was  sent  to  congratulate  him.  One  of  the  priests  iu 
his  train,  who  wished  to  create  a  sensation  in  his  dis- 
trict, where  the  long  residence  of  the  French  had  proba- 
bly caused  some  decay  of  piety,  begged  for  a  few  relics 
to  carry  home,  and  these  recently  discovered  remains 
were  bestowed  on  him  ;   the  inscription  was  translated 


SACRED   AND   LEG!  \  DART   ART, 

Bomewhat  freely,  to  signify  Santa  PhUumena,  rest  m 
peace.  Amen.  Another  priest,  whose  name  is  sup- 
pressed because  of  his  great  humility,  was  favored  by  ;i 
vision  in  the  broad  noonday,  in  which  he  beheld  the 
glorious  virgin  Filomena,  who  was  pleased  to  reveal  to 
him  that  Bhe  had  Buffered  death  tor  preferring  the  <  Ihris- 
tian  faith  and  her  vow  of  chastity  to  the  addresses  of 
the  emperor,  who  wished  to  make  her  his  wife.  This 
vision  leaving  much  of  her  history  obscure,  a  certain 
young  :mi>t,  whose  name  is  also  suppressed,  perhaps 
because  of  his  great  humility,  was  informed  in  n  vision 
thai  the  emperor  alluded  to  was  Diocletian,  and  a)  the 
same  time  the  torments  and  persecutions  Buffered  bj  the 
christian  virgin  Filomena,  as  well  as  ber  wonderful 
constancy,  were  also  revealed  to  him.  There  were 
some  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  Emperor  Diocletian, 
which  incline  the  writer  of  the  historical  account  to  in- 
cline to  the  opinion    that    the    young  artist  in  his  vision 

may  have  made  a  mistake,  ami  that  the  emperor  ma] 

have  I ii,  not    Diocletian,  Ian  Maximian.     The  facts, 

however,  now  admitted  of  no  doubt:  the  relics  were 
carried  by  the  priesl  Francesco  da  Lucia  to  Naples; 
they  wire  enclosed  in  a  case  of  wood  resembling  ill 
form  the  human  body  ;  this  figure  was  habited  in  a  petti- 
coat of  white  satin,  and   over   it    a  crimson  tunic  alter 

the  Greek  fashion;  the  face  was  painted  to  represent 
nature,  a  garland  of  flowers  was  placed  on  the  head, 
and  in  tla'  hands  a  lily  ami  &  javelin  with  the  point  re- 
versed to  express  her  purity  and  her  martyrdom  ;  then 
she  was  laid  in  n  half-sitting  posture  in  a  sarcophagus, 
of  which  the  Bides  were  glass  :  and,  after  K  in;:  for  some 

time  in  Mate  in    the  chapel  of  the    Torres  family  in  the 

church  of  Sam'  Angiolo,  Bhe  was  carried  in  grand  pio 

ion    l"    Mugnano,  a   little   to\Mi  about    twenty  miles 

from  Naples,  amid  the  acclamations  of  the  people,  work 
ing  many  ami  surprising  miracles  by  the  way. 

Such  is  the  legend  of  St.  Filomena,  aid  such  the 
authority  on  which  she  has  become  within  the  last 

twenty  years   one  of  the   mo.-i    popular  saints  ill    Italy 


ST.    OMOBUONO.  28$ 

Jewels  to  the  value  of  many  thousand  crowns  have  heen 
offered  at  her  shrine,  and  solemnly  placed  round  the 
neck  of  her  image  or  suspended  to  her  girdle.  I  found 
her  effigy  in  the  Venetian  churches,  and  in  those  of 
Bologna  and  Lombard)-.  Her  worship  has  extended 
to  enlightened  Tuscany.  At  Pisa  the  church  of  San 
Francesco  contains  a  chapel  dedicated  lately  to  Santa 
Filomeua ;  over  the  altar  is  a  picture  by  Sabatelli  rep- 
resenting the  saint  as  a  beautiful  nymph-like  figure 
floating  down  from  heaven,  attended  by  two  angels 
bearing  the  lily,  palm,  and  javelin,  and  beneath  in  the 
foreground  the  sick  and  maimed  who  are  healed  by  her 
intercession  ;  round  the  chapel  are  suspended  hundreds 
of  votive  offerings,  displaying  the  power  and  the  popu- 
larity of  the  saint.  There  is  also  a  graceful  German 
print  after  Fiihrich,  representing  her  in  the  same  attitude 
in  which  the  image  lies  in  the  shrine.  I  did  not  ex- 
pect to  encounter  St.  Filomena  at  Paris  ;  but,  to  my 
surprise,  I  found  a  chapel  dedicated  to  her  in  the  church 
of  St.  Gervais  ;  a  statue  of  her  with  the  flowers,  the 
dart,  the  scourge,  aud  the  anchor  under  her  feet ;  and 
two  pictures,  one  surrounded,  after  the  antique  fashion, 
with  scenes  from  her  life.  In  the  church  of  Saint- 
Merry,  at  Paris,  there  is  a  chapel  recently  dedicated  to 
"  Ste  Philomene"  ;  the  walls  covered  with  a  series  of 
frescos  from  her  legend,  painted  by  Amaury  Duval .; 
—  a  very  fair  imitation  of  the  old  Italian  style. 

I  have  heard  that  St.  Filomena  is  patronized  by  the 
Jesuits  ,  even  so,  it  is  difficult  to  account  for  the  exten- 
sion and  popularity  of  her  story  in  this  nineteenth 
century. 


St.  Omobcono,  the  protector  of  Cremona,  and  pa- 
tron saint  of  tailors,  was  neither  a  martyr,  nor  a  monk, 
nor  even  a  hermit ;  but  as  effigies  of  him  are  confined 
entirely  to  pictures  of  the  Cremonese  and  Venetian 
schools,  I  shall  place  him  here  to  make  my  chapter  of 
these  local  Italian  saints  complete.      He  is  regarded  all 

vol.  11.  19 


s.ici:/  />  am>  /./•'//  wu AT  Airr. 

over  the  North  of  Italy  as  the  patron  and  example  of 
g I  citizens,  and  is  the  subject  of  some  beautiful  pic- 
tures. 

According  t<>  the  legend,  Oinohiiono  was  a  merchant 

of  Cremona,  who  bad  received  from  bis  father  but  little 
Bchool  learning,  yet,  from  the  moment  he  entered  on 
the  management  of  his  own  afiairs,  a  wisdom  more 
than  human  seemed  t>>  inspire  everj  action  of  his  life  ; 
diligent  and  thrifty,  his  Btores  increased  daily,  and,  with 
his  possessions,  his  almost  boondless  charity  ;  nor  did 
his  charity  consist  merely  in  giving  his  money  in  alms, 
nor  in  founding  hospitals,  bnl  in  the  devotion  of  bis 
whole  heart  towards  relieving  the  sorrows  as  well  as 
the  necessities  of  the  poor,  and  in  exhorting  and  con- 
verting t<>  repentance  those  who  had  been  led  into  evil 
courses  :  neither  did  this  g 1  saint  think  it  necessary 

to  lead  a  lite  of  Celibacy  ;  he  was  married  to  a  prudent 
and  yirtUOUS  wile,  who  was   sometimes   uneaBJ    lesl    her 

husband's  excessive  bounty  to  the  poor  should  bring 

her    children    to    beggary  ;    hut    it    was    tar    otherwise  . 

Omobuono  increased  daily  in  riches  and  prosperity,  so 

that  the  people  of  the  city  hclieved  that  his  store.-,  uciv 

miraculously  multiplied.  It  is  related  of  him,  that 
being  on  a  journey  with  his  family,  and  meeting  some 

poor  pilgrims  who  were  ready  to  faint  by  the  wa\side 
with    hunger    and    thirst,  he  gave    them    freely  all   the 

bread  and  wine  he  had  provided  for  Ins  own  necessities, 
ami  going  afterwards  to  fill  his  empty  wine-flasks  from 
a  running  stream,  the  water  when  poured  out  proved 

to    he    most    excellent    wine,   ami    his    wallet    was   found 

full  of  wheaten  bread, supplied  by  the  angels  in  lien  of 
that  which  he  had  given  away. 

A-  the  hfe  of  Omobuono  had  been  in  all   respects 
most  blessi  d,  so  was  bis  death  ;  for  one  morning,  being 

jit  his  early  devotioni  in  the  church  of   Si.    Bgidio,  and 

kneeling  before  a  crucifix,  just  as  the  choir  were  sing- 
ing the  ••  Gloria  "i  exedns"  he  stretched  out  In-  arms 

mi  the  firm  ..I  a  ,  ami   in  this  attitude  expired. 

He  was  canonized  bj  Pope  innocent  [II.  on  the  earnest 
petition  of  hit  fellow  i  itizens. 


ST.   OMOBUONO. 


•291 


Figures  of  this  amiable  citizen-saint  occur  in  the 
pictures  of  Giulio  Cainpi,  Malosso,  Andrea  Mainardi, 
Borroni,  and  other  painters  of  Cremona.  lie  is  gen- 
erally habited  in  a  loose  tunic  trimmed  with  fur,  and  cap 
also  trimmed  with  fur,  and  as  in  the  act  of  distributing 
food  and  alms  to  the  poor  ;  sometimes  wine-flasks  stand 
near  him,  in  allusion  to  the  famous  miracle  in  his  legend. 
In  a  fine  enthroned  Madonna  by  Bartolomeo  Montagna, 
Omobuono  stands  in  an  attitude  of  compassionate 
thoughtfulucss,  with  a  poor  beggar  at  his  feet.*  In 
the  church  of  St.  Egidio-ed-Omobuono  at  Cremona,  I 
found  a  series  of  pictures  from  his  life.  1.  He  tills  his 
empty  flasks  at  the  stream,  and  finds  them  full  of  wine- 
2.  The  bread  which  he  distributes  to  the  poor  is  mirac- 
ulously multiplied  in  his  hands.  3.  He  clothes  the 
ragged  and  naked  poor.  4.  He  expires  before  the  cru- 
cifix, sustained  by  angels.  In  the  cupola  of  the  same 
church  he  is  seen  carried  into  paradise  by  a  troop  of 
rejoicing  spirits.  These  were  painted  by  Borroni  in 
1684. 


I  have  met  with  very  few  among  the  French  and 
Spanish  martyrs  who  have  attained  to  any  general  im- 
portance as  subjects  of  Art.  The  most  interesting  of 
the  Spanish  saints  are  those  of  the  monastic  orders,  and 
they  will  be  found  in  their  proper  place  among  the 
monastic  legends.  St.  Vincent,  whose  fame  has  be- 
come universal,  is  the  most  distinguished  of  the  Spanish 
early  martyrs.  There  are  some  others  almost  peculiar 
to  Spanish  Art,  who,  from  the  beauty  of  the  represen- 
tations by  Murillo  and  Zurbaran,  are  interesting  to  a 
lover  and  hunter  of  pictures  ;  but  as  very  few,  even  of 
the  best,  of  these  are  known  through  engravings,  and 
as  my  own  accpiaintauce  with  Spanish  Art  is  limited,  I 
shall  confine  myself  to  those  most  popular. 

*  Berlin  Gal.     See  also  "  LegeuJs  of  the  Madouua." 


292        SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 


St.   Tdsta  and  St.  Rufina,  Patronesses  of  Se 
\\\.\.v.. 

19th  July,  a.  d.  304. 

Tttese  were  two  Christian  sisters  dwelling  in  that 
<itv.  They  were  the  daughters  of  a  potter,  and  made 
a  living  bj  Belling  earthenware ;  and  contenting  them- 

srlvrs  with  the  hair  00068881168  of  lit'',  tiny  gave  all  the 

rest  to  the  poor.  Certain  women  who  lived  mar  them, 
and  who  were  worshippers  of  the  goddess  Venue  i-amo 

to  their  BhoptO  huv  vessels  tor  their  idolatrous  BacriflcOi 

The  two  sister-  answered  that  they  had  no  vessels  for 

such  a  purpose  :  that  their  ware  should  he  u.-ed  tor  the 
serviee  of  (iod,  and    not    in    the  worship  of  stork-    and 

stones.     Upon  this  the   pagan   women  broke  all  the 

earthenware  in  their  shop,  du.-ta  and  Rufina  retaliated 
by  falling  upon  the  linage  of  Venus,  which  they  hroke 
to  pieces  and  Bong  into  the  kennel.  The  popularr  im- 
mediately collected    before  their  door,  seized  them,  ami 

carried  them  before  the  prefect  On  being  accused  of 
sacrilege,  they  boldly  avowed  themselves  to  be  chris- 
tians ;  and  being  condemned  to  the  torture,  Justa  ex- 
pired on  the  rack,  ami    Rufina  was  strangled.     This 

came  to  pass  in  the  year  :»(»4. 

The    two   .-inters    are    represented    as    Spanish    rrirls, 

bearing  the  palm  as  martyrs,  and  holding  in  their 
hand.-  earthenware  pot.-.  Pictures  of  thrni  are  en- 
tirely confined  to  the  Seville  school.  The]  are  gen- 
erally represented  with  the  Oiralda  (which  is  supposed 
to  Im-  under  their  especial  rare  and  patronage)  between 
them.  According  to  Mr.  I-'ord,*  their  great  miracle 
was  the  preservation  of  this  beautiful  and  far-famed 
tower  in  a  thunder-storm,  in  1504.  When  Bspartero 
bombarded   Beville  in  L 843,  the  people  still   believed 

that     the    (iiralda    was    emoinpas.-rd     by    invi.-ihle    an- 
*  v.  HiiudbtxA  of  S|>iiin,  p.  240. 


ST.   EULALIA. 


293 


gels  led  by  Rufina  and  Justa,  who  turned  aside  every 

liOlllb. 

Murillo  has  frequently  painted  them.  The  Duke  of 
Sutherland  has  two  beautiful  half-length  figures  of 
these  two  saints,  holding  each  their  palms  and  alcarra- 
zas  (earthenware  pots).  In  the  Spanish  gallery  of  the 
Louvre,  there  are  several  representations  of  them  by 
Zurbaran  and  others.  Zurbaran  represents  them 
richly  dressed  ;  but  Murillo  has  generally  painted 
them  as  muvhachas,   Spanish  girls  of  the  lower  class. 

There  was  a  magnificent  sketch  by  Murillo  in  the 
Aguado  Gallery,  representing  the  Virgin  in  glory ; 
and,  kneeling  in  adoration  before  her,  St.  Rufina  and 
St.  Justa  with  their  alcarrazas  at  their  feet,  accom- 
panied by  St.  Francis  and  St.  John  the  Baptist  : 
painted,  I  presume,  for  the  Capuchins  of  Seville. 

St.  Eulalia  of  Merida  (Dec.  10.)  was  a  Span- 
ish martyr  whose  story  is  related  in  one  of  the  hymns 
of  Prudentius.  He  tells  us  that,  at  the  time  the  ter- 
rible edict  of  Diocletian  was  published,  Eulalia,  who 
was  only  twelve  years  old,  escaped  from  her  mother's 
house,  and  confronted  the  tyrant  prefect,  who  was  sit- 
ting iu  judgment  on  the  Christians,  and  reproached 
him  with  his  cruelty  and  impiety.  The  governor,  aston- 
ished at  her  audacity,  commanded  her  to  be  seized,  and 
placed  on  one  side  of  her  the  instruments  of  torture 
prepared  for  the  disobedient,  and  on  the  other  the  salt 
and  frankincense  which  they  were  about  to  offer  to 
their  idol.  Eulalia  immediately  flung  down  the  idol, 
and  trampled  the  offering  under  her  feet,  and  spit  in 
the  face  of  the  judge, — an  action  which,  as  Butler 
observes,  "  could  only  be  excused  by  her  extreme 
youth."  She  was  immediately  put  to  death  in  the 
midst  of  tortures,  and  at  the  moment  she  expired  a 
white  dove  issued  from  her  mouth  (the  usual  allegory 
of  the  soul  or  spirit),  and  winged  its  way  towards 
heaven. 

She  is  renowned  in  Spain,  and  I  believe  only  to  be 


,94       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

met  with  in  the  Spanish  churches  and  works  of  art. 
Mr.  Ford,  in  Ms  Handbook,  warns  "  ignorant  infidels" 
against  confounding  this  St.  Eulalia  with  another  St. 
Eulaliaof  Barcelona,  whose  Btory  i~  so  similar  that  the 
difficulty  would  consist,  it  should  seem,  in  proving  any 
distinction  between  them.  It  is  true  there  are  two  dif- 
ferent bodies,  one  lying  at  Merida  and  the  other  at 
Barcelona;  but  this  might  have  been  arranged  by  a 
miracle.  One  of  these  two  .-Mints  must  have  been 
early  and  widely  celebrated,  for  we  find  a  St.  Eulalia 
in  the  grand  procession  of  Virgin  Martyrs  at  Ravenna 

St.  Lbocadu  (April  26),  the  renowned  patroness 
of  Toi  bdo,  was  a  native  of  that  city,  and  in  the  per- 
secution of  Diocletian  Bhe  was  Beized  bj  the  cruel  gov- 
ernor  and  thrown  into  a  deep  dark  dungeon.  After 
being  kept  there  for  Borne  time  in  daily  expectation  of 
death,  Bhe  heard  in  her  prison  of  the  martyrdom  of  her 
friend  St.  Bulalia,  and  earnestly  prayed  to  be  united 
with  her  by  ;i  glorious  death.  Her  prayer  «a- 
granted  ;  ti>r  she  expired  in  prison,  and  her  relics 
have  ever  Bince  been  preserved  in  thai  city,  when 
time  of  the  grandest  churches  in  Spain,  dedicated  to 
her  honor,  show  the  reverence  in  which  Bhe  was  held. 
But   according  to  another  legend  Bhe  was  cast  down 

IV the  rocks  bj  an  order  of  Dacian.     A  chapel  was 

built  "ii  the  -|">t  h  here  Bhe  fell,  and  there,  as  it  is  related, 
angels  appeared  and  removed  the  Btonefrom  ber  sep- 
ulchre, when  she  arose  clad  in  a  mantilla,  and  revealed 
to  St.  Il<lriuii-.i>.  who  bad  written  a  treatise  in  honor  of 
the  Virgin,  the  approbation  with  which  his  work  was 
regarded  in  heaven.  Before  Bhe  had  time  to  diaap* 
pear,  St.  Ddefonso  cut  off  a  part  of  her  rail,  which  was 
preserved  amongst  the  treasures  of  the  Church. 

St.  I adia  is  represented  only  in  Spanish  works  of 

art.  At  Toledo,  iii  the  magnificent  church  dedicated 
to  her,  there  i>  a  aeries  of  pictures  from  her  life  by  F. 
i;  i  .  and  in  the  hospital  of  Santa  '  tux,  is  a  picture 
whii  h  i.  pn  t<  nt-  ber  rising   fr the  i b  to  speak  in 


ST.   CRISPIN  AND  ST.   CRISP  IAN  US-     295 

St.  Ildefonso.  There  is  a  statue  of  this  saint  over  the 
gate  of  Toledo  (Pucrta  del  Cambron),  executed  by 
Berruguete,  which  Mr.  Ford  describes  as  "  Florentine 
in  style,  tender  and  beautiful  in  form,  and  sweet,  gen- 
tle, and  serious  in  expression." 


St.  Crispin  and  St.  Crispiantts. 

Hal.  San  Crispiuo  e  San  Crispiano.  Fr.  SS.  Crespin  et  Cres- 
pinien.  Patron  saints  of  Soissons.  October  25,  A.  D.  287,  ac- 
cording to  Baillet  ;  and  according  to  the  Roman  legend,  A.  D. 
300. 

The  two  holy  brothers,  Crispin  and  Crispianus,  de- 
parted from  Rome  with  St.  Denis  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel in  France ;  and,  not  willing  to  be  a  burden  upon 
others,  they,  after  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  labored  with 
their  hands,  being  by  trade  shoemakers,  "  which  is  a 
very  honest  and  peaceable  calling."  And  these  good 
saints  made  shoes  for  the  poor  without  fee  or  reward 
(for  which  the  angels  supplied  them  with  leather), 
until,  denounced  as  Christians,  they  suffered  martyrdom 
at  Soissons,  being,  after  many  tortures,  beheaded  by 
the  sword. 

The  devotional  figures,  which  are  common  in  old 
French  prints,  represent  these  saints  standing  together, 
holding  the  palm  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  the  awl 
or  the  shoemaker's  knife.  They  are  very  often  met 
with  in  the  old  stained  glass,  working  at  their  trade,  or 
making  shoes  for  the  poor,  —  the  usual  subjects  in  the 
shoemakers'  guilds  all  over  France  and  Germany. 
Italian  pictures  of  these  saints  are  rare.  There  is, 
however,  one  by  Guido  which  represents  the  throned 
Madonna,  and  St.  Crispin  presenting  to  her  his  brother 
St.  Crispianus,  while  angels  from  above  scatter  flowers 
on  the  group.*  Looking  over  the  old  French  prints 
of  St.  Crespin  and  St.  Crespinien,  which  arc  in  general 
either  grotesque  or  commonplace,  I  met  with  one  not 

*  Dresden  Gal. 


2y6       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

easily  to  be  forgotten  ;  it  represents  these  two  famous 
Baints  proceeding  on  their  mission  to  preach  the  Gospel 
in  France:  they  arc  careering  over  the  Bes  in  ■  bark 
drawn  by  Bea-horses  and  attended  by  tritons,  and  an 
attired  in  the  full  court-dress  <>f  the  time  of  Louis  XV  . 
with  laced  coats,  cocked  bats,  and  rapiers. 

These  French  saints  were  very  popular  in  England 
as  protectors  of  the  guild  of  Bhoemakers  ;  and  arc  re- 
tained, not  without  reason,  in  our  reformed  calendar, 
the  day  on  which  they  are  celebrated  being  famous  in 
English  history  and  English  poetry.  The  readers  of 
Shakespeare  will  remember  it  as  the  anniversary  of  the 
battle  of  Agincouxt  : 

"  Ami  Orlipln  OrlspUU)  Shall  ne'er  go  by, 

Prom  tii  is  day  to  the  ending  of  the  world, 
Hut  we  in  it  shall  be  remembered." 

It  appears  to  have  Keen  eelelnated  as  a  holyday  all 
over  England;  to  which  Westmoreland  alludes  :  — 

"  0  that  we  now  had  here 
Hut  one  ten  thousand  of  those  men  in  England 
Who  do  no  work  to-day  !  " 


3  • 


9 


THE   EARLY   BISHOPS. 


HE  early  Bishops  of  the  Church  —  those  who 
lived  in  the  first  five  or  six  centuries,  and 
did  not  belong  to  any  of  the  regular  monas- 
tic orders  —  form,  in  their  relation  to  Art,  a 
very  interesting  aud  picturesque  group  of  saints.  Then- 
importance,  general  or  local,  in  the  propagation  of 
Christianity,  renders  them  indispensable  in  ecclesias- 
tical decoration ;  and  whether  they  stand  alone,  or  in 
a  sacra  conversazione,  as  the  pastors  and  founders  of 
their  respective  churches,  blessing  from  their  taber- 
nacle above  the  porch,  or  shining  from  the  storied  win- 
dow, or  presenting  the  votary  at  the  altar,  or  inter- 
ceding for  their  flock  at  the  feet  of  the  Virgin  and 
Child,  their  mild  majestic  air,  venerable  beards,  and 
splendid  sacerdotal  robes,  render  them  extremely  effec- 
tive and  ornamental  as  subjects  of  Art :  to  the  educated 
eye  and  reflecting  mind,  they  have,  however,  a  far 
deeper  value  and  interest. 

In  general,  we  find  that  the  first  Christian  mission- 
ary who  preached  the  Gospel  in  any  city  or  locality, 
and  gathered  a  Christian  community  around  him,  was 
regarded  as  the  founder  and  first  bishop  of  that  church  ; 
subsequently,  he  came  to  be  venerated  by  the  inhabi- 
tants as  their  celestial  protector  and  intercessor,  as  con- 
tinuing in  heaven  that  care  and  superintendence  he  had 
exercised  on  earth.     Though  removed  from  his  place 


z98       SA  (  i: ED  A ND  L I  GENDARY  ART. 

amoiiLr  them,  lie  was  still  their  bishop,  they  were  still 
his  Bock  :  his  effigy  stood  conspicuously  in  their  churches, 
and  still  extended  the  hand  in  benediction  over  them. 

In  the  days  of  the  free  republics  of  1 1 : » 1  \ .  their  coin- 
age bore,  instead  of  the  head  of  a  potentate  <>r  tyrant, 
that  of  their  tutelary  saint ;  in  most  cases,  the  bishop  h  bo 
had  been  the  first  to  bring  to  them  the  glad  tidings  of 

salvation,  <>r  wlm  had  Bhed  his  hi I,  either  in  testimony 

to  his  faith,  or  in  defence  of  his  flock.  Thus,  on  the 
coins  of  Arezzo,  we  find  the  effigy  of  St.  Donatns;  on 
those  of  Bologna,  St  Petronius;  on  those  of  Ferrara, 
St.  Maunlius ;  on  those  of  Naples,  St.  Januarins.  In 
the  fonrteenth  century,  all  the  coinage  of  [talj  was 
solemnly  placed  under  the  protection  of  the  guardian 
Baints.  <  Mi  the  coins  of  Milan  we  have  on  one  side  St. 
Ambrose,  on  the  reverse  St.  Gervasius  and  St  Prota- 
gius:  on  those  of  Florence,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and 

St.    Cosmo   ami    St.    l>amia:i.       Perhaps    it   was   muiu' 

association  \\  i 1 1 1  the  sanctity  of  the  image  impressed  on 
it  which  made  the  counterfeiting  of  monej  a  sort  of 
Bucri lege,  and  induced   Dante  to  place  a  coiner  in  one 

Of  the   lowest   circles  Of  hell.* 

The  representations  of  these  primitive  bishops  have 
an  especial  interest  and  propriety,  1  mighl  almost  saj  ■ 
sanctity,  when  contemplated  within  the  walls  of  the 
church  consecrated  to  their  honor  in  a  spirit  of  grateful 
veneration.  We  maj  conceive  this  sort  of  inn-rest  by 
imagining  how  we  should  feel,  if,  within  the  walls  of 
Westminster  Abbey,  we  were  shown  the  figure,  how- 
ever idealized,  of  him  who  firs!  brought  the  tidings  of 

the  Gospel  tO  this   island.       Is  there  ati\    one  who  eonld 

turn  away  from  it  with  indifference  or  inattention  1  — 

who  would  not  teed  it  to  he  more  in  harmony  with  the 
place  than  General  Monk  or  Sir  Clondesley  Shovel  ' 

It    i^    not,  however,    the    less    true    lhat  with   some  of 

these  mediaeval  bishops  the  impression  of  the  sacred 
and  the  venerable  is  somewhat  spoiled  by  the  legendary 
attributes  which  accompany  them.      It   is  not  pleasant 

•   Inferno,  o.  xxx. 


THE  EARLY  BISHOPS.  299 

to  see  a  bishop  walking  without  his  head,  like  St.  Denis, 
or  flourishing  a  scourge  like  St.  Ambrose ;  but  even  such 
representations,  however  grotesque  they  may  appear, 
strike  us  in  quite  another  point  of  view  when  we  con- 
sider the  meaning  of  these  attributes  and  their  relation 
to  history,  to  the  character  of  the  individual,  and  the 
manners  and  morals  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 

In  former  times  the  Christianity  of  a  city  or  district 
was,  like  a  patent  of  nobility,  the  more  honorable  for 
its  antiquity.  A  community  traced  back  its  Christianity 
as  a  noble  traced  back  his  genealogy,  as  far  as  it  was 
possible.  The  object  was  to  prove  that  one  of  the 
Apostles,  or  at  least  some  immediate  delegate  or  disci- 
ple of  Peter  or  Paul,  had  been  the  first  to  gather  them 
within  the  pale  of  salvation.  Each,  too,  jealous  for  the 
dignity  of  the  local  patron,  multiplied  and  boasted  of  his 
miracles ;  and  if  St.  Petronius  performed  a  wonder  at 
Bologna,  it  was  immediately  emulated  by  St.  Gau- 
denzio  at  Rimini,  or  St.  Maurelius  at  Ferrara.  Hence 
the  uncertainty  which  has  been  studiously  thrown  round 
the  origin  of  the  early  churches  ;  and  hence  the  amount 
of  legendary  inventions  with  which  the  people  sur- 
rounded the  memory  of  their  founders,  till  the  sim- 
plicity and  credibility  of  the  old  tradition  were  wholly 
lost.  Hence,  too,  the  perpetual  repetition  of  the  same 
extravagant  stories,  only  varying  the  names  of  the  ac- 
tors ;  so  that,  when  these  venerable  personages  appear 
in  Art,  it  becomes,  from  the  moment  they  are  removed 
from  the  locality  for  which  they  were  painted,  very  diffi- 
cult—  often  impossible  —  to  discriminate  them  aright, 
they  are  so  much  alike  in  appearance  and  habiliments, 
and  the  same  stories  and  attributes  are  so  constantly 
repeated. 

A  bishop  is  immediately  recognized  by  his  dress  ;  and 
here  the  grand  distinction  is  between  the  Greek  and  the 
Latin  bishops.  The  primitive  Greek  bishops  wear  the 
alba  or  surplice,  always  white,  and  over  that  the  white 
\ilaneta  or  chasuble  embroidered  with    purple  crosses. 


3oo       SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Their  crosier,  where  they  liavc  one,  is  a  stall  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross,  ami  they  wear  do  mitre.  The 
latter  artists  frequently  commit  the  error  of  giving  to 
the  Greek  bishops  the  Latin  mitre,  and  to  the  Latin 
bishops  the  <  rreek  crosier. 

In  Western  Art  the  vestments  given  to  the  hishops, 

merely  as  distinctive  of  the  Episcopal  rank,  were  not 

those  proper  to  the  age  in  which  they  lived,  but  those 

of  the  time  in  which  the  picture  was  painted.      The 

.difference,  however,  was  only  in  the  cul  of  the  garb,  the 

garb  itself  was  the  sane'.  They  wear,  tirst,  the  white 
tunic  (alha)  fastened  round  the  waist  with  a  girdle,  and 
which    has   a   wide    laee   border  falling    to   the   feet,  and 

Been  beneath  the  upper  vestments.    Over  this  is  thrown, 

in  the  manner  of  a  BCarf,  the  stole,  a  Ion;;  narrow  piece 
of  cloth  richly  embroidered  with  crosses;  the  two  ends, 

fringed,  arc  crossed  upon  die  In-cast  and  hang  down  on 

each  side,  and  often  appear  below  the  chasubh  (or  / -A / - 
mill),  which  is  the  proper  eucbaristic  robe.  The  pla- 
neta  was  at  tirst,  a-  I  have  described  it  above,  onlj  a 
circular  piece  of  cloth  with  an  aperture  in  the  middle, 

hut   lor  the  sake  of  convenience  it  was  cul    shorter  and 

shorter  on  each  side,  till  it  bung  onlj  before  and  behind, 

the  hack  part   being  embroidered  with  a  large  cross. 

The  pallium,  the  insignia  of  dignity  worn  over  tin' 

planeta  only  by  archbishops  and  patriarchs,  resembles 

the  stole  :  it  is  a  white  woollen  hand  about  three  lingers 
in  breadth  passed  round  the-  shoulders,  and  from  which 
depend  three  Bhorl  bands  embroidered  with  crosses  :  two 
hang  behind,  and  one  towards  the  right  shoulder  hangs 
in  front.  Over  tin-  whole  is  thrown  the  cope  or  pluvi- 
al* i  literally,  rain-cloak),  because  first  adopted  merely 
a-  a  covering  from  the  weather,  in  the  processions  from 
one  church  to  another.  Subsequently  it  became  a  part 
of  the  episcopal  costume,  falling  over  the  whole  person, 
generally  of  purple  or  scarlet,  most  richly  embroidered, 
open  in  the  front,  ami  fastened  aero--  the  breast  with  a 
jewelled  clasp.  The  gloves,  with  the  rubj  on  the  hack 
of  the  hand,  figuring  the  wounds  of  Christ,  and   the  of- 


THE   EARLY   BISHOPS.  301 

ficial  ring  on  the  forefinger  of  the  right  hand,  are  some- 
times, but  not  always,  introduced ;  the  mitre  almost 
always ;  the  infuhv,  two  bands  or  lappets,  depending 
from  the  mitre  behind,  distinguish  the  bishop  from  the 
abbot.  The  staff,  in  the  form  of  a  shepherd's  crook 
(bacillus  pastoral  is),  completes  the  episcopal  habit  and 
attributes.  What  is  properly  the  crosier,  the  staff  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross,  is  borne  by  archbishops. 

At  the  head  of  the  early  Bishops  we  place  the  Hie- 
rarchs  of  Rome,  first  styled  Popes  about  the  year  500. 
Few  are  of  general  interest  in  their  pontifical  character, 
considered,  I  mean,  as  subjects  of  Art.  St.  Gregory, 
for  instance,  does  not  figure  as  pope,  but  as  a  doctor  of 
the  Church ;  nor  St.  Clement  as  pope,  but  as  martyr : 
of  both  I  have  already  spoken  at  length.  St.  Sixtus 
figures  in  the  pictures  of  St.  Laurence;  and  St.  Urban 
in  those  of  St.  Cecilia.  St.  Cornelius,  pope  in  250,* 
and  St.  Cyprian,  bishop  of  Carthage,  are  generally 
found  in  the  same  picture,  because  they  were  friends, 
contemporaries,  and,  as  martyrs,  commemorated  on  the 
same  day. 

St.  Leo,  surnamed  the  Great,  when  Rome  was  threat- 
ened by  Attila,  preserved  it  by  his  bold  and  eloquent 
intercession.  "  The  apparition,"  says  Gibbon,  "of  the 
two  apostles,  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  who  menaced  the 
barbarian  with  instant  death  if  he  rejected  the  prayer 
of  their  successor,  is  one  of  the  noblest  legends  of  ec- 
clesiastical tradition.  The  safety  of  Rome  might  de- 
serve the  interposition  of  celestial  beings ;  and  some 
indulgence  is  due  to  a  fable  which  has  been  represented 
by  the  pencil  of  a  Raphael  and  the  chisel  of  Algardi." 

Raphael's  fresco,  styled  "  The  Attila,"  is  in  the  Vat- 
ican :  it  is  rather  historically  than  religiously  treated  ;  it 
is,  in  fact,  an  historical  picture.  The  marble  altar- 
piece  of  Algardi  is  placed  in  St.  Peter's,  over  the 
chapel  of  St.  Leo.  The  king  of  the  Huns,  terrified 
by  the  apparition  of  the  two  apostles  in  the  air,  turns 

*  A  saint,  wearing  the  triple  tiara  and  holding  a  horn  (cornu), 
fc  St.  Cornelius,  but  he  is  very  rarely  met  with. 


3o2       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

bis  back  and  Bias.  We  have  here  a  picture  in  marble, 
with  all  the  faults  of  taste  and  Btyle  which  prevailed  at 
that  time,  bnl  the  workmanship  is  excellent ;  it  is,  per- 
haps, the  largest  bas-relief  in  existence,  excepting  the 
rock  sculpture  of  the  Indians  and  Egyptians,  —  at  least 
fifteen  feet  in  height. 

There  is  an  effigy  in  mosaic  and  a  grand  fresco  rep- 
resenting St.  Mark  (the  onlj  pope  who  bore  this  name, 
and  who  lived  in  340),  in  the  church  of  San  Marco  at 
Borne. 

The  popes,  as  bishops  of  Rome,  are  distinguished  by 
the  triple  tiara,  and  the  crosier  surmounted  by  a  double 
cross.  The  tiara,  I  believe,  was  first  adopted  by  Boni- 
face VI II.,  :iu>\  supposed  to  signify  the  triple  crown  of 
our  Saviour,  —  the  crown  of  glory,  the  crown  of  mercy, 
and  the  crown  <>t'  martyrdom;  but  others  have  inter- 
preted it  t"  Bignify  the  triple  dominion  asserted  by  the 
Soman  pontiff,  as  God's  vicegerent  over  heaven,  earth, 
and  hell. 

Cardinal  priests  •■  1  i <  1  not  exist  before  the  eighth  cen- 
tury, and  among  the  early  prelates  onlj   St  Jet ■ 

wears,  bj  usage  and  courtesy,  the  cardinal  attributes. 
The  earliest  cardinal  saint,  properly  bo  styled,  was  St. 
Bonaventnra  the  Franciscan,  whose  curious  legend  will 
be  found  among  those  of  the  Monastic  Orders 

Next  after  the  popes  and  cardinals  follow  the  Greek 
bishops;  at  the  head  of  these  we  place  the  Greek  doc- 
tors, ami  immediately  after  them,  the  universal  bishop 
patron  St  Nicholas,  who,  in  Western  Art,  is  always 
attired  in  the  vestments  proper  to  the  Latin  Church. 
\, -st  to  him  the  Greek  bishops  most  universally  hon- 
ored in  their  effigies  are  St.  Ignatius,  St.  Blaise,  and 
St.  Erasmus. 

At  the  bead  of  the  Latin  bishops  we  place  st  Am- 
brose and  St.  Augustine,  who  generally  appear  in  their 

higher  character  of  Fathers  of  the  Church. 

Tl ther  Latin  bishops  who  figure  in  An  fall  natu- 
rally into  t«"  groups,  —  those  who  were  martyrs,  and 


ST.  SYLVESTER.  303 

who  take  the  first  rank  hy  virtue  of  their  palm ;  and 
those  who  were  confessorr 

The  obscure  pastors  of  the  early  Italian  churches  are 
in  a  manner  consecrated  anew  by  the  exceeding  beauty 
and  value  of  those  works  of  Art  in  which  they  figure. 
I  shall,  therefore,  particularize  a  few  of  the  most  inter- 
esting among  them. 

I  begin  my  chapter  of  Bishops  with  the  story  of  St. 
Sylvester,  patriarch  of  Rome,  giving  him  the  prece- 
dence, as  such  ;  the  title  of  Pope  was  not  in  use  for 
two  centuries  at  least  after  his  time. 


St.  Sylvester,  Pope. 

Ital.  San  Silvestro.     Fr.  Saint  Silvestre.     December  31,  a.  d.  335. 

"  Sylvester  was  horn  at  Rome  of  virtuous  parents; 
and  at  the  time  when  Constantine  was  still  in  the  dark- 
ness of  idolatry  and  persecuted  the  Christians,  Sylvester, 
who  had  been  elected  bishop  of  Rome,  fled  from  the 
persecution,  and  dwelt  for  some  time  in  a  cavern,  near 
the  summit  of  Monte  Calvo.  While  he  lay  there  con- 
cealed, the  emperor  was  attacked  by  a  horrible  leprosy : 
and  having  called  to  him  the  priests  of  his  false  gods, 
they  advised  that  he  should  bathe  himself  in  a  bath  of 
children's  blood,  and  three  thousand  children  were  col- 
lected for  this  purpose.  And  as  he  proceeded  in  his 
chariot  to  the  place  where  the  bath  was  to  be  prepared, 
the  mothers  of  these  children  threw  themselves  in  his 
way  with  dishevelled  hair,  weeping,  and  crying  aloud  for 
mercy.  Then  Constantine  was  moved  to  tears,  and  he 
ordered  his  chariot  to  stop,  and  he  said  to  his  nobles 
and  to  his  attendants  who  were  around  him,  '  Far  better 
is  it  that  I  should  die  than  cause  the  death  of  these 
innocents  ! '  And  then  he  commanded  that  the  chil- 
dren should  be  restored  to  their  mothers  with  great  gifts, 
in  recompense  of  what  they  had  suffered ;  so  they  went 
away  full  of  joy  and  gratitude,  and  the  emperor  returned 
to  his  palace. 


I   4 


SAL'lUli   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


"On  thai  nine  night,  aa  he  lay  asleep,  St.  Peter  and 
St.  Pan!  appeared  at  his  ) «<-<l>ii  1«- ;  and  they  stretched 
their  bands  over  him  and  said,  •  Because  thou  basl 
feared  to  spill  the  innocent  blood,  JesnB  Christ  has  Bent 
us  to  bring  thee  good  counsel.  Bend  to  Sylvester,  who 
lies  hidden  among  the  mountains,  and  he  Bhall  show 
thee  the  pool,  in  which  having  washed  three  times,  thou 
shalt  be  clean  of  thy  leprosy  ;  and  henceforth  thou  ."-halt 
adore  the  (iod  of  the  Christians,  am!  thou  Bhall  cease 
to  persecute  and  to  oppress  them.'  Then  Constantino, 
awaking  from  this  vision,  Bern  his  soldiers  in  Bearch 
of  Sylvester.  Ami  when  tiny  took  him,  he  Bnpposed 
that  it  was  to  lead  him  to  death  :  nevertheless,  he  went 
cheerfully :  ami  when  lie  appeared  before  the  emperor, 
Constantine  arose  ami  Baluted  him.  ami  aaid,  '  I  would 
know  of  thee  who  are  those  two  gods  who  appeared  to 
me  in  the  visions  of  the  night  ''  Ami  Sylvester  re- 
plied, 'They  were  not  gods,  hut  the  apostles  of  the 
Lord  Je>us  Christ.'     Then  Constantine  desired  that  he 

would  Bh0W  him   the  effigies  of  these  two  apostles  \  and 

Sylvester  sent  for  two  pictures  of  St   Peter  and  St. 

Paul,    which    were    in    the    possession   of  certain    ]>ious 

Christdans.  Constantine,  having  beheld  them,  saw  that 
they  were  tin'  game  who  had  appeared  to  him  in  his 
dream.     Then  Sylvester  baptised  him,  and  he  came 

out  of  the  font  cured  of  his  malady. *  And,  the  DTBt 
day   after    his    baptism,    he    ordered    that    Jesus   <  hrist 

should  he  adored  throughout  Borne  as  the  onlj  true 
Godj  on  the  second  day.  that  tho>r  who  blasphemed 

against  him  should  !»■  put  to  death;  on  the  third  day, 
/hat  whoever  .should   iiisiilt  a  Christian  .should  have  the 

half  of  his  ej.cds  confiscated  ;  on  the  fourth  day  he  de- 
creed, that  thenceforth  the  bishop  of  Boms  ihould  l>o 

*  Constantine  was  not  baptised  till  a  (aw  sari  before  bit  death, 
ami  than  by  Buseblna.     I  hops  ii  li  ml  i"  remind  the 

reader  '.f  tie'  will-  dltrera between  tip-  Constantine  "f  history 

an. I  tie-  St.  OoDStaDtil f  th.'  leg!  n.li.      Tie-  1 1  •  •  nation  .,f  OonStan- 

Una  to  iii'-  Uabopi  of  Some  wim  tot  ajr'-s  i -"n-iii. r<  <i  a  genuine 
■not,  but  Is  now  universally  regarded  aa  spurious. 


ST.  SYLVESTER.  305 

the  chief  over  all  the  bishops  of  Christendom,  — as  the 

emperor  of  Home  was  the  first  among  the  sovereigns 
of  the  earth  ;  on  the  fifth  day,  he  granted  the  privilege 
of  sanctuary  to  all  the  Christian  churches;  on  the  sixth 
dav,  he  decreed  that  no  one  should  build  a  church  with- 
out the  authority  of  the  bishop ;  on  the  seventh  day, 
that  the  tithes  of  all  the  Roman  domains  should  be 
granted  to  the  Chureh.  On  the  eighth  day,  after  con- 
fessing his  sins  and  receiving  forgiveness,  he  took  a 
spade  and  dug  with  his  own  hands  the  foundation  of  a 
new  basilica ;  and  he  carried  upon  his  shoulders  twelve 
hodfuls  of  the  earth  that  he  had  dug  out.  Then  he 
laid  the  first  stone  of  the  great  basilica  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist,  since  called  the  Lateran. 

"  Now  when  the  Empress  Helena,  the  mother  of 
Constantine,  heard  these  things,  she  reproached  him, 
and  told  him  it  would  have  been  better  for  him  to  have 
followed  the  God  of  the  Jews  than  the  God  of  the 
Christians  (for  Helena  at  this  time  inclined  to  Judaism). 
And  Constantine  wrote  to  her  that  she  should  bring 
with  her  the  wisest  of  the  Jewish  Rabbis,  and  that  they 
should  hold  an  argument  with  Sylvester.  So  she  re- 
paired to  Rome,  bringing  with  her  one  hundred  and 
forty  of  the  doctors  most  learned  in  the  law :  and  the 
emperor  appointed  a  day  on  which  to  listen  to  them. 
He  named  as  arbitrators  two  famous  Greek  philoso- 
phers, Crato  and  Zeno ;  and  it  was  wisely  decreed  be- 
forehand, that  only  one  should  speak  at  a  time,  and  all 
the  others  should  keep  silence  till  he  had  finished.  And 
Sylvester,  being  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  clearly 
convicted  these  men  out  of  the  Scriptures,  and  put  them 
to  silence.  Then  the  most  learned  among  the  doctors, 
who  was  also  a  magician,  defied  Sylvester  to  a  trial  of 
the  power  of  his  God,  and  said  to  him  with  scorn, 
'Dost  thou  know  the  name  of  the  Omnipotent,  that 
name  which  no  creature  can  hear  and  live  ?  I  know 
it :  let  them  bring  me  a  wild  bull,  the  fiercest  that  can 
be  found,  and  when  I  have  uttered  that  name  in  his  ear, 
he  will  fall  dead.'     Then  they  brought  in  a  fierce  bull, 


3o6       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

which  it  required  a  hundred  men  to  restrain.  And 
when  Zambri  the  magician  had  whispered  that  terrible 
name  in  hia  ear,  be  rolled  bis  eyes  and  fell  dead  to  the 
ground.  Then  the  Jewa  cried  oul  aloud,  and  threw 
themselves  with  fury  upon  Sylvester;  the  two  philoso- 
phers were  struck  dumb,  and  even  Constantino  was 
Btaggered.  15ut  Sylvester  said  calmly,  'The  name 
which  he  has  pronounced  cannot  be  that  of  God,  but 
of  Satan;  for  Christ,  who  is  our  Redeemer,  does  not 
strike  •  1« -:i< I  the  living,  but  restores  life  to  the  dead  :  the 
power  to  kill  belongs  equally  to  men  and  to  wild  beasts: 
lions,  tigers,  serpents,  can  destroy  life.  Lei  Zambri 
restore  with  a  word  the  creature  he  has  .-lain  ;  as  it  is 
written,  "I  «ill  kill,  1  will  make  alive."  Therefore 
the  judges  desired  Zambri  to  restore  the  bull  t<>  life,  but 
he  could  not  do  it.  Then  Sylvester  made  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  and  commanded  the  hull  t<>  rise  and  go  in 
peace.  And  the  hull  rose  up  as  tame  and  as  gentle  as 
if  he  bad  been  in  the  yoke  from  the  hour  of  liis  birth. 
Then  the  Jews  and  the  doctors,  and  all  others  present, 
being  confounded  by  this  miracle,  believed  and  wen 
baptized." 

The  story  which  follows  is  rather  a  parable  than  a 
legend  :  — 

••  Some  time  after  the  baptism  of  the  emperor,  the 
priests  of  the  idols  came  to  him  and  .-aid,  •  Mosl  Sacred 
Emperor,  Bince  you  have  embraced  the  faith  of  Christ, 
the  great  dragon  which  dwelleth  in  the  moat  hath  de- 
stroyed every  day  more  than  three  hundred  men  by  his 
envenomed  breath.'  The  emperor  consulted  Sylvester, 
who  replied,  •  Have  faith  only,  and  I  will  Bubdue  this 
beast.1  Oaring  -aid  thi-.  he  went  down  into  the  moat, 
to  which  there  was  a  descent  of  one  hundred  and  forty- 
two  Bteps,  and  having  exorcised  the  dragon  in  the  name 
i.t  Him  whowa-  l.oni  of  a  virgin,  crucified,  buried,  and 
raised  from  the  dead,  be  closed  and  hound  ap  the  mouth 
/p|  the  dragon  with  B  thread,  twisting  it  round  three  times, 

and  Moling  it  with  the  rign  ol  the  cross    and  thus  he  dc- 


ST.  SYLVESTER  3   - 

livered  the  people  from  a  double  death,  —  the  death  of 
idolatry  and  the  death  of  sin.  (Here  the  obvious  alle- 
gory requires  no  explanation  ;  it  is  merely  another  form 
of  the  ancient  myth  of  the  dragon  overcome  and  cast  out. ) 

"  Also  it  is  related  of  Sylvester,  that  lie  gave  a  refuge 
in  his  house  to  a  Christian  whose  name  was  Timotheus, 
and  who  afterwards  suffered  martyrdom  for  having 
preached  the  faith  of  Christ.  The  governor,  Tarquin- 
ian,  being  persuaded  that  Timotheus  hail  left  great 
riches,  called  upon  Sylvester  to  deliver  them  up,  threat- 
ening him  with  death  and  divers  tortures.  And  Syl- 
vester said,  '  Thou  fool,  this  night  shall  thy  soul  he 
required  of  thee,  and  shall  he  delivered  up  to  torments.' 
And  so  it  came  to  pass  ;  for  when  Tarquinian  was  at 
dinner,  a  fish-bone  stuck  in  his  throat,  choked  him,  and 
he  gave  up  the  ghost." 

"  After  this,  Sylvester  was  present  at  the  great  coun- 
cil which  was  held  at  Nieea,  a  city  of  Bithynia,  in 
which  Arius  was  condemned,  and  many  ordinances  did 
Sylvester  make  for  the  good  of  the  Church.  When 
he  had  governed  for  twenty-three  years  and  ten  months, 
he  died,  and  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  Priscilla  at 
Rome." 

The  single  figures  of  Sylvester  represent  him  in  the 
pontifical  robes,  and  wearing,  sometimes,  a  plain  mitre  ; 
sometimes  the  triple  tiara,  with  the  book  and  the  crosier 
as  bishop.  I  have  seen  a  small  full-length  figure  in 
which  he  carries  in  his  hand,  merely  as  his  attribute,  a 
small  dragon,  and  around  its  mouth  are  the  three 
twisted  threads.*  He  has  a  bull  crouching  at  his  feet, 
which  is  his  proper  attribute,  and  generally  accom- 
panies his  Gothic  effigies,  whether  in  sculpture  or  stained 
glass  :  in  such  examples  it  is  necessary  to  observe,  that 
his  episcopal  attire  alone  distinguishes  him  from  St. 
Luke,  who  also  has  the  ox.  Sometimes  he  holds  in 
his  hands  the  portraits  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  or 

*  The  picture  is  at  present  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Bromley  of 
Wootten. 


j08        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

points  i"  them.  There  ia  a  foil-length  figure  of  a  pope 
holding  the  pictures,  minute,  of  tin1  two  apostles, called 
the  portrait  of  Urban  V.  ;  but  if  it  be  really  a  portrait) 
and  represent  this  pope  (which  I  doubt  much),  it  i>  in 
the  character  of  St.  Sylvester.* 

Constantine  is  represented  in  the  drees  of  a  Boman 
emperor,  or  a  Roman  warrior  ;  in  one  hand  the  labarum, 
or  Btandard  of  the  cross,  which  is  sometimes  a  banner, 
and  sometimes  a  lance  Burmounted  by  the  monogram 

ut'  ( 'hrist. 

As  the  legend  of  Sylvester  and  Constantine,  half 
romantic,  half  allegorical,  is  one  of  the  most  curious 
and  important  in  very  early  Art,  1  shall  give  one  or 
two  examples  which  may  render  others  intelligible  ami 
interestii 

1.  In  the  Banli  chapel  in  the  Santa  Croce  at  Flor- 
ence, Giottino  painted,  in  three  compartments,  the  dis- 
pute with  the  .lews ;  the  Legend  of  the  resuscitation 
of  the  bull ;  and  the  dragon  bound  and  silenced  forever 
by  the  power  of  the  cross.  These  frescos,  which  covet 
the  right-hand  wall,  though  much  ruined,  are  -till  quite 
intelligible  ;  and  the  compositions,  for  Bpirit  and  dra- 
matic power,  surprising,  considering  the  period  at  which 
they  were  painted. 

•i.  The  whole  story  of  Constantine  and  Sylvester, 
in  a  series  of  very  antique  frescos,  as  old  perhaps  as 
the  eleventh  century,  at  the  upper  end  of  the  chapel  of 
San  Silveatro  in  the  church  of  the  "  Quattro  [ncoro- 
nati."  I.  Constantine,  in  his  chariot,  is  encountered 
by  the  bereaved  and  weeping  mothers,  to  whom  he 
restores  their  children.  2.  He  Bees  in  a  vision 
Peter  and  St.  Paul.     8.  He  tends  mi  to  sum- 

mon Bylvester.     t    The  messengers  arrive  at  m 
tei^s  cell  on  the  Monte  Calvo;   he  looks  oat   of  the 
•.■•I  window.     5.   He  shows  bathe  emperor  the  effi 
of  St.   1''  ter  and  St.   Paul.     6.  The  baptism  of 


BT.  SYLVESTER  AND  CONSTANTJNE.    309 

Constantino.  7.  Ho  is  crowned  by  St.  Sylvester.  The 
three  compartments  which  follow  aro  in  a  most  ruined 
state,  but  we  can  just  discern  the  miracle  of  the  wild 
bull.  The  whole  series  is  engraved  in  D'Agincourt's 
work. 

3.  The  legend  of  St.  Sylvester  in  three  compart- 
ments, in  a  beautiful  predella  by  Angelico  da  Fiesole.* 

4.  The  story  of  St.  Sylvester  and  Timotheus  is  most 
elaborately  painted  in  thirty-one  different  subjects  ou 
one  of  the  windows  of  the  Cathedral  of  Charms. 

5.  Constantino  and  Pope  Sylvester  are  seated  on  a 
throne  together.  The  bishops  and  the  Empress  Helen 
seated  in  a  circle  ;  several  executioners  aro  burning  the 
heretical  books,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  descends  in  a  glory 
from  above.  I  believe  this  ancient  picture  represents 
the  first  council  of  Nice.t 

6.  Constantine  bestows,  by  a  deed  of  gift,  the  city 
and  territory  of  Rome  on  Pope  Sylvester  and  his  suc- 
cessors, (a.  d.  325.)  One  of  the  grand  frescos  in 
the  Vatican.  The  scene  represents  the  interior  of  the 
old  church  of  St.  Peter;  to  the  left  St.  Sylvester,  in 
the  pontifical  habit  and  seated  on  a  throne,  receives 
from  the  kneeling  emperor  the  gift  of  the  city  of  Rome, 
which  is  here  represented  by  a  symbolical  figure  in 
gold  ;  the  head  of  Sylvester  is  the  portrait  of  Clement 
VII.,  the  reigning  pontiff.  Among  the  numerous  per- 
sonages who  surround  the  pope  and  the  emperor  as 
attendants  are  several  distinguished  characters  of  that 
time  ;  for  instance,  Count  Castiglione,  the  friend  of 
Raphael,  and  Giulio  Romano,  to  whom  the  design  as 
well  as  the  execution  of  the  fresco  is  ascribed  by  Pas- 
savant. j; 

In  the  same  hall  are  eight  grand  ideal  figures  of  the 
most  celebrated  of  the  early  popes,  attended  by  alle- 
gorical figures  representing  the  virtues  for  which  each 
pontiff  was  remarkable,  or  expressive  of  some  leading 
point  in  his  life  and  character. 

*  Doria  Gal ,  Rome.  t  Ciampini,  vol.  ii.  p.  183. 

t  "  Rafael,"  vol.  ii.  p.  373. 


3io       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

1.  St.  Peter,  in  the  pontifical  habit,  attended  bj  tin- 
Church  and  Eternity.  2.  Clement  1  (the  martyr),  at- 
tended bj  Moderation  and  Gentleness.  Tin-  beautiful 
6gure  of  Gentleness,  with  the  lamb  at  her  tret,  has 
been  engraved  bj  Strange,  and  might  be  mistaken  for 
a  St.  Agnes.  •';.  Alexander  I.  (or  Sylvester),  attended 
by  Faith  and  Religion.  A.  Urban  [.,  the  friend  of  St. 
1  ilia,  attended  by  Justice  and  Charity.  5.  Damascus 
1.  (a.  d.  366-384),  attended  bj  foresight  and  Peace 
•'>.  Leo  1  (a.  i>.  440  462),  attended  bj  Purity  and 
Truth.  7.  Felix  [II.,  attended  l>\  Strength.  8.  Greg- 
ory VII.  (the  famous  Hildebrand,  \.  i>  1073  1085), 
attended  by  a  Bingle  female  figure  holding  a  thunder- 
bolt in  one  hand,  in  tl ther  the  Gospel;  according 

to  Passavant,  signifying  Spiritual  Might 

Much  mighi  be  Bald  of  this  Beries  of  Popes  and 
their  attendant  virtues  :  and,  indeed,  the  whole  <>f  tliis 
JIall  lit'  Constantine  suggests  a  thousand  thoughts, 
winch  1  in u - 1  leave  the  reader  to  think  out  for  himself. 
I  will  only  repeat,  that  the  papal  saints,  with  the  excep 
tinii  of  St  Sylvester  and  St.  Gregory,  are  not  of  general 
interest  in  the.  history  of  Art 


St.    Ii.wiii  »  Thbophobds,  Bishop   uid   Ma&ttr. 

//- /.  But*  Ignaslo      Fr.  Sain)  [grace,    Q«r.  Der  Hellige  Igna*. 

Pi  1..  1,  \   1,    107. 

"Ignatius  ami  Polti  irp  were  disciples  together 
nf  Si.  John  tin-  Evangelist  ami  linked  together  in 
friendship,  as  they  were  associated  in  good  works.  It 
i-  a  tradition  that  St.  Ignatius  bad  seen  the  face  of  tl 


Lord;  that    he  was  the  same   whom,  a-  a  child,  tin 

s.uiuiir  hail  taken  in  hi-  arm-,  and  set  in  tin-  tnidsl  ol 


he 

he 
.  .  hi' 
(he  disciples,   Baying,   'Of such   are   the   kingdom  of 
■  n.'     It  i-  also  related  of  him  that   he  grew  up  in 
►  ich  innocence  of  In  an  ami  parity  <>t  lite,  that  to  hi- 


1U 


ST.  IGNATIUS    TIIEOmORUS.  311 

it  was  granted  to  heir  the  angels  sins  ;  hence,  wlien  he 
afterwards  became  bishop  of  Antioch,  lie  introduced 
into  the  service  of  his  church  the  practice  of  singing  the 
praises  of  God  in  responses,  as  he  had  heard  the  choirs 
of  angels  answering  each  other. 

"  And  it  happened  in  those  days  that  the  Emperor 
Trajan  went  to  fight  against  the  Scythians  and  Da- 
cians,  and  obtained  a  great  victory  over  them.  And 
he  commanded  that  thanksgivings  and  sacrifice  to  the 
false  gods  should  he  offered  up  in  all  the  provinces  of 
his  vast  empire.     Only  the  Christians  refused  to  obey. 

"  When  Trajan  came  to  Antioch  he  ordered  Ignatius 
to  be  brought  before  him,  and  reproached  him  for  se- 
ducing  the  people  from  the  worship  of  their  gods, 
promising  him  infinite  rewards  if  he  would  sacrifice  in 
the  temple;  hut  Ignatius  replied,  '  O  Caesar,  wert  thou 
to  offer  me  all  the  treasures  of  thy  empire,  yet  would  I 
not  cease  to  adore  the  only  true  and  living  God !  ' 
And  Trajan  said,  '  What  !  talkest  thou  of  a  living 
God  '?  Thy  God  is  dead  upon  the  cross.  Our  gods 
reign  upon  Olympus.'  And  Ignatius  said,  '  Your  gods 
wore  vicious  mortals,  and  have  died  as  such :  your 
Jove  is  buried  in  Candia  ;  your  Esculapius  was  shot 
with  an  arrow  ;  your  Venus  lies  in  the  island  of  Pa- 
phos  ;  and  your  Hercules  burned  himself  in  a  great  fire 
because  he  could  not  endure  pain.  These  be  your 
gods,  O  Emperor !  '*  When  Trajan  heard  this,  he 
caused  his  mouth  to  be  stopped,  and  commanded  him 
to  be  led  forth  to  a  dungeon ;  and  at  first  he  resolved 
to  put  him  at  once  to  death,  but  afterwards  he  reserved 
him  for  the  amphitheatre. 

■•  When  Ignatius  heard  his  sentence,  he  rejoiced 
greatly  ;  he  assisted  his  guards  in  fastening  the  chains 
on  his  limbs,  and  set  forth  on  his  journey  ;  and  being 
come  to  Smyrna,  he  met  Polycarp  and  other  of  his 
friends,  to    whom    he    recommended    the    care  of  his 

*  This  reply  of  Ignatius  does  not  seem  consistent  with  the  no- 
tions of  the  early  Christians,  respecting  the  false  gods.  I  give  it, 
however,  from  the  "  Perfetto  Legendario." 


3ia       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

church.  Ami  all  wept,  Mini  Pblycarp  Baid,  •  Would  to 
*  i « »■  1  thai  I  too  might  be  found  worthy  to  Buffer  for  this 
cause!'  To  which  [gnatius  replied,  'Doubt  not, 
brother,  that  thy  time  will  come  ;  but  for  the  present 
the  Churob  has  need  of  thee.'  Bo  they  embraced, 
weeping,  and  his  friends  kissed  his  hands,  bis  garments, 
hi>  chains,  and  bid  him  farewell,  rejoicing  in  his  cour- 
age and  fervor.  Then  Ignatius  and  his  guards  em- 
barked in  u  vessel  and  Bailed  for  Rome  ;  and  being 
come  there,  the  prefect  on  a  certain  feast-day  ordered 
aim  to  he  brought  forth  and  placed  in  the  midst  of  the 
amphitheatre.  And  Ignatius,  Btanding  in  the  midst, 
lifted  up  his  voice  and  cried,  ■  Men  and  RomanB,  know 
ye  that  it  is  not  t"< >r  any  crime  that  I  am  plan  ,i  here, 
but  for  the  glory  of  that  God  whom  I  worship.  I  am 
ns  the  wheat  nt'  his  field,  and  musl  he  ground  by  the 
teeth  of  the  lions  that  I  may  become  bread  worthy  of 
being  served  up  t>>  him.'  Such  were  the  words  of  thin 
holj  and  courageous  man  as  thej  have  been  trulj  re- 
corded, and  no  sooner  were  they  uttered  than  two  furi- 
ous lion.-  were  let  loose  upon  him,  and  they  tore  him  to 
pieces  and  devoured  him,  so  that  nothing  was  left  of 
him  but  a  fe*  bones."  But  according  to  another  vei 
sion  of  the  story  he  fell  down  dead  before  the  lions 
reached  him,  ami  his  body  remained  untouched.) 

A  few  days  after  his  death  his  remains  were  collected 
by  his  disciples  and  carried  t<>  Antioch  ;  and,  according 
to  tradition,  some  relies  were  brought  i"   Rome  about 
the  year  540,  and  deposited  in  the  ancient  church  ot 
Ban  <  llemente. 

The  story  ami  the  fate  of  Ignatius  are  so  veil  attested 
and  bo  sublimely  affecting,  that  it  has  always  been  to 
me  m  cans*  of  surprise  a-  well  a-  regret  to  find  bo  few 
representations  of  him.  I  do  not  remember  anj  figure 
iif  him  in  a  devotional  picture  :  hut  he  ought  to  tie  n  p- 
ated  in  the  dress  "fa  Greek  bishop,  with  a  lion  or 

tWO  lions  at  his  side. 

His  martyrdom  is  a  more  frequent  Bubjei  i      There 

i-  .i  i  in  ions  miniature  in  the  <o<  ek  Mei  nccuted 


ST.  IGNATIUS    THE0PH0RU8.  313 

for  the  Emperor  Basil  in  the  ninth  century.  The  orig- 
inal is  on  a  gold  ground  the  colors  still  most  vivid 
At  Seville  there  is  a  picture  of  St.  Ignatius  exposed  in 
the  amphitheatre,  by  P.  Roelas ;  and  I  have  seen  one  at 
Vienna  by  Creutzfelder.  None  of  these  are  worthy  oe 
the  subject;  bat  in  truth  it  is  one  which  we  could  more 
easily  endure  to  see  ill  than  well  expressed.  The  hor- 
ror with  which  we  regard  it  is  increased  by  the  recol- 
lection that  St.  Ignatius  only  represents  one  of  many 
hundreds  who  perished  in  the  same  manner  for  the 
atrocious  pleasure  of  a  sanguinary  populace. 

On  the  side  walls  of  the  church  of  San  Clemente  are 
Rome  large  and  very  bad  frescos,  or  rather  distemper 
paintings,  representing  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Ig- 
natius. They  appear  to  be  of  the  time  of  Clement 
XI.,  that  is,  about  1700.  I  am  informed  that  the 
modern  frescos  in  the  church  of  St.  Ignatius  at  May- 
ence  are  extremely  fine ;  but  cannot  speak  of  them 
from  my  own  kuowledge. 

There  are  several  dramas  on  the  story  of  St.  Igna- 
tius. A  tragedy  entitled  "  The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Ig- 
natius," written  in  1740,  was  acted  at  Hull  in  1781, 
and  the  part  of  Ignatius  performed  by  Stephen  Kem- 
ble  :  I  do  not  know  with  what  success,  but  it  was  pro- 
nounced more  pious  than  poetical. 

St.  Polcycarp,  bishop  of  Smyrna,  was  condemned 
many  years  afterwards  to  the  same  cruel  death ;  but 
the  games  being  over,  he  was  burned  alive,  in  the  reign 
of  Marcus  Aurelius.  Of  this  celebrated  martyr  and 
father  of  the  church  I  have  never  seen  any  effigy. 
Some  of  the  scenes  of  his  life  —  for  instance,  the  part- 
ing with  Ignatius,  or  his  condemnation  by  the  people  — ■ 
would  furnish  fine  picturesque  subjects,  and  the  authen- 
ticity of  his  story  renders  the  neglect  of  it  the  more  ex- 
traordinary. 


3i4        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


St.  Blaise,  Bishop  of  Sehaste. 
\tal.  Ban  Blaglo.    FY.  Balnl  Blalie.    air.  Der  Ik-ilipe  ninsiu-*. 

Patron  BaiDt  of  wool-combers,  of  nil  who  HutT'-r  from  diseases  of 
the  throat,  and  of  wild  animals.  Patron  of  Kagusa.  Feb.  ... 
A.  d.  289. 

Tin-:  legend  of  St.  Blaise,  a  popular  saint  in  Eng- 
land ami  France,  is  of  Greek  origin.  He  was  bishop 
over  the  Christian  Church  al  Sebaste  in  Cappadocia, 
and  governed  his  Hock  for  many  years  with  great  vig- 
ilance,  till  the  persecution  under  Diocletian  obliged  him 
to  fly,  and  he  took  refuge  in  a  mountain  cave  al  some 
distance  from  the  city.  This  mountain  was  the  haunt 
of  wild  beastB,  bean,  lion-,  and  tigers  ;  but  these  an- 
imals were  bo  completely   Bubdued  by  the  gentles 

and  piety  of  the  g 1  old  man,  that,  for  from  doing 

him  any  harm,  they  came  every  morning  to  ask  his 
blessing;  if  they  found  him  kneeling  at  bis  devotions, 
they  waited  duteously  till  he  had  finished,  and  having 
received  the  accustomed  benediction  they  retired.  t?ow 
in  the  city  of  Sebaste,  and  in  the  whole  province,  so 
]ii;m\  Christians  were  pat  to  death,  that  there  began  to 
be  a  scarcity  of  wild  beasts  for  the  amphitheatres ;  and 
Agricolaus,  the  governor,  sent  bis  hunters  into  the 
mountains  to  collect  as  many  lions,  tigers,  and  bean  u 
possible;  and  it  happened  that  these  huntera,  arriving 
one  daj  before  the  mouth  of  the  cave  in  which  St.  Blaise 
bad  taken  refuge,  found  him  seated  in  front  of  it.  and 
surrounded  by  a  variety  of  animals  of  different  spe- 
cies;—  the  iion  and  the  lamb,  the  hind  and  the  leop- 
ard,   seemed   to    have    pat    oflF  their   nature,    mid    Were 

standing  amicably  together,  as  though  there  had  been 
everlasting  peace  between  them  ;  and  some  he  blessed 
with  holy  words,  knowing  that  God  rareth  for  all  things 
that  he  has  made  ;  and  to  others  thai  were  sick  or 
wounded  he  ministered  gently,  and  others  he  repre- 
hended 1  of  their  rapacity  and  gluttony.     And 


ST.  BLAISE.  31  S 

when  the  hunters  beheld  this,  they  were  like  men  in  a 
dream,  they  stood  astonished,  thinking  they  had  found 
some  enchanter ;  and  they  seized  him  and  carried  him 
before  the  governor,  and,  as  they  went,  the  good  bishop 
returned  thanks  to  God,  and  rejoiced  greatly,  that,  at 
length,  he  had  been  found  worthy  to  die  for  the  cause  of 
Christ.  On  the  journey,  they  met  a  poor  woman  whose 
only  child  had  swallowed  a  fish-bone,  which  had  stuck 
in  his  throat,  and  he  was  on  the  point  of  being  choked  ; 
and  seeing  the  bishop,  the  mother  fell  at  his  feet,  say- 
ing, "  0  servant  of  Christ,  have  mercy  upon  me  !  "  and 
he,  being  moved  with  compassion,  laid  his  hand  upon 
the  throat  of  the  child  and  prayed,  and  the  child  was 
healed,  and  he  restored  him  to  his  mother  :  and  going  a 
little  farther,  they  found  another  poor  woman  whose 
only  worldly  riches  had  consisted  in  a  pig,  which  the 
wolf  had  carried  off;  and  he  who  had  obtained  power 
over  all  the  savage  beasts,  told  her  to  be  of  good  cheer, 
for  her  pig  should  be  restored  to  her ;  and  the  wolf,  at 
his  command,  brought  it  back  unharmed. 

When,  at  length,  he  appeared  before  the  tribunal, 
the  cruel  governor  ordered  him  to  be  scourged,  and 
cast  into  a  dungeon  without  food  ;  but  the  poor  woman, 
whose  pig  he  had  saved,  having  meanwhile  providen- 
tially killed  her  pig,  brought  him  a  part  of  it  cooked, 
with  some  bread  and  fruit,  so  that  he  did  not  perish  ; 
and  he  blessed  this  woman,  with  whom  all  things  pros- 
pered from  that  time  forth.  Then  he  was  brought 
a  second  time  before  the  governor,  and  he,  far  more 
savage  than  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  ordered  St.  Blaise 
first  to  be  tortured  by  having  his  flesh  torn  with  iron 
combs,  such  as  they  use  to  card  wool ;  and  finding  that 
his  constancy  was  not  to  be  subdued  by  this  or  any 
other  torments,  he  commanded- his  head  to  be  struck 
off,  which  was  done.  Thus,  the  good  bishop  received 
the  crown  of  martyrdom  ;  and  seven  pious  women 
wiped  up  his  blood. 

Pictures  of  St.  Blaise  are  not  frequent.     In  single 
figures  and  devotional  pictures  he  is  represented  as  an 


316       SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

old  man  with  a  white  beard,  attired  as  a  bishop  wim 
the  planetaand  mitre,  holding  in  one  hand  a  crosier, hi 
the  other  an  iron  comb,  Bnch  as  is  used  hy  the  wool- 
combers,  the  instrument  of  his  torture  :  this  is  his  pecu- 
liar attribute.  Be  is  thus  represented  on  the  coins  of 
Ragusa. 

A  picture  by  Monsignori  (of  Verona),  engraved  in 
Rossini's  History  of  Painting,  represents  him  Btripped 
ready  for  the  torture,  his  hands  tied  above  his  head  ; 

on  one  side  stands  an  angel  holding  the  i comb,  on 

tin'  other  .-in  angel  holding  the  crosier  and  mitre. 

St.  Blaise  sitting  at  the  mouth  of  his  cave,  and  but 
rounded  by  a  variety  of  animals,  with  his  hand  raised 
in  the  .lit  of  benediction,  is  a  Bubject  frequent  in  tin- 
ancient  miniatures  and  stained  ula>s. 

In  "The  Martyrdom  of  San  Biagio,"  bj  Carlo  Ma 
ratti  (in  the  Carignano,  at   Genoa]  la-  has,  with  great 

g I  taste,  avoided  the  dreadful  and  disgusting  as  fur 

as  possible.  The  executioners  arc  in  the  act  of  raising 
the  aged  saint  by  means  of  a  pulley,  to  suspend  him  to 
a  gallows  ;  others  air  standing  bj  with  the  iron  combs 
prepared  to  torture  him  ;  while  he,  with  an  expression 
of  pious  resignation,  raises  his  eyes  to  heaven,  and 
sei  ins  to  pray  for  fortitude  to  endure  the  impending 

torment.      In    allusion    to    the    "  pious   women  "    nun 

tioned  in  the  legend,  one  or  two  women  are  generally 
introduced  into  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Blaise. 

This  saint  keeps  his  place  in  the  English  reformed 
calendar,  ami  a.-  patron  and  protector  of  wool  combers 
and  wool-staplers  is  especially  popular  in  Yorkshire, 
where  he  is  regarded  as  the  inventor  of  wool  combing, 
ami  Btill  commemorated  in  the  town  of  Bradford  by  a 
festival  held  everj  seven  year-,  wherein  Prince  Jason 
ami  the  Princess  Medea,  Bishop  Blaise  and  his  chap- 
lain, all  walk  together  in  grand  procession.- 

Si.  Cyprian,  Bishop  of  Carthage,  who  perished  in 
the  persecution  undi  r  Valerian,  and  whose  martyrdom 

•  He  has  three  'lee  i  i  bit  honor  in  England. 


ST.  ERASMUS. 


317 


is  one  of  the  most  authentic  and  interesting  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Christian  Church,  is  so  rarely  met  with  as 
a  subject  of  Art,  that  I  can  recollect  but  one  example, 
in  a  picture  by  Paul  Veronese,  in  the  Brera  at  Milan, 
where  St.  Augustine  sits  enthroned,  and  before  him 
stand  St.  Cyprian  with  the  palm  and  mitre  at  his  feet, 
and  on  the  other  side  his  friend  St.  Cornelius,  pope  in 
251. 

St.  Erasmus. 

Itnl.  Sant'  Elmo  or  Erasmo.     Sp.  St.  Ermo  or  Eramo.     Fr.  Saint 
Elme.     June  3,  A.  D.  296. 

Tins  saint  was  one  of  the  bishops  of  the  early  Church, 
and  was  martyred  in  the  persecution  of  the  Christians 
under  Diocletian  and  Maximian  at  Formia,  now  Mola 
di  Gaeta,  between  Rome  and  Naples.  As  his  firmness 
withstood  all  ordinary  tortures,  for  him  a  new  and  hor- 
rible death  was  prepared ;  he  was  cut  open,  and  his  en- 
trails wound  off  on  a  sort  of  wheel  such  as  they  use  to 
wind  off  skeins  of  wool  or  silk.  Such  an  implement  is 
placed  in  his  hand,  and  is  his  peculiar  attribute.  He  is 
represented  as  an  aged  man  attired  as  a  bishop. 

His  supposed  martyrdom  —  for  the  affrighted  imagi- 
nation is  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  doubt  or  incredulity 
—  is  the  only  subject  from  his  life  which  I  have  met 
with  in  a  picture,  and  fortunately  it  is  very  rare.  It 
was  painted  by  Niccolb  Poussin,  — though  how  his  ten- 
der and  refined  mind  could  be  brought  to  study  all  the 
details  of  a  subject  so  abominable,,  is  difficult  to  con- 
ceive ;  —  it  was  commanded  by  the  pope,  Urban  VIII. , 
and  is  perpetuated  in  a  mosaic  which  is  over  the  altar 
of  St.  Erasmo  in  St.  Peter's.  It  is  said  to  be  in  point 
of  expression  one  of  Poussin's  best  works;  and  that  the 
(.ead  of  the  saint,  agonized  at  once  and  full  of  heavenly 
<aith  and  resignation,  is  a  masterpiece.  I  never  could 
00k  at  the  picture  long  enough  or  steadily  enough  to 
certify  to  the  truth  of  this  culogium,  and  I  should  rathet 
«ibseribe  to  the  just  remarks  of  Sir  Edmund  Head- 


3i8       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  AST. 

after  observing  that  the  French  artists  in  general  do 
m>t  Beem  to  feel  "  the  limits  which  separate  die  horrible 
from  the  pathetic,"  he  adds:  "The  Bnbjecl  is  no  excuse 
li>r  the  painter.  Snch  subjects,  as  baa  been  well  ob- 
served, slmuM  be  treated  by  the  selection  of  a  moment 

before  the  horror  is  c plete  "  ;  as  in  Parmigiano's  8t 

Agatha. 

St  Erasmus,  ander  the  name  of  Bant'  Elmo,  is  fa- 
mous on  the  Bhores  of  the  Mediterranean,  in  Calabria, 
Sicily,  and  Spain,  where  the  mariners  invoke  him 
against  Btorms  and  tempests  :  he  is  sometimes  repre- 
sented with  a  taper  in  his  hand  <>r  on  hi>  head.  Every 
one  who  has  visited  Naples  will  remember  the  cele- 
brated monastery  and  fortress  placed  under  his  pro- 
tection. 

St.  Arm. i. in  u;is   <>i     Ravknna. 

Iini.  Bant1  ApoUlnare.    Fr. Balnl  ApolUnaire.    .Inly  i't,  a.  n.  79. 

1\  the  last  year  of  the  reign  <>t'  the  Emperor  Vespa- 
Bwn,  Apollinaris,  first  bishop  of  Ravenna,  was  martyred 
outside  the  gate  <>('  that  city. 

!t  i>  related  of  him  that  In-  accompanied  the  apostle 
Peter  from  Antioch,  ami  was  tin-  sunn-  time  his  com- 
panion ami  assistant  at  Rome;  but,  after  a  while,  St. 
Peter  Bent  him  to  preach  tin  Gospel  on  tin-  eastern 
coast  "f  Italy,  having  first  laid  his  bands  on  him  ami 
communicated  to  him  those  gifts  of  the  Holj  Spirit 
which  were  vouchsafed  to  the  apostles. 

Apollinaris,  therefore,  came  to  the  citj  <>f  Ravenna 

where   he    |pivachci|    the    faith    of   Christ    with    so    mm  I 

success  that  he  collected  around  him  a  large  congn 
tiim,  ami  performed  miracles,  Bilencing  wherever  he 
came  the  voice  of  the  false  oracles,  and  overcoming  the 
lemons;  but  the  heathens,  being  tilled  with  rage, threw 
him  into  prison,  wheme  escaping  bj  the  favor  of  his 
jailer,  In-  tied  from  the  rfty  bj  the  gate  which  leads  la 
Rimini.     His  enemies  pursued  him,  ami,  having  ovet 


ST.  DONATO.  319 

token  him  about  three  miles  from  the  gate,  they  fell 
upon  him  and  heat  him,  and  pierced  him  with  many 
wounds,  so  that  when  his  disciples  found  him  soon 
afterwards  he  died  in  their  arms,  and  his  spirit  fled  to 
heaven. 

On  the  spot  where  he  suffered,  about  534  years  after- 
wards was  built  and  dedicated  to  his  honor  the  mag- 
nificent basilica  of  St.  Apollinaris-in-Classe.  It  is  still 
seen  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  solitary,  marshy  plain 
near  Ravenna,  surrounded  with  rice-grounds,  and  on 
the  verge  of  that  vast,  melancholy  pine-forest  made  fa- 
mous in  the  works  of  Boccaccio,  Dante,  and  Byron. 
The  full-length  figure  in  mosaic,  in  the  apsis  of  this 
antique  church,  exhibits  the  oldest  of  the  few  represen- 
tations I  have  met  with  of  this  saint,  whose  celebrity 
and  worship  are  chiefly  confined  to  Ravenna.  He  is  in 
the  habit  of  a  Greek  bishop,  that  is,  iu  white,  the  pal- 
lium embroidered  with  black  crosses,  no  mitre,  and 
with  gray  hair  and  beard.  He  stands,  with  hands  out- 
spread, preaching  to  his  congregation  of  converts,  who 
are  represented  by  several  sheep,  —  the  common  sym- 
bol. Another  of  the  wonderful  old  churches  of  this 
city,  also  dedicated  to  the  saint,  stands  within  the 
walls :  it  was  built  by  Theodoric,  as  the  chief  place  of 
worship  for  the  Arians,  and  close  to  his  palace.  The 
interior  is  covered  with  mosaics  in  the  Greek  style. 
Among  them  is  the  grand  procession  of  martyrs,  already 
described.* 

St.  Donato  of  Akezzo. 

Lat.  St.  Donatus.     Fr.  Saint  Donat.     August  7. 

In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Julian  the  Apostate,  was 
martyred  St.  Donatus,  bishop  of  Arezzo.      He  was  of 

*  At  Remagan,  on  the  Rhine,  a  very  beautiful  church  has 
lately  been  dedicated  to  St.  Apollinaris  :  the  whole  of  the  interior 
is  painted  in  fresco  by  the  most  celebrated  painters  of  the  modern 
(Herman  school 


320        SA  (•!{/■:/>    AX  I)    I.I- i,  I  A  I)  Ally    ART. 

Illustrious  birth,  and  was  brought  op  with  -Julian,  both 
being  educated  in  the  Christian  faith;  but  when  Julian 
became  emperor,  and  apostatized  from  the  truth,  he 
persecuted  the  Christians,  ami  pul  manj  of  them  to 
death,  and  among  them  was  the  father  of  Donatus: 
therefore  Donatus  fled  from  Home.,  and  took  refuge  in 
Arezzo.  He  had  for  his  companion  the  monk  Hilarion, 
a  man  of  most  holy  liii',  and  together  thej  pcrfoimcri 
many  miracles,  healing  the  siik  and  turing  those  who 
were  possessed  by  evil  spirits.  There  was  a  certain 
man  who  «a>  the  tnxgnthcrer  of  the  province,  who, 
having  occasion  to  go  on  a  journey,  left  all  the  monej 
in  Ids  possession  dne  t<>  the  imperial  treasury  in  the  ■  are 
of  his  wife  Buphrosina.  It  was  a  large  sum,  and  .-he, 
fearing  to  be  robbed,  dug  a  hole  in  a  corner  of  her 
house  and  buried  it.  Having  done  this,  she  died  sud- 
denly without  having  revealed  the  BOOt  in  whieh  -he 
had    hidden    the   money.       When   her  hoshand    returned 

he  was  in  great  trouble,  fearing  to  be  pul  to  death  as  a 
defaulter,  and  he  had  recourse  to  St.  Donatus.  The 
holy  man,  having  compassion  cm  him,  went  with  him 
to  the  sepulchre  <>f  his  wife;  and  having  first  prayed 
earnestly,  be  called  out  with  a  loud  voice,  ••  Euphrosina, 

make    known  to    us   where    thou    hast    hidden    the    t|. 
lire";    and    she    from    the    tomh  answered    him:    whieh 

was  a  great  wonder,  and  witnessed  by  many  people. 
And  after  these  things,  being  made  bishop  "i  Arezzo, 
it  happened  that  cm  a  certain  day,  as  he  was  celebrating 
the  communion,  the  sacramental  cup,  which  was  <>f 
glass,  was  broken  bj  some  rude  pagans  who  thought 
to  i  11  -ii  1  r  the  Christians;  but,  at  the  prayer  of  the  bolj 
bishop,  the  fragments  reunited  in  his  hand,  and  it 
came  as  before,  and  gpilt  do  drop.  This  miracle,  which 
i-  related  bj  St.  Gregory  in  his  Dialogues,  was  the 
cause  that  many  were  converted,  and  so  enraged  the 
heathens  thai  the  Soman  prefeel  ordered  Hilarion  to 
be  scourged  to  death;  and  St.  Donatus,  alter  being 
tortured,  was  decapitated.  The  bodies  of  both  lie  buried 
ander  the  high  altar  of  the  Cathedral  of  Arezzo, 


ST.   ZEN  OB  JO.  321 

The  shrine  of  San  Donate,  executed  for  the  people 
of  Arezzo  by  Giovanni  Pisano,  a.  d.  1286,  stands  upon 
the  altar,  which  is  isolated  in  the  choir,  and  is  covered 
on  all  sides  with  bas-reliefs,  representing  the  life  and 
miracles  of  the  saint.  It  is  very  celebrated  as  a  mon- 
ument of  Italian  middle-age  Art,  but  appeared  to  me 
extremely  unequal  :  some  of  the  figures  full  of  grace 
jrad  feeling ;  others  rude,  clumsy,  and  disproportioned. 
Parts  of  it  are  engraved  in  Cicognara's  work. 

Several  pictures  from  the  life  of  St.  Donate  are  also 
in  the  cathedral,  among  which  his  martyrdom  is  the 
best.     His  effigy  appears  on  the  ancient  coins  of  Arezzo. 


St.  Zenobio  of  Florence  is  extremely  interesting  as 
connected  with  the  beautiful  ecclesiastical  edifices  of 
Florence,  and  with  some  of  the  finest  and  most  impor- 
tant works  of  the  early  Florentine  school,  both  in  paint- 
ing and  sculpture. 

St.  Zenobio  was  born  in  the  last  year  of  the  reign  of 
Constantine,  of  a  noble  family.  His  father's  name 
was  Lucian,  his  mother's  name  was  Sophia.  They 
brought  him  up  in  all  the  wisdom  and  learning  of  the 
Gentiles,  but  he  was  converted  secretly  by  his  teachers, 
and  afterwards  converted  his  parents.  He  became  him- 
self distinguished  by  his  pious  and  modest  deportment, 
and  by  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher  of  the  faith.  He 
afterwards  resided  with  Pope  Damasus  I.  as  deacon  and 
secretary,  and  being  sent  to  appease  the  religious  dis- 
sensions in  his  native  city,  was  unanimously  elected 
bishop  by  the  Catholics  and  Arians.  He  continued  to 
lead  a  life  of  poverty  and  self-denial,  honored  by  the 
good,  respected  by  the  wicked,  converting  numbers  to 
Christianity,  not  less  by  his  example  than  his  teaching  ; 
and  died  at  length  in  the  reign  of  Honorius  (May  25, 
A.  d.  417). 

In  the  picture  of  St.  Zenobio  suspended  against  one 
of  the  pillars  opposite  to  the  principal  entrance  of  the 


JZi 


SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 


Doomo  at  Florence,  he  is  represented  enthroned,  in  his 
episcopal  robes,  and  with  his  hand  raised  in  the  acl  >>i 
benediction.  lie  has  do  particnlar  attribute,  hut  occa 
Bionally  in  the  old  Florentine  prints  some  legend  from 
In-  life  is  represented  in  the  background,  and  this  serves 
in  ii\  the  identity  :  a  tree  bursting  into  leaf  i>,  1  think, 
the  attribute  usually  adopted.  Sometimes  it  i.-  a  mother 
kneeling  by  her  dead  child  ;  but  this,  being  applicable 
in  several  other  saints,  is  deceptive. 

••  It  is  related  that  when  they  were  bearing  tin-  re- 
mains of  St.  Zenobio  through  tin'  city  in  order  to  deposit 
them  under  the  high  altar  of  t J i < -  cathedral,  tin-  people 

crowded  round  tin'  hearers  ami  pressed  upon  the  bier 
in  order  to  kiss  the  hands  or  touch  the  garments  of  their 
beloved  old  bishop.  In  passing  through  the  Piazza  del 
Duomo  the  body  of  the  saint  was  thrown  against  the 
trunk  of  a  withered  elm  Btanding  near  the  Bpol  where 

the  baptistery  now  stands,  and  suddenly  the  tree,  which 
had  for  years  been  dead  and  dried  up,  hurst  into  t'ie-.h 
leaves."* 

This  Btorj  is  the  Bubject  of  an  admirable  picture  by 
Ridolfo  Ghirlandajo,  in  which  then-  are  heads  worthy 
of  Raphael  lor  beauty  and  intense  expression.1 

"  St.  Zenobio  made  a  journey  to  a  city  among  the, 
Apennines,  in  order  to  consecrate  a  Christian  church. 
•  >n  this  occasion  his  friend  St.  Ambrose  sent  messengers 
to  him  with  gifts  of  precious  relies.     Hut  it  happened 

that  the  chief  of  the   ines.-c  iijjc  is.  in   passing  through  a 

gorge  in  the  mountains,  fell,  with  his  mule,  down  a  sn  ep 
precipice,  and  was  crushed  t<>  death.  His  companions, 
in  great  grief  and  consternation,  brought  his  mutilated 
body  and  laid   it  down  at  the  feet  of  St.  Zenobio,  and 

at  the  prayer  of  the  good  bishop  the  man  reused,  and 
rose  up.  ami  pursued  his  jouriiev  homewards  with  prayer 

and  thauksgh  ing. 

\  French  lady  of  noble  lineage,  who  was  perform- 
ing a  pilgrimage  to  Rome,  stopped  at  Florence  on  the 

I  >ui    Jl  ;   Job  xiv.  7.  t    lion  DO   Oil 


ST.  REGULUS.  323 

way,  in  order  to  see  the  good  bishop  Zenobio,  of  whom 

she  had  heard  .so  much,  and,  having  received  his  bless- 
ing, she  proceeded  on  to  Rome,  leaving  in   his  care  her 

little  son.  The  day  before  her  return  to  Florence,  the 
child  died.  She  was  overwhelmed  with  grief,  and  took 
the  child  and  laid  him  down  at  the  feet  of  St.  Zenobio, 
who,  by  the  efficacy  of  his  prayers,  restored  the  child 
to  life,  and  gave  him  back  to  the  arms  of  his  mother." 
This  popular  legend  appears  in  several  of  the  most 
beautiful  works  of  the  early  Florentine  school  :  — 

1.  In  a  picture  by  Masaccio.  Here  the  resuscitation 
of  the  child  is  represented  in  the  artless  manner  usual 
with  the  early  artists.  The  dead  child  lies  on  the 
ground,  and  the  living  child  stands  beside  the  lifeless 
effigy  of  himself. 

2.  In  the  picture  by  Ridolfo  Ghirlandajo,  the  dead 
child  lies  on  the  earth,  crowned  with  flowers,  as  if  pre- 
pared for  the  grave  :  the  mother  kneels  with  dishevelled 
hair,  and  the  bishop  and  his  attendants  stand  near. 
The  scene  of  this  miracle  was  the  Borgo  degli  Albizzi, 
well  known  to  those  who  have  visited  Florence. 

"  A  little  child,  having  strayed  from  his  mother  in 
the  streets  of  Florence,  was  run  over  and  trampled  upon 
by  a  car  drawn  by  two  unruly  oxen,  but  restored  to 
life  by  the  prayers  of  the  holy  bishop  Zenobio."  This 
story  also  frequently  occurs  in  the  Florentine  works  of 
Art. 

3.  On  the  bronze  sarcophagus  executed  by  Lorenzo 
Ghiberti  to  contain  the  remains  of  St.  Zenobio,  are 
three  beautiful  groups  in  bas-relief.  1.  The  Restoration 
of  the  Son  of  the  French  Lady.  2.  The  Resuscitation 
of  the  Messenger  of  St.  Ambrose.  3.  The  story  of  the 
Child  trampled  by  the  Oxen.* 


St.  Regulus  is  interesting  only  at  Lucca  ;  his  statue, 
and  the  bas-relief  beneath  representing  his  martyrdom, 

*  "  The  miracles  and  death  of  St.  Zenobio  "  by  Sandro  Botticelli, 
was  in  the  collection  of  Herr  v.  Quandt,  at  Dresden,  and  engraved 
by  J.  Thiiter. 


j*4       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

m  the  Duma  theie,  rank  among  the  finest  works  of  one 
of  the  finest  of  the  middle-age  Knlptors,  Matteo  ( Hvitale 
di  I. una.  This  St.  Regnlua  was  an  African  bishop, 
who,  in  the  disputes  between  the  Catholics  and  Arians, 
fled  from  his  diocese  in  Africa,  and  took  refuge  in  Tus 
■  any.  where  for  some  time  li<'  lived  in  holy  Bolitnde; 
Kut  on  the  invasion  of  Italy  by  Totila,  kiiiLr  of  the 
Goths,  he  Buffered  martyrdom,  being  beheaded  I  \  some 
barbarian  soldiers  on  refusing  to  appear  before  tlieir 
kino;.     The  legend  relates,  that  he  took  his  head  in  his 

hands  and  walked  with  it  to  the  distance  of  two  stadia, 

and  there  sat  down,  when  two  of  his  disciples  coming 
np,  he  delivered  to  them  his  head,  which  they  with 

-oat  awe  and  rcverenee  buried  on  the  .-pot.     I  do  not 

remember  that    this  incident   is  introduced    in  Civitule's 
bas-relief,  nor  do  I  recollect  in  genuine  Italian  Art  any 

bishop  represented  without  his  head,  even  where  the 
legend  justifies  it. 


Si.     FkBDIANO    (Frigdianus),    the    other    patron   of 

Lucca,  was  an  Irish  saint,  who  migrated  to  Lucca,  and 

became    bishop  Of  that   city  in    the  sixth  century  (a.  I). 
560).       It  is  related    that  in  a  terrible  inundation  which 

threatened  to  destroy  Lucca  he  turned  the  course  of  the 

river  Serehio,  tracing    the   direction  in  which    it  WBS    tO 

flow  by  drawing  a  harrow  along  the  ground,  and  the 

river   obediently    followed    tin'    steps   of  the    holy    man. 

Thus  we  find  poetically  shadowed  forth  those  eostlj 
embankments  through  which  the  course  of  the  Serehio 

Wat  changed,  and    it*   terrible   annual    inundation-,   ren- 
dered less  destructive.     In  the  extraordinary  old  church 

of   San    ITediano    at    LucCfl    (dating    from    the    seventh 

century)  Francia  painted  the  whole  history  of  the  saint 


Si    Zi  s...  hi  hop  of  Verona  in  the  fourth  century, 

ha-  the  title  of  martyr,  hut  on  uncertain  grounds.       Efa 


S T.  ZENO.  —  8  T.  GEM  IS  IA  N  US.  325 

was  celebrated  for  his  charity  and  Christian  virtues,  and 
for  the  manner  in  which  he  kept  together  his  flock  in 
times  of  great  tribulation.  According  to  one  version 
of  his  legend,  he  was  martyred  by  Julian  the  Apostate 
(April  12,  A.  D.  380). 

He  is  honored  chiefly  at  Verona,  where  his  very  an- 
cient church  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  monuments 
of  art  in  all  Italy.  In  this  church  is  a  statue  of  him 
held  in  great  veneration  by  the  people.  It  is  of  wood, 
painted  to  imitate  life.  He  is  seated  in  his  pastoral 
chair,  and  holds  a  long  fishing-rod  (or  reed)  in  his 
hand,  with  a  fish  hanging  to  the  line.  The  complexion 
is  very  dark,  and  the  expression  not  only  good-humored, 
but  jovial.  The  dark  color  is  probably  given  to  in- 
dicate his  African  birth.  According  to  the  legend  at 
Verona,  he  was  very  fond  of  fishing  in  the  Adige  ;  but  I 
imagine  that  the  fish  is  here  the  ancient  Christian  sym- 
bol which  represented  conversion  and  the  rite  of  bap- 
tism. 

The  "  Coppa  di  San  Zenone,"  preserved  in  this  church, 
is  a  large  vase  of  porphyry,  in  which  the  saint  used  to 
baptize  his  converts.  According  to  the  Veronese  legend, 
it  was  brought  by  a  demon  from  Palestine,  by  command 
of  the  bishop,  and  in  a  single  night. 

In  the  early  pictures  of  the  Veronese  school,  those 
for  instance  by  Liberale  and  Morando,  a  saint,  in  the 
habit  of  a  bishop,  and  with  a  fish  suspended  from  his 
crozier,  may  be  presumed  to  represent  St.  Zeno.* 

It  is  related  that  King  Pepin  held  this  saint  in  such 
estimatiop,  that  he  desired  to  be  buried  in  the  same 
grave  with  him. 


St.  Geminiands  was  bishop  of  Modena  about  the 
year  450  ;  pictures  of  the  legends  related  of  him  appear 
only  in  the  churches  of  that  city.  He  was  sent  for  to 
Constantinople  to  dispossess  the  daughter  of  the  em- 

*  Ina  picture  by  Girolamo  da'  Libri  (Berlin  Gal.,  30),  St.  Zeno 
appears  without  the  mitre. 


3;6        SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY   .1/.'/ 

ptftor,  who  suffered  grievously  from  ■  demon  ;  *  he  also 
by  his  intercession  Baved  the  city  of  Modena,  when 
threatened  by  Aitilu,  king  of  the  Buns;  and  lastly 
(after  hi-  death),  preserved  the  cathedral  from  being 
destroyed  in  a  great  inundation. 

He  figures  on  the  coins  of  Modena,  and  also  in  some 
celebrated  pictures,  as  patron  and  protector  of  the  city. 

1.  Correggio,  in  his  famous  picture,  ••  the  Madonna 
ill  San  Giorgio,"  punted  for  the  Dominicans  at  Modena, 
ami  now  at  Dresden,  has  represented  S:m  Geminiano 
taking  from  an  angel  the  model  of  a  church,  and  about 
to  present  it  to  the  Infant  Bedeemer,  whose  bands  are 
eagerly  Btretched  out  as  it'  to  save  it.  This,  I  believe, 
alludes,  very  poetically,  either  to  the  dedication  or  the 
preservation  of  the  cathedral.  <  >n  the  other  side  are  St. 
Peter  Martyr  the  Dominican,  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and 
the  admirable  figure  "i  St.  George. 

2.  I  *:t ii  1  Veronese.  St.  Geminiano,  bishop  of  Mo- 
dena, and  St  Severus,   bishop  of  Ravenna,  are  seen 

reading  the  Gospel  out  of  the  Bame  I k;  this  alludes 

tn  the  legend  that  St.  Severus,  while  reading  the  epistle 
in  the  service  at  Ravenna,  suddenly  fell  asleep,  and  be- 
held in  a  vision  the  death  and  obsequies  of  St  <  leminia- 
nus.     (At  Venice,  but  1  now  forget  in  what  church.) 

;i.  Guercino.  St.  Geminiano,  in  bis  episcopal  habit 
and  wearing  the  mitre,  receives  firom  an  angel  the  city 
nt'  Modena  (represented  as  a  .small  model  of  the  city), 
which  he  is  about  to  present  to  the  8aviour.  This 
alludes,  poetically,  to  the  preservation  of  the  cirj  from 
Amla.t 


S\si'  Bbcoi  lho  (Herculanus)  was  bishop  of  Peru- 
gia about  the  year  546.     At  this  time  took  place  the 
ion  of  the  Goths  under  Totila.     During  the  long 
of  Perugia,  the  good  bishop  assisted  and  encoui 

*   I  [iimiimn  tin    I'rm.  ■•  --  Boooria,  irbOM  story  is  »»  graphically 
fiiit-  ii  by  Gibbon  iri  inn  thirty-fifth  ohaptar. 

i  i 


ST.  PETE  ON  I  US.  3*7 

aged  his  people  ;  and  when  the  city  was  at  length  taken, 
Totila  ordered  him  to  he  beheaded  on  the  ramparts. 
His  body  was  thrown  into  the  ditch,  where  being  after- 
wards found  with  a  little  child  Lying  dead  beside  him, 
they  were  both  buried  in  the  same  grave.  His  effigy 
is  on  the  coinage  of  Perugia. 

Of  St.  Costanzo  (Constantius),  bishop  of  Perugia 
in  the  third  or  fourth  century,  nothing  is  known  but 
that  he  was  martyred  in  the  reign  of  Manns  Aurclius. 
He  is  venerated  in  this  part  of  Italy,  and  the  territory 
between  Perugia  and  Foligno  is  called  the  Strada  di 
Costanza. 

These  two  saints  are  interesting  at  Perugia,  as  they 
occur  in  some  beautiful  pictures  of  that  school,  particu- 
larly in  those  of  Perugino  :  for  instance,  in  one  of  his 
finest  works,  the  altar-piece  now  in  the  Vatican,  called 
the  "  Madonna  con  quattro  Santi,"  which  was  one  of  the 
pictures  carried  off  from  Perugia  to  France  in  1797. 

St.  Petronius,  bishop  and  patron  saint  of  Bologna, 
was  a  Roman  of  illustrious  birth,  and  an  early  convert 
to  Christianity.  He  distinguished  himself  by  banish- 
ing the  Arians  from  Bologna,  which  appears  to  have 
been  his  chief  merit ;  he  died  October  4,  a.  d.  430,  and 
is  not  entitled  to  the  honors  of  a  martyr. 

Pictures  of  this  saint  are  confined  to  Bologna.  Every 
traveller  in  Italy  will  remember  his  beautiful  church  in 
that  city.  The  most  ancient  representation  of  him  is 
the  full-length  effigy,  carved  in  wood,  and  painted, 
which  stands  within  his  church,  on  the  left-hand  side. 
He  wears  the  episcopal  robes,  mitre,  and  crosier,  with  a 
thick  black  beard,  a  characteristic  not  usually  followed 
by  the  Bologna  painters,  who  exhibit  him  either  with 
no  beard  at  all  or  with  very  little.  In  the  devotional 
pictures  he  holds  in  his  hand  the  city  of  Bologna,  dis- 
tinguished by  the  tall  central  tower  (the  Torre  Asindli), 
and  the  leaning  tower  near  it. 

As  he  is  the  subject  of  many  celebrated  pictures.  I 
Shall  give  a  few  examples. 


328        BACKED   AND   LEGENDARY   Mil 

He  is  enthroned  aa  patron  and  bishop,  between  St 
Francis  d'Assisi  nnd  St  Thomas  Aquinas  the  ]><>inin- 
ican  ;  by  Lorenzo  '  losta.* 

St.  Petronius,  seated,  holds  the  city  in  his  hand, 
opposite  to  him  St.  John  the  Evangelisl  reading  his 
( rospel  ;  by  Francesco  <  !ossa. 

In  a  beautiful  figure  by  Lorenzo  Costa,  he  stands  on 
the  right  of  the  Virgin,  holding  the  «ii \  ;  St.  Thecla 
is  on  tin-  left. 

"The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost";  —  the  Virgin 
as  well  as  tin-  apostles  being  present,  ami  St.  Gregory 
and  St.  Petronius  Btanding  bj  as  witnesses  ofthisstu- 
pendoas  scene.  This  appears  an  unaccountable  com 
bination,  till  we  learn  that  the  picture  was  painted  for 
the  brotherhood  of  the  Santo  Spirito. 

Hut  tlir  most  celebrated  picture  in  which  St  Petro 
nius  appears  is  tin'  masterpiece  of  Guido,  tin-  Pieta  in 

tin'  Bologna  <  lallrix  , 

Another  picture,  one  of  Guido's  finest  works,  was 
dedicated  on  the  cessation  <>i  a  terrible  plague  in  1630. 
St.  Petronius  i>  represented  as  interceding  I'm-  his  city 
at  the  feet  of  the  Madonna  ami  child  in  glory. 

si  Pbo<  i  i  i  -  i-  another  hishop  of  Bologna,  who 
appears  in  the  Bolognese  pictures  ;  he  was  martyred  by 
'I'ntila,  king  of  the  Goths,  about  448.  Ho  must  noi  be 
confounded  with  St.  Proculus  the  safc£er,  also  a Bolog 

nase  saint. t 

si  m  i  i;<  i  i:i  \ ii  ,  first  bishop  of  F<>rli  in  the  second 
century,  appears  a>  patron  saint  in  some  fine  pictures  in 
tin-  churches  at  Porli.  He  has  the  common  attribute 
of  the  dragon,  as  having  vanquished  sin  and  idolatrj  in 
that  part  of  Italy,  as  in  a  picture  by  Cigoli. 

Sw  Bohulo  (Bomulus),  first  bishop  and  apostle 
uf  Fiesole.     According  to  tin-  Legend,  he  was  a  nobis 

•  Bologna  Qml 

thi  •■  u  .in.  .  irther  on. 


ST.  MAURELIO,   ETC  329 

Roman,  one  of  the  converts  of  St.  Peter,  who  sent  him 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  people  of  Fiesole,  then  one 
of  the  greatest  Gf  the  Etruscan  cities.  Romulus,  ac- 
cused of  being  a  Christian,  and  taken  before  the  praetor, 
was  condemned  to  death ;  he  was  first  bound  hand  and 
foot,  and  thrown  into  a  dungeon,  where  he  remained 
four  days,  and  then,  after  many  torments,  despatched 
with  a  dagger.      He  suffered  under  Nero  (July  23). 

The  old  Cathedral  of  Fiesole  is  dedicated  to  him. 
The  fine  altar-piece  by  Allori  represents  St.  Romulus 
baptizing  the  converts.  He  is  found  also  in  the  sculp- 
turcs  of  Mino  da  Fiesole  and  Andrea  Fcracci ;  by  the 
latter  is  the  fine  basso-relievo  in  his  church  representing 
his  martyrdom.  I  have  also  found  St.  Romulo  in  the 
churches  of  Florence  ;  he  wears  the  episcopal  habit, 
and  carries  the  palm. 

San  Maurelio  (Maurelius),  first  bishop  and  patron 
of  Ferrara  and  Imola  :  he  was  beheaded.  This  saint 
appears  on  the  coinage  of  Ferrara.  The  martyrdom 
of  Sau  Maurelio,  painted  by  Guercino  for  the  abbot  of 
San  Giorgio,  is  now  in  the  public  gallery  of  Ferrara. 

San  Casciano  (St.  Cassian),  patron  of  Imola,  was 
a  schoolmaster  of  that  city,  and  being  denounced  as  n 
Christian,  the  judge  gave  him  up  to  the  fury  of  his 
scholars,  whom  the  severity  of  his  discipline  had  in- 
spired with  the  deepest  hatred  ;  the  boys  revenged 
themselves  by  putting  him  to  a  slow  and  cruel  death, 
piercing  him  with  the  iron  styles  used  in  writing  :  his 
story  is  told  by  Prudentius,  and  is  represented,  as  I 
have  been  informed,  in  the  Cathedral  at  Imola. 

St.  Gaudenzio  (Gaudcntius),  bishop  and  patron  of 
Rimini,  was  scourged,  and  then  stoned,  by  the  Arian 
party,  which  at  that  time  had  the  upper  hand  in  Italy. 
(October  14,  a.  d.  359.)  His  effigy  is  on  the  early  coin- 
age of  Rimini. 


3  3o       BA  <  K  //'   .  i  v  0   A  Ed  END.  [RY  A  R  I 

Another  St.  Gaudentius  was  hishop  of  Novam,  and 
appears  as  patron  of  thai  city. 

St.  Sii;<>  (Syrus),  first  bishop  of  !'.i\i:i  in  the  fourth 
century,  governed  the  church  there  for  fifty-six  years  : 
whether  he  was  martyred  is  uncertain.  His  effigy  is 
.m  the  early  coins  of  Pavia,  and  a  beautiful  Btatue  of 
him  is  in  the  cathedral. 

St.  Abbovdio,  fourth  hishop  of  Como,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Thessalonica,  contemporary  with  Leo  I  He  ii 
the  apostle  ami  patron  of  thai  pan  of  Italj ,  ami  figures 
in  the  Cathedral  at  ( lomo. 

St.  IIm.akv,  though  properly  a  French  Baint  (Ik1 
was  bishop  of  1  '< 'iii<  r>  in  the  fourth  centnrj  i.  is  <-on- 
sidered  as  one  of  the  1  i i_r  1 1 1 >  of  the  early  Italian  Church, 
and  distinguished  himself  in  Lombardy  by  opposing 
the  Aiian- ;  heme  In-  is  reverenced  through  the  North 
(.t'  Italy  under  tin-  name  of  Sam"  Uario.  As  one  < >t" 1 1  n- 
patrons  ol  Parma,  where  Bome  of  his  relics  arc  said  to 
repose,  be  is  the  Bubjecl  of  one  of  Correggio's  Bplendid 
frescos  in  the  cathedral  there.  He  has  a  church  at 
Cremona  where  I  remember  a  very  tine  picture  by 
Giulio  Campi,  representing  the  -rand  old  bishop  seated 
i. n  a  raised  throne  reading  the  Gospel,  which  lies  "pen 
<>n  his  knees,  while  St.  Catherine  and  St.   Apollonia 

.-land  >>n    each    Bide.*        Ii  recalls   the    best   manner  of 

Parmigiano  in  Btyle  and  color,  and  is  about  the  tame 
date  1 1537). 

•  tj.     it    ii    cry,  patron  "f  Parma,  irho  died  January  Lftth, 

363,  must  not  •»•  confounded  irlth  another  Bt  Bllary,  blahop  "f 

-  in  the  tifiii  century,  and  not  In  any  mj   UMeiated  with 

i  Art.    Hilary  of  Poltlen  left  behind  bun  WTittnfi 

whirh  bare  been  quoted  with  tdmlrmtloD  by  Brastnut,  l/"'-k>-,  and 

„,     The  latti  i  ,i  that    Hilary 

"li.il    ruinarihi  deVUU     I    1 1  ■  t  •  •  the   Itjrle   "I    I   <  lin-linn    phi] 

phei  'Decline  and  Pall,"  chap.   tx\       Oorreggto  hat  v,wn 

blm  i  countenani  •  lull  ol  penalve  bi  nlgnltj 


ST.  JANUARIU8.  331 

&r.  Januarius  (Itul.  San  Gennaro ;  Ft.  Saint 
Janvier)  is  the  great  patron  of  Naples  and  protector  of 
the  city  against  the  eruptions  of  Mount  Vesuvius;  as 
such  he  figures  in  the  pictures  of  the  Neapolitan  school, 
and  in  pictures  painted  for  the  churches  of  Naples. 

The  legend  relates  that  he  was  bishop  of  Benevento  ; 
and,  in  the  tenth  persecution,  he  came  with  six  of  his 
companions  to  Naples,  to  encourage  and  comfort  the 
Christians  :  they  were  seized  aud  carried  to  Puzzuoli, 
and  there  exposed  to  the  wild  beasts  in  the  amphithea- 
tre ;  but  the  beasts  refused  to  touch  them.  Then  St. 
Januarius  was  thrown  into  a  burning  fiery  furnace, 
and  came  out  of  it  unharmed  ;  finally  he  was  beheaded 
(Sept.  19,  a.  d.  303). 

In  the  devotional  figures  he  is  represented  in  the 
robes  and  mitre  of  a  bishop,  holding  his  palm,  with 
Mount  Vesuvius  in  the  background. 

The  miraculous  preservation  of  the  city  of  Naples 
when  menaced  by  torrents  of  lava,  is  a  frequent  subject 
in  the  churches  there. 

Domenichino,  when  at  Naples,  painted  his  large  fresco 
of  St,  Januarius  appearing  to  the  Neapolitans  during  the 
eruption  of  1631.  And  by  Spagnoletto  I  have  seen  the 
martyrdom  of  St.  Januarius  :  he  is  thrown  into  a  fur- 
nace. Except  at  Naples  I  have  never  met  with  any 
pictures  relating  to  this  saint. 


FRENCH    BISHOPS. 


Rt.  Denis  of  Fbanoi      St.   Dioictbiitb   im.  Abb 

OPAGITB. 


Lat.  Snnctus  Diony-iu-     lini.  Ban  Dionislo  or  Dtonlgi.    Fr.  Saint 
Denla.     Patron  aalnt  of  Trance.    October  9. 

1HE  legend  which  confounds  Dionysius  tin' 
Areopagite  with  St.  Denis  of  France  (bishop 
df  Paxis  in  the  third  century)  will  nol  bear 
any  critical  remark  or  investigation  ;  but  as 
it  is  that  which  presents  itself  everywhere  in  Art,  I 
give  it  here  as  it  was  popularly  received. 

••  Dionysina  was  an  Athenian  philosopher,  who,  for 
his  great  \\  i>< l< >m  in  heavenly  things,  was  Darned  The- 
osophns,  and  being  a  jndge  of  the  Areopagus,  was  also 
called  ill'-  Areopagite.  He  travelled  into  Egypt  to 
study  astrology  under  the  |iriot>  of  that  country. 
Being  at  I  !<-l i< »j ■< >1  i^  with  lii>  companion,  the  phil< 
pher  Apollophanea,  ami  itudj  ing  together  the  courses  of 
tin-  .-tar-,  tiny  beheld  tin1  heavens  darkened,  ami  tl 
was  darkness  over  tin-  heaven  ami  earth  for  three  hours  ; 
anil  Dionysius  was  much  troubled  in  spirit,  not  know- 
ing  what  thismighl  signify,  lie  knew  nut  then,  though 
lir  afterwards  learned,  that  tlii>  was  tin'  darkness  whicn 
li'll  npon  tin-  earth  in  tin-  same  hour  that  tin-  Redeemer 
lied  fur  our  sins,  —  tin-  darkness  which  preceded  tli<' 
iawning  of  tin   true  light     Ami  mi  these  things  did 


ST.  DENIS. 


333 


Dionvsius  meditate  continually.  Some  time  after  his 
return  to  Athens,  St.  Paul  arrived  there,  and  preached 
to  the  people  :  and  he  preached  to  them  the  unknown 
God.  Dionvsius  listened  with  wonder,  and  afterwards 
he  sought  Paul,  and  asked  him  concerning  this  unknown 
God.  Then  Paul  explained  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  Dionvsius  helieved,  and  was 
baptized  in  the  faith.  The  apostle  ordained  him  priest, 
and  he  became  the  first  bishop  of  Athens. 

"  Among-  the  writings  attributed  to  this  great  saint 
are  certain  letters,  in  which  he  tells  us  that  he  travelled 
to  Jerusalem  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  holy  Virgin,  and  that 
he  was  struck  with  admiration  and  wonder  to  behold 
the  glory  which  shone  around  her,  and  dazzled  by  the 
glorious  company  of  angels  which  continually  attend 
upon  her.  Also  the  same  Dionvsius  tells  us  that  he  was 
present  at  her  death  and  burial,  and  he  has  recorded  the 
names  of  the  apostles  who  were  also  present  on  that 
occasion. 

"  Afterwards  he  returned  to  Athens,  and  thence 
travelled  into  Italy  and  France,  and  having  joined  Paul 
at  Rome,  he  attended  him  to  his  martyrdom.  After 
that  he  was  sent  by  Pope  Clement,  the  successor  of 
Teter,  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  kingdom  of  France. 
And  Clement  gave  him  for  his  companions,  to  aid  him 
in  his  labors,  a  priest,  whose  name  was  Rusticus,  and 
a  deacon,  who  was  called  Eleutherius. 

"  St.  Denis  (for  so  the  French  afterwards  called  him) 
arrived  at  Paris,  the  capital  of  that  country,  an  exceed- 
ingly great  and  rich  city,  full  of  inhabitants,  and  well 
provided  with  all  the  good  things  of  this  earth  ;  the 
skies  were  bi-ight,  and  the  lands  fertile  :  <  it  seemed  to 
Dionysius  another  Athens.'  So  he  resolved  to  fix  his 
residence  there,  and  to  teach  these  people,  who  were 
learned,  and  happy,  and  rich  in  all  things  but  those 
which  concerned  their  salvation,  the  way  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  Therefore  Dionvsius  preached  to  them 
the  Gospel,  and  converted  many.  Moreover,  he  sent 
missionaries  to  all  the  provinces  of  France,  and  even 
into  Germany. 


J34 


SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


••  Now  ynu  can  easily  believe  that  these  things  wen; 
particularly  displeasing  to  Satan,  that  enemy  of  the 
human  race.  He  stirred  up  many  of  the  nobles  and 
others  against  the  good  bishop,  and  certain  "I"  tlicir 
emissaries  accused  him  to  the  Emperor  Trajan  ;  bnl 
others  say  it  was  the  Emperor  Domitian,  and  that  this 
wicked  emperor  despatched  the  proconsul  Fescennios 
from  Rome  to  Paris  with  orders  to  seize  St.  Denis,  and 
throw  liim  intn  prison,  together  with  hi>  companions, 
Rusticus  and  Elentherina.  The  prefect  ordered  them 
to  be  brought  before  him,  and,  finding  that  they  i»r 
Bisted  in  denying  and  contemning  hi>  gods,  he  <  < •  1 1 1 - 
manded  that  tin  y  Bhould  be  dragged  forth  t<>  death  ; 
and  being  come  t<>  the  place  of  execution,  DionyBitts 
knelt  down,  and  raising  his  hands  and  his  eyes  t"  heaven, 
he  commended  himself  to  God,  and  Rnsticasand  Eleu- 
therios  responded  with  a  loud  amen,  Then  the  venera- 
ble and  holy  prelate  Dionysius  Baid  to  the  executioner, 
•  I  > ■  >  thine  office';  and  he,  being  ililiumt,  in  a  lew  min- 
utes Btruck  nil'  all  their  heads,  ami  left  them  there,  as 

W8S   UBUal,  tO  In1  ilrviiiuvil   l.\    the  wild   beaStS.        Bnl  til"' 

Lord  'li'l  not  forget  his  servants,  nor  was  it  his  will 
that  their  holy  remains  Bhould  be  dishonored  ;  there- 
fore  In'  permitted  a  most  stupendous  miracle,  namely, 
that  the  body  of  I Konysius  rose  n|'  mi  its  feet,  and, 
taking  up  the  head  in  his  hands,  walked  the  Bpace  of 
two  miles,  t"  a  place  called  the  Mount  of  Martyrs 
(since  called  Mont  Martre),  the  angels  ringing  hymns 
by  the  way.  Many  were  converted  by  thi>  great  mira- 
cle, particularly  Lactia,  tin-  wife  of  Lubrius,  who,  hai 
ing  declared  herself  a  Christian,  was  also  beheaded." 

The  bodies  of  St.  Denis,  of"  St.  Eleutherius,  and 
St.  Rusticus  were  buried  afterwards  on  this  >]mt,  and 
the  tir.-t  person  who  raised  a  church  to  thiir  honor  was 
St.  Genevieve,  assisted  bj  the  people  of  Paris.  In 
the  reign  id'  Kin:.'  Dagoberl  the  holy  relics  were  re- 
moved t<>  the  Abbey  of  St  I  ><ni>.  The  saint  became 
the  [latron  saint  nf  the  French  monarchy,  bis  name 


ST.   DENIS. 


335 


the  war-cry  of  the  French  armies.  The  famous  ori- 
tlamme  —  the  Standard  of  France  —  was  the  banner 
consecrated  upon  his  tomb.  About  the  year  754,  Pope 
Stephen  II.,  who  had  been  educated  in  the  monastery 
of  St.  Denis,  transplanted  his  native  saint  to  Rome, 
and  from  this  period  the  name  of  St.  Denis  has  been 
known  and  venerated  through  all  Europe.  In  the 
time  of  Louis  le  Debonnaire  (a.  d.  814)  certain  writ- 
ings, said  to  be  those  of  Dionysius  the  Areopagite, 
were  brought  to  France,  and  then  it  became  a  point 
of  honor  among  the  French  legendary  writers  to  prove 
their  St.  Denis  of  Paris  identical  with  the  famous 
convert  and  disciple  of  St.  Paul ;  in  which  they  have 
so  far  succeeded,  that  in  sacred  Art  it  has  become  diffi- 
cult to  consider  them  as  distinct  persons. 

The  popular  effigies  of  St.  Denis,  those  which  are 
usually  met  with  in  the  French  and  German  prints, 
in  the  Gothic  sculpture  and  stained  glass  of  the  French 
churches,  represent  him  in  his  episcopal  robes,  carry- 
ing his  head  in  his  hand ;  sometimes,  while  he  wears 
his  own  mitred  head,  he  carries  also  a  head  in  his 
hand,  —  which  I  have  heard  sneered  at,  as  adding  the 
practical  blunder  of  the  two  heads  to  the  original  ab- 
surdity of  the  story :  but  the  fact  is,  that  in  both  in- 
stances the  original  signification  is  the  same ;  the  attri- 
bute of  the  severed  head  expresses  merely  martyrdom 
by  decapitation,  and  that  the  martyr  brings  his  head 
an  offering  to  the  Church  of  Christ.  Such  figures 
appear  to  have  suggested  the  legends  of  several  head- 
less saints  promulgated  to  gratify  the  popular  taste  for 
marvels  and  miracles. 

Devotional  figures  of  St.  Denis  are  not  common  in 
the  Italian  schools,  and  in  these  I  recollect  no  instance 
in  which  he  is  without  his  head. 

There  is  a  very  fine  picture  of  Ghirlandajo,*  in 
which  San  Dionigi  and  St.  Thomas  Aquinas  stand  on 
each  side  of  the  Virgin :  the  former,  a  most  majestic 
and   venerable   figure,   stands   in   his   episcopal  robes, 

*  Florence  Acad. 


S36       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  .1/:/'.' 

richly  and  elaborately  embroidered,  holding  bia  crosier; 
St.  Thomas,  in  his  Dominican  babil  as  a  doctor  of 
theology,  holding  Ms  book  :  they  are  here  significantly 
and  intentionally  associated  a>  two  great  lights  of  the 
Church  who  have  both  treated  especiallj  of  1 1 1 « -  heav- 
enly mysteries  and  the  angelic  hierarchies.  St  Clem- 
ent, who  was  the  spiritual  father  of  St.  Denis,  and  St. 
Dominic,  who  Btood  in  the  Bame  relation  t"  St.  Thom- 

are  kneeling  as  Becondarj  personages.  The  picture 
was  of  course  painted  for  the  Dominicans. 

The  Sicilians  have  oddly  enough  mixed  Dp  the  saint 
Dionysius  with  the  tyranl  Dionysius,  and  claim  him 
as  a  Bain!  of  their  own.  There  i>  a  picture  over  the 
high  altar  of  his  church  at  Messina,  in  which  In-  is  seated 
in  his  episcopal  throne,  a-  the  Buperior  saint,  and  90* 
rounded  in  the  usual  manner  hj  other  saints  standing. 

Subjects  from  the  lit'*-  of  St.  Denis  an-  verj  common 
as  11  Beries,  in  the  Bculpture  ami  Btained  glass  of  tin' 

French  cathedrals,  and  in  tli<-  1 lern  restorations  of 

tin-  Cathedral  of  St.  Denis:  one  of  tin'  finest  i-  the 
irrand  window  in  the  Cathedral  at  Chartres.  The 
separate  pictures  ami  prints  from  his  legendary  story 
an-  principally  confined  to  the  French  Bchool. 

1.  St.  Denis  at  Eeliopolis,  Beated  on  tin-  summit  of 
a  tower  or  observatory  :  he  is  contemplating,  through  </ 
idatcope,  the  crucifixion  of  onr  Saviour,  which  is  Been 
in  the  far  distance.  This  subject  I  saw  once  in  an  old 
French  print;  underneath,  in  Latin,  the  verse  from 
l  uah  (wiv.  l>:s).  Confundetm  sot,  ftc.  "Then  the 
moon  shall  be  confounded  and  the  sun  ashamed,  when 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  shall  reign  on  Monni  Bion." 

■j.  St.   Denis  converted    by  St.   Paul  is  a  frequent 

subject  in  "|. 1  French  prints.     In  Raphael's  rait 1  <.f 

"Paul  preaching  at  Athens,"  tin  figure  of  the  man  in 
Hunt,  wlio.  a-  Sir  Joshua  says,  " appears  to  be  think- 
ing all  over,"  1-  probably  Dionysins. 

:t.  Le  Sueur.  St.  Denis  at  Bonn-  tnkis  leave  of 
Pope  Clement,  ami  receives  In-  blessing  before  la'  de- 
parts on  bil  mission  to  1'aris.* 

*  Mvthucn  Coll. 


ST.  DENIS. 


337 


4.  Joseph-Marie  Vien.  St.  Denis  preaching  to  the 
Parisians.* 

5.  The  martyrdom  of  St.  Denis.  He  is  seen  walk- 
ing with  his  head  in  his  hand,  and  sustained  on  each 
Bide  by  angels,  —  "en  pareil  cas,"  as  the  witty  French- 
woman observed,  "  ce  n'est  que  le  pn  //»'<  r  pas  qui  coute  " ; 
nevertheless  it  must  be  conceded  that  the  sustaining 
angels  greatly  diminished  the  incredibility  of  the 
story. 

6.  St.  Denis,  St.  Maurice,  and  St.  Martin  rescue  the 
soul  of  King  Dagobert  from  demons  :  represented  with- 
in the  Gothic  recess  over  the  tomb  of  King  Dagobert, 
on  which  he  lies  in  effigy,  full  length.  The  story  is 
told  in  three  compartments,  one  above  the  other.  1. 
The  anchorite  John  is  seen  asleep,  and  St.  Denis  re- 
veals to  him  in  a  vision  that  the  soul  of  King  Dagobert 
is  tormented  and  in  danger ;  to  the  right  is  seen  Dago- 
bert, standing  in  a  little  boat;  demons  seize  him  forci- 
bly, and  one  of  them  takes  off  his  crown.  2.  St.  Mar- 
tin, St.  Maurice,  and  St.  Denis  come  to  the  rescue  of 
Dagobert ;  they  are  attended  by  two  angels,  one  of  whom 
swings  a  censer,  and  the  other  holds  a  vase  of  holy 
water ;  St.  Martin  and  St.  Denis  seize  upon  the  soul  of 
Dagobert,  while  St.  Maurice,  sword  in  hand,  attacks 
the  demons.  3.  The  three  saints,  attended  by  angels, 
hold  a  sheet  extended,  on  which  stands  the  soul  of 
Dagobert  in  the  attitude  of  prayer.  The  Divine  hand 
appears  in  a  glory  above,  as  if  about  to  lift  him  into 
heaven.  The  whole  is  executed  with  extraordinary 
spirit,  but  I  should  be  doubtful  as  to  the  date  assigned 
by  Le  Noir  (a.  d.  632  -  645) ;  or  rather  I  have  no  doubt 
that  it  is  a  mistake :  the  style  is  that  of  the  fourteenth 
century. 

A  very  remarkable  monument  appertaining  to  St. 
Denis,  is  a  manuscript  memoir  of  his  life  (according  to 
the  legend  must  be  understood),  which  exists  in  the 
Royal  Library  at  Paris,  and  which  cannot  be  of  later 

*  Paris,  St.  Roch. 

TOL.   n.  22 


338        SA  CRED  A  ND  LEG  EX  DARY  AR  T. 

date  than  the  year  1322.  The  miniatures  in  this  hean- 
tiful  manuscript  I  did  not  count,  bnt  they  mart  have 
exceeded,  I  think,  a  hundred  and  fifty,  drawn  with 
a  pen,  and  slightly  tinted ;  the  figures  Gothic  in  taste 
and  feeling,  yet  with  a  certain  delicacj  in  the  character, 
and  a  lengthiness  in  the  forms,  such  as  we  sec  in  the 
best  Gothic  sculpture  of  thai  period.  I  can  only  men- 
tion here  a  few  of  die  subjects,  which  from  their  beauty 
and  peculiarity  struck  me  must. 

l.  The  Athenians  raise  t<>  7%  Unknown  God  an 
altar,  on  which  Dionysins  is  in  the  act  of  writing  the 
inscription  Deo  Ignoto.  2.  Paul  preaching  to  the 
Athenian  philosophers  ;  in  the  background  the  altar,  to 
which  he  points.  3.  Paul  converts  Dionysins  and  Da- 
mans. 4.  1'aul  consecrates  Dionysins  first  bishop  of 
Athens.  5.  Dionysins  writing  his  famous  treatise  on 
the  celestial  hierarchy.  The  nine  choirs  of  angels  are 
hovering  over  him,  surmounted  by  the  Trinity.  6.  He 
carries  his  head  (two  angels  sustaining  him  on  either 
side)  and  presents  it  to  the  Christian  woman,  here 
called  Catnlla:  Bhe  receives  it  in  a  napkin.  7.  The 
spirits  of  the  three  martyrs  (in  the  usual  form  of  naked 
infants)  are  carried  into  heaven  by  angels. 

The  compositions  throughout  are  superior  in  spirited 

and    dramatic    expression,    but    inferior    in    purity    and 

grace,  to  the  contemporary  Italian  school,  —  that  of 
Giotto. 

There  are  several  other  >aints  who  are  represented  in 
Gothic  Art  in  the  same  manner  as  St  Denis,  that  is, 
in  the  act  of  carrying  their  own  heads.  In  every  in- 
stance the  original  meaning  of  the  attribute  must  be 
borne  in  mind. 

St.  ('heron,  bishop  of  Chartres,  was  a  contemporary 

and    disciple    of    St.    Denis.       Being   On    his    way    from 

Chartres  to  Paris,  to  visit  St.  Denis,  he  was  attacked 
i)_v  robbers,  who  struck  off  his  head;  whereupon  the 
taint,  taking  his  head  up  in  his  hands,  continued  his 
jpurney.     His  whole   history  is  represented   on  ono 


ST.  NICAISE.— ST.    VALERIE.  339 

of  the  magnificent  windows  of  the  Cathedral  of  Char- 
tres. 

St.  Clair,  carrying  his  head,  I  saw  on  one  of  the  fine 
windows  of  St.  Maclou  at  Itoucn  :  he  was  martyred  be- 
tween Rouen  and  Fontoise  in  the  third  century. 

St.  Nicaisc  (Lat.  Nicasius),  bishop  of  Rheims,  fa- 
mous for  his  success  in  preaching  the  Gospel,  was 
besieged  in  Rheims  by  the  Vandals,  a.  d.  400,  and  he 
went  forth  attended  by  his  clergy  to  meet  the  enemy, 
singing  hymns  :  one  of  the  barbarian  soldiers  struck  off 
the  upper  half  of  his  head ;  nevertheless  the  saint  con- 
tinued singing  his  stave  until,  after  a  few  steps,  he  fell 
dead.  A  picture  by  Jan  Schoreel  represents  St.  Nica- 
sius in  his  episcopal  robes,  without  the  upper  part  of 
his  head,  which,  with  the  mitre  on  it,  he  carries  in  his 
hand.* 

"  St.  Valerie,  or  Sainte  Valere,  without  her  head, 
which  she  carries  in  her  hands,  approaches  the  altar 
and  presents  her  head  to  St.  Martial."  I  saw  this 
strange  subject  in  a  large  mosaic  in  the  Studio  de'  Mo- 
said,  at  Rome :  it  was  executed  for  St.  Peter's,  but 
some  misgiving  happily  prevented  it  from  being  placed 
there.  These  two  saints,  patrons  of  Aquitaine,  lived  in 
the  third  century.  The  legend  sets  forth  that  Martial 
was  first  Bishop  of  Limoges ;  that  among  his  early 
converts  was  a  beautiful  virgin,  whose  name  was  Vale'- 
rie ;  she  refusing  to  listen  to  the  addresses  of.  the  Duke 
de  Guyenne,  "  il  entra  en  une  telle  rage  qu'il  luy  fit 
trancher  la  teste,  couronnant  sa  virginite'  d'un  martyre 
bien  signale,  car  a  la  veue  d'un  chacun  elle  prit  sa 
teste,  et  la  porta  jusques  au  pied  de  l'Autel  ou  S.  Mar- 
cial  disect  la  messe ;  le  bourreau,  la  suivant  pas-a-pas, 
mourut  dans  l'Eglise,  apres  avoir  clairement  proteste 
qu'il  voyoit  les  anges  a  l'entour  de  son  corps."  I  have 
been  thus  particular  in  giving  this  old  French  legend, 
because  the  story  of  St.  Martial  and   St.  Valerie  ap- 

*  Munich  Gal. 


34o 


SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 


pears  so  frequently  in  the  chased  and  enamel  work  for 
which  Limoges  was  famous  from  the  twelfth  to  the 
sixteenth  century.  St.  Martial  <liil  doI  Buffer  martyr- 
dom. I  have  •-(•en  him  standing  in  his  bishop's  rol 
and  St.  Valerie  holding  her  palm  with  a  Btreak  or  mark 
round  her  neck,  in  Borne  ivory  carved  work  which 
served  as  the  cover  of  a  hook;  the  whole  Btory  is  rep- 
resented on  one  of  the  windows  of  the  Cathedra]  of 
Limoj 

St.  Romain,  who  was  bishop  of  Rouen  in  the  time 
of  Clovis  L,  i>  generally  considered  as  the  apostle  of 
Normandy.  He  overthrew  the  heathen  temples,  and 
preached  Christianity  among  the  Gauls  of  thai  district 
The  Seine,  having  overflowed  its  hanks,  Dearly  de- 
stroyed tin1  city  of  Rouen  :  Bt  Romain  commanded  the 

waters  to  retire-  to  their  channel,  but  from  the  mini  and 

slime  hft  li\  the  receding  Hood  was  born  a  monstrous 
dragon,  called  in  the  French  Legend  /"  Gargouille,  which 
spread  terror  along  the  Bhores.  St.  Romain  went  forth 
again>t  tin-  venomous  beast,  and,  by  the  aid  of  a  wicked 
murderer,  vanquished  ami  bound  the  monster!  Hence, 
down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  it  was  a  privilege 
of  the  chapter  of  Rouen  to  deliver  and  pardon  a  crimi- 
nal condemned  to  death.  The  whole  history  of  St. 
Romain  is  painted  on  the  windows  of  the  Cathedral  of 

Rouen,    and    is    commonly    met    with    in    the    Norman 

churches,  ami  tin-  dragon  legend  of  the  GaryouilL  i> 
merely  the  usual  allegory  bo  often  referred  to,  —  the 
conquest  of  Christianity  oxer  Paganism.  St.  Romain 
died  Oct  -'•'<■  639,  and  was  succeeded  by  Saint  Ouen. 

St   Trophime  of  Aries  (whose  church  is  one  of  the 

most    magnificent    in   all    France,   and   one   of   tin-   lew 

which  escaped  destruction  in  tin'  tii fthe  first  R 

lution)  WU  the  disciple  of  Bt  Paul.*  I  mention  him 
here  HrMTltf  the  BCulptOTe  of  the  Cathedral  of  Aries  is 

selebrated  in  the  history  of  Sacred  Art 

*   Act*  xx    4,  xxi.  29. 


ST.  MARTIN   OF   TOURS.  341 


St.  Martin  of  Tours. 

Lai.  Sanctus  Martinus.     Ital.  San  Martino.     Patron  of  Tours,  of 
Lucca,  &c,  and  of  penitent  drunkards.     Nov.  11,  a.  d.  397. 

Tins  illustrious  saint,  second  to  St.  Nicholas  only 
because  confined  to  Western  Christendom,  is  one  of 
those  whom  the  middle  ages  most  delighted  to  honor. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  extraordinary  character 
of  the  man,  nor  of  the  extraordinary  influence  he  exer- 
cised at  the  time  in  which  he  lived,  nor  is  there  any 
saint  of  whom  so  many  stories  and  legends  have  been 
promulgated  on  such  high  ecclesiastical  authority,  and 
■so  universally  believed  ;  still,  though  so  generally  ven- 
erated throughout  Christendom,  he  has  never  been  so 
pr«at  a  favorite  in  Italy  and  Germany  as  in  France, 
trie  scene  of  his  life  aud  miracles  :  we  find  him,  conse- 
quently, less  popular  as  a  subject  of  Art  than  many 
saints  who  may  be  considered  as  comparatively  obscure. 

St.  Martin  was  born  in  the  reign  of  Constantine  the 
Great,  at  Saberia,  a  city  of  Pannonia.*  He  was  the 
son  of  a  Roman  soldier,  a  tribune  in  the  army,  and  his 
parents  were  heathens ;  but  for  himself,  even  when  a 
child,  he  was  touched  by  the  truth  of  the  Christian  relig- 
ion, and  received  as  a  catechumen  at  the  age  of  fifteen ; 
but  before  he  could  be  baptized  he  was  enrolled  in  the 
cavalry  and  sent  to  join  the  army  in  Gaul.  Notwith- 
standing his  extreme  youth  and  the  license  of  his  pro- 
fession, St.  Martin  was  a  striking  example  that  the 
gentler  virtues  of  the  Christian  were  not  incompatible 
with  the  duties  of  a  valiant  soldier ;  and  from  his  hu- 
mility, his  mildness  of  temper,  his  sobriety,  chastity, 
and,  above  all,  his  boundless  charity,  he  excited  at  once 
the  admiration  and  the  love  of  his  comrades.  The 
legion  in  which  he  served  was  quartered  at  Amiens  iv 

*  Now  Stain  in  Hungary 


342       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

the  year  332,  and  the  winter  of  that  year  WB8  of  Buch 
exceeding  Beverity  thai  men  died  in  the  Btreeta  from 
excessive  cold  it  happened  one  day  that  St.  Martin, 
on  going  out  of  tin  gate  of  the  city,  was  met  by  a  pool 
naked  beggar,  shivering  with  cold,  and  be  fell  com] 
sion  for  him  :  and  having  nothing  bnl  his  cloak  and  Ins 
arms,  he,  with  his  sword,  divided  his  cloak  in  twain, 
and  gave  one  half  of  it  to  the  beggar,  covering  himself 
as  well  as  be  might  with  the  other  half.  And  that 
same  night,  being  asleep,  he  beheld  in  a  dream  the 
Lord  Jeans,  who  Btood  before  him,  having  on  his  shoul- 
ders the  half  of  the  cloak  which  he  had  bestowed  Dn  the 
beggar;  and  Jeans  -aid  to  the  angels  who  were  around 

him,  "  Know  ye  who  hath  thus  arrayed  me  '  my  ser- 
vant Martin,  though  yet  nnbaptized,  hath  done  this  1" 
And  St.  Martin,  after  this  vision,  hastened  to  receive 

baptism,  being  then  in  liis  twenty-third  year. 

He  remained  in  the  army  until  he  was  forty,  and 
iicn,  wishing  to  devote  himself  wholly  to  a  religions 
fife,  he  requested  to  be  dismissed  :  bni  the  emperor  (Jn 
liau  the  Apostate,  according  to  the  legend)  reproached 
him  Bcornfnlly,  Baying,  thai  he  desired  to  be  dismissed 
because  he  wished  to  shun  an  impending  fight ;  bnl  St. 
Martin  replied  boldly,  "Place  me  naked,  and  without 
defence,  in  front  of  the  battle;  then  shah  thou  Bee  that, 
armed  with  the  Crocs  alone,  [shall  not  fear  to  encounter 
the  legions  oftheenemy."  The  emperor  took  him  at  his 
word,  and  commanded  s  guard  to  be  placed  over  him 
for  the  aighl  :  but  early  the  next  morning  the  barba- 
rians sent  to  offer  terms  of  capitulation:  and  thus  to 

the  faith  Of  St.    Martin  the  victory  was  -ranted,  though 

not  exactly  as  lie  or  his  enemies  might  have  antici- 
pated. 

Alter  leaving  the  army,  he  led  for  many  years  a  re- 
tired and  religious  life,  and  at  length,  it  371,  he  was 
,  i, ,  i,  ,|  btabop  ol  Tours.  <  me  clay,  whi  o  pn  paring  to 
celebrate  mass  in  the  cathedral,  he  beheld  a  wretched 
naked  beggar,  and  desired  his  attendant  deai  on  to  clothe 
the  man;  the  deacon  showing  no  haste  to  comply,  Bt 


ST.  MARTIN   OF   TOURS. 


343 


Martin  took  off  his  sacerdotal  habit  and  threw  it  him- 
self around  the  beggar:  and  that  day,  while  officiating 
at  mass,  a  globe  of  fire  was  seen  above  his  head ;  and 
when  he  elevated  the  Host,  his  arms  being  exposed  by 
the  shortness  of  the  sleeves,  they  were  miraculously 
covered  with  chains  of  gold  and  silver  suspended  there 
by  angels,  to  the  great  astonishment  and  admiration  of 
the  spectators.  At  another  time,  the  son  of  a  poor 
widow  having  died,  St.  Martin,  through  his  prayers,  re- 
stored him  to  his  disconsolate  mother.  He  also  healed 
a  favorite  slave  of  the  proconsul  who  was  possessed 
by  an  evil  spirit ;  and  many  other  wonderful  things 
did  this  holy  man  perform,  to  the  great  wonder  and 
edification  of  those  who  witnessed  them.  The  Devil, 
who  was  particularly  envious  of  his  virtues,  detested 
above  all  his  exceeding  charity,  because  it  was  the  most 
inimical  to  his  own  power,  and  one  day  reproached  him 
mockingly  that  he  so  soon  received  into  favor  the  fallen 
and  the  repentant ;  and  St.  Martin  answered  him  sorrow- 
fully, saying,  "  Oh !  most  miserable  that  thou  art !  if 
thou  also  couldst  cease  to  persecute  and  seduce  wretched 
men,  if  thou  also  couldst  repent,  thou  also  shouldst  find 
mercy  and  forgiveness  through  Jesus  Christ !  "  What 
peculiarly  distinguished  St.  Martin  was  his  sweet,  seri- 
ous, unfailing  serenity;  no  one  had  ever  seen  him  angry, 
or  sad,  or  gay  ;  there  was  nothing  in  his  heart  but  piety 
to  God  and  pity  for  men.  He  was  particularly  distin- 
guished by  the  determined  manner  in  which  he  rooted 
paganism  out  of  the  land.  Neither  the  difficulty  of  the 
enterprise,  nor  the  fury  of  the  Gentiles,  nor  his  own 
danger,  nor  the  superb  magnificence  of  the  idolatrous 
temples,  had  any  power  to  daunt  or  to  restrain  him. 
Everywhere  he  set  fire  to  the  temples  of  the  false  gods, 
threw  down  their  altars,  broke  their  images.  The  com- 
plete uprooting  of  heathenism  in  that  part  of  Gaul  is 
attributed  to  this  pious  and  indefatigable  bishop.  The 
demons  against  whom  he  waged  this  determined  war 
made  a  thousand  attu  :i  its  to  terrify  and  to  delude 
him;  sometimes  appc.ii.ij:   to   him   as  Jupiter,  some- 


344       SA(  III  D   AND   I.I  '.I  ND  LRY  AST. 

times  as  Mercury,  and  sometimes  as  V.  mis  or  Miin'rva; 
lint  be  overcame  them  all. 

In  order  bo  avoid  the  great  concourse  of  people  who 
crowded  around  him,  he  withdrew  t"  b  BoUtnde  about 
two  miles  from  the  city,  and  imilt  himself  a  cell  between 
the  rocks  and  the  Loire.  This  was  the  origin  of  the 
celebrated  monastery  of  Bfarmontier,  one  of  the  greatest 
ami  richesl  in  the  north  of  Christendom. 

While  St.  Martin  was  inexorable  in  breaking  down 
the  altar.-  of  the  heathens,  he  appears  to  have  opposed 
himself  to  some  of  the  superstitions  of  the  people.  In 
the  neighborhood  of  Toms  there  was  a  little  chapel  in 
which  the  people  worshipped  a  supposed  martyr.  The 
saint,  believing  their  worship  misplaced,  wenl  ami  Btood 

upon  the  sepulchre,  and  prayed  that  the  Lord  would 
reveal  to  him  who  was  buried  there.  Suddenly  he  he- 
held  a  dark  spectral  form,  of  horrible  aspect,  Btanding 

near;    and    he  said,    ■■  Who  art    thou'"    and    the  shade 

replied  that  he  was  a  robber,  who  had  been  executed 

there  for  his  crimes,  and  was  now  suffering  the  torments 

of  hell. 

Then  St.  Martin  destroyed  the  chapel,  and  the  people 

reported  to  it  no  more. 

Among  the  innumerable  Btories  related  of  8t.  Martin, 

'here   is  one  which  OUgfal   to  he  noted    here  as  an  adinira- 

ble  subject  for  a  picture,  though  1  am  not  aware  that  it 
has  ever  been  painted.  On  somi  occasion  the  emperor 
in\  i 1 1  ■< I  him  to  a  banquet,  and,  wishing  to  show  the  saint 
particular  honor,  he  handed  the  winci  up  to  him  before 
lie  drank,  expecting,  according  to  the  usual  custom,  that 

St.  Martin  would   touch  it  with  bis  lip-,  and  then  pre*  Qt 

it  respectfully  to  hi-  imperial  host ;  hut,  equally  to  the 

astonishment   and  admiration  of  the  guests,  St.   Martin 

turned  round  ami  presented  the  brimming  goblet  ■ 
poor  priest  who  stood  behind  him:  thus  showing  that 
he  accounted  the  least  of  the  servants  ol  God  before  the 
itesl  of  the  ruler-  of  the  earth.     From  this  incident 

St.  Martin  ha-  been  chosen  as  the  patron  -ami  of  drink- 
in:.',  and  of  all  J0\  ial  iiieetn 


£7'.  MARTIN    OF    TOURS. 


345 


Also  the  empress,  whose  name  was  Helena,  anu  who 
was  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  lord  of  Caernarvonshire, 
entertained  him  with  great  honor.  It  was  somewhat 
against  his  will,  as  he  avoided  all  converse  with  women, 
but  she  clung  to  his  feet,  and  would  not  be  separated 
from  him,  washing  them  with  her  tears.  She  prepared 
for  him  a  supper,  she  alone,  allowing  no  other  service  ; 
she  cooked  the  viands  herself,  she  arranged  his  seat, 
offered  the  water  for  his  hands,  and  while  he  sat  at 
meat,  she  stood  immovable  before  him,  according  to 
the  custom  of  menials.  She  poured  out  the  wine,  and 
presented  it  to  him  herself,  and,  when  the  repast  was 
over,  she  collected  the  crumbs  that  had  fallen  from  his 
table,  preferring  them  to  the  banquet  of  the  emperor. 
This  story  also  would  be  a  most  picturesque  subject. 

After  governing  his  diocese  in  great  honor  for  nearly 
thirty  years,  and  having  destroyed  many  temples  and 
cut  down  many  groves  dedicated  to  the  false  gods,  the 
blessed  St.  Martin  died,  and  many  heard  the  songs  of 
the  angels  as  they  bore  his  soul  to  paradise. 

From  the  hour  that  he  was  laid  in  the  tomb  he  be- 
came an  object  for  the  worship  of  the  people.  The 
church  dedicated  to  him  in  Rome  (San  Martino-in- 
Monte)  existed  within  a  hundred  years  after  his  death ; 
and  when  St.  Augustine  of  Canterbury  first  arrived  in 
England,  he  found  here  a  chapel  which  had  been  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Martin  in  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century, 
and  in  this  chapel  he  baptized  his  first  converts. 

In  the  single  devotional  figures  St.  Martin  is  always 
represented  in  his  sacerdotal,  never  in  his  military, 
character.  When  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish  him 
from  other  bishops,  he  has  a  naked  beggar  at  his  feet, 
looking  up  with  adoration.  In  the  old  French  ecclesi- 
astical sculpture  and  stained  glass,  he  has  frequently 
a  goose  at  his  side.  This  attribute  alludes,  I  believe, 
to  the  season  at  which  his  festival  was  celebrated,  the 
season  when  geese  are  killed  and  eaten,  called  with  us 


J46       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Martinmas-tide,  which  used  to  be  solemnized  in  France, 
[ike  the  last  day  of  carnival,  u  a  period  of  licensed 

CXeeSS.* 

The  famous  Bnbject  called  ••  La  Charite1  de  St. 
Martin,"  or,  in  English,  "St.  Martin  dividing  his 
cloak,"  i>  Bometimea  devotionally,  Bometimea  histori- 
cally, treated. 

It  is  a  devotional  Bnbject  when  the  ad  of  charity  is 
expressed  bo  Bimply,  and  with  so  few  accessaries,  thai 
it  i>  to  be  understood  not  bo  mnch  as  the  representa- 
tion <>f  an  action,  bnt  rather  as  a  genera]  Bymbol  of  this 
particular  form  of  charity  :  "  I  was  naked,  and  ye 
clothed  me."  I  will  <-it«-.  as  an  instance  of  this  re- 
ligions sentiment  in  the  treatment,  a  picture  by  Carrot* 
to,  which  I  remember  over  one  of  the  altars  in  the 
church  of  St  Anastasia  at  Verona.  The  saint,  in  mil- 
itary attire,  but  bareheaded,  and  with  a  pensive,  pity- 
ing air,  bends  down  towards  the  poor  beggar,  who  baa, 
in  hi.-  extremity,  already  wrapped  one  end  of  the  man- 
tle around  hi>  naked,  Bhivering  body,  —  while  St.  Mar- 
tin prepares  t"  yield  it  to  him  by  dividing  it  with  his 
sword.  There  is  nothing  here  of  the  heroic  self-com- 
placency of  the  .-aim  in  Vandyck'B  picture;  bul  tin-  «-x- 
pression  is  so  calm, .-"  simple,  —  the  benign  humility  of 
the  air  ami  countenance  i-  in  such  affecting  contrast 
with  tin-  prancing  steed  and  panoply  of  war,  thai  il  is 
impossible  not  to  feel  that  the  painter  must  have  been 
penetrated  by  tin'  beauty  ami  significance  of  the  Btory, 
a.-  well  as  by  the  character  of  the  saint. 

The  famous  picture  by   Vandyck  at  Windsor  is  a- 

-trikiiiLT  instance  <>f  the  historical  treatment  in  style 
and  conception.       Here  St   Martin,  a  line  martial  figure 

wearing  a  cap  and  feather,  brilliant  with  youth  and 
grace,  ami  a  sort  of  condescending  good-nature,  ad- 
vances on  hi.-  white  charger,  ami  turning,  with  his 
drawn  -word,  i-  in  ad  to  divide  hi-  rich  scarlet  cloak 
with  ii  coarse   jqualid   beggar,  while  a  gypsy-looking 

•  \\.  ban  in  i  ii  one  hundred  and  sixty  channel 

rtla 


ST.  MART  IN   OF    TOURS.  347 

woman,  with  black  hair  streaming  to  the  winds,  holds 
up  her  child  to  receive  the  benediction  of  the  saint. 
It  is  said  that  Vandyck  has  here  represented  himself 
mounted  on  the  white  charger  which  Rubens  had  pre- 
sented to  him  :  certainly  the  whole  picture  glows  with 
life,  animated  expression,  and  dramatic  power  ;  but  it 
is  wholly  deficient  iu  that  deep  religious  feeling  which 
strikes  us  in  the  altar-piece  of  Carotto,  and  leaves  an 
impression  on  the  memory  not  trivial  nor  transitory  ;  — 

"  Whence  grace,  through  which  the  heart  may  understand, 
And  vows,  that  bind  the  will,  in  silence  made  ! " 

The  other  incidents  in  the  life  of  St.  Martin  are  less 
peculiar  and  attractive,  and  are  not  often  met  with  sep- 
arately. The  miracle  of  the  globe  of  fire,  called  "  La 
Messe  de  Saint  Martin,"  was  painted  by  Le  Sueur  for 
the  abbey  of  Marmoutier.  It  is  a  composition  of  fif- 
teen figures.  St.  Martin  stands  before  the  altar  ;  he  is 
characteristically  represented  as  of  low  stature  and  fee- 
ble frame,  but  with  a  most  divinely  expressive  face  ;  the 
astonishment  in  the  countenances  of  those  around,  par- 
ticularly of  a  priest  and  a  kneeling  woman,  is  admira- 
bly portrayed,  without  interfering  with  the  saintly  calm 
of  the  scene  and  place.* 

"  St.  Martin  raising  the  dead  Child,"  by  Lazzaro 
Baldi,  is  in  the  Vienna  Gallery.  "  The  Slave  of  the 
Proconsul  healed,"  is  the  subject  of  a  coarse  but  ani- 
mated composition  by  Jordaens :  St.  Martin  is  in  full 
episcopal  robes,  —  the  possessed  man  writhing  at  his 
feet,  —  the  lord  of  the  slave,  attended  by  his  falconer,  is 
seen  behind,  watching  the  performance  of  the  miracle.t 

On  a  certain  occasion  St.  Martin  appeared  before  the 
Emperor  Valentinian,  who,  at  the  approach  of  the  holy 
man,  did  not  show  due  respect  by  rising  to  receive  him  ; 
whereupon  the  chair  on  which  he  sat  took  fire  under 
him,  and  forced  him  to  rise.  This  rather  grotesque  in- 
cident I  have  seen  represented,  I  think,  at  Assisi. 

A  series  of  subjects  from  the  life  of  St.  Martin  often 
*  Louvre.     Ecole  Franijais.  \  Brussels  Gal. 


348        SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

ocean  in  the  French  stained  glass  of  the  thirteenth  and 
fourteenth  centaury.  We  find  it  at  Bourges,  at  Char- 
tree,  at  Angers,  and  others  of  the  old  French  cathe- 
drals. In  the  San  Francesco  al  A.-.-i>i  there  is  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  him  covered  with  beautiful  frescos  from  his 
life,  —  many  of  them,  unhappily,  in  a  most  ruined  state. 
In  tin'  th-st,  he  appears  as  a  youth  before  the  Etonian 
emperor,  and  is  enrolled  as  a  soldier  in  the  Roman  cav- 
alry ;  in  tin-  Becond,  he  divides  his  cloak  with  the  beg- 
gar; in  the  third,  he  is  asleep  <>n  his  bed,  and  Christ 
appears  to  him  in  a  vision,  attended  by  four  angels  ;  in 
the  fourth,  be  is  ordained  by  St.  Hilary.  The  rest  I 
could  not  well  make  out,  but  the  figures  and  heads 
have  great  expression  and  elegance.     These  frescos  ure 

attrihutcd  to  Simone  Meintni. 


St.  Blot. 

Lat.  Sanctus  Blgins.     £'»</•    St.  Loo.     Ital.   Sanf  A16  or  Lo, 
Sant'  Eli(fio.     Patron  of    Bologna,   of  Hoyon  ;  of  goldsmiths, 
locksmiths,  blacksmiths,  sod  ill  irorkers  In  metal ;  also  of  far 
and  horses.     Dec.  1,  a.  d.  659. 

St.  Eloy  was  born  of  obscure  parents  in  the  little 
village  of  Chatelas.  He  w:i~  firs)  sent  to  school  at  Li- 
moges,  and  afterwards  bound  apprentice  to  a  goldsmith 
of  that  city.  EBa  progress  in  the  art  of  design,  and  in 
chasing  and  working  in  gold,  was  so  rapid,  thai  he  soon 

elled  his  master.  Be  then  wenl  to  Paris,  "here  his 
talents  as  a  worker  in  metal  introduced  him  t<>  the  no- 
tice "i  Bobbo,  treasurer  t<>  Clotaire  II.  Aboul  this 
time  it  happened  thai  King  Clotaire  desired  to  bai 
throne  overlaid  with  ;_'<>ld  and  set  with  precious stoni 
luit  he  knew  nut  to  whom  tu  intrust  the  execution  ol  a 
wurk  which  required  not  merely  skill,  bul  probitj  'I  be 
treasurai  introduced  Eloy  to  the  king,  who  weighed  onl 
to  him  a  quantit)  of  gold  sufficient  i<>r  the  work  ;  bul 

•   ,)r  ;,  ,;i.|,||.  Hand*  "Dark   Aires,"  p.  81,  ft*  tbs 

story  "f  ^t    Kloy  refusing  to  take  oaths. 


ST.  ELOY. 


349 


Eloy  constructed,  with  the  precious  materials  intrusted 
to  him,  not  one  throne,  hut  two  thrones  ;  and  with  such 
wonderful  skill  that  the  king  was  filled  with  admiration 
for  the  perfection  of  the  work,  yet  more  for  the  probity 
of  the  workman,  and  thenceforth  employed  him  in  state 
affairs.  In  a  word,  he  seems  to  have  been  much  in  the 
same  circumstances  as  those  of  George  Heriot  at  the 
court  of  our  King  James.  The  successor  of  King  Clo- 
tairc,  Dagobert,  also  held  him  in  the  highest  esteem, 
and  appointed  him  Master  of  the  Mint.  It  appears 
that  Eloy  cut  the  dies  for  the  money  coined  in  these  two 
reigns  ;  thirteen  pieces  are  known  which  bear  his  name 
inscribed.  After  the  death  of  Dagobert,  Eloy  was  so 
much  distinguished  by  the  holiness  and  purity  of  his 
life  that  he  was  thought  a  fit  successor  to  the  Bishop  of 
Noyon,  and  he  was  consecrated  at  Rouen  in  the  third 
year  of  Clovis  II. 

After  he  had  attained  to  this  high  dignity,  Eloy  was 
not  less  distinguished  than  before  for  his  humanity,  his 
simplicity,  and  his  laborious  life.  Out  of  a  vast  num- 
ber of  sermons  and  homilies  composed  for  his  flock, 
many  remain  to  this  day ;  and  as  he  was  remarkable 
for  his  eloquence  and  his  power  over  the  minds  of  the 
people,  he  was  sent  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  idola- 
ters of  Belgium,  and  it  is  even  said  that  he  was  the  first 
to  carry  the  Gospel  to  Sweden  and  Denmark. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  labors  and  hardships,  and 
journeyings  to  and  fro,  he  still  found  time  for  his  origi- 
nal and  baloved  vocation ;  but,  instead  of  devoting  his 
labor  to  the  formation  of  objects  of  vanity  and  luxury, 
he  employed  himself  upon  the  shrines  of  the  saints  and 
the  holy  vessels  of  the  church.  Thus  he  decorated  with 
wonderful  skill  the  tombs  of  St.  Martin  and  St.  Denis ; 
and  executed  moreover  the  shrines  of  St.  Germain,  St. 
Quentin,  St.  Genevieve,  and  many  others.  Also  he 
decorated  with  precious  utensils  the  church  of  St.  Co- 
lumba;  hut  soon  afterwards,  some  robbers  having  car- 
ried oft*  these  riches,  the  inhabitants  ran  in  haste  to 
implore  the  assistance  of  St.  Eloy.     He  immediately 


35o       SACR1  D   AND   LEGENDARY  ART 

went  to  the  church,  and  kneeling  down  in  the  oratory 
of  the  patron  saint,  he  thus  addressed  her  in  a  loud 
voice:   "Hearken,  Colombo,  to  my  words.     Our  Bi 
deemer  commands  thai  forthwith  thou  restore  to  me  the 

jewel,',  of  gold  which  have  heeii  taken  from  this  church, 
for  otherwise  I  will  close  up  the  entrance   thereof  with 

thorns,  so  that  henceforth  thou  .-halt  be  no  more  honored 

or  served  within  these  walls.''  Of  <  our.-e  the  saint  de- 
laved  not,  bnt  caused  the  thief  to  restore  the  jewels. 

Like  all  holy  men  of  that  time,  St.  Eloy  was  much 
beset  by  the  persecutions  of  the  arch-enemy.  <  Mi  one 
occasion,  when  the  pi« >u-  artist  was  troubled  by  him  in 
the  midst  of  his  work,  be  took  bis  tongs  out  of  the  lire 
and  seized  the  demon  by  the  nose.     The  Bame  Btorj  is 

told  of  our  Saxon  saint   iMinstan.     <  In  another  oeca.-ion 

a  horse  was  brought  to  him  to  be  shod  which  was  pos- 
ed In  a  demon,  and  kicked  and  plunged  BO  violently 

that  all  the  bystanders  Bed  in  dismay;  but  St.  Eloy, no 
whit  discomfited  bj  these  inventions  of  Satan,  cut  off 
the  le>:  of  the  hone,  placed  it  on  hi>  anvil,  fastened  on 
the  shoe  leisurely,  and  then,  by  making  the  Bign  of  the 
cross,  replaced  the  leg,  to  the  great  astonishment  and 
edification  of  the  faithful.* 

In  single  figures  and  devotional  pictures,  St.  I'.lov  is 
sometimes  represented  in  the  short  tunic  and  secular 

dress  of  an  artisan,  tint  more  generally  in  the  robes  of 

si  bishop,  with  a  hook  or  a  crosier  in  one  hand,  and  a 

hammer  or  tOOgS  in  the  other  :  or  the  hammer,  an  an- 
vil, a  pair  of  bellows,  or  other  implements  of  smith's 
work,  lie  at  his  feet  There  is  a  rerj  famous  picture 
of  hi  in  in  the  Strada  <hi  Orqfici  at  <  lenoa,  painted  by  the 
Qenoi  • .  Pi  legrino  Piola,  in  which  he  is  represented  as 
the  patron  -aim  of  the  craft ;  Napoleon  gave  orders  that 
it  should  be  -■  nl  to  Paris,  but  was  so  firmly  resisted  by 

•  Tim  legend  i-  n  pn  lento  'i  is  ba  wellef  on  the  pedi  -t:ii  of  lii« 
Btntii.',  in  one  "f  the  oJchee  ot  the  exterior  o)  0r-8aa-Mli  hele  at 

noreooe.     ft  waa  executed  In  marbk    bj  Na II  Banco,  ol  the 

.1  ot  DonataDo,  and  dedioatad  bj  toe  aulld  "f  BiatknuiiUi* 


ST.  ELOY.  351 

the  company  of  goldsmiths,  that  he  allowed  it  to  remain. 
In  an  ancient  statue  in  the  cathedral  at  Senars,  St.  Eloy, 
in  the  habit  of  a  smith,  wearing  a  small  cap,  a  leathern 
apron  tied  round  his  neck,  and  with  a  hammer  in  his 
hand,  stands  beside  his  anvil,  on  which  lies  a  horse's 
leg.  He  is  here  the  patron  saint  of  blacksmiths.  As 
one  of  the  patrons  of  Bologna,  he  is  frequently  repre- 
sented in  the  Bologna  pictures.  There  is  a  picture  by 
Innocenzio  da  Imola,  in  which  St.  Eloy  (or  Alo)  figures 
as  pendant  to  St.  Petronius :  the  legend  of  the  demoniac 
horse  is  seen  in  the  background.* 

The  scenes  from  his  life  are  not  unfrcquent. 

1.  St.  Eloy,  employed  in  chasing  a  cup,  is  seated  in 
front,  an  assistant  behind.      (In  an  old  print. )t 

2.  St.  Eloy  forging  a  piece  of  work  in  presence  of 
King  Dagobert;  his  assistant  blows  the  bellows.  (In 
an  old  print.) 

3.  In  an  altar-piece  by  Botticelli,  St.  Eloy  stands  as 
bishop.  In  the  predella  underneath  he  is  seen  at  his 
forge,  and  on  his  anvil  the  horse's  leg :  Satan,  in  female 
attire,  stands  near  him. J. 

4.  St.  Eloy  seizes  the  demon  by  the  nose,  (who  is 
here  in  the  form  of  an  "  impudica  femina,")  and  shoes 
the  possessed  horse  :  by  Cavedone,  —  a  fine  picture, 
notwithstanding  the  grotesqueness  of  the  subject.§ 

5.  St.  Eloy,  in  his  workshop,  presents  a  beautiful 
shrine  to  King  Dagobert ;  painted  for  the  company  of 
goldsmiths  by  Empoli.  The  painter  has  given  to  King 
Dagobert  and  his  goldsmith  the  costumes  of  Francis  I. 
and  Benvenuto  Cellini. || 

6.  St.  Eloy  had  once  a  heaven-sent  dream.  He 
dreamed  that  he  saw  the  sun  eclipsed  in  the  beginning 
of  his  course,  and  the  moon  and  three  bright  stars 
reigned  in  the  heavens.  The  moon  was  eclipsed  in  her 
turn,  and  the  three  stars  approached  the  meridian, — 
but  lo  !  one  of  them  was  hidden  from  sight ;  soon  after 

*  Berlin  Gal.  280.  t  Bartsch,  vol.  ix.  p.  146. 

f.  Fl.  Acad.  §  Bologna.  MeuUicauti. 

ft  Fl.  Acad. 


3:i       SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY   ART. 

wards  a  second  disappeared;  but  the  third  shone  out 
with  increasing  splendor.  This  dream  foreshadowed 
the  fate  of  the  royal  family.  Clovis  II  died  young; 
his  queen  Bathilde,  after  reigning  for  ten  years  as  re- 
gent, followed  liim  ;  two  Bons  died  successively ;  the 
third,  Thiery,  reigned  in  prosperity.  This  vision  I 
have  found  iii  an  old  French  print ;  St.  Kiev  is  in  bed, 
an  angel  draws  the  curtain,  and  points  t<>  the  Bkies 
where  the  sun  is  Been  eclipsed.* 


St.  Lambbrt,  bishop  of  Maastricht,  and  St.  Hi  • 
best,  bishop  of  Liege,  are  important  personages  in  t In- 
Flemish  and  German  works  of  art. 

St.  I.\mi.i  hi.  who  lived  in  the  distracted  time  of 
the  later  Merovingian  kings,  was  distinguished  by  his 
efforts  to  keep  bis  Christian  community  together,  and 
to  alleviate  as  far  as  possible  the  horrible  tyrannies,  law- 
less oppression,  and  miseries  of  that  dark  period.     He 

had,  however,  dared  to  remonstrate  with  Pepin  d'Heri 

stal  (then  Main  du  Palais,  under,  or  rather  ouer,  the 
weak  Childeric)  on  his  attachment  to  his  beautiful  mis- 
tress Alpa'ide,  the  grandmother  of  Charlemagne.  A 
relation  of  Alpaide  revenged  the  interference  of  die 
bishop  after  the  manner  of  that  barbarous  time;  sur- 
prised him  in  his  dwelling  near  Maastricht)  and  slew 
him,  as  be  knelt,  unresisting,  with  his  arms  extended  in 
the  form  of  a  cross,  to  receive  the  stroke  of  death.  He 
i-  thence  honored  as  a  mart]  r,  and  is  represented  in  the 
episcopal  dress,  bearing  the  palm,  with  a  lance  or  jave- 
lin at   hi-  feet. 

It  i-  related  of  St.  Lambert,  that,  when  he  «a.>  only 
an  acolyte,  he  brought  burning  coals  in  the  folds  of  bis 
surplice  to  rekindle  tin'  incense  before  the  altar, — u 
poetical  allegory  to  •  die  fervor  of  hi-  pietj      I 

•  "Tii'-  cimn-ii  "f  Dnmston  In  Dorsetshire  li  named  In  ill* 
honor,  and  hU  legend  is  aoulptured  over  the  doorway ."    (C«/<  » 

iiMT  Hi  I'll      I  mil  I'  mi  I  In. 


ST.  HUBERT. 


353 


saw  tliis  story  in  a  picture  in  the  church  of  St.  Bavon 
at  Ghent.  A  good  picture  of  the  Martyrdom  of  St. 
Lambert  by  Carlo  Saraceni  is  in  the  S.  Maria  dell' 
Anima,  Rome.  St.  Lambert  keeps  his  place  in  the 
English  reformed  calendar.      (Sept.  17,  a.  d.  709.) 

St.  Hubert,  a  far  more  celebrated  saint,  has,  on 
the  contrary,  been  banished  from  our  English  calendar. 
He  was  a  nobleman  of  Aquitaine,  who  lived  for  some 
years  in  the  court  of  Pepin  d'Heristal,  —  a  court,  as  wc 
have  seen,  not  remarkable  for  severe  morality.  Here 
Hubert  abandoned  himself  to  all  worldly  and  sinful 
pleasures,  but  more  especially  to  the  chase,  which  he 
sometimes  pursued  on  the  days  set  apart  by  Holy 
Church  for  fasting  and  for  prayer. 

One  day  in  the  Holy  Week,  when  all  good  Chris- 
tians were  at  their  devotions,  as  he  was  hunting  in  the 
forest  of  Ardennes,  he  encountered  a  milk-white  stag 
bearing  the  crucifix  between  his  horns.  Filled  with 
awe  and  astonishment,  he  immediately  renounced  all 
the  sinful  pursuits  and  vanities  to  which  he  had  been 
addicted.  At  first  he  turned  hermit  in  that  very  forest 
of  Ardennes  which  had  been  the  scene  of  his  former 
wickeduess  ;  afterwards,  placing  himself  under  the  tute- 
lege  of  St.  Lambert,  he  was  ordained  priest,  and  for 
twenty  years  distinguished  himself  by  a  life  of  the  most 
edifying  piety  :  finally  he  became  bishop  of  Lie'ge ;  and 
died  Nov.  3,  727. 

The  forest  of  Ardennes,  which  we  can  never  bring 
before  the  fancy  but  as  a  scene  of  romance,  was  at  this 
period  the  haunt  of  robbers,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
neighborhood  were  still  heathens  and  idolaters.  St. 
Hubert  appears  to  have  been  one  of  those  ecclesiastics 
who,  in  the  darkest  of  the  dark  ages,  carried  not  only  re- 
ligious discipline,  but  social  civilization,  into  the  depths 
of  the  forests,  and  whose  effigies  were  anciently  rep- 
resented, sometimes  with  wild  animals,  as  wolves  ajd 
bears,  around  them,  showing  that  they  had  extirpated 
iavage  beasts  and  savage  life,  as  in  the  pictures  and 

vol.  ii.  2~K 


354       SACRED   AND   LEG  I  VD  LR  I      1ST. 

statues  of  St  IVfagnns;  sometimes  with  the  Btag  bearing 
the  crucifix,  which  among  the  antique  symbols  either 
expressed  pietj  or  religious  aspiration  in  a  general 
sense,  or  the  conversion  of  Borne  reckless  lever  of  the 
chase,  who,  like  the  Wild  Huntsman  of  the  German 
ballad,  bad  punned  his  Bport  in  defiance  of  the  sacred 
ordinances  and  the  claims  of  humanity.  In  this  latter 
sense  it  was  anciently  npplied,  till,  realized  in  the  fancy 
of  the  people,  the  instructive  allegory  became  an  actual 
miracle  or  a  wondrous  legend  ;  as  in  this  Btory  of  St 
Hubert,  and  that  of  St  Eustace,  who  is  often  con- 
founded with  him. 

According  to  his  own  desire,  St  Hubert  was  buried 
i'u>t  in  the  church  of  St.  Peter  at  Liege.  Thirteen 
years  after  his  death  his  bodj  was  disinterred  in  pres- 
ence of  Carloman,  king  of  the  Franks,  and  found  en- 
tire; even  the  episcopal  robes  In  which  he  had  been 

interred  were  without    spot  or  stain  ;    and   his  tmnh  he- 

came   famous   for  the   miracles  and  cures  performed 

there.       AbOUt   B  century  after  his  death,  at   the  ldpiest 

of  the  Benedictine  monks  of  Ardennes,  his  bod]  was 
removed  from  Liege  and  deposited  in  their  abbey 
church,  and  St.  Uul>crt  became  thenceforth  St.  IIu- 
bert  of  Ardennes.  The  emperor,  Louis  le  Debon- 
naire,  then  tit  Aix-la-Chapelle,  assisted  at  the  trans- 
lation  of   the    relies,  and   the   da\    WBS    long   kept   as   a 

festival  throughout  this  part  of  Flanders. 

1  bt  lieve  this  translation  of  t lit-  body  of  St.  Hubert 

from    Liege    to    Ardennes,    and    his   reinterment    in    the 

abbey  church,  to  be  the  subject  of  an  old  Flemish  pic- 
tine  now  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Charles  Eastlake.  It 
was  formerly  styled  the  burial  of  St.  Thomas  a  Becket, 
—  I  know  not  on  what  grounds,  for  here  «c  find  none 
of  the  attributes  of  a  martyr,  nor  an j  of  the  miraculous 
picturesque  circumstances  attending  the  burial  of  si. 
Thomas  :<  Becket  <>n  the  altar,  behind  the  principal 
group,  stands  a  shrine,  on  which  is  a  little  figure  ol  St 
Hubert  with  his  hunting  horn,  just  as  I  have  seen  him 
represented  in  the  old   French  and   Flemish  carvin 


ST.  HUBERT.  355 

The  royal  personage  assisting  is  probably  intended  for 
Louis  le  Debonnaire.  This  picture,  which  is  of  won- 
derful beauty,  finished  in  every  part,  and  the  heads  like 
miniature  portraits  in  character  and  delicacy  of  execu- 
tion, is  attributed  to  Justus  of  Ghent  (a  scholar  of  Hu- 
bert van  Eyck),  and  was  probably  painted  about  1474. 

To  St.  Hubert,  as  patron  saint  of  the  chase,  chapels 
were  often  erected  within  the  precincts  of  the  forest, 
where  the  huntsman  might  pay  his  devotions  to  his 
favorite  saint  before  he  began  his  favorite  sport.  As 
he  was  also  the  patron  saint  of  dogs,  we  often  find 
them  introduced  into  pictures  of  him  :  bread  blessed 
at  his  shrine  was  considered  as  a  holy  charm  against 
the  hydrophobia. 

In  the  devotional  figures  so  frequent  in  the  old 
French  and  Flemish  churches,  St.  Hubert  is  repre- 
sented in  his  episcopal  habit,  with  a  book  in  one  hand 
and  a  hunting-horn  in  the  other ;  or  the  stag,  with  the 
crucifix  between  its  horns,  stands  at  his  side ;  or,  more 
rarely,  he  holds  the  breviary  horizontally  in  his  hands, 
and  on  it  stands  the  miraculous  stag.  Where  St.  Hu- 
bert as  bishop  bears  the  hunting-horn,  I  believe  he 
must  be  considered  as  the  patron  saint  of  the  military 
order  of  St.  Hubert,  instituted  in  1444  by  Gerard,  duke 
of  Guelders  ;  the  knights  bear  as  their  insignia  a  golden 
cor-de-chasse.  It  is  necessary  to  distinguish  carefully 
between  the  hunting-horn  and  the  drinking-horn  :  a  bishop 
with  a  drinking-horn  in  his  hand  represents  St.  Corne- 
lius, and  the  attribute  of  the  horn  is  merely  in  allusion 
to  his  name  ;  he  was  bishop  of  Rome  in  the  third  cen- 
tury.* 

The  vision  of  the  miraculous  stag  is  styled  "  The 
Conversion  of  St.  Hubert"  :  and  here  it  becomes  ne- 
cessary, but  sometimes  difficult,  to  distinguish  him  from 
St.  Eustace.     We  must  bear  in  mind  that  St.  Hubert 

*  The  horn  was  used  in  ancient  times  to  hold  the  consecrated 
oil  -.  it  was  then  called  the  Horn  of  Sacrament,  and  in  the  pictures 
of  St.  Cornelius  may  have  a  religious  significance. 


356        SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

seldom  (as  far  as  I  know,  never)  appears  in  Italian 
Art,  while  St.  Eustace  seldom  appears  in  Northern 
Europe;  St.  Hubert  wean  the  dress  of  a  banter,  St. 
Eustace  that  of  a  Roman  soldier.  He  will  be  found 
amon<;  the  Warrior  Saints. 

There  is  a  beautiful  miniature  in  the  •■  Heuret  d'Anne 
de  Bretagne,"  which  will  give  an  idea  of  the  maimer  in 
which  the  conversion  of  St.  Hubert  is  generally  repre- 
sented. The  angel  who  flies  towards  him,  bearing 
the  stole  iii  his  hand,  is  intended  to  ahow  that  he  ex- 
changed the  life  of  a  hunter  for  thai  of  an  ecclesiastic. 
In  the  French  legend  it  is  related  that  when  ••  Monad 
gneur  Saint  Hubert  "  was  consecrated  bishop,  an  angel 

brought  down  from  heaven  the  stole  with  which  he  W8I 

invested. 

The   most   celebrated   example,  however,  is  the  rare 

and  exquisite  print  of  Albert  Durer,  so  well  known  to 
collectors.  St.  Hubert  is  kneeling,  in  the  hunting  cos- 
tume of  the  fifteenth  centurj ,  with  his  horn  and  couteatt- 
de-chasse  suspended  at  hi*  side,  and  wearing  the  furred 
cap  and  the  knightly  spurs  ;  his  horse  is  near  him,  and 
his  panting  dogs  in  the  foreground.  On  a  wooded 
eminence  Btands  the  visionary  hart,  with  the  crucifix 
between  his  horns.  This  celebrated  composition,  hav- 
ing no  title,  has  sometimes  been  Btyled  St.  Eustace  ; 
hut  I  believe  that  in  the  French  and  German  work-  of 
Art  the  subject  may  in'  understood  to  refer  to  the  le- 
gend of  St.   Hubert  the    Hunter;    in   Italian  pictures  it 

nerally  St.  Bnstadus.* 

In    our    National    (lallervare    two    pictures   from  the 

story  of  St.  Hubert.     I.   His  conversion  by  the  mirac 

nlous  >ta:_'.     2.  The  angel  descending  with  tin-  Btoli 

*  The  lip-  "f  St.  Hubert,  in  .1  KrlM  <>f  eight  bai  ralleik,  h  ■ 
riit'-ly  cxi-ria  "'I  i>  vs  iiiii                  Belgian  Kulptorol  Kr,)it  repu- 
tation, fi>r  tli.-  •brine  3 1 1  the  oburofa  "i  Bt  Hubert  in  Ardennes. 
They  are  modi  p bellng  In  the  plcturatque 

rv  /,'./;.;/.  ■,...  .      Then    ar^-  (Uic  casts  ill  til.    1 
Li  I  I'  M'.nirt);  Bad   fur  :i  full  description  It* 

Hi.  ii, null k  t.i  iii.  nlpture,  p    n. 

>  'iii.-'  an    attributed  to  the  Meleter  Ton  Werden.    [n  aaothei 


ST.  LE AND Eli   AND  ST.  ISIDORE.        357 

Among  the  early  Spanish  bishops,  St.  Leander 
and  St.  Isidore,  two  brothers  who  were  successively 
bishops  of  Seville,  and  became  the  patrons  of  the  city, 
are  found  represented  in  the  pictures  of  the  Seville 
school.  Both  these  saints  were  chiefly  distinguished 
as  the  determined  opponents  of  Arianism  in  Spain. 
St.  Leander  is  styled  the  "  Apostle  of  the  Goths " ; 
St.  Isidore,  the  "  Egregius  Doctor  of  Spain." 

In  the  dissensions  between  the  Catholics  and  the 
Arians,  Hennengildus,  son  of  King  Leovigild,  relin- 
quished the  Arian  faith,  and  was  put  to  death  by  his 
father :  he  has  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  famous 
martyrs  of  Spain.  The  arms  of  the  city  of  Seville, 
exhibit  St.  Ferdinand,  king  of  Castile  and  Leon,  on 
a  throne  with  St.  Leaudro  on  one  side,  and  St.  Isidore 
on  the  other.  And,  in  the  pictures  of  Roclas  and  Her- 
rera,  we  often  find  the  princely  martyr,  St.  Hcrmen- 
gildo,  attended  by  the  two  bishops  ;  or  sometimes  St. 
Justa  and  St.  Rufina,  St.  Leander  and  St.  Isidore,  the 
four  patrons  of  Seville,  are  in  the  same  picture. 

Among  the  clwfo-d' oeuvre  of  Murillo  are  counted  the 
San  Leandro  and  the  San  Isidoro,  each  enthroned, 
robed  in  white,  and  wearing  their  mitres,  —  noble  and 
characteristic  heads,  now  in  the  Cathedral  at  Seville. 
The  masterpiece  of  Roelas  is  the  fine  picture  of  the 
death  of  S.  Isidore  (el  Transito  de  San  Isidoro),  where 
he  is  expiring  on  the  steps  of  the  altar,  after  dividing 
his  substance  among  the  poor  :  and  the  masterpiece  of 
Hcrrera  is  the  apotheosis  of  St.  Hermengild,  where, 
after  his  martyrdom,  the  Gothic  prince  is  seen  carried 
into  glory,  arrayed  in  a  cuirass  of  blue  steel  and  a  red 
mantle,  and  holding  a  cross.  St.  Isidore  stands  on  the 
left,  St.  Leander  on  the  right ;  and  the  son  of  Her- 
mengild, a  beautiful,  fair-haired  boy,  is  gazing  raptu- 
rously upwards,  as  his  sainted  father  mounts  to  heaven.* 

picture  by  the  same  old  German  St.  Hubert  is  attired  as  bishop, 
with  the  stag  on  his  book. 

*  For  a  further  account  of  these  pictures,  see  Mr.  Stirling's 
'  Annals  of  the  Artists  in  Spain  "     He  thus  describes  the  death 


35s        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART 

The  other  Spanish  bishops  who  arc  most  remarkable 
as  subjects  of  Art  —  for  example,  St.  Ildcfonso,  St. 
Thomas  of  Villanova,  &c. —  belonged  t"  the  regular 

Monastic  » Inters.* 

of  St.  Isidore  :  "Clad  in  pontifical  robes  and  a  dark  mantle,  the 
prelate  kneels  in  the  foreground  expiring  in  the  anna  of  a  group 
of  venerable  priests,  whose  snowy  hair  ami  beards  are  finely  re- 
lieved bj  the  youthful  bloom  of  two  beautiful  children  <>f  the 
choir,  who  kneel  beside  them;  the  background  la  Ailed  up  with 

the   far-nvdm.L'   aisle  uf  tin-  church,  some  altars,  ;itnl  a  multitude 

ople.  At  the  top  of  the  picture,  In  ■  Uue  of  light, 
are  seen  our  Lord  and  the  Virgin  enthroned  on  Blonds."  Be  adds  i 
••  K.>r  majesty  of  design,  depth  of  feeling,  richness  of  oolor,  and 
the  various  beauty  of  the  heads,  and  for  the  p<  rt-  <t  mastery  which 
the  painter  has  displayed  In  the  useol  his  materials,  this  altar- 
piece  (in  the  church  of  Bl  Isidore  al  B  villi  may  be  ranked 
amongst  the  greatest  productions  of  the  pencil";  and  he  com- 
pares it  with  Domenichlno'e  "  Communion  of  Bt  Jerome  "  In  the 
\  iii-  m,    Juan  de  las  Koalas  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  greatest 

painters  Of  the  Bpanlsh  lohool.  I  cannot  hut  remember  thai  a 
most  :idmirah|i-  and  interesting  picture  by  ltoelas  was  sold  in  the 
Boult  collection  for  less  than  one  half  of  the  sum  which  the  former 
(not  the  present)  managers  of  the  National  Qallery  though!  lit  to 
give  for  a  coarse,  beduubed,  fifth-rate  Titian.  For  the  story  of 
llermengild,  see  Gibbon,  c.  87. 
*  See  "  Legends  of  the  Monastic  Orders." 


THE   HERMIT   SAINTS. 


St.   Paul,   St.   Anthony,    and    the   Hermits  op 
Syria  and  Egypt  in  the  Third  and  Fourth 

Centuries. 

Amongst  the  most  interesting,  most  picturesque, 
most  imaginative  productions  of  the  early  ages  of 
Art,  are  the  representations  of  the  Hermits  of  the 
Desert.  Every  one  who  has  looked  at  pictures  rec- 
ognizes at  once  the  image  of  their  chief  and  leader, 
St.  Anthony  the  abbot,  with  his  long  white  beard,  his 
crutch,  his  bell,  and  his  pig :  but  we  must  look  back 
to  the  contemporary  state  of  society,  and  to  a  most 
curious  and  most  interesting  period  of  Church  history, 
to  comprehend  the  large  circle  of  suggestive  association 
which  such  effigies,  however  rude  in  themselves,  may 
excite  in  the  thinking  mind. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  third  century,  the  Roman 
Empire,  though  it  still  held  together,  was  fast  crum- 
bling to  dissolution.  It  was  in  a  state  analogous  to 
that  of  the  decrepid  human  frame  when  we  say  it  is 
breaking  up  ;  the  vital  functions  go  on  for  a  time,  but 
weak  and  intermitting;  —  neither  potions  nor  ph>si- 
cians  can  do  more  than  postpone  the  evil  hour. 

The  throes  of  the  perishing  Colossus  were,  hower-r, 
fearful.  A  glance  at  the  countries  which  composed  ^e 
vast,  heterogeneous  mass  of  the  Roman  Empire  vnll 
6how  us  rottenness  and  corruption  at  the  centre,  &o<* 


360       SACRED  AND   LI  GEh  DAE  I  ART- 

utter  disorganisation  towards  the  extremities,  In  the 
distant  governments  there  was  do  security  for  life  <>r 
for  property  :  wars,  famines,  tyrannies,  had  desolated 
tlic  provinces.  The  religions  persecutions  which  had 
broken  out  in  the  days  of  the  last  heathen  emperors, 
and  the  dissensions  caused  by  that  ven  religion  which 
preached  peace,  added  t<>  the  horrors  of  the  time. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  promises  of  the  Millen- 
nium had  Beized  on  the  imaginations  of  the  Christians. 
Many  of  them  believed  that  the  end  of  tin-  world  was 
near,  that  there  was  do  help  for  man  in  bis  Fellow-man, 
nor  profit  in  the  labor  of  his  hands ;  —  no  good  any- 
where, no  hope,  no  rest,  no  peace,  but  in  heaven. 

In  the  persecution  under  the  Emperor  Decius,  I'm  l 
of  Thebes,  a  Christian  youth  of  ooble  family,  terrified 
lc.-s  liv  the  tortures  which  were  threatened  than  by  the 
allurements  which  wire  tried  to  induce  him  t<>  deny 
his  faith,  Bed  to  the  desert  to  the  east  of  the  Nile; 
and,  wandering  there  alone,  he  found  a  cavern,  near 
n>  which  was  a  date-tree  and  a  fountain  of  clear  water, 
and  he  chose  this  for  his  dwelling-place,  eating  <>f  the 

fruit  of   the  date-tree,  drinking    IViilll    tile    Mr,  am    which 

bathed  its  roots,  and,  when  the  raiment  which  be  wore 
had  fallen  to  rags,  clothing  his  wasted  frame  in  a  boiI 
of  mat  formed  of  the  palm-leaves  woven  together. 

Thus    he    lived    for    the   .-pace    of  ninet\  eight    yean, 

far  from  the  haunts  of  nun.  and  having,  in  all  that 
time,  only  casual  communication,  ami  at  long  inter- 
vals,  with  his  kind,     lint   ii   was  the   Divine  will  that 

his  long  penance,  and  his  wondrous  virtues,  SS  they 
were     then     deemed,     .-linllld      he      made     klinwn     fur     the 

edification  of  men,  through  the  medium  of  another 
saint,  even  mure  renowned,  the  hi'  «ed  8t.  Anthony. 
\  Paul  i-  regarded  as  the  founder  of  the  anchorite* 
i.r  solitary  hermits,  .-'>  Anthony  is  regarded  as  the 
f.. under  of  the  <  'eii<> hue-,  or  hermit-  living  in  com 
munitiea  :  in  other  words,  the  founder  of  Monachism. 
Under  his  immediate  disciple,  Pachomius,  the  first 
tkuster  was  erected  in  an  island  surrounded  by  the 


THE   HERMIT  SAINTS.  361 

Nile.  Hilarion,  a  native  of  Gaza,  in  Palestine,  who 
had  been  sent  by  his  parents  to  study  philosophy  at 
Alexandria,  was  also  converted  by  St.  Anthony,  and 
became  the  founder  of  the  first  monastery  in  Syria : 
Basil,  his  disciple,  founded  the  first  in  Asia  Minor. 
Jerome,  who  had  visited  Anthony  in  his  desert,  car- 
ried the  fashion  into  Italy  and  Gaul ;  and  thus,  Mona- 
chism,  which  originated  in  the  hermit-life  in  Egypt, 
spread,  in  a  short  time,  over  the  whole  of  Eastern 
and  Western  Christendom. 

The  hermits  were  at  first  bound  by  no  very  strict 
rules.  They  took  no  vows  ;  and  many  wandered  about 
in  companies,  mingling  with  the  people  ;  like  certain 
modern  fanatics,  they  held  in  scorn  all  human  learning, 
and  founded  their  notions  of  orthodoxy  on  some  ob- 
scure feeling  of  what  was,  or  was  not,  true  piety. 
Thus,  while  they  turned  away  the  exercise  of  human 
intellect  and  reason  from  all  objects  of  utility,  from  all 
elevating,  all  strengthening  purposes,  their  traditional 
theology  shut  out  all  improvement,  all  research  ;  and 
their  ignorant  enthusiasm,  if  it  sometimes  assisted,  often 
endangered,  the  progress  of  religion.  To  them  the 
laws  of  the  state  presented  no  barriers  ;  they  did  not 
acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  civil  magistrates  ; 
they  united  to  their  religious  fanaticism  a  cynical  in- 
difference to  the  social  duties  and  the  proprieties  of 
life.  Such  was  the  state  of  Monachism  in  its  com- 
mencement, from  the  middle  of  the  fourth  century 
down  to  the  great  monastic  reformation,  and  the  in- 
stitution of  the  first  regular  order  of  monks  by  Bene- 
dict, in  the  middle  of  the  fifth  century.  In  reading 
the  stories  which  are  related  of  these  solitaries,  it  is 
sometimes  with  feelings  of  disgust,  sometimes  with 
pity,  sometimes  not  without  a  sense  of  amusement,  at 
their  childish  absurdities.  But,  in  the  midst  of  all  this, 
we  are  not  seldom  charmed  by  instances  of  sincerity 
and  self-denial,  and  by  pictures  of  simplicity  and  tran- 
quillity of  life,  intermingled  with  beautiful  and  poetical 


362       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

parables,  which,  when  reproduced  in  the  old  works  o? 
art,  strongly  interest  the  imagination. 


Sr.    AXTHOCT     \si.    Si.    I'wi,    JIkkmits. 

Ital.  Sunt'  Antonio  Abbate,  or  V  Ereroita.  Fr  St.  Antniiu-  l'AI> 
bi.  Ger.  Der  Ilcilige  Anton,  or  Antonius.  Jan.  17,  a.  d. 
357. 

"Anthony  was  born  at  Alexandria  in  Egypt;  his 
parents  died  when  he  was  only  eighteen,  and  left  him 
with  a  aoble  Dame,  great  riches,  and  an  only  Bister, 
whom  he  loved  tenderly;  but  from  his  childhood  he 
had  been  of  a  melancholy,  contemplative  disposition  ; 
and  now  that  he  was  left  master  of  himself,  with  power 
ami  wealth,  he  was  troubled  by  the  fear  of  the  tempta- 
tions of  the  world,  and  by  the  harden  of  the  responsi- 
bilities which  his  possessions  imposed  upon  him. 

"One   day,  as    lie   entered   into  a  church    to  pray,  ho 

heard  these  words,  —  'Everyone  that  hath  forsaken 
houses,  or  brethren,  or  Bisters,  or  lather,  or  mother,  or 

wife,  or  children,  or   lands,  for   my   name's  sake,  shall 

receive  a  hundred-fold,  and   .-hall   inherit  everlasting 

life.'*  And  he  left  the  house  of  God  sad  and  di>- 
turbed  ;  and  while  he  was  yet  meditating  on  their  im- 
port, on  another  day  he  entered  into  another  church,  and 

at  the  moment  he  entered  the  priest  was  reading  these 

words,  •  It'  thou  wilt  be  perfect,   go  and  Bell  all  thou 

hast,  and   give  to   the  poor,  anil    thou   shall    have  tP 

ure  in  heaven.1  '  Anthony  received  this  repeated  ad- 
monition as  a  warning  voice  from  heaven  ;  and  be  went 
forthwith,  and  dividing  his  hereditary  possessions  with 
his  risu  i.  he  Bold  his  own  Bhare,  distributing  the  moncj 

l"  the  pool  ,  and  then,  with  DO  other  raiment  than  what 

be  wore  at  the  time,  and  with  bis  stall'  in  his  hand,  he 
departed  from  the  city,  and  joined  a  compenj  of  hei 

mils,  who  had  already  Bed  from  the  per-ei  in >  of  the 

•  M.ai   rix.39)  Acu  Iv.  32  I  Matt   tix.21M 


ST.  ANTHONY  AND  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  363 

heathen  and  the  corruptions  of  the  time,  and  who  lived 
in  community,  but  in  separate  cells. 

"  Here  he  dwelt  for  some  time  in  great  sanctity  and 
rigid  self-denial ;  and  observing  the  lives  of  the  hermits 
around  him,  he  thought  to  attain  perfection  by  imitat- 
ing from  each  the  virtue  for  which  he  was  most  distin- 
guished, —  the  chastity  of  one,  the  humility  of  another, 
the  silent  devotion  of  a  third.  He  would  pray  with 
him  who  prayed,  fasted  with  him  who  mortified  his 
body,  and  mingled  contrite  tears  with  him  who  wept. 
Thus  he  united  in  himself  all  their  various  merits,  and 
became  even  in  his  youth  an  object  of  admiration  and 
wonder  and  reverence  to  all. 

"  But  the  sight  of  such  amazing  virtue  and  sanctity 
was  naturally  displeasing  to  the  enemy  of  mankind, 
who  had  sagacity  enough  to  foresee  that  the  example 
of  this  admirable  saint  would  lessen  his  own  power  in 
the  world,  and  deprive  him  of  many  votaries  ;  therefore 
he  singled  him  out  as  an  object  of  especial  persecution, 
and  gave  him  over  to  his  demons  to  be  tormented  in 
every  possible  way.  They  began  by  whispering  to 
him,  in  the  silence  of  his  cell,  of  all  that  he  had  sacri- 
ficed for  this  weary  life  of  perpetual  rigor  and  self-de- 
nial ;  they  brought  to  mind  his  noble  birth,  his  riches, 
and  all  that  riches  could  obtain,  —  delicate  food,  rich 
clothing,  social  delights.  They  pictured  to  him  the  fa- 
tigue of  virtue,  the  fragility  of  his  own  frame,  the  brev- 
ity of  human  life  ;  and  they  sang  to  him  in  sweetest  ac- 
cents, '  While  thou  livest,  enjoy  the  good  things  which 
have  been  provided  for  thee.'  The  saint  endeavored 
to  drown  these  promptings  of  the  Devil  in  the  voice  of 
prayer  ;  —  he  prayed  till  the  drops  stood  on  his  brow, 
and  at  length  the  demon  ceased  to  whisper  to  him,  but 
only  to  have  recourse  to  stronger  weapons  ;  for,  seeing 
that  wicked  suggestions  availed  not,  Satan  raised  up  in 
his  sight  the  sensible  images  of  forbidden  things.  He 
clothed  his  demons  in  human  forms  ;  they  spread  be- 
fore Anthony  a  table  covered  with  delicious  viands ; 
they  hovered  round  him   in  the  shape  of  beautiful  wo- 


}64        SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

men,  who,  with  the  softest  blandishments,  allured  him 
tn  Bin.  The  uaint  Btrove  against  tins  temptation  with 
all  his  might,  ami  prayed,  and  conquered.  15m,  in  hi* 
anguish,  he  resolved  to  Bee  yet  farther  from  men  and 
from  the  world  ;  and,  leaving  the  company  of  the  her- 
mits, travelled  far,  far  away  into  the  burning  desert, 
and  t<>"k  up  his  abode  in  a  cave,  whither,  as  he  hoped, 
Satan  would  not  follow  to  molesl  him.  He  fasted  more 
rigorously  than  ever;  ate  bul  once  a  day,  or  once  in 
two  <>r  three  daj  a  ;  Blepl  on  1 1 1  *  -  bare  earth,  and  refused 
to  look  npon  any  living  creature.  Bui  not  for  this  <li<l 
the  cruel  demon  relax  in  his  persecution.  As  be  had 
already  tried  In  vain  the  allurements  <>!'  appetite  and 
pleasure,  so  now  be  thought  t<>  Bubdue  the  saint  by  the 
influence  <>f  pain.  Sj>irit>  in  hideous  forma  pressed 
round  him  in  crowds,  Bcourged  him,  tore  him  with  their 
talons,  chased  him  from  his  cell  :  and  one  of  the  her- 
mits he  bad  left  behind,  who  was  wont  to  carrj  him 
food,  found  him  Lying  on  the  Bands  senseless,  apparent- 
ly dead.  Thru  he  flung  down  the  food  he  had  brought, 
and  taking  the  miserable  Buflerer  in  bis  arms,  be  car 
ried  him  to  one  of  the  cells,  where,  alter  a  long  time, 
he  was  restored,  to  his  senses  and  recollection. 

"  But  mi  sooner  hail  Anthony  opened  bis  eyes,  ami 
beheld  around  him  bis  sympathizing  brethren,  than  !"• 
closed  them  again,  ami  desired  ti>  l»-  taken  back  t"  his 
cave  ;  which  was  done,  ami  they  laid  him  on  tin-  ground 
ami  left  him  * ;  ami  Anthony  cried  <mt  and  defied  the 
demon,  Baying:  'Ha!  thou  arch  tempter!  didst  thou 
think  I  had  fled  '  1".  here  I  am  again,  I.  Anthony  !  1 
challenge  all   thy  malice  I     I   -pit   on  theel     1   have 

ength  t"  combat  -till!'  When  he  had  said  these 
words,  the  cavern  shook,and  Satan,  rendered  furious  bj 
his  discomfiture,  called  up  hi-  fiends,  and  said,  ■  Let  n> 
now  affright  him  with  all  the  terrors  that  can  overwhelm 
the  -mil  ut  man.'     Then  hideous  sounds  were  heard  ; 

•  So<-,  in  the  Berlin  Gallery  ni  V  ptotun 

bj  Ji  ram    B  but  In  tbi  the ki  "■  rtjrled  d» 

in  • 


ST.  ANTHONY  AND  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  365 

lions,  tigers,  wolves,  dragons,  serpents,  scorpions,  all 
shapes  of  horror,  'worse  than  fancy  ever  feigned,  or 
fear  conceived,'  came  roaring,  howling,  hissing,  shriek- 
ing in  his  ears  ;  scaring  him,  stunning  him  ;  —  but,  in 
the  midst  of  these  abominable  and  appalling  shapes  and 
sounds,  suddenly  there  shone  from  heaven  a  great  light, 
which  fell  upon  Anthony,  and  all  these  terrors  vanished 
at  once,  and  he  arose  unhurt  and  strong  to  endure. 
And  he  said,  looking  up,  '  0  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  where 
wert  thou  in  those  moments  of  anguish  ? '  And  Christ 
replied,  in  a  mild  and  tender  voice,  «  Anthony,  I  was 
here  beside  thee,  and  rejoiced  to  see  thee  contend  and 
overcome.  Be  of  good  heart ;  for  I  will  make  thy 
name  famous  through  all  the  world.' 

"  So  he  was  comforted ;  but  he  resolved  to  go  yet 
farther  from  all  human  intercourse,  all  human  aid  ;  and 
he  took  his  staff  and  wandered  forth,  and  as  he  trav- 
ersed the  desert  he  saw  heaps  of  gold  and  vases  of  silver 
lying  in  his  path  ;  but  he  knew  full  well  they  were  the 
delusions  of  Satan ;  he  would  not  look  upon  them, 
but  turned  his  eyes  away,  and  lo  !  they  dissolved  into 
air. 

"  And  Anthony  was  thirty-five  years  of  age  when  he 
shut  himself  up  in  the  cavern,  in  which  he  dwelt  for 
twenty  years.  During  all  that  time  he  never  saw  nor 
was  seen  of  any  :  and  when  at  last  he  reappeared,  it 
was  plainly  perceived  that  miraculous  comfort  and  aid 
had  been  granted  to  him  ;  for  he  was  not  wasted  by  the 
fasts  he  had  endured,  nor  was  he  pale  of  cheer,  though 
he  had  scarcely  seen  the  sun  in  all  that  time  ;  nor  was 
he  changed,  except  that  his  hair  was  white,  and  his 
beard  of  venerable  length.  On  the  contrary,  he  was  of 
a  mild  and  serene  aspect,  and  he  spoke  kindly  words  to 
all ;  and  consoled  the  afflicted  ;  and  healed  those  who 
were  sick ;  and  expelled  demons  (who,  we  are  told  after 
their  signal  defeat,  held  him  in  such  awe,  and  terror, 
that  his  very  name  was  sufficient  to  make  them  flee); 
reconciled  those  who  were  at  feud  ;  and  preached  to  all 
men  the  love  of  God,  and  abstinence,  ami  purity  of 


3  66        N.-l  (III  h    .  1  \7>    /,  KG  END.  I  8  J'  ART. 

life  :  and  multitudes  were  so  convinced  by  his  examplo 
siml  his  eloquence,  thai  they  retired  to  the  desert,  and 
became  his  disciples,  living  in  caves  hollowed  < >ut  of  the 
Bandy  hills,  and  in  the  ancient  tombs  ;  and  at  ono 
time  there  were  more  than  five  thousand  hermits  assem- 
bled roiiiul  him,  and  he  performed  many  wonders  and 
many  miracles  in  the  desert 

••One  night,  as  Anthonj  sal  in  Ins  cell,  he  heard 
a  knocking  at  the  door,  and,  going  to  Bee  who  it  «:h 
there,  he  beheld  a  man  of  a  terrible  aspect,  and  of 
gigantic  stature;  and  he  .-aid,  •  Who  an  thou  ''  The 
Btranger  answered,  •  I  am  Satan,  and  I  nam-  to  a-k 
thee  how  it  is  that  thou  and  all  thy  disciples,  whenever 
ye  Btray  into  Bin,  or  any  evil  befall  yv,  lay  the  blame 
and  tlir  shame  on  me,  and  load  mi-  with  curses  ' '  And 
Anthony  said:  'Have  we  not  cause?  l>ost  thou  not 
go  about  Booking  whom  thou  mays!  devonr,  and  tempt 
us  ami  torment  us  '  And  art  thou  not  theoccasioD  of 
fall  to  many  ! '  And  the  demon  replied  :  '  It  i-  false  I 
I  d<>  Done  of  these  things  of  which  nun  accuse  mej  it 
i>  their  own  fault;  they  allure  each  other  n>  sin;  they 
torment  and  oppress  each  other:  they  are  tempted  of 
their  own  evil  propensities  ;  thej  p*  about  seeking  oc- 
casion to  -in  ;  and  then  they  weakly  lay  th<'  cause  at 
my  door:  for,  Bince  God  came  upoD  earth,  and  was 
made  man  to  redeem  man,  m\  power  is  at  an  end. 
Lol  I  have  do  arms,  I  have  no  dwelling-place,  and, 
wanting  everything,  can  perform  nothing.  Let  nun 
complain  of  themselves,  nol  of  me;  not  I.  but  they 
alone  are  guilty.'  To  which  the  saint,  marvelling  at 
no  much  miim'  and  truth  from  the  lips  of  the  I  >'\  ii.  re 
plied,  •  Although  thou  art  called  the  father  of  lies,  in 
this  thou  hast  spoken  the  truth  ;  and  even  fot  tlii>, 
blessed  be  the  name  of  Christ  1'  And  when  Satan 
heard   the  holj   name  of  the    Redeemer,  he  vanished 

into  air  with  a  1 1  crj  ;  and  Anthony,  looking  out, 

taw  nothing  but   th<-  desert  and  the  darkness  of  the 
night. 
"On  another  occasion,  as  the  hermits  around  him 


I~ 


ST.  ANTHONY  AND  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  367 

were  communing  together,  there  arose  a  question  as  to 
which  of  all  the  virtues  was  most  necessary  to  perfec- 
tion. One  said,  chastity ;  another,  humility;  a  third, 
justice.  St.  Anthony  remained  silent  until  all  had 
given  their  opinion,  and  then  he  spoke.  '  Ye  have  all 
said  well,  but  none  of  you  have  said  aright :  the  virtue 
most  necessary  to  perfection  is  prudence  ;  for  the  most 
virtuous  actions  of  men,  unless  governed  and  directed 
by  prudence,  are  neither  pleasing  to  God,  nor  service- 
able to  others,  nor  profitable  to  ourselves.' 

"These  are  some  of  the  parables  and  wise  sayings 
with  which  the  blessed  St.  Anthony  instructed  his  dis- 
ciples. 

"  And  when  he  had  reached  the  great  age  of  ninety 
years,  and  had  lived  in  the  desert  seventy-five  years, 
his  heart  was  lifted  up  by  the  thought  that  no  one  had 
lived  so  long  in  solitude  and  self-denial  as  he  had  done. 
But  there  came  to  him  a  vision  in  the  deep  midnight, 
and  a  voice  said  to  him,  '  There  is  one  holier  than  thou 
art,  for  Paul  the  hermit  has  served  God  in  solitude  and 
penance  for  ninety  years.'  And  when  Anthony  awoke 
he  resolved  to  go  and  seek  Paul,  and  took  his  staff  and 
set  forth.  As  he  journeyed  across  the  desert,  he  met  a 
creature  half  man  and  half  horse,  which  by  the  poets  is 
called  a  centaur,  and  he  asked  him  the  way  to  the  cave 
of  Paul,  which  the  centaur,  who  could  not  speak  intel- 
ligible words,  indicated  by  pointing  with  his  hand ;  and 
farther  on,  coming  to  a  deep  narrow  valley,  he  met  a 
satyr ;  and  the  satyr  bowed  down  before  him,  and  said  : 
'  I  am  one  of  those  creatures  who  haunt  the  woods  and 
fields,  and  who  are  worshipped  by  the  blind  Gentiles  as 
gods.  But  we  are  mortals,  as  thou  knowest,  and  I 
come  to  beseech  thee  that  thou  wouldst  pray  for  me 
and  my  people  to  thy  God,  who  is  my  God,  and  the 
God  of  all.'  And  when  Anthony  heard  these  words, 
the  tears  ran  down  his  venerable  face  and  trickled  down 
his  long  white  beard,  and  he  stretched  out  his  arms 
towards  Thebes  ;  and  he  said,  '  Such  be  your  Gods3  O 
ye  pagans  !     Woe  unto  you  when  such  as  these  confess 


36S        SACRED   ASD   LEGENDARY  ART. 

the  name  of  Christ,  whom  yc,  blind  and  perverse  gen- 
eration, deny  !  '* 

8  i  Anthony  continued  his  journey  all  that  day  and 
the  next;  and  on  the  third  day,  early  in  the  m< timiil: . 
he  came  to  a  cavern  overhung  with  wild  and  sn 
rocks,  with  a  palm-tree,  and  a  fountain  flowing  near, 
and  there  he  found  the  hermit  Paul,  who  had  dwelt  in 
this  solitude  for  ninety  years. 

"  It  was  not  without  difficulty,  and  yielding  t<>  his 
prayers  and  tears,  that   Paul  at  length  admitted  him. 

Then  these  two  vcnerahle  men,  after  gazing  tor  a  while 

upon  each  other,  embraced  with  tears  of  joy,  and  sat 
down  by  the  fountain,  which,  a>  1  have  said,  flowed  by 
the  mouth  of  the  cave;  and  Paul  asked  of  Anthonj 
concerning  the  world,  and  it' there  yet  existi-d  idolaters; 
and  many  other  things  ;  and  they  held  long  commun- 
ion together.     While  they  talked,  forgetting  the  tliedit 

of  tine-  and  the  wants  of  nature,  there  came  a  raven, 
which  alighted  On  the  tree,  ami  then,  alter  a  little 
space,  Hew  away,  and    returned  carrying   in    hi*  hcak  u 

small  loaf,  and  let  it  fall  between  them  ;  then  Paul, 
lifting  up  his  eyes,  blessed  the  goodness  of  God,  anil 
said,  •  For   sixty   years,  every    day.  hath    this  raven 

Drought  me  half  a  loaf;    hut  becausethoo  art  i  nine,  my 

brother,  lol  the  portion  is  doubled,  and  we  are  fed  as 

Elijah   was    fed   in    the   wilderness.'      Then    there    arose 

between  these  two  holy  men  a  contention,  out  of  their 
great  modesty  ami  humility,  which  of  the  two  Bhould 
break  the  bread;   at  last  they  both  took  hold  of  the 

loaf  and  broke  it  between  them.  Then  they  ate,  and 
drank  Ol  the  water  of  the  fountain,  and  returned  thanks. 

I  u  Paul  -aid  to  Anthony,  •  M\  brother!  God  hath 
Bent  thee  here  that  thou  mightesl  receive  nay  last  breath 

DM,  in  telling  t ) i i ->  -t"ry,  adds,  licit  llnniu-li  llii-  app  i- 

rttion  "f  the  aatyr  may  appear  to  tome  to  be  Incredible,  yet  all  the 

world  knows  thai  one  ol  these  monstenwu  brought  t..  the  Km- 

i  Ooaatantine,  it  Alexandria,  and  thai  altanrardi  the  i"«iy 

wim   preserred    \-r   the  etliOcaliuu  uf  llio»e  who  wen;  curious  In 

.r». 


ST.  ANTHONY  AND  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  369 

and  bury  me.     Go,  return  to  thy  dwelling  ;  bring  here 
the  cloak  which  was  given  to  thee  by  that  holy  bishop, 
Athunasius,  wrap  me  in  it,  and  lay  me  in  the  earth.' 
Greatly  did  Anthony  wonder  to  hear  these  words,  for 
the  gift  of  the  cloak.,  which  Athanasius  had  bestowed 
on  him  some  years  before,  was  unknown  to  all ;  but  he 
could  only  weep,  and  he  kissed  the  aged  Paul,  and  left 
him    and"  returned   to   his    monastery.      And  thinking 
only  of  Paul,  for  no  other    thought  could  enter  his 
mind,  he  took  down  the  cloak,  and  went  forth  again, 
and  hastened  on  his  way,  fearing  lest  Paul  should  have 
breathed  his  last  breath  ere  he  could  arrive  at  the  cave. 
When  he  was  at  the  distance  of  about  three  hours' 
journey  from  the  cavern,  he  heard  of  a  sudden  the 
most  ravishing  music,  and,  looking  up,  he  beheld  the 
spirit  of  Paul,  bright  as  a  star,  and  white  as  the  driven 
snow,  carried  up  to  heaven  by  the  prophets  and  apos- 
tles and  a  company  of  angels,  who  were  singing  hymns 
of  triumph  as  they  bore  him  through  the  air,  until  all 
had  disappeared.     Then  Anthony  fell  upon  his   face 
and  scattered  dust  on  his  head,  and  wept  bitterly,  say- 
ing,   'Alas!  Paul,   alas!  my   brother,  why  hast  thou 
left'mc  !     Why  have  I  known  thee  so  late  to  lose  thee 
so  early  1 '     And  when  he  had  thus  lamented,  he  rose 
in  haste,  and,  with   all  the  speed  of  which   his  aged 
limbs  were  capable,  he  ran  to  the  cave  of  Paul,  and 
when  he  reached  it  he  found  Paul  dead  in  the  attitude 
of  prayer.     Then  he  took  him  in  his  arms  and  pressed 
him,  and  wept   abundant  tears,  and   recited  over   the 
cold  remains  the  last  offices  of  the  dead  ;  and  when  he 
had  done  this,  he  thought  how  he  might  bury  him,  for 
he   had  no  strength  to  dig  a  grave,  and  it  was  three 
days'  journey  from  the  convent ;  and  he  thought,  '  What 
shall  I  do  ?     Would  it  might  please  God  that  I  might 
lie  down  and  die  at  thy  side,  0  my  brother  ! '     And  as 
he   said  these  words,  behold,  two  lions  came  walking 
towards  him  over  the  sandy  desert ;  and  when  they  saw 
the  body  of  Paul,  and  Anthony  weeping  beside  it,  they, 
by  their  roaring,  expressed  their  sympathy  after  their 

VOL.    II.  24 


37° 


SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


manner,  and  they  began  to  dig  in  the  sand  with  their 
pawB,  and  in  a  -Imrt  time  they  had  dug  a  grave.  When 
Anthony  saw  this  be  was  amazed,  and  blessed  them, 
Baying,  'O  Lord,  without  whose  divine  providence  no 
leaf  can  -tir  upon  the  tree,  no  little  bird  tall  t<>  the 
ground,  bless  these  creatures  according  t<>  their  nature, 
who  have  thus  honored  the  dead  I '  —  and  the  lions 
departed. 

"  Then  Anthony  took  the  dead  body,  and,  having 
wrapped  it  in  the  cloak  of  Athanasius,  laid  it  reverent- 
ly in  the  grave. 

•■  When  these  things  were  accomplished,  he  returned 
to  his  convent  and  related  all  t"  his  disciples,  and  not 
<mly  they  believed,  but  the  whole  Catholic  Church  ;  so 
that,  without  any  further  testimony,  Paul  has  been  can- 
onized, and  has  unce  been  universally  honored  as  a 

.saint. 

"After  this,  Anthonv  lived  fourteen  yean;  and 
when  he  was  in  his  hundred-and-fifth  year,  he  Bhowed 
to  his  disciples  that  he  must  shortly  die.  And  the] 
ware  tilled  with  the  profoundeet  grief,  and  fell  at  his 
feet,  and  kissed  them  and  bathed  them  with  tears,  say- 
ing, '  Alas  !    what  shall  we  do  On  earth  without  thee,  O  • 

Anthony!  our  father,  instructor,  and  friend  !  '  But  be 
comforted  them;  and  withdrawing  to  a  solitary  place 

with  a  few  of  his  monks,  hi'  exacted  from  them  a  sol- 
emn promise,  that  thej  would  reveal  to  no  man  the 
-pot  iii  which  he  was  buried.     Then,  as  they  prayed 

around  him.  he  gently  drew  his  la-t  hreath,  heiii<_'  lull 
Of  days   and   good  works;    and    the   angels    received   his 

Hpirit,  and  carried  it  up  to  heaven,  to  taste  of  bliss 

eternal.      Amen  !  " 

The  devotional  figures  of  Paul  the  Bermil  repr 

him  as  a  man  in  extreme  old  age  ;    meagre,  half  naked, 
Iii-  only  clothing  a  mat  of   palm  lea\  is,  having  his  li 
and  arms  hare,  his    beard    and    hair  white   and  of  great 

length.  He  i  i  oerally  seated  on  ■  rock,  in  deep  med- 
itation.    There  ought  to  be  a  palm  tree  near  him,  and 


ST.  ANTHONY  AND  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  37: 

a  fountain  at  his  feet;  hut  these  are  not  always  attend- 
ed to.  He  is  not  often  introduced  in  the  Madonna 
pictures,  or  grouped  with  other  saints ;  but  is  often  a 
solitary  figure  in  a  landscape.  Sometimes  a  raven  is 
introduced,  bringing  him  food  ;  and  then  it  is  necessary 
to  observe  the  peculiar  dress  of  interwoven  leaves,  and 
the  meagre,  superannuated  look,  to  distinguish  the  pic- 
tures of  Paul  (Prima  Eremita)  from  those  of  Elijah  in 
the  wilderness  ;  — the  haggard,  wasted,  self-abased  pen- 
itent from  the  majestic,  prophet. 

The  most  important,  and  I  must  add  the  most  dis- 
agreeable, representation  I  have  seen  of  St.  Paul  the 
Hermit,  is  a  figure,  by  Spagnoletto,  life-size,  seated, 
undraped  except  by  a  girdle  of  palm-leaves,  with  a 
skull  at  his  side  :  in  the  background  St.  Anthony  is 
seen  crossing  the  desert ;  and  in  the  air  is  seen  the 
raven  who  brought  them  bread.* 

Devotional  figures  of  St.  Anthony  occur  more  fre- 
quently, and  are  easily  recognized.  He  has  several 
distinctive  attributes,  each  significant  of  some  trait  in 
his  life  or  character,  or  of  the  sanctity  and  spiritual 
privileges  popularly  ascribed  to  him. 

1.  He  wears  the  monk's  habit  and  cowl,  as  founder 
of  monachism ;  it  is  usually  black  or  brown.  In  the 
Greek  pictures,  and  in  the  schools  of  art  particularly 
influenced  by  Greek  traditions,  the  figures  of  Anthony, 
besides  the  monkish  garb,  bear  the  letter  T  on  the  left 
shoulder,  or  on  the  cope ;  it  is  always  blue.  In  Reve- 
lation xiv.  1,  the  elect,  who  are  redeemed  from  the 
earth,  bear  the  name  of  God  the  Father  written  on 
their  foreheads  :  the  first  letter  of  the  Greek  word  Thcos, 
God,  is  T,  and  Anthony  and  his  monks  are  represented 
bearing  the  T.  —  "  For  these  are  they  which  follow  the 
Lamb  whithersoever  he  goeth.  These  were  redeemed 
from  among  men,  and  in  their  mouth  was  found  no 
guile,  for  they  are  without  fault  before  the  throne  of 
God."    In  a  specimen  of  painted  glass  (from  St.  Denis) 

•  TuriD  Gal. 


37a 


s.\fi:i:i>  AM<  u:<; i:\dary  ART. 


■a  man  in  a  turban  or  crown  marks  another  with  thr  T 
on  tin'  forehead  ;  three  others  Btand  bareheaded]  and 

over  thr  whole,  ill  Gothic  letters,  is  inscribed,  "  SignUU) 
Tan." 

2.  The  crnteli  given  to  St.  Anthony  marks  lii.s  age 
ami  Feebleness. 

.'?.  The  Ik-11,  which  he  carriee  in  his  band,  or  sus- 
pended to  liis  cratch,  or  t"  a  cross  near  him,  has  refer- 
ence to  bis  power  to  exorcise  evil  spirits.  According 
to  Durandus,  the  Devil  cannot  endure  the  sound  of  a 
consecrated  bell.  "It  is  said  thai  the  wicked  spirits 
that  be  in  the  tegi t  the  an-  tear  much  when  they 

hear    the    lull-    rin-eii  :    and    this    i>   the   cause  why  the 

bells  he  tinges  when  it  thundereth;  to  tin  end  that  the 
foul  fiends  ami  wicked  Bpirits  Bhould  be  abashed,  ami 
tlee,  ami  cease  from  moving  of  the  tempest."     When 

the   passing   bell    tolled    in    the    house  of  death,   it  was 

conceived  to  answer  a  double  purpose  :  it  advertised  all 
good  Christians  to  praj  for  the  departing  soul,  and  it 

seared  away  the  demons  who  wire  hovering  around, 
either  with   the    hope    of  seizing    the    liberated    spirit   88 

their  pny,  or  at  least  to  molest  and  impede  it  in  its 
flight   to  heaven.     With  great  propriety,  therefore,  is 

the  hell  placed  near  St.  Anthony,  who  had  so  l_'1i  at 
Occasion    for    it    in    his    own    pei>on,    and    was    he.sidcs 

renowned  for  the  aid  he  gave  to  others  in  tin  same 
predicament 

i    For  the  same  reason,  ami  as  an  instrument  of 

•  torcism,  tin-  asperget — the  rod  for  sprinkling  holy 

water  —  i>  put  into  the  hand  of  St.   Anthony;    hnl  it  is 

not  peculiar  to  him,  for  we  find  ii  an  attribute  of  St. 
Benedict,  St.  Martha,  and  other  saints  famous  for  their 
contests  with  the  Devil. 

.V    I    have   nail   somewhere   that   the   !,,,_■    i      given    I" 

St.  Anthony  because   he  had   hern  a  swineherd,  and 
lined  the  .ii-..,  i  s  ,,t  swine.     This  is  quite  a  mistake. 
The  bog  was  the  representative  of  the  demon  of  sen 
soality  and  gluttony,  which  Anthonj    i-  supposed  to 
have  vanquished  b)  the  exercises  of  pietj  ami  by  Di 


ST.  ANTHONY  AND  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  373 

vine  aid.  The  ancient  custom  of  placing  in  all  his 
effigies  a  black  pig  at  his  feet,  or  under  his  feet,  gave 
rise  to  the  superstition  that  this  unclean  animal  was 
especially  dedicated  to  him,  and  under  his  protection. 
The  monks  of  the  Order  of  St.  Anthony  kept  herds 
of  consecrated  pigs,  which  were  allowed  to  feed  at  the 
public  charge,  and  which  it  was  a  profanation  to  steal 
or  kill :  hence  the  proverb  about  the  fatness  of  a  "  Tan- 
tony  pig." 

6.  Flames  of  fire  are  often  placed  near  St.  Anthony 
and  under  his  feet,  or  a  city  or  a  house  is  burning  in 
the  background,  signifying  his  spiritual  aid  as  patron 
saint  against  fire  in  all  shapes,  in  the  next  world  as 
well  as  in  this.* 

With  one  or  more  of  these  attributes,  St.  Anthony  is 
seen  alone,  or  in  the  Madonna  pictures  grouped  with 
other  saints.  I  shall  give  a  few  instances  only,  for  in 
such  representations  he  is  not  easily  mistaken. 

1.  In  an  ancient  Greek  panel-picture  of  the  twelfth 
century, t  St.  Anthony  is  seen  half-length,  in  the  habit 
of  a  Greek  monk,  and  wearing  a  sort  of  coif  on  his 
head  :  with  the  right  hand  he  gives  the  benediction  in 
the  Greek  form  ;  in  the  left  he  bears  a  scroll  with  a 
Greek  inscription,  signifying  that  he  knows  all  the  arts 
of  Satan,  and  has  weapons  to  oppose  them. 

2.  Col'  Antonio  del'  Fiore.  St.  Anthony,  seated  in 
a  monk's  habit,  with  a  bald  head  and  very  long  white 
beard,  holds  in  one  hand  a  book,  the  other  is  raised  irj 
}he  act  of  benediction  ;  two  angels,  kneeling  before  hinj 
hymn  his  praise  with  harp  and  dulcimer,  aud  two  cheru- 
bim are  seen  above.  % 

3.  St.  Anthony,  seated,  with  flames  under  his  feet 
A  beautiful  miniature,  iu  the  "  Heures  d'Anne  de  Bre- 
tagne."  § 

*  Thus,  in  the  beautiful  Madonna  by  Bonvicino  in  the  Museum 
at  Frankfort,  she  is  attended  on  one  side  by  St.  Anthony,  the  pro- 
tector against  fire,  and  on  the  other  by  St.  Sebastian,  the  protector 
against  pestilence. 

t  Eng.     D'Agincourt,  pi.  86.  J  Naples,  a.  d.  1371 

§  MS.  Paris,  Bib.  Imp. 


374       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ALT. 

4.  In  a  print  by  Albert  Dfirer,  St  Anthony  is  seated 
on  the  ground,  reading  intently,  his  face  hidden  in  liis 

cowl  ;  by  his  side  stands  n  CTOS8,  to  wlnrli  is  suspended 

a  boll  ;  in  the  background  the  citadel  of  Nuremberg, 
which  1  suppose  to  l>c  :i  caprice  of  the  artist.  This 
print  is  celebrated  for  the  beauty  of  the  execution,  as 
well  as  for  its  line  solemn  feeling. 

St.  Anthony  reading  or  meditating  in  his  cell,  with 
the  skull  and  crucifix  (the  general  symbols  of  peni- 
tence) beside  him,  is  a  common  subject;  and  where 
there  is  no  attribute  peculiarly  significant,  he  might 
be  confounded  with  St  Jerome:  this,  however,  is  sel- 
dom the  case,  and  in  general  there  i.>  a  distinct  charac- 
ter attended  to.  There  ought,  in  fact,  to  be  a  marked 
difference  between  the  Bimple-minded  portly  old  hermit 
Anthony  in  his  long  robes,  and  the  acute  theological 
doctor  doing  penance  for  his   learning,  —  emaciated, 

er,  and  hair  naked.  As  Anthony  despised  all  learn- 
ing, the    hook  which  is   often   put   into  his  hand    is   letl 

appropriate  to  him  than  the  other  attributes.     It  must, 

however,  he  home  in  mind,  that   a    hook    is  given  to  all 

the  early  lathers  who  led  writings  behind  them  i  and 

Bl     Anthony  is  the  author  of  seven   theological   epistles 

still  extant 

With  regard  to  the  historical  representations,  the 
Bubject  called  the  "  Temptation  of  St.  Anthony  "  is 
by  far  the  most  common. 

In  the  earlier  pictures   it    is  very  Simply  treated       St. 

Anthony  is  praying  in  ln>  cell,  and  the  Bend,  in  shape 
like  a  beautiful  woman,  stands  behind  him  ;  the  saint 
appears  fearful  to  turn  his  head.  In  the  later  schools, 
and  particularly  the  Datch  schools,  the  artists  have 
ta-ked  tin  n  fancy  to  the  ntmost,  n>  reproduce  all  the 
foul  and  terrible  shape-,  all  the  ghastly  and  obscene 
vagaries,  which  solitude  could  have  engendered  in  a 
diseased  and  excited   brain.     Such   is  the  celebrated 

I'ti^ravinu  of  Martin  Selioen,  in  which    St.  Anthony  is 


ST.  ANTHONY  A.VD  ST.  PAUL,  HERMITS.  375 

lifted  up  into  the  air  by  demons  of  the  most  horrible 
and  grotesque  forms  ;  such  are  the  pictures  of  Teniers, 
who  had  such  a  predilection  for  this  subject,  that  he 
painted  it  twelve  times  with  every  variety  of  uncreated 
abominations.  Such  are  the  poetical  demoniac  scenes 
of  Breughel ;  such  is  the  famous  print  by  Callot.*  In 
a  picture  by  Salvator  Rosa,  a  single  gigantic  demon 
bestrides  the  prostrate  saint  like  a  horrid  nightmare. 
In  a  picture  by  Ribera,  the  demon,  in  female  shape, 
has  seized  on  the  bell,  and  rings  it  in  his  ears  to  inter- 
rupt his  prayers.  The  description  in  the  legend  has 
been  closely  followed  in  the  picture  by  Annibal  Ca- 
racci  now  in  our  National  Gallery. 

I  recollect  a  picture  in  which  St.  Anthony  is  tempted 
by  three  beautiful  women,  who  have  much  the  air  of 
opera-dancers,  long  and  thin,  in  scanty  draperies  ;  one 
pulls  his  beard,  another  twitches  his  robe,  a  third  gazes 
up  in  his  face  ;  the  miserable  saint,  seated  on  the  ground, 
with  a  look  of  intense  suffering,  and  his  hands  clenched 
in  prayer,  seems  to  have  set  himself  to  endure  :  mock- 
ing demons  fill  the  air  behind. 

The  locality  of  the  temptation  of  St.  Anthony  ought 
to  be  the  interior  of  an  Egyptian  sepulchre  or  temple. 
The  legend  relates  that  he  took  refuge  in  a  ruin ;  and 
the  painters,  unfamiliar  with  those  grand  and  solemn 
and  gigantic  remains  which  would  have  given  a  strange 
sublimity  to  the  fearful  scene,  sometimes  make  the  ruin 
an  old  brick  house  or  Gothic  chapel. 

Other  subjects  from  the  life  of  St.  Anthony  occur 
less  frequently. 

By  L.  Caracci,  we  have  St.  Anthony  instructing  the 
hermits. t 

The  death  of  St.  Anthony,  surrounded  by  his  monks, 
is  a  frequent  subject.  Sometimes  angels  are  seen  carry- 
ing his  soul  into  heaven ;  in  a  picture  by  Rubens,  the 

*  Of  which  the  original  picture  is  at  Malahide  Castle,  near 
Dublin. 

t  Brera,  Milan. 


376       SACRHD  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

I>i£  is  scon  looking  out  from  under  the  bed  of  the  dj  tag 
saint, —  a  grotesque  accessary,  which  might  well  have 
been  omitted. 

The  legend  of  the  meeting  between  St.  Panl  and  St. 
Anthony  lias  been  very  popular  in  An,  ami  a  favorite 
subject  in  convents.  It  is  capable  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  picturesque  treatment.  I  shall  give  a  lew  cele- 
brated  examples. 

i.  Pintnriccbio.  Panl  ami  Anthony  divide  tin-  loaf 
which  is  brought  by  a  raven  ;  three  evil  BpiritB,  in  the 
form  of  beautiful  women,  stand  behind  St.  Anthony, 
ami  two  disei|iles  behind  St.  Panl.* 

2.  I. mas  v.  Leyden.  St.  Paul  ami  St.  Anthony 
(who  wears  his  large  cowl  drawn  over  his  head)  are 

seated  in  the  wilderness;  the  lawn,  alter  depositing  the 

loaf,  flutters  along  the  -round  iii  front  :  a  very  quaint 
ami  curious  little  picture,  full  of  character .1 

:t.    Velasquez.       Bt    Anthony  visits  Paul  the  hermit  : 

he  appears  before  the  door  of  the  cavern,  and  craves  ad- 
mittance.! 

There  are  in  the  Berlin  Gallery  four  small  pictures 
(1085 and  1086),  forming  the  predellaofan  altar-piece, 
ami  representing  the  Btorj  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Anthony. 

In  general,  however,  there  are  only  the  two  flgures 
in  a  solitary  landscape,  which  is  much  more  striking; 
in  the  picture  bj  Brusasorci,  the  satyr  and  the  centaur 
are  seen  flu  off  and  diminutive  In  the  background,  and 
also  in  a  tine  | tic  tu re  by  Guido :  §  the  two  lions,  or  the 
centaur,  are  sometimes  introduced  into  the  background. 

t  B  Passari.  The  death  of  Paul  the  hermit;  an- 
gi  Is  are  kneeling  by,  ami  two  lions  dig  his  -rave. 

8l    Anthony  coming  to  visit  Paul,  finds  him  dead, 

lying  on  a  mat,  with  a  skull,  a  hook,  and  a  KMarj   i  • 
him.      In  the   background    tin'   tWO  lion-  are  diggin      i 

grave  in  the  Band.     A  large  engraving,  signed  "  Bis 
caino."| 

•  \  it.r:in  t  Uebtsnatein  OmL,  Wanna, 

M  i  Irl  i  Bj  rlin  Oal 

V  B»rti«rh,  xxi.  200  I  hi  r.   j-  |  Koo<l  impression  In  the  British 
Museum 


ST.   ONUPHRIUS.  377 

I  have  said  enough  of  these  celebrated  saints  to  ren- 
der the  subjects  in  which  they  figure  intelligible  and 
interesting.  The  other  hermits  of  the  desert  who  ap- 
pear in  Art  are  much  less  popular ;  and  as  they  are 
generally  found  grouped  together,  I  shall  so  treat  them. 


St.  Onttphrius  (Onofrio,  Honofrio,  Onuphre),  a 
monk  of  Thebes,  retired  to  the  desert,  far  from  the 
sight  of  men,  and  dwelt  there  in  a  cave  for  sixty  years, 
and  daring  all  that  time  he  never  beheld  one  human 
being,  nor  uttered  one  word  of  his  mother  tongue  ex- 
cept in  prayer.  He  was  unclothed,  except  by  some 
leaves  twisted  round  his  body,  and  his  beard  and  hair 
had  become  like  the  face  of  a  wild  beast.  In  this  state 
he  was  discovered  by  a  holy  man  whose  name  was  Paph- 
nutius,  who,  seeing  him  crawling  along  the  ground,  knew 
not,  at  first,  what  live  thing  it  might  be,  and  was  afraid ; 
but  when  he  found  it  was  indeed  a  man,  he  was  filled 
with  amazement  and  admiration  at  so  much  sanctity,  and 
threw  himself  at  his  feet.  Then  the  hermit  showed  him 
what  trials  he  had  endured  in  his  solitude,  what  pains 
of  hunger  and  of  thirst,  what  parching  heat  and  pinch- 
ing cold,  what  direful  temptations,  and  how  God  had 
sent  his  angel  to  comfort  him  and  to  feed  him.  Then 
he  prayed  that  Paphnutius  would  remain  to  bury  him, 
as  his  end  was  now  approaching ;  and  having  blessed 
his  visitor,  he  died.  So  Paphnutius  took  off  his  own 
cloak,  and  having  torn  it  in  two  pieces,  he  wrapped  the 
body  of  the  holy  hermit  in  one  half  of  it,  and  laid  him 
in  a  hole  of  the  rock,  and  covered  him  with  stones  :  and 
it  was  revealed  that  he  should  not  remain  there,  but 
depart  and  make  known  to  all  the  world  the  merits  of 
this  glorious  saint  and  hermit. 

The  name  and  fame  of  this  6aint  came  to  us  from  the 
East :  and  he  is  interesting  because  many  convents  in 
which  the  rule  of  solitude  and  exclusion  was  rigorously 
enforced  were  placed  under  his  protection.     Every  one 


378       8ACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART 

who  has  Itch  at  Rome  will  remember  the  beautiful 
Franciscan  monastery  of  Sant'  Onofrio  in  the  Traste- 
vere,  where  Tasso  hn-athetl  his  last,  and  in  which  he 
lies  buried. 

St.  Onofrio  is  represented  as  a  meagre  old  man,  with 
lonjj  hair  and  beard,  gray  and  matted  ;  a  leafy  branch 
twisted  round  his  loins,  B  stick  in  his  hand.  The  ar- 
ti.-t  generally  endeavors  to  make  him  look  as  haggard 
and  iliilimnaii  Bfl  possible,  and   1  have  mtii  him  in  some 

early  prints  and  pictures  very  much  like  an  old  ouran- 
ontang,  —  I  must  write  the  wind,  for  nothing  else  could 
express  the  unseemliness  of  the  effigy.  1  have  Been  him 
standing,  covered  with  his  long  hair,  a  crown,  a  Bceptre, 
and  gold  and  silver  money  lying  on  the  ground  at  his 
feet,  to  express  his  contempt  for  earthly  glory  and 
riches;  as  in  a  Spani.-di  picture  once  in  the  Louvre. 


St.  Job  (San  Giobbe),  a  saint  who  figures  only  in  the 
Venetian  pictures  with  the  attributes  of  St.  Onofrio, 
and  who  has  a  church  at  Venice,  was,  I  believe,  the 
patriarch  of  the  <>ld  Testament.* 

St.  Moses  (San  Gdoise),  who  is  also  confined  to 
Venetian  Art,  was  a  converted  robber,  who  turned 
hermit. 


Si     I'.i  iii.i  m  of  l'.il'--a  wa>  a  hermit  of  Syria,  who, 

on  account  <>i  some  homilies  and  epistles  of  great  au- 
thority, takes  rank  as  one  of  tin-  Fathers  of  the  Greek 
church.  He  is  memorable  In  An  a>  the  subject  of  a 
moat  ancienl  and  curious  Greek  picture.  It  represents 
the  •■  <  Obsequies  of  St.  Bphrem  " ;  in  front  be  lies  dead, 

*  Tin-  Intsreoni  ■  wiih  the  I  the  propb- 

•  |  Job  is  ■  Mint  ii ii >>  tin'  North  of  Italy.    E      i  irorlta 

patron  of  hospital*,  and  particularly  of  lepers.    It  ii  In  iiii-  eharaft 
ter  we  And  him  In  the  Venetian  pictnr       t  unpla,  tn  a  baantt 

(ul  group  by  Bellini,  now  In  the  it  adi  mj  it  \-  nice. 


ST.  EPIIREM.  379 

wept  by  many  hermits  ;  and  in  the  background  are  seen, 
the  caves  of  the  anchorites,  some  reading,  sonic  doing 
penance,  others  in  conversation.  In  the  centre  of  the 
picture  is  seen  the  famous  anchorite,  Simeon  Styhtes, 
who  passed  thirty  years  on  the  top  of  a  pillar,  exposed 
to  all  the  vicissitudes  of  the  seasons :  he  brought  this 
kind  of  penance  into  fashion,  for  we  find  it  frequently 
imitated.  The  picture  of  the  Obsequies  of  St.  Ephrem 
is  engraved  in  D'Agincourt's  work,  and  in  Pistolesi's 
Vaticano,  and  should  be  considered  (by  those  who  have 
these  works  at  hand)  with  reference  to  the  illustration 
of  the  hermit-life  as  I  have  endeavored  to  describe  it. 

But  the  most  interesting  of  all  these  representations 
is  the  great  fresco  in  the  Campo  Santo  at  Pisa  ;  and 
a  repetition,  with  some  variations,  in  a  small  picture 
in  the  Florentine  Gallery  ;  both  by  Pietro  Laurati, 
containing,  in  a  variety  of  groups,  the  occupations  of 
the  hermits,  with  distinct  scenes  and  incidents  from 
the  lives  of  the  most  celebrated  among  them.  We 
have,  —  1.  The  visit  of  Anthony  to  the  hermit  Paul. 

2.  The  death  of  Paul,  and  the  lions  digging  his  grave. 

3,  4.  The  temptation  of  Anthony,  first  haunted,  tor- 
mented, and  flagellated  by  demons  ;  5.  then  comforted 
by  a  vision  of  our  Saviour,  as  in  the  legend.  6.  In 
one  place  he  is  beating  the  demon  out  of  his  cave 
with  his  crutch  ;  in  another,  carving  wooden  spoons. 
7.  Farther  to  the  right  is  St.  Hilarion,  riding  on  his 
ass  ;  8.  and  by  the  sign  of  the  cross  vanquishing  a 
great  dragon  which  ravaged  Dalmatia,  and  command- 
ing the  beast  to  leap  into  the  fire  and  be  consumed 
and  destroyed  forever  :  his  companion  is  seen  fleeing 
in  terror.  9.  On  the  left,  St.  Mary  of  Egypt  receives 
the  sacrament  from  Zosimus.  10.  Demons,  in  the 
disguise  of  monks  or  of  women,  are  seen  tempting 
the  hermits  ;  11.  to  the  right  is  the  story  of  St.  Paph- 
nutius  and  St.  Onofrio  ;  12.  and  when  Paphnutius, 
forgetful  of  the  last  commands  of  Onofrio,  defers  his 
return  to  the  monastery,  the  cell  in  which  he  had  taken 
refuge,  and  the  date-tree,  are  overthrown  by  an  earth- 


380       8ACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

ouake.  13.  Iii  the  lower  part  of  the  picture,  to  the 
left,  \\>'  have  the  storj  of  Paphnutius,  who,  being 
tempted  by  a  beautiful  woman,  thrusts  his  hands  into 
the  fire  ;  the  temptress,  on  i!ii>,  falls  down  dead  ;  bat, 
at  the  prayer  of  the  Baint,  i>  recalled  to  life  and  re* 
pentance,  and  is  Been  kneeling  a>  a  hermitess  in  the 
dress  of  a  nun.  14.  The  other  groups  express  the 
usual  occupations  of  the  hermits:  15.  the  hermil  Ar 
Benius,  who,  before  he  turned  hermit,  had  been  the 
tutor  uf  the  emperors  Arcadius  and  Honoriua,  i-  weav- 
ing baskets  of  palm-leaves;  16.  another  is  cutting 
woodi  n  spoons  :  another  fishing. 

In  the  centre  of  the  picture,  is  a  hermil  looking 
down  upon  a  skull,  which  he  is  touching  «  iili  his  staff : 
this  figure  represents  St.  Macariua  of  Alexandria,  om- 
of  the  1 1 1 < » - 1  famous  of  these  anchorites,  and  of  whom 
many  Btories  were  currenl  in  the  middle  ages.     The 

figure  with  the  >kull  alludes  t<>  one  of  the i  popu- 

iar  and  significant  of  these  religions  apologues  :  — 

•■i>nc  day,   as    Macarius   wandered   among  those 

ancient  Egyptian  t lis  wherein  he  had  made  himself 

:i  dwelling-place,  he  found  the  >k u II  of  a  mnmmj  .  and, 
turning  it  over  with  his  cratch,  he  inquired  to  whom 
it  belonged  ;  and  it  replied,  •  T<>  a  pagan.1  Ami  M;i- 
carius,  l"i>kin".  into  the  emptj  eyes,  said,  •  Where  then 
i-  thy  -"ill  '  '  And  the  head  replied,  •  In  hell.'  Ma- 
cariua asked,  'How  deep?1  Ami  the  head  replied, 
•  Tin-  depth  i-  greater  than  tin-  distance  from  heaven 
t« •  earth.'  Then  Biacarius  asked,  '  An'  there  any 
deeper  than  thou  art  '  '  The  skull  replied,  •  Yea,  the 
Jews  are  deeper  -till.'  Ami  Macarius  asked,  'Are 
there  any  deeper  than  the  .leu-''  To  which  the 
head  replied,  •  Fes, in  Booth  I  for  the  Christians  whom 
Jeans  Christ  hath  redeemed,  and  who  show  in  their 
actions  that  thej  despise  his  doctrine,  are  deeperstill." 

it.  The  monk,  or  rather  tin1  woman  in  the  'li- 
nt' a  monk,  seated  in  the  lower  part  of  the  picture, 
with  a  child  in  her  arm-,  represents  the  storj  "t  St. 

Marina  :  — 


ST.   EPHREM.  381 

"  A  certain  man,  who  had  turned  hermit,  left  behind 
him,  in  the  city,  bis  little  daughter  Marina  ;  and,  after 
a  while,  lie  greatly  longed  to  see  his  child  :  but  fearing 
that  if  it  were  known  that  he  had  a  daughter  she 
would  not  be  permitted  to  come  to  him.  he  disguised 
her  in  boy's  attire,  and  she  came  and  dwelt  with  her 
father,  under  the  name  of  Brother  Marinas  ;  and  she 
grew  up,  and  became  an  example  of  piety,  wisdom, 
and  humility,  to  all  the  monks  of  the  convent  :  and 
her  father  commanded  her  strictly,  that  she  should  dis- 
cover herself  to  no  human  being. 

"  And  Marinus,  for  so  she  was  called,  was  often 
sent  by  the  abbot,  with  a  wagon  and  oxen,  to  a  man 
who  lived  upon  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  in  order  to 
bring  back  things  necessary  for  the  convent.  And  it 
happened  that  t'ae  daughter  of  this  man  fell  into  sin, 
and,  when  her  father  threatened  her,  she,  being  insti- 
gated by  Satan,  accused  Marina  of  being  the  father 
of  her  child  ;  and  as  Marina,  in  her  great  humility, 
answered  not  a  word,  the  abbot,  in  his  indignation  and 
wrath,  ordered  Iter  to  be  scourged,  and  thrust  out  of 
the  gate  ;  and  the  wicked  mother  came  and  put  the 
child  into  her  arms,  saying,  '  There,  as  you  are  its 
father,  take  care  of  it.'  But  Marina  endured  all  in 
silence  ;  she  took  the  child,  she  brought  it  up  tenderly 
outside  the  gate  of  the  convent,  begging  for  it,  and 
living  on  the  alms  which  were  thrown  to  her  with 
(rrudirino-  and  contumely,  as  to  a  shameless  sinner  : 
and  thus  she  lived  in  bitter  but  undeserved  penance 
for  many  years  ;  nor  was  the  secret  discovered  till 
after  her  death  ;  and  then  great  was  the  mourning  and 
lamentation,  because  of  the  unmerited  sufferings  of 
this  pure  and  lowly-minded  virgin,  who,  through  obe- 
dience ami  humility,  had  endured  to  the  end  !  "* 

St.  Marina  is  usually  represented  with  the  face  of  a 
young  and  beautiful  woman,  but  the  dress  of  a  monk, 
and  often  with  a  child  in  her  arms  or  at  her  feet.      The 

*  The  same  legend  is  related  of  St.  Theodora.  (Bartsch,  xx.  p- 
158.) 


3:2        SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

|i'l'<  nd  i<  popular  at  Venice,  when'  there  was  formerly 
a  church  dedicated  to  her. 


1  have  said  enough  of  these  Hermits  of  Egypt  and 
Syria  to  hud  an  interest  to  the  pictures  in  which  thej 
are  represented.  And  there  is  one  circumstance  gravely 
Buggestive  to  those  who  look  beyond  the  technicalities 
and  historical  associations  to  the  moral  significance  of 
Art.  There  art-  few  of  these  pictures  of  the  early 
hermits  in  which  we  do  oot  find  some  obscene  fiendish 
horror,  <>r  Satan  himself  in  person,  figuring  as  an  in- 
dispensable, or  at  least  important,  accessary.  There 
ia  mi  mill  tu  Bet  down  all  this  tu  pure  invention  or 
imposture.  That  ignorance  of  the  natural  laws  which 
govern  our  being  and  a  miserable  credulity  Bhould  im- 
pute  tu  internal  agency  what  was  the  inevitable  result 
id'  diseased,  repressed,  and  misdirected  feeling,  i-  a 
common  case  in  the  annals  of  religious  fanaticism.* 
The  sanctity,  so  called,  which  in  the  absence  of  social 
temptations  of  every  kind  peopled  the  desert  with  more 
•■devils  than  vast  hell  could  hold,"  has  it-  parallel 
even  in  our  own  days.  For  myself,  I  have  sometimes 
looked  at  the  most  grotesque  of  these  representations 
of  Anthony  and  bis  compeers  with  more  disposition 
tu  Borrow  than  to  laughter,  fur  no  doubt  the  worst 
abominations  to  which  the  pencil  could  give  form  did 
nut  equal  the  reality,  —  if  I  maj  si.  use  the  word.  It 
ina\  In'  interesting  t"  add.  that  the  cells  of  St.  An- 
thony ami  Si.  Paul  still  remain,  with  the  monasteries 
appended,  which  are  inhabited  by  Coptic  in««nk~.  :  they 
are  about  one  hundred  and  Bixty -seven  miles  east  of 
Cairo,  in  the  valley  called  Wad.ee  el  Arraba,  and  th<- 

•  Til-  ■•(■  UMfniir  i.r  Barley  irlth  the  demon,  irhich 

\\       j  -    ••  ■ i  iiii  .•  1 1 1-  .1 . .  .t,i%  recorded)  tad  Lather's  battle 

wiUi  the  visible  arch-fiend  in  the  oastleof  Wartburg;  dlOerbot 
little fron  1 1 ■  --  itoiii  -  related  at  the  |i""r  haunted  Bermltaof  ill" 
ptlan  d<  -■  ri  In  the  foartfa  ■  •  ntary. 


ST.  RANIERl.  383 

cell  of  St.  Paul  is  about  fourteen  miles  to  the  southeast 
of  the  cell  of  St.  Anthony. 

Leaving,  however,  these  hermits  of  the  East,  let  us 
turn  to  some  of  the  anchorites  of  the  West,  who  did 
not  belong  to  the  regular  monastic  orders,  and  who,  as 
subjects  of  Art,  arc  also  very  suggestive  and  interest- 
ing ;  the  most  important  are  St.  Ranieri  of  Pisa,  St. 
Julian  Hospitator,  St.  Leonard  of  Aquitaine,  St.  Giles, 
and  St.  Genevieve  of  Paris. 


St.  Ranieri. 
Ital.  San  Ranieri.     Fr.  St.  Regnier.    July  17,  a.  d.  1161. 

San  Ranieri  is  the  patron  saint  and  protector  of 
Pisa,  and,  except  in  the  edifices  of  Pisa,  and  in  pic- 
tures of  the  Pisan  school,  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
met  with  any  representation  of  him.  His  legend, 
though  confined  to  the  city  and  its  precincts,  has  be- 
come interesting  from  the  importance  attached  to  the 
old  frescos  in  the  Campo  Santo  at  Pisa,  in  which  the 
whole  history  of  his  life  was  painted  by  Simone  Memmi 
and  xVntonio  Veneziano.  These  are  of  the  highest  im- 
portance in  the  history  of  early  Art. 

Ranieri  was  born  in  the  city  of  Pisa,  of  the  noble 
family  of  the  Scaccieri,  about  the  year  1100  ;  and  being 
a  young  man  in  the  bondage  of  vanity,  and  addicted 
to  the  pleasures  of  this  world,  he  was  on  a  certain  day 
singing  and  playing  on  the  lyre  in  company  with 
several  beautiful  damsels.  While  he  sang  and  played 
a  holy  man  passed  that  way,  who  turned  and  looked 
upon  him  with  pity.  And  Ranieri,  struck  with  sud- 
den compunction  and  shame,  threw  down  his  lyre  and 
followed  the  man  of  God,  bewailing  his  sins  and  his 
dissolute  life,  till  he  was  blind  with  weeping.  He 
embarked  for  the  Holy  Land,  and  at  Jerusalem  he  took 
off  his  own  vestments,  and  received  from  the  hands  of 


284       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

tin-  priests  the  tchiairina  or  slave-shirt,  a  Bcantj  tonic 
iif  coarse  wool  with  short  Bleeves,  which  he  wore  evei 
after,  in  token  of  humility;  and  for  twenty  years  he 
dwelt  :i  hermit  in  the  deserts  of  Palestine,  performing 
many  penances  and  pilgrimages,  and  being  favored 
w  ith  many  miracnlons  \  i - i ■  > 1 1 ^ . 

<  in  one  occasion,  when  the  abstinence  to  which  In- 
had  vowed  himself  was  sorely  felt,  he  beheld  in  his 
Bleep  a  rich  rase  of  Bilver  and  t^  < » !  •  1  wrought  with  pre 
cions  Btones  ;  bnt  it  was  fall  of  pitch,  and  oil,  and  sul- 
phur. These  being  kindled  with  fire,  the  vase  was 
burning  to  destruction,  —  none  could  quench  the  flames. 
And  there  was  pul  into  his  hands  a  little  ewer  (nil  of 
water,  two  or  time  drops  ot  which  extinguished  the 

flame,-.     \ini  lie  undersl I  that  tin'  rase  signified  his 

human  frame,  thai  tin'  pitch  ami  Bulphur  burning  within 
it  were  the  appetites  ami  passions,  thai  the  water  was 
the  water  of  temperance.  Thenceforward  Ranieri  tired 
wholly  on  coarse  bread  and  water.  He  had,  moreover, 
a  particular  reverence  for  water,  and  most  of  his  mira- 
cles were  perfosmed  by  means  of  water,  whence  he  was 
called  in  his  own  city  Ban  Ranieri  dell'  Acqua.  In  a 
Roman  Catholic  country,  St.  Ranieri  would  now  be 
the  patron  of  temperance  societies.  This,  however,  did 
not  prevent  him  from  punishing  a  fraudulent  host  of 

M  ISJna,  who  mixed  water  with  the  wine  he  .sold  his 
Customers,  ami    to    whom    the    saint    revealed    the   anli 

enemy  seated  on  one  of  his  casks,  iii  the  shape  of  a 
huge  cat  with  hat-like  wings,  to  the  great  horror  of  the 
said  host,  and  to  the  wonder  and  edification  of  all  be- 
lievers. Returning  to  his  own  city  of  Pisa,  after  many 
years,  he  edified  the  people  by  the  extreme  Banctit] 

his   life;    and   after   performing    many  iniraeles,  healing 

the  siik,  restoring  tin'  blind  to  sight,  and  expelling  de 

moiis,  so  that  the  t  obstinate  were  converted,  be 

dud.  innl  wa-  bj  angels  carried  into  heaven. 

His  body  was  reverently  laid    in    a    tomb    within    tin 

walls  of  the  Duomo,  win  re  pictures  representing  rari 
on.-  -.en's  in. hi  hi-  hie  are  bung  near  the  altar  dedi 


ST.  JULIAN   F10SPITAT0R.  385 

cated  to  him,  but  none  of  great  merit,  nor  older  than 
the  seventeenth  century. 

Being,  however,  a  saint  of  merely  local  interest,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  say  more  of  San  Ranieri.  The  legend, 
as  I  have  given  it  above,  is  sufficient  to  render  the  en- 
gravings from  the  Campo  Santo  intelligible  and  inter- 
esting.    The  three  upper  compartments  contain,  — 

1.  The  conversion  of  St.  Ranieri. 

2.  St.  Ranieri  embarks  for  the  Holy  Land. 

3.  He  puts  on  the  dress  of  a  hermit. 

4.  He  has  many  visions  and  temptations  in  his  her 
mit  life. 

5.  St.  Ranieri  returns  to  Pisa. 

6.  The  detection  of  the  fraudulent  innkeeper. 

7.  The  death  and  obsequies  of  the  saint. 

8.  The  miracles  of  Ranieri  after  his  death. 

As  there  is  a  very  accurate  account  of  these  cele- 
brated old  frescos  in  Murray's  Handbook,  and  every 
guide  to  Pisa,  I  do  not  dwell  upon  them  further. 

St.  Julian  Hospitator. 

Hal.  San  Giuliano  Ospitale.  Fr.  St.  Julieu  l'Hospitalier.  Patron 
saint  of  travellers  ;  of  ferrymen  and  boatmen  ;  also  of  traveU 
ling  minstrels  who  wander  from  door  to  door.  January  9,  a.  d. 
313. 

Here  we  have  again  one  of  the  most  celebrated  and 
popular  of  the  religious  romances  of  the  middle  ages. 
In  those  days,  when  the  privileged  orders  of  illiterate 
hunters  and  iron  warriors  trampled  and  tortured  at 
their  will  man  and  beast,  it  is  edifying  to  find  in 
these  old  legends  the  human  sympathies  appealed  to, 
not  merely  in  behalf  of  the  woman  and  the  serf,  the 
feeble,  the  sick,  and  the  poor ;  but  even  in  favor  of 
the  dumb  creatures ;  and  that  divine  Christian  precept 
everywhere  inculcated,  — 

"  Never  to  blend  our  pleasure  or  our  pride 
With  suffering  of  the  meanest  thing  that  feels." 
tol.  11.  25 


386        SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Count  Julian  was  a  nobleman,  who  lived  in  his 
rastle  in  great  Btate  and  prosperity  ;  he  spent  his  days 
in  hunting,  and  his  nights  in  (easting.  One  day,  as 
he  was  hunting  in  the  forest,  he  Btarted  a  deer,  and 
pursued  it  over  hill  and  dale.     Suddenly  the  miserable 

and  affrighted  Creature  turned  round  and  opened  hik 
mouth    and    said,    "  Thou,    who    pureuesl    me    to    the 

death,    shalt    cause    the    death    of    thy    Father    anil    thy 

mother!"  And  when  Julian  heard  these  words,  he 
stood  still ;  remorse  and  feat  came  over  him,  and,  as 
the  only  means  of  averting  this  fatal  prophecy,  he  re- 
solved to  tlee  from  his  home.  So  he  turned  his  horse's 
head,  and  travelled  into  a  far  distant  country. 

Now  it  happened  that  the  king  of  that  country  was 
a  munificent  and  a  gracious  prince,  who  received  Julian 
with  all  honor,  and  entertained  him  in  his  Bervice.  Ju> 
lian  distinguished  himself  greatly,  both  at  the  court  and 

in  war,  so  that  the  kin;;  knighted  him,  and  gave  him  to 
wife  a  rich  and  beautiful  widow,  with  whom  he  lived 
for  some  years  in  great  happiness,  and  had  wellnigh  tor 
gotten  the  terrible  prophecy. 

In  the  mean  time  the  father  and  the  mother  of  Julian 
lamented  the  loss  of  their  only  sou,  and  they  sent  mes- 
Bengers  everywhere  into  all  the  Bnrronnding  provinces 

in  search  of  him  ;  and,  bearing  no  tidings,  they  pat 
on  the  habits  of  pilgrims,  and  went  themselves  in 
Search    of    their    lost    son. 

And  it  happened  that  one  night,  when  Julian  was 
absent    at    the    COUIt,    thev    arrived    at    his    castle,    and 

knocked  at  the  gate  ;  and  Basilissa,  the  wife  of  Julian, 
who  was  a  good  and  a  pious  woman,  received  them 

hospitably  J    hut    when    she    learned    who   they  were.  >he 

m-  idled  with  exceeding  joy,  waited  upon  them  at 
Buppet  as  became  a  dutiful  daughter,  and  yielded  them 
her  own  bed  in  which  to  repose  after  their  joura 
and  the  next  morning,  at  earl]  matins,  she  went  to  the 
neighboring  church  to  thank  God  for  this  great  mercy. 
In  the  mean  time  Julian  returned,  and  straightway  en- 
vied his  own  chamber,  and  seeing  by  the  Imperfect 


fST.  JULIAN  HOhPITATOR.  387 

fight  two  people  in  bed,  and  one  of  them  a  beauled 
man,  lie  was  seized  with  jealous  fury,  and,  drawing  his 
sword,  slew  them  both  on  the  spot.  Then,  rushing 
out  of  the  house,  he  met  his  wife,  who  was  returning 
from  the  church,  and  he  asked  her,  staring  wide  in 
astonishment,  "  Who  then  are  in  my  bed  1 "  And  she 
replied,  "  Thy  father  and  thy  mother,  who  have  been 
seeking  thee  for  lone:  years  over  all  the  world,  and  I 
have  laid  them  in  our  bed."  And  when  he  heard  these 
words,  Julian  remained  as  one  stupefied  and  half  dead. 
And  then  he  wept  bitterly,  and  wrung  his  hands,  and 
said  :  "  Alas !  by  what  evil  fortune  is  this,  that  wha* 
I  sought  to  avoid  has  come  to  pass  ?  Farewell,  my 
sweet  sister !  I  can  never  again  lie  by  thy  side,  until 
I  have  been  pardoned  by  Christ  Jesus  for  this  great 
sin  !  "  And  she  answered  him  :  "  Nay,  my  brother,  can 
I  allow  thee  to  depart,  and  without  me  1  Thy  grief 
is  my  grief,  and  whither  thou  goest  I  will  go."  So 
they  departed  together,  and  travelled  till  they  came  tc 
the  bank  of  a  great  river,  which  was  often  swollen  by 
torrents  from  the  mountains,  so  that  many,  in  endeav- 
oring to  pass  it,  perished  miserably.  And  there  did 
Julian  found  a  cell  of  penance  for  himself,  and  near  to 
it  an  hospital  for  the  poor ;  and  by  day  and  night,  in 
summer  and  winter,  he  ferried  the  travellers  across  this 
torrent  without  fee  or  reward. 

One  night,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  when  the  flood 
had  broken  its  icy  bounds,  and  was  raging  horribly,  Je 
heard,  in  the  pauses  of  the  storm,  a  mournful  voice, 
which  called  to  him  across  the  stream.  And  he  arose 
immediately,  and  found  on  the  opposite  bank  a  youth 
who  was  a  leper,  and  who  appeared  to  be  dying  from 
fatigue  and  cold.  He  brought  him  over  the  river,  and 
carried  him  in  his  arms,  and  laid  him  in  his  own  bed, 
notwithstanding  that  he  was  a  leper  ;  and  he  and  his 
wife  watched  by  him  till  the  morning.  When  it 
dawned,  the  leper  rose  up  in  the  bed,  and  his  fate  was 
transformed,  and  appeare  1  to  them  as  that  of  an  ani^el 
of  light,  aud  he  said,  "  Julian,  the  Lord  hath  sent  me 


?88        SACRED   AND   LEG  I  VD  l/.'  )    AST. 

to  thee,  for  thy  penitence  is  accepted,  and  thy  rest  it 
aeor  nt  hand,"  and  then  vanished  from  their  si^ht. 
Then  Julian  and  bis  wife  fell  upon  their  feces,  and 
thanked  <><»1  for  all  his  mercies;  and  Bhortly  after- 
wards, being  full  of  years  and  good  works,  they  slept 
with  the  Lord. 

The  Bingle  figures  of  St.  Julian  represent  him  in 
rich  secular  attire,  as  a  cavalier  or  courtier,  young, 
with  a  mild  and  melancholy  expression  :  often  he  has 
a  bunting-horn  in  his  hand,  and  a  >t;i^r  i>  behind  htm 
or  at  lii>  feet  To  distinguish  him  from  St.  Hubert, 
who  has  the  same  attributes,  there  is  generally  ■  river 
and  a  boat  in  the  background  ;  bul  it  mnsl  also  be  ob- 
served, that  in  pictures  of  St.  .Julian  tin-  stag  ought 
nut  to  have  the  crucifix  between  his  h<>m>,  as  in  the 
pictures  of  St.  Hubert 

The  beautiful  Bubject  called  "The  Hospitality  of  St. 
Julian"  represents  him    ferrying   travellers  over   the 

stream,  while  his  wife  Stands  at  the  door  of  their  bOUSO, 

holding  a  light  The  picture  by  Allori,  in  the  Palazzo 
1'itti,  is  a  rin I'il'n mil  a>  regards  both  painting  and  ex- 
pression.  The  hark  with  the  leprous  youth  has  just 
touched  the  Bbore,  a  man  Btands  at  the  helm,  and  Ju 
ban,  with  an  expression  of  benign  solicitude,  receives 
the  fainting  pilgrim  in  his  arms.  In  the  background, 
hi>  wife,  with  a  light  in  her  hand,  appears  t<>  he  wel- 
coming some  poor  travellers.  Hen-  Bt  Julian  is  ar 
rayed  as  s  hermit  and  penitent  with  a  loose  gown  and 
a  venerable  heard.  The  principal  figures  are  rather 
above  life-size. 

•■  The  angel  gnest  throws  off  bis  disguise,  and  as 
eends  in  a  glory  of  liirht  ;  Julinn  and  his  wife  (all  prat 
t i.i.  "     I  saw  tin>  subject  in  a  picture  mi  tin-  Brusseh 

( ialhrv. 

St.  .Julian  slays   hi-   lather   and    mother.      Ant.  «h  llu 

Tenia,  <  Iremonese,  i  1 1 

•  aid  nt  Bt  Julian  Hospitator  i.-  often  found 

•   Lli.zi,  If    LOO. 


ST.  LEONARD.  389 

as  a  series  of  subjects  in  ecclesiastical  decoration,  and 
in  the  old  stained  glass.  It  is  beautifully  told  in  a 
scries  of  subjects  on  one  of  the  windows  of  the  Cathe- 
dral of  Rouen,  presented  by  the  company  of  boatmen 
(bateliers-pecheurs)  of  that  city,  in  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury. 


St.  Leonard. 

Ital.  San  Leonardo.     Fr.  St.  Leonard,  or  Lionart.     Patron  saint 
of  all  prisoners,  captives  and  slaves.    Nov.  6,  a.  d.  559. 

Here  we  have  another  beneficent  saint.  Nothing  is 
more  touching  in  these  old  Christian  legends  than  the 
variety  of  forms  in  which  Charity  is  deified. 

St.  Leonard  was  of  France.  His  father  held  a  high 
office  in  the  palace  of  King  Theodobert,  and  Leonard 
himself  being  well  educated,  modest,  and  of  a  cheerful 
and  gracious  presence,  the  king  honored  him  and  greatly 
delighted  in  his  company.  He  had  been  early  converted 
and  baptized  by  St.  Benignus,  and,  without  giving  up 
his  duties  as  a  courtier,  fulfilled  those  of  a  devout  and 
charitable  Christian.  He  particularly  delighted  in  visit- 
ing the  prisons,  and  ministering  to  the  prisoners, — the 
Howard  of  his  day  ;  and  those  for  whom  he  interceded, 
the  king  pardoned.  He  also  devoted  great  part  of  his 
substance  to  the  liberation  of  captives  from  slavery. 
The  cares  and  pleasures  of  a  court  becoming  daily 
more  distasteful  to  him,  he  withdrew  secretly  to  a  desert 
place  near  Limoges,  and  turned  hermit,  and  spent  sev- 
eral years  in  penance  and  in  prayer. 

And  it  happened  that  the  king  going  to  the  chase 
in  company  with  the  queen  and  all  his  court,  she,  being 
suddenly  seized  with  the  pangs  of  childbirth,  was  in 
great  peril  and  agony,  and  like  to  die  ;  and  the  king 
and  his  attendants  stood  around  her  in  utter  affliction 
and  perplexity.  When  St.  Leonard,  who  dwelt  in  that 
vicinity,  heard  of  this  grief,  he  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and, 
at  his  prayer,  the  queen  was  relieved  and  happily  deliv- 


39o       s.\<K/:i)   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Bred.  The  king  then  presented  to  St.  Leonard  a  por- 
tion of  that  forest  land,  and  lie  cleared  the  ground,  and 
gathered  round  him  a  religions  community  ;  and,  after 
many  years  Bpent  in  works  ol  piety  and  charity,  he  died 

their  in  the  year  559. 

St.  Leonard  is  invoked  by  all  those  «ho  Languish  in 
captivity,  whether  they  he  prisoners  or  slaves  ;  it  was 
also  a  custom  for  those  who  had  been  delivered  from 
captivity  to  hang  np  their  fetters  In  the  churches  or 
ehaj.els  dedicated  to  him  :  hence  he  is  asnallj  repre- 
sented with  fetters  in  hi-  hand.  hi-  proper  attribute 
lie  18  claimed  by  the  Benedictine.-  BS  a  incinhcr  of  their 
(  >rder,  and    either  wears    tin'  whin-   or    the    Mack    tunic 

fastened  round  the  waist  with  a  girdle  ;  and  sometimes 
he  ha-  a  crosier,  as  abbot  of  the  religious  community  he 
founded  ;  hut  sometimes  also  he  wear.-  the  dress  of  a 
deacon,  because,  from  his  great  humility,  he  would 
never  accept  of  any  higher  ecclesiastical  dignity. 

The  ancient  basso-relievo  over  the  entrance  of  the 
Scuola  deUa  <'<iriia  at  Venice  exhibits  the  effigy  of  St. 
Leonard  Btanding full-length  with  tetter.-  in  his  hand,  a 
liberated  slave  kneeling  on  each  Bide.  This  Scuola  was 
a  confraternity  founded  for  the  liberation  of  prisoners 
and  slaves  ;  and  it  i-  interesting  to  find  that  in  Venice, 
where,  from  tin'  commercial  pursuits  of  the  people, and 

their  perpetual  wars  with  the  Turk-,  imprisonment  for 
debt    at    home,  and    slavery  abroad,   became    not    rarely 

die  destiny  of  their  most  distinguished  men,  St.  Leonard 

was  particularly  honored.  Among  tin'  mosaic.-  in  St. 
M.uk'-,  high  np  in  the  transept,  to  the  right  of  the 

choir,  I   found  his  whole   -ton   in  of  BnbjectS. 

l.  Be  is  baptized  by  St  Benignns.  •-'.  Be  raises  water 
miraculously  tor  the  thirsty  poor.  (The  common  alle- 
gory to  signifj  Christian  instruction.)  .'t.  He  delivers 
tlie  captives,  who  bring  their  fetters,  and  cast  them  at 
bis  feet     »    Be  saves  the  life  of  the  qneen,  who  is  repre 

niited   in   a  dying  state,  under  a  sort   of  tent,  and   siir- 

i. Minded  by  h'i-  weeping  attendants.     5    lie  founds  ins 


ST.  LEONARD.  391 

monastery.  I  am  uuable  to  fix  the  date  of  this  mo- 
saic, which  is  not  mentioned  in  any  of  the  Venetian 
guide-books  that  I  have  met  with  ;  but  it  appears  to  be 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  groups  have  much  dra- 
matic expression. 

Among  the  bas-reliefs  on  the  exterior  of  St.  Mark's, 
the  figure  of  St.  Leonardo  occurs  more  than  once. 
There  is  a  curious  old  effigy  of  him  near  the  northern 
entrance. 

"  St.  Leonard,  kneeling,  presents  fetters  to  the  Vir- 
gin and  Child  ;  St.  Joseph  behind  "  :  in  a  fine  compo- 
sition by  Razzi.* 

"  St.  Leonard,  standing  in  a  long  white  tunic,  holds 
in  one  hand  a  book  and  a  crazier  as  superior  of  his 
monastery ;  in  the  other,  the  fetters  as  usual  "  :  in  a 
curious  old  pieta,  attributed  to  Buonfigli  of  Perugia.t 

"  St.  Leonard  in  a  white  habit,  and  holding  the  fet- 
ters, stands  with  St.  Peter,  Mary  Magdalene,  and  Mar- 
tha " ;  painted  by  Correggio  for  the  Oratorio  della 
Misericordia  at  Correggio. J 

"  St.  Leonard,  in  the  habit  of  a  deacon,  stands  on 
one  side  of  St.  Lawrence,  throned  ;  on  the  other  side, 
St.  Stephen"  :  in  a  picture  by  Perugino.  § 

I  found  the  whole  story  of  St.  Leonard  in  the  beau- 
tiful illuminations  of  the  far-famed  Bedford  missal,|| 
where  he  is  called  St.  Lionart.  The  group  of  the  faint- 
ing queen,  and  the  king  sustaining  her  in  his  arms,  is 
particularly  graceful.  Here  the  king  is  named  Clovis, 
and  the  bishop  who  baptizes  St.  Leonard  is  St.  Remy. 
In  other  respects  the  legend,  as  I  have  given  it  above, 
is  closely  followed.! 

*  Siena,  Pal.  Comunale.  t  Perugia. 

\  A  large  picture  in  the  collection  of  Lord  Ashburton. 

§  Fl.  San  Lorenzo. 

||  Paris,  Bibliotheque  Imperiale. 

^  St.  Leonard,  perhaps  for  the  same  reasons  as  at  Venice,  has 
been  much  honored  in  England.  He  keeps  his  place  in  tke  Eng- 
lish calendar,  and  we  have  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  churchej 
dedicated  to  him. 


39z       SACRED     LA  D   I  EG1  NDARY    ART. 


Si      i  In  i  - 
l.„i   Banctaa  Bgidlns.    Ual.  flant'  Egidlo.    /•>  St.  (iilles  or  Gil 

■  .  1,  4    D.  726. 

Cms  renowned  aainl  ia  one  of  those  whose  celebrity 
bean  no  proportiorj  whatever  to  lii>  real  importance. 
I  Bhall  give  bis  legend  in  a  few  words.  He  was  an 
Athenian  of  royal  blood,  and  appears  to  have  been  a 
saint  by  nature  ;  for  one  daj  on  going  into  the  church, 
he  found  a  poor  sick  man  extended  upon  the  pave- 
ment; St.  Giles  thereupon  took  nit'  hi>  mantle  and 
Bpread  it  over  him,  when  the  man  was  immediately 
healed.  This  and  other  miracles  having  attracted  the 
veneration  of  the  people,  St.  Giles  Bed  from  his  coun- 
try, and  turned  hermit ;  he  wandered  from  one  Bolitude 
to  another  until  he  came  t"  a  retired  wilderness,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Rhone,  about  twelve  miles  to  the 
Bouth  of  Nismes.  Here  be  dwell  in  a  cave,  bj  the-  Bide 
>>t"  a  clear  spring,  living  open  the  herbs  and  fruits  of  t Ji<- 
forest,  and  upon  the  milk  of  a  hind,  which  had  taken 
up  its  abode  with  him.  Now  it  came  to  pass  thai  the 
k i 1 1 ur  of  France  (or,  according  to  another  legend,  Warn 
be,  kint:  of  tin-  Goths)  was  hunting  in  the  neighbor- 
l I,  and  the  hind,  pursued  bj  the  dogs  and  wounded 

by  an  arrow,  Bed  to    t In-  cavern  Of  the  saint,  anil    took 

refuge  in  lii>  arm-  ;  the  hunters,  following  on  its  track, 
were  surprised  to  Bud  a  renerable  old  man,  kneeling  in 
prayer,  and  the  wounded  hind  crouching  at  bis  Bide 
Thereupon  the  Icing  and  his  followers,  perceiving  that 
it  was  a  holy  man,  prostrated  themselves  before  him, 
and  entreated  forgivem 

The  saint,  resisting  all  the  attempts  of  the  k  jult  to 
withdraw   him    from    his   solitude,  died   in   his  cave, 
about  the  year  541.     But  the  place  becoming  sarn 
Bed  by  the  extreme  veneration  which  the  people  bore 
to  his  memory,  then  in  the  spot  a  magnificent 

monastery,   and   around  it   a   populous  city  inuring 


ST.   GILES.  393 

his  name  and  giving  the  same  title  to  the  Counts  of 
Lower  Languedoc,  who  were  styled  Comtes  de  Saint- 

Gilles. 

The  Abbey  of  Saint-Gilles  was  one  of  the  greatest 
of  the  Benedictine  communities,  and  the  abbots  were 
powerful  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  lords.  Of  the 
two  splendid  churches  which  existed  here,  one  has  been 
utterly  destroyed,  the  other  remains  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable monuments  of  the  middle  ages  now  existing 
in  France.  It  was  built  in  the  eleventh  century ;  the 
portico  is  considered  as  the  most  perfect  type  of  the 
Byzantine  style  on  this  side  of  the  Alps,  and  the  whole 
of  the  exterior  of  the  church  is  described  as  one  mass 
of  bas-reliefs.  In  the  interior,  among  other  curiosities 
of  antique  Art,  must  be  mentioned  an  extraordinary 
winding  staircase  of  stone,  the  construction  of  which  is 
considered  a  miracle  of  skill.* 

St.  Giles  has  been  especially  venerated  in  England 
and  Scotland.  In  1117,  Matilda,  wife  of  Henry  I., 
founded  an  hospital  for  lepers  outside  the  city  of  Lon- 
don, which  she  dedicated  to  St.  Giles,  and  which  has 
since  given  its  name  to  an  extensive  parish.  The 
parish  church  of  Edinburgh  existed  uuder  the  invoca- 
tion of  St.  Giles,  as  early  as  1359.t  And  still,  in  spite 
of  the  Reformation,  this  popular  saint  is  retained  in  our 
calendar.  He  was  the  patron  saint  of  the  woodland,  of 
lepers,  beggars,  cripples;  and  of  those  struck  by  some 
sudden  misery,  and  driven  into  solitude  like  the  wounded 
hart  or  hind. 

*  This  staircase,  called  in  the  country  "  La  vis  de  Saint-Gilles," 
was  formerly  "  le  but  des  pelerinages  de  tous  les  compagnons-tail- 
leurs  de  pierre."  —  Voyages  au  Midi  de  la  France. 

t  There  are  one  hundred  and  forty-six  churches  in  England 
dedicated  to  St.  Giles.  They  are  frequently  near  the  outskirts  of 
a  city  or  town  ;  St.  Giles,  Cripplegate,  St.  Giles-in-the-Fields,  St. 
Giles,  Camberwell,  were  all  on  the  outside  of  London  as  it  ex- 
isted when  these  churches  were  erected,  and  there  are  other 
examples  at  Oxford,  Cambridge,  &c.  (,See  Parker's  Anglican 
Calendar.) 


yH       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Be  is  generally  represented  as  an  aped  man  in  the 
dress  of  a  Benedictine  monk,  a  long  black  tunic  with 
loose  sleeve.-  ;  and  B  bind  pierced  by  an  arrow  is  cither 
in  his  arms  or  at  his  feet, 

"Ane  Ilynde  set  up  beside  Sanct  drill." 

Sometimes  the  arrow  is  in  hi>  own  bosom,  and  the 
hind  is  fawning  on  him.*  Sometimes  the  habit  is 
white  in  pictures  which  date  subsequently  to  the  period 
when  the  Abbey  of  St.  Giles  became  the  property  of 
the  Reformed  Benedictines,  who  had  adopted  the  white 
habit. 

Representations  of  St.  (liles  arc  seldom  met  with  in 
Italy,  but  very  frequently  in  early  French  and  German 
Art'.t 

The  story  of  St.  Pucx-onr*  is  very  like  that  of  St. 
Giles.  He  was  a  Bohemian  king,  who  resigned  hii 
crown,  and,  retiring  to  a  solitude,  became  a  hermit. 
lie  lived  unknown  for  many  years,  till  a  certain  Prince 
Dlrich  pursuing  a  hind  through  the  forest,  the  creature 

tuuk  refuge  in  the  anus  of  St.  I'rocopius,  and  thus  he 
was  discovered.  St.  I'rocopius  and  the  other  Bohemian 
Baints  became  popular  as  subjects  of  Art  when  the  Em- 
peror Rodolph  II  distinguished  himself  as  a  patron  of 
the  tine  arts,  and  drew  many  painters  from  Italy  to 
Prague.  To  this  period  may  be  referred  the  etching 
by  L.  Caracci,  and  which  has  sometimes,  from  the  simi- 
larity of  the  attribute,  been  called   St.  QUeS. 

♦  In  uiir  N  360,  there  is  u  ftyuiv  >.f  St.  c!i|.-s, 

v^'  irlng  ttin  black  Benedictine  habit,  and  with  the  Mod  fnwninK 
upon  him. 

t  It  is  Decenary  to  distinguish  betw.n  in-  iirmit, 

■ad  St.  QUee  the  Franciscan,    it  Is  the  latter  who  Is  repn  n  ntad 

ding  In  a  transport  "f  religions  ecstasy,  before  Pope  Gregory 

i\.  The  pietore, which  was  painted  by  ktnrtlla  krttte  Fram-iscan 

••■n\  •  Mt  .it .-  [I       .'.in  Bogland. 


ST.   GENEVIEVE.  395 

St.  Genevieve  of  Paris. 
Eng.,  Ger.,  Ital.     Saint  Qenoveva.    Jan.  3,  a.  d.  509. 

The  popularity  of  St.  Genevieve,  as  a  subject  of  ar- 
tistic representation,  is  almost  wholly  confined  to  Paris 
and  the  French  school  of  Art.  I  have  met  with  only 
two  instances  of  the  treatment  of  her  story  by  Italian 
painters ;  yet  among  the  female  enthusiasts  of  the  mid- 
dle ages  she  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  the  most 
interesting. 

She  was  a  peasant  girl,  born  at  Nanterre,  a  little  vil- 
lage two  leagues  and  a  half  from  Paris,  in  the  year  421, 
and  in  her  childhood  was  employed  by  a  neighboring 
farmer  to  keep  his  sheep.  When  she  was  about  seven 
years  old,  St.  Germain,  bishop  of  Auxerre,  passing 
through  Paris  on  his  way  to  England,  spent  one  night 
at  Nanterre;  the  inhabitants  crowded  around  him  to 
obtain  his  benediction ;  and  among  them  came  the 
parents  of  la  pucelette  GeneoUve,  already  distinguished 
in  the  village  by  her  graceful  piety  and  humility.  St. 
Germain  had  no  sooner  cast  his  eyes  upon  her,  than  he 
became  aware,  through  divine  inspiration,  of  her  pre- 
destined glory.  He  called  her  to  him,  questioned  her, 
and  when  she  expressed,  with  childish  fervor,  a  strong 
desire  to  become  the  handmaid  of  Christ,  he  hung  round 
her  neck  a  small  copper  coin  marked  with  the  sign  of 
the  cross,  and  consecrated  her  to  the  service  of  God. 
Thenceforth  did  Genevieve  regard  herself  as  separated 
from  the  world  and  dedicated  to  Heaven. 

Even  while  yet  a  child  many  wondrous  things  are 
related  of  her.  On  a  certain  occasion,  her  mother,  be- 
ing transported  by  anger  (though  otherwise  a  good 
woman),  gave  her  pious  daughter  a  box  on  the  ear ; 
but  in  the  same  moment  she  was  struck  blind :  and 
so  she  remained  deprived  of  the  sun's  light  for  twenty- 
one  months,  until  restored  by  the  prayers  of  St.  Gene- 
v;eve,  who,  having  drawn   water  from   the  well  and 


396        SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

made  over  it  tin-  sign  of  the  cross,  bathed  her  mother's 
eyes  with  it,  and  Bhe  Baw  clearly  as  before.  And  Gene- 
vieve at  the  age  of  fifteen  renewed  her  vow  of  perpetual 
chastity;  remaining,  however,  still  Bubjecl  to  her  par 
cnts,  till  both  were  dead.  She  then  betook  herself  to 
the  eitj  of  Paris,  where  Bhe  dwelt  with  an  aged  kin-- 
woman  ;  and  where  her  extraordinary  gifts  of  piety  and 
hnmility,  and,  above  all,  her  devoted  and  active  benev- 
olence, rendered  her  an  object  of  popular  veneration. 
At  the  same  time  there  were  noi  wanting  those  who 
treated  her  as  a  hypocrite  and  a  visionary,  and  much 
did  the  holy  maiden  saner  from  the  slanders  and  con- 
tumelies of  the  evil-disposed.  She  had  to  undergo  m>t 
merely  the  persecutions  of  men,  bul  of  demons:  often, 
during  her  nightly  \i-il>,  the  tapers  lighted  for  the  ser- 
vice of  <i«>il  wire  maliciously  blown  out  by  the  enemy 
of  mankind ;  bnl  Genevieve,  not  dismayed,  rekindled 
them  by  her  faith  and  her  prayers.  God  never  left  her 
in  darkness  when  she  prayed  for  light  When  beset 
i'\  the  fiend  Bhe  held  up  one  of  the  tapers  thus  miracu- 
lously rekindled,  and  he  fled.  <  >n  another  occasion, 
n  ben  she  went  with  a  company  <>t  pious  women  t"  praj 
ut  the  shrine  of  St.  Denis,  on  the  road  a  Btorm  arose 
which  blew  out  their  tapers;  bul  Genevieve  holding 
hers  aloft,  it  was  immediately  rekindled  by  her  prayers, 
nr.  u>  Miinc  uvcr,  I iv  an  angel  who  descended  expressly 
from  heaven  liir  that  purpo 

r  being  fi>r  man]  Mar-  maltreated  and  con- 
demned by  one  party  of  her  fellow-citizens,  a>  much  a- 
.-die  was  revered  ami  trusted  by  the  other,  Heaven  was 
pleased  to  grant  a  Bignal  and  pnblic  proof  of  the  efficacy 
of  her  piety,  and  t<>  Bilence  forever  the  voice  <>t  the  en 
\  ious  and  nnbelie\  ing. 

A  certain  barbarian  king,  railed  in  the  storj  Attila, 

kini:  ul' the   I  Inn-,  threatened  In  lay  Biege  t"  the  city  of 

Peril     The  inhabitants  prepared  to  fly,  but  Genevieve, 
leaving  her  solitude,  addressed  the  multitude,  and  en 

Heated  them  mM  tn  forsake  their  homes,  nor  allow  them 


ST.  GENEVIEVE.  397 

to  be  profaned  by  a  ferocious  pagan,  assuring  them  that 
Heaven  would  interfere  for  their  deliverance.  The 
people,  being  overcome  by  her  enthusiastic  eloquence, 
hesitated  ;  and  while  they  remained  irresolute,  the  news 
was  brought  that  the  barbarians,  without  any  visible 
reason,  had  changed  the  order  of  their  march,  and  had 
withdrawn  from  the  vicinity  of  the  capital.  The  peo- 
ple fell  prostrate  at  her  feet ;  and  from  this  time  she 
became,  in  a  manner,  the  mother  of  the  whole  city.  In 
all  maladies  and  afflictions  her  prayers  were  required  ; 
and  many  miracles  of  healing  and  consolation  proved 
the  efficacy  of  her  intercession. 

When  Cliilderic  invested  Paris,  the  people  suffered 
greatly  from  sickness  and  famine.  Genevieve  was  not 
only  indefatigable  in  her  benevolent  ministry,  but  she 
also,  laying  aside  the  habit  of  the  religious  recluse,  took 
the  command  of  the  boats  which  were  sent  up  the 
Seine  to  Troves  for  succor,  stilled  by  her  prayers  a 
furious  tempest  which  threatened  to  overwhelm  them, 
and  brought  them  back  safely,  laden  with  provisions. 
When  the  city  was  taken  by  Cliilderic,  he  treated  Gene- 
vieve with  extreme  respect :  his  son  Clovis,  even  be- 
fore his  conversion  to  Christianity,  regarded  her  with 
great  veneration ;  and  it  is  related  that  he  frequently 
liberated  prisoners  and  pardoned  malefactors  through 
her  intercession.  Moreover,  it  was  through  the  influ- 
ence of  St.  Genevieve  over  the  mind  of  this  prince  and 
his  wife  Clotilde  that  Paganism  was  banished  from 
Paris,  and  that  the  first  Christian  church  was  erected 
on  the  summit  of  that  eminence  which  has  since  been 
consecrated  to  St.  Genevieve  and  known  by  her  name. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine,  and  was  buried  by 
the  side  of  King  Clovis  and  Queen   Clotilde. 

In  the  year  550,  St.  Eloy  executed  a  magnificent 
shrine,  in  which  her  remains  were  enclosed.  This 
shrine,  doubly  interesting  and  curious,  if  not  sacred, 
was  during  the  Revolution  broken  up,  and  the  relics  of 
the  patroness  and  preserver  of  Paris  burned  publicly  in 
the  Place  de  Qreve. 


398       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Among  the  miracles  imputed  to  St.  Genevieve,  was 
the  cessation  of  a  horrible  plague,  called  the  tnal  ardent, 
which  desolated  Paris  in  the  reign  of  Louis  le  Gros . 
ami  on  the  spot  where  Btood  the  honse  of  St,  Genevieve, 
a  -mall  church,  known  as  Ste.  Genevtew  da  Ardentt, 
existed  so  late  as  1747,  when  it  was  pulled  down,  ami 
a  Foundling  Bospital  built  on  the  site.  The  present 
Superb  church  of  Sr.  (ienevievc  was  tin-  Pantheon  of 
tin-  Revolution;  the  painting  of  the  dome,  which  is  in 
the  worst  possible  taste,  represents  St.  Genevieve  in 
glory,  receiving  the  homage  of  Clovis,  Charlemagne, 
St.  Louis,  and  Louis  XV  111.  .1"  reste,  the  classic  cold 
magnificence  of  tin-  whole  structure  i.>  as  little  in  har- 
mony with  the  character  of  the  peasant  patroness  as 
the  church  of  the  Madeleine  with  that  of  the  Syrian 
penitent  ami   castaway. 

The  most  ancient  effigies  of  St  Genevieve  as  patron- 
ess of   l'aris    n  present    her  veiled,  holding  in  one  haml 

alighted  taper,  in  the  other  a  breviary;  beneath  her 
feet,  or  at  her  side,  cronches  the  demon  holding  a  pair 
of  bellows.  In  tliis  instance,  the  obvious  allegory  of 
the  light  of  faith  or  holiness  extinguished  by  the  power 
of  sin  and  rekindled  by  prayer,  seems  to  have  given 
rise  to  the  legend.  She  is  thus  represented  in  a  grace- 
ful statue  under  the  ponh  of  St.  Germain  I'Auxerro 
and  in  general  wherever  she  figures  among  the  female 
saints  iii  the  decorative  architecture  of  the  old  French 
churches.  But  all  the  more  modern  representations 
exhibit  her  as  the  pious  bergeretU  of  Nanterre,  seated  or 

Standing  in  a  landscape,  with  her  sheep  around  her, 
generally  with  her  distaff  and  spindle,  hut  sometimes 
with  a  hook,  —  though    it    is    DOWhere   a.-serted  that  the 

poor  shepherdess  possessed  the  then  rare  accomplish- 
ment "i  reading   her  mother  tongue.     Sometimes 

a    basket   Of   provisions    on    her    arm,    and   holds   a 

loaf  of  bread,  in  allusion  t<>  the  miraculous  deliverance 
ti  Paris. 
Bui  h  i-  the  conception  in  the  pictures  of  Lebrun, 


ST.  GENEVIEVE.  399 

Philippe  de  Champagne,  Bourdon,  Vanloo,  Gros,  and 
all  the  French  painters.  In  the  picture  of  Vanloo,  St 
Genevieve  is  reading  at  the  foot  of  a  tree ;  a  few  sheep 
and  goats  are  browsing  near ;  her  spindle  and  sabots 
are  lying  beside  her;  the  air  and  dress  reminding  us 
irresistibly  of  a  French  grisette  seized  with  a  sudden  fit 
of  piety.  A  charming  little  picture  by  Watteau  ex- 
hibits St.  Genevieve  keeping  sheep,  and  reading  a  vol- 
ume of  the  Scriptures  which  lies  open  on  her  knee. 
This  picture  has  all  the  painter's  sweet  harmonious  col- 
oring and  mannered  grace ;  and  St.  Genevieve  here  re- 
minds us  of  one  of  the  learned  shepherdesses  in  Sir 
Philip  Sydney's  "Arcadia."* 

Lebrun.  St.  Genevieve  kneels,  holding  her  tapet  , 
at  her  feet,  the  keys  of  Paris,  distaff,  sheep,  and  book ; 
in  the  distance  the  city  of  Paris,  and  the  barbarians  dis- 
persed by  a  storm. 

In  the  church  of  St.  Etienne  du-Mont  is  a  chapel  dedi- 
cated to  her,  in  which  they  preserve  a  tomb  of  solid 
stonework  said  to  be  the  same  in  which  her  remains 
were  originally  deposited.  When  I  visited  this  church 
in  1847,  I  found  the  tomb  surrounded  by  worshippers, 
and  stuck  over  with  at  least  fifty  lighted  tapers,  the  of- 
ferings of  the  poor ;  while  votive  pictures  in  honor  of 
the  saint  covered  the  walls.  In  the  church  of  St.  Ger- 
main is  a  chapel  dedicated  to  her,  and  painted  with 
modern  frescos  from  her  life.  1.  She  receives,  as  a 
child,  the  blessing  of  St.  Germain.  2.  She  harangues 
the  Parisians,  and  promises  them  aid  from  heaven. 

In  the  church  of  St.  Gervais,  over  the  altar  of  her 
chapel,  she  is  represented  as  restoring  sight  to  her 
mother. 

In  no  picture  or  statue  that  I  have  seen,  is  St.  Gene- 
vieve, the  patroness  of  Pari*,  worthily  placed  before  us. 
The  heroine  who  twice  saved  the  capital  of  France  by 
her  courage  and  constancy,  if  not  by  her  prayers,  who 
ought  to  be  placed  in  companionship  with  Joan  of  Arc, 
is  ill  expressed  by  the  mawkish,  feeble,  or  theatrical  ef 

*  Paris,  St.  Medard. 


4oo       SACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

figies  which  figure  in  the  Parisian  chorchei ;  and  we 
have  reason  to  regret  that  the  Mine  hand  which  l'm\<- 

US  .loan  of  Arc,  as  the  woman  ami  the  warrior,  did  m>t 

leave  us  also  a  St.  Genevieve  commanding  the  Btorm 
to  cease,  or  pleading  the  cause  of  humanity  against  tho 
barbarian  Clovis. 


The  legend  of  St  Genevieve  (or  Genoveva)  of  Bra- 
bant, must  m.t  be  confounded  with  that  of  St.  Gene- 
vieve of  Paris.     St.  Genevieve  of  Brabant  was  the  wife 

of  s  certain  Count  Siegfried,  who.  misled  bj  the  repre- 
sentations of  his  treacherous  steward,  a  sort  of  la. 
ordered   hi-  innocent  wife  to  be  put  to  death.      The 
BaSSina  spared    her.  and  onl\   exposed    her  in  the  fore-t, 
where  she  brought  forth  a  child,  which  was  tended  and 
nursed  by  a  white  doe.     After  some  years  had  passed  in 

the  Bavage  wilderness,  her  husband  while  hunting  came 

Upon    her  retreat  ;    the  conscience-stricken  steward    0OS- 

d   her  innocence  and   his  own   misdeeds;   was  duly 

I  nit  to  death,  ami  Genevieve  restored  to  happiness.  Tins 
romantic  legend,  which  ha-  afforded  an  inexhaustible 

subject   for  poetry,  painting,  and    the  drama,  hardh 
loii_'s    to    the   domain    of   religious   art  ;     hut    there   arc 

beautiful  pictures  from  her  history  by  Biepenhaosen, 
l  iihrich,  and  others  of  the  modern  German  school.  A 
well-known  print  by  Albert  Durer,  sometimes  entitled 
••  St.  Genevieve  of  Brabant,"  represents  a  legend  much 
more  ancient  and  altogether  different.* 


Another  famous  rustic  taint   i-   St.    Lbidoei    the 
ploughman  (in  Spanish,  San  bidro  el  Labrador;  and 

in    Italian,    Sant'   UidoTO    Agricola),    the    patTOO    of  the 

dty    of    Madrid,    and    of    tho-e    who    cultivate    the    soil. 

According  to  the  Spanish  legend,  he  was  the  too  of  a 

•  tip-  story  <>f  "Tha  Pamuwof  Hi.  John  ChryBostom." 


ST.  GUDULA.  +o i 

poor  husbandman,  and  could  neither  read  nor  write. 
He  hired  himself  as  laborer  to  a  rich  farmer,  whose 
Dame  was  Juan  de  Vargas.  His  master  was  a  hard 
man,  and  lie  grudged  his  poor  servant  even  the  time 
spent  in  his  prayers  and  in  works  of  charity.  On  a 
certain  day,  Juan  went  into  the  field  intending  to  rep- 
rimand his  laborer  for  loss  of  time  and  neglect  of  his 
work.  Being  come  to  the  field,  he  beheld  with  great 
amazement  Isidro  kneeling  at  his  devotions,  while  two 
angels  were  engaged  guiding  his  plough.  Thereupon, 
being  struck  with  awe  and  shame,  he  turned  back  to  his 
house,  and  thenceforth  dealt  less  hardly  with  his  pious 
servant. 

Also  It  is  related,  that,  his  master  being  on  a  certain 
day  athirst  in  his  field,  Isidro,  taking  up  the  goad 
wherewith  he  guided  his  oxen,  struck  the  hard  rock, 
and  immediately  there  gushed  forth  a  fountain  of  the 
purest  water.  And  when  his  little  son  fell  into  a  well, 
Isidro,  by  his  prayers,  miraculously  restored  him  to 
life. 

St.  Isidro  is  still  reverenced  by  the  peasantry  round 
Madrid,  where  his  festival  (May  15th)  is  kept  with  great 
devotion  and  hilarity.  He  is  represented  only  in  the 
Spanish  pictures,  wearing  the  dress  of  a  laborer,  and 
sometimes  with  a  spade  in  his  hand  :  an  angel  plough- 
ing in  the  background  is  his  proper  attribute. 


A  saint  who  is  often  confounded  with  St.  Genevieve 
of  Paris  is  St.  Gudula,  patroness  of  the  city  of  Brus- 
sels. She  was  a  virgin  of  noble  lineage,  her  father, 
Count  Wittiger,  and  her  mother,  St.  Amalaberga,  who 
was  a  niece  of  Pepin  d'Heristal,  consecrated  her  early 
to  the  service  of  Christ,  and  she  was  educated  by  her 
godmother,  St.  Gertrude  of  Nivelle.*  Nothing  par- 
ticular is  recorded  of  St.  Gudula  beyond  the  singular 

*  See  "Legends  of  the  Monastic  Orders." 
vol.  u.  26 


402       P. ACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

holiness  of  her  1  i  f *  -  and  the  usmil  miracles,  — except  tl.fe 
legend  of  her  miraculous  lantern.  She  was  accustomed 
tu  ii-i-  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  in  order  to  perform 
her  devotions  in  the  chnrcfa  of  Morselle,  at  a  great  dis- 
tance. She  guided  her  atepe  with  a  lantern,  which 
Satan,   in    his   envy  of  so  much   piety   and   virtue,  i're- 

quently  extinguished,  hoping  thereby  to  lead  her  astray; 
hut  whenever  lie  blew  out  the  light,  the  prayer  of  the 

saint  rekindled  it. 

In  the  devotional  figures,  St.  Gudula  hears  a  lantern, 
and  near  it  Inner-  a  malicious  demon,  who  is  trying  to 
blow  it  out.  There  1b  a  beautiful  votive  picture  of  thia 
sain;  by  dan  Schoroel,*  in  which  she  is  thus  repre- 
sented, and  there  are  various  effigies  of  her  in  the 
splendid  Cathedral  of  Brussels,  which  bears  her  name. 

Where  she  carries  a  lamp  or  lantern  she  max  be  mis- 
taken for  St.  Lucia. t      Her  death   i>-  placed  aliout  712. 

*  Munich  Oal. 

t  The  pictun-  by  Previtale  in  the  Berlin  Oal.,  called  St.  OuMul*, 
<s,  I  think,  B  Si.  Lucia. 


THE   WARRIOR   SAINTS   OF  CHRIS- 
TENDOM. 


HE  legendary  histories  commemorate  many 
hundred  military  saints  and  martyrs,  of 
whom  the  far  greater  number  are  obscure, 
known  only  by  name,  or  of  merely  local  in- 
terest, but  about  twenty  might  be  selected,  as  illustrious 
and  popular  throughout  Christendom,  and  representing 
in  Art  the  combined  sanctity  and  chivalry  of  the  mid- 
dle ages.  They  form  a  most  interesting  and  picturesque 
group  of  saints,  not  only  through  the  fine  effect  pro- 
duced by  their  compact  martial  figures,  lucid  armor, 
and  glittering  weapons,  when  associated  with  the  pacific 
ecclesiastical  saints  and  melancholy  monks ;  but  from 
the  charming  and  often  pathetic  contrast  which  the 
fancy  suggests,  between  the  prowess  of  the  warrior  and 
the  humility  of  the  Christian. 

As  an  interesting  example  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  military  and  the  ecclesiastical  saints  were  not  un- 
frequently  combined,  as  representing  the  Church  Mili- 
tant and  the  Church  Spiritual,  we  may  observe  the 
two  pictures  (evidently  part  of  one  altar-piece)  recently 
placed  in  our  National  Gallery  (Nos.  254  and  255).  In 
the  first  St.  George,  with  the  red  cross  on  his  shield, 
stands  between  the  two  Fathers  of  the  Church,  St. 
Gregory  and  St.  Augustine  ;  in  the  second  St.  Maurice. 


+04 


SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 


with  the  cross  on  his  breast,  stands  between  the  Fathers 
St  Ambrose  and  Si.  Jerome.* 

We  distinguish  between  the  Greek  and  the  Lutin 
warriors. 

In  the  Byzantine  mosaics  and  pictures,  we  find  St. 
George,  St.  Theodore,  St  Demetrius,  and  St.  Mercu- 
riufl  Tlic  costume  is  always  Btrictlj  classical  ;  they 
wear  the  breastplate  and  chlamys,  arc  armed  with  the 
short  Bword  and  lance,  are  bareheaded,  and  in  general 
beardless.  Of  St.  George  I  have  Bpoken  at  Leugth;  in 
the  Greek  pictures  he  appears  as  the  patron  of  Con- 
stantinople, and  generally  in  companionship  with  St. 
Demetrius,  the  patron  of  Salonica  (who  figures  in  the 
procession  of  martyrs  at  Ravenna).  Next  n>  Deme- 
trius we  generally  find  St  Mercurius  ;  these  two  saints 
are  peculiar  t<>  Greek  Art,  and  the  legend  of  Mercurius 
i-  extremely  wild  and  striking.  Julian  the  Apostate, 
who  figures  in  these  sacred  romances  not  merely  as  a 
tyrant  and  persecutor,  hut  u  s  terrible  and  potent  nec- 
romancer who  had  sold  himself  to  the  Devil,  bad  put 
lii>  officer  Mercurius  to  death,  because  of  his  adhesion 

to  the  <  'hri.Mian  faith,     The  -torv  then  relates  that  when 

Julian  led  his  army  againsl  the  Persians,  and  on  the 

•  in  the  catalogue  ••!  the  National  Gallery,  the  two  military 

saints  In  these  pictures  bj  ii lietsterYOD  Liesborn"  are  styled 

St   Exuperiut  and  St.  Hilary,  on  the  authority  of  Han  Kmgcr 

of  Mimlen,  from  whom  to  irehaaed.    m.  Exuperius  ( 

■  ii  the  compan -    i  si    Uaurice)  was  honored  in  Brabant  i  and  "f 

.-i    I  hi  u  j  '"i  si.  ihii.  i    martyr, a  Prunon  saint,  nothing  w'li.it-  rai 
la  known  but  iu~  name,  and  that  he  perlahi  •!  by  the  bands  of  the 

pagan  barbartana  about  tli         Neither  of  these  saints  was 

anywhere  of  sofAoienl  wnoe  to  represenl  the  Church  Mili- 

tant, in  companionship,  almost  on  an  equality,  with  the  Church 
Spiritual     this  distinction  would  belong  naturallj 
iiml  si.  Maurice,  the  two  great  military  patron  saints  ol  the  w  ■ 
era  Ohuroh,  and,  as  such,  «  irthy  "i  being  grouped  with  the  I 
great  I         b.    [f,  however,  there  existed 

in  the  abbey  ol  Uesborn,  for  vbloh  these  pictures  were  painted, 
any  relics  oftheai  obscure  saints,  it  ilble  they  might  i><- 

thus  honored     in  any  r»H<'  tti<-  signifioanos  of  the  grouping  i»  t !■«• 

KLII1" 


WARRIOR  SAINTS  OF   CHRISTENDOM.    405 

eve  of  the  battle  in  which  he  perished,  St.  Basil  the 
Great  was  favored  by  a  miraculous  vision.  He  beheld 
a  woman  of  resplendent  beauty  seated  on  a  throne, 
and  around  her  a  great  multitude  of  angels  ;  and  she 
commanded  one  of  them,  saying,  "  Go  forthwith,  and 
awaken  Mercurius,  who  sleepeth  in  the  sepulchre,  that 
he  may  slay  Julian  the  Apostate,  that  proud  blasphemer 
agaiust  me  and  against  my  Son ! "  And  when  Basil 
awoke,  he  went  to  the  tomb  in  which  Mercurius  had 
been  laid  not  long  before,  with  his  armor  and  weapons 
by  his  side,  and,  to  his  great  astonishment,  he  found 
neither  the  body  nor  the  weapons.  But  on  returning 
to  the  place  the  next  day,  and  again  looking  into  the 
tomb,  he  found  there  the  body  of  Mercurius  lying  as 
before ;  but  the  lance  was  stained  with  blood ;  "  for 
on  the  day  of  battle,  when  the  wicked  emperor  was 
at  the  head  of  his  army,  an  unknown  warrior,  bare- 
headed, and  of  a  pale  and  ghastly  countenance,  was 
seen  mounted  on  a  white  charger,  which  he  spurred 
forward,  and,  brandishing  his  lance,  he  pierced  Julian 
through  the  body,  and  then  vanished  as  suddenly  as  he 
had  appeared.*  And  Julian  being  carried  to  his  tent, 
he  took  a  handful  of  the  blood  which  flowed  from  his 
wound,  and  flung  it  into  the  air,  exclaiming  with  his 
last  breath,  '  Thou  hast  conquered,  Galilean  !  thou  hast 
conquered ! '  Then  the  demons  received  his  parting 
spirit.  But  Mercurius,  having  performed  the  behest 
of  the  blessed  Virgin,  re-entered  his  tomb,  and  laid 
himself  down  to  sleep  till  the  Day  of  Judgment." 

I  found  this  romantic  and  picturesque  legend  among 
the  Greek  miniatures  already  so  often  alluded  to,t  where 
the  resurrection  of  the  martyr,  his  apparition  on  the  field 
of  battle,  and  the  death  of  Julian,  who  is  falling  from 
kis  horse,  are  represented  with  great  spirit.}: 

*  Julian  was  killed  by  a  javelin  flung  by  an  unknown  hand.  — 
Gibbon.  * 

t  Ninth  century.     Paris  Bib.,  Gr.  MSS.  510. 

J  v.  Waagen's  "  Kunstwerke  und  Kunstler  in  Paris,"  p.  315. 
It  appears,  from  his  description  of  these  miniatures,  that  he  was 
not  acquainted  with  the  Greek  legend. 


+o6       SACRED   AND  LEGENDARY  ART 

St.  Theodore  held  a  high  rank  in  the  armies  of 
the  Emperor  Licinius ;  being  converted  to  Christianity, 
in  his  zeal  he  set  fire  to  the  temple  of  Cytale,  and  was 
beheaded  or  burned  alive  (Not.  9,  a.  i>.  300).  His 
legend  was  early  brooghl  from  the  l-i-t  by  the  Vene- 
tians, and  he  was  the  patron  saint  of  Venire  before  ho 
was  superseded  by  St.  Mark.  He  is  represented  in 
armor,  with  a  dragon  under  his  feel  ;  which  dragon, 
in  the  famous  old  statue  on  the  column  in  front  of  the 
Piaazetta  at  Venice,  is  distinctly  a  sort  of  crocodile, 
and  very  like  the  huge  fossil  reptiles  in  the  British 
Museum. 

In  a  very  curious  old  Greek  picture  of  the  fourteenth 
century,  two    St.   Theodores  are  seen  on  horseback, 

armed  with  lances,  with  glories  round   their  heads,  and 

careering  at  fall  speed.*     By  the  description  wi  Bnd 

that  one  represents  St.  Theodore  of  Heraclea,  and   the 

other  St.  Theodore  Tyro  or  the  younger;  the  latter  is, 
I  believe,  the  patron  of  Venice,  and  the  same  whom 
we  find   in  the  early  Venetian   pictures,  young  and 

beautiful,  with  long,  dark  hair,  armed,  not  as  a  Bo- 
man  soldier,  but  B8  a  Christian  knight,  hearing  his 
sword  and   palm,  and  generally  in  companionship  with 

St.  ( taorge.1 

I  found  his  whole  story  on  one  of  the  magnificent 
windows  at  Chartres,  where  he  is  represented  firing  the 

temple  of  I  ybele. 

To  which  of  these  two  St.  Theodores  is  dedicated 

the  very  ancient   church   of  San    Teodoro  at   Rome,    l 

am  unable  to  decide  ;  the  figure  of  the  sainl  is  there 
represented  In  mosaic  over  the  altar,  in  company  with 
St    Peter  and  St.  Paul 

The  six  colossal  warrior  saints,  who  stand  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Monrcale  (Palermo)  over  the  arch  which 

•   D'Aglncourt,  pi  90. 

■  m  -    ■    :v  "f  si.  Mark's.     In  tba  Crystal  Palace  at 

Syil'-niiiim  aro  two  easts  Onon  ■aslant  haa-relWsal  Venice,  rep- 

DUOS,  Bt.  XhSOdON   mul  lUQeorSJB,  l>"lli   DMOntBd,  Bfld  l»"lti 
OCJBbeUnS.  the  druKuu. 


WARRIOR  SAINTS  OF  CHRISTENDOM.    407 

separates  the  choir  from  the  nave,  as  if  guarding  the 
sanctuary,  are  the  four  Greek  soldiers,  St.  George,  St. 
Demetrius,  St.  Mercurius,  and  St.  Theodore ;  and  the 
two  Roman  warriors,  St.  John  and  St.  Paul. 

Among  the  saints  who  were  imported  from  the  Le- 
vant by  Venice  in  her  palmy  days,  we  find  St.  Menna, 
a  Greek  warrior,  who  was  martyred  in  Phrygia,  by 
order  of  Galerius  Maximian  (Nov.  11,  a.  d.  301).  I 
have  met  with  but  one  effigy  of  this  saint ;  —  a  noble 
figure  by  Paul  Veronese,  standing  in  a  niche,  in  com- 
plete armor,  bareheaded,  and  leaning  on  his  sword. 


In  Western  Art,  the  warrior  saints,  who  have  been 
accepted  by  the  Latin  Church,  are  sometimes  repre- 
sented in  the  classical  military  costume ;  more  fre- 
quently in  the  mail  shirt  or  plate  armor  of  the  fifteenth 
century,  with  the  spurs,  the  lance,  the  banner,  and  other 
accoutrements  of  a  Christian  knight.  But  sometimes 
also  they  wear  the  court  dress  of  a  cavalier  of  the  fif- 
teenth century,  or  of  the  time  the  picture  was  painted  : 
a  vest  or  short  tunic,  furred  or  embroidered  ;  hose  of 
some  vivid  color,  crimson  or  violet ;  a  mantle,  and  a 
cap  and  feather ;  the  sword  either  girded  on,  or  held  in 
the  hand,  as  in  the  figure  of  St.  Sebastian,  and  that 
of  St.  Proculus.* 

St.  George,  that  universal  type  of  Christian  chivalry, 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  Latin  as  well  as  of  the  Greek 
warriors.  Next  to  him,  in  Italian  Art,  the  Roman  St. 
Sebastian  takes  the  place  of  the  Greek  St.  Demetrius. 
But  in  French  and  German  Art,  the  warrior,  who  is 
usually  found  as  a  pendant  to  St.  George,  is  St.  Mau- 
rice. In  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin,  in  Prince  Wal- 
-erstein's  collection,!  one  of  the  most  interesting  and 

*  On  one  of  the  old  windows  of  the  Cathedral  of  Cologne  we 
have  the  Nativity  of  our  Lord  attended  by  four  warriors,  —  St. 
George,  St.  Maurice,  St.  Adrian,  and  St.  Gereon. 

t  Now  at  Kensington  Palace. 


4o8       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

important  pictures  ever  brought  to  England,  live  gnat 

warrior  saints  of  the  West  are  grouped  together  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  composition  ;  tin ly  are  all  in  armor, 

with   embroidered   tunics,  and   all  crowned  with   laurel, 

••lined  of  mighty  conquerors  " ;  and  these  were  mighty 
conquerors  in  the  spiritual  as  well  as  the  earthly  boom, 

St.  George,  conspicuous  in  front,  wears  a  white  tunic, 
with  the  red  cross  on  the  clasp  of  his  baldrick  ;  St.  Mau- 
rice has  the  lar^e  cross  of  the  <  >rder  of  Savoy  einhroid. 
end  in  front  of  his  crimson  vest  ;  St.  Adrian  wears 
a  black  velvet  tunic  over  his  chain  armor,  and  a  collar 
Composed  Of  the  letters  a.D.li.CSl.X.fflUI  worked 
in  tfold.  The  saint  with  the  nine  halls  on  the  sleeve 
of  his  dress,  I  Buppose  to  he  St.  Quirinus  ;  the  liftli 
saint,  not  Otherwise  distinguished  than  by  his  armor 
and  his  laurel  wreath,  I  Buppose  to  he  either  the  Italian 
St.  Sebastian,  or  the  German  St.  Florian,  probably  the 
latter.  Like  all  the  other  figures  in  this  wonderful  pic- 
ture, each  head  is  finished  like  the  most  exquisite  min- 
iature, aud  has  the  look  of  a  portrait  from  nature. 


St.  Malkice. 

Lai.  Sanctum  Mauritius.  Ilul.  S:in  M.iuri/.iu.  Patron  saint  of  foot- 
toldlers;  patron  of  Baroy;  one  of  the  patrons  of  Austria,  and 
of  the  city  of  Mantua.     Sept.  22,  a.  d.  286. 

Tin.  legend  of  St.  Maurice  and  the  Thel.aii  legion  is 

of  great  antiquity,  and  baa  been  bo  universally  received 

■a*  authentic,  as  (0  MffTimfl  almost  the  importance  and 

credibility  of  an  historical  fad  i  as  early  a^  the  fourth 

century  the  \eneration  paid  DO  the  Thelian  maityTfl  had 
extended  through  Switzerland,  France,  (  ii-rmany,  and 
the  North  of  Italy.      The  Moiy  i-  thus  related. 

Among  the  legions  which  composed  the  Koinan  army, 
in  the  time  of  Diocletian  and  Maxiniiu,  was  one  styled 
the  "  Thehan  Legion,"  because  levied  originally  in  tin- 
Thebaid.  The  number  of  soldiers  composing  this  i-oqw 
Was  6,fi66,  and  all  were  Christians,  BS   remarkjihle   for 


ST.  MAURICE.  409 

their  valor  and  discipline  as  for  their  piety  and  fidelity. 
This  legion  had  obtained  the  title  of  Felix  ;  it  was  com- 
manded by  an  excellent  Christian  officer,  a  man  of  illus- 
trious birth,  whose  name  was  Maurice,  or  Mauritius. 

About  the  year  286,  Maximin  summoned  tho  Theban 
legion  from  the  East  to  reinforce  the  army  with  which 
he  was  about  to  march  into  Gaul.  The  passage  of  the 
Alps  being  effected,  some  companies  of  the  Theban 
legion  were  despatched  to  the  Rhine  ;  the  rest  of  the 
army  halted  on  the  banks  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  where 
Maximin  ordered  a  great  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  accom- 
panied by  the  games  and  ceremonies  usual  on  such 
occasions.  But  Maurice  and  his  Christian  soldiers 
withdrew  from  these  idolatrous  rites,  and,  retiring  to  a 
distance  of  about  three  leagues,  they  pitched  their  camp 
at  a  place  called  Aganum  (now  Saint-Maurice).  Max- 
imin insisted  on  obedience  to  his  commands,  at  the 
same  time  making  it  known  that  the  service  for  which 
he  required  their  aid  was  to  extirpate  the  Christians, 
whose  destruction  he  had  sworn. 

The  Theban  legion  with  one  voice  refused  either  to 
join  in  the  idolatrous  sacrifice  or  to  be  led  against 
their  fellow-Christians ;  and  the  emperor  ordered  the 
soldiers  to  be  decimated.  Those  upon  whom  the  lot 
fell,  rejoiced  as  though  they  had  been  elected  to  a  great 
honor ;  and  their  companions,  who  seemed  less  to  fear 
than  to  emulate  their  fate,  repeated  their  protest,  and 
were  a  second  time  decimated.  Their  officers  encour- 
aged them  to  perish  rather  than  yield  ;  and  when  sum- 
moned for  the  third  time,  Maurice,  in  the  name  of  his 
soldiers,  a  third  time  refused  compliance.  "  0  Cassar !  " 
(it  was  thus  he  addressed  the  emperor,)  "  we  are  thy 
soldiers,  but  we  are  also  the  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ. 
From  thee  we  receive  our  pay,  but  from  Him  we  have 
received  eternal  life.  To  thee  we  owe  sendee,  to  Him 
obedience.  We  are  ready  to  follow  thee  against  the 
Barbarians,  but  we  are  also  ready  to  suffer  death,  rather 
than  renounce  our  faith,  or  fight  against  our  brethren." 
Thus  he  spoke,  with  the  mild  courage  becoming  the 


4io        SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

Christian  warrior;  tmt  the  cruel  tyrant,  unmoved  hv 
mkIi  generous  heroism,  ordered  that  the  reel  of  the 
army  should  hem  round  the  devoted  legion,  and  thai  a 
genera]  massacre  should  take  place,  leaving  not  ono 

alive  ;  and  lie  was  oheved  :  if  lie  expected  resistance, 
lie  found  it  not.  neither  in  the  victim-  nor  the  execu- 
tioners. The  Christian  soldiers  flung  away  their  arms, 
and,  in  emulation  of  their  Divine   Master,  resigned 

themselves  as  ••  Bheep  to  the  slaughter."     S e  were 

trampled  down  by  the  cavalry;  some  hung  on  tie,  . 

and  shot  with  arrows;  xnne  were  killed  with  the 
-word  ;  Maurice  ami  other-  of  the  officers  knelt  down, 
and   in    this  attitude  their  heads  were  struck  off:    thus 

they  all  perished. 

Other  companies  of  the  Theban  legion,  under  the 
command  of  Gereon,  reached  the  city  of  Cologne  on 

the    Rhine,  where    the    prefect    VarUS,   bj     order   of   the 

emperor,  required  them  cither  to  forsake  their  faith  ox 

sutler   death;    <  iereon,    with    fifty    (or,    a-    others   tell, 

three  hundred  ami  eighteen)  of  his  companions,  were 

accordingly  put  to  death   in  one  day,  and  their  bodies 

were  thrown  into  a  pit.  And,  besides  these,  man] 
other  soldiers  of  the  Theban  legion  Buffered  martyrdom 
for  the  sake  of  '  Ihrist,  bo  that  their  name-  form  ■  long 

li-t.  St.  -Maurice  and  St.  (iereon  are  the  most  hon- 
ored in  Germany.  Piedmont,  Savoy,  and  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Cologne  abound  in  saints  of  the  Theban 
legion.* 

St.  Maurice  is  usually  represented  in  complete  armor; 
he  bears  the  palm  in  one  hand,  and  a  standard  in  the 

other.       In    Italian    work-    of   Art,    he    i-    habited    B 

Soman  soldier,  and  bears  the  large  red  cross,  the  badge 
of  the  Sardinian  Order  of  St.  Maurice,  on  his  breast. 
In  old  German  pictures  he  is  often  represented  a-  a 

M '.  either    in    allusion    to    hi-    name    01    hi-   African 

origin.1 

*  Then  are  five  charones  In  England  dedicated  In  honor  of  Bt 

•  Then  i«  «urh  n  pirtur<>  in  the  Munich  Oml .  Wo.  19 


ST.  MAURICE.  4n 

In  San-Maurizio  at  Milan,  over  the  altar,  wc  have 
on  the  left  St.  Maurice,  kneeling,  and  beheaded,  and 
his  companions  standing  round ;  on  the  right,  St. 
Maurice  standing  on  a  pedestal,  while  St.  Sigismond 
presents  to  him  the  model  of  the  church ;  —  fine  frescos 
by  Luini. 

In  a  small  full-length  figure  by  Hemskirk,  he  wears 
a  suit  of  black  armor,  with  a  crimson  mantle,  and  bears 
on  his  shield  and  banner  the  Austrian  eagle :  he  is 
here  one  of  the  patrons  of  Austria.  He  stands  on  the 
left  of  the  Madonna  in  Mantegna's  famous  Madonna 
della  Vittoria  in  the  Louvre.  He  is  here  one  of  the 
patrons  of  Mantua. 

Other  saints  of  theTheban  legion,  venerated  through 
the  North  of  Italy,  are  St.  Secundus  (Asti),  St.  Alex- 
ander* (Bergamo),  St.  Theonestus  (Vercelli),  St.  An- 
toninus (Piacenza). 

In  the  account-book  of  Guercino,  published  by  Calvi 
iind  Malvasia,  we  find  an  entry  of  four  hundred  ducats 
/eceived  for  a  picture,  ordered  by  Madame  Royale  of 
Savoy,  "  of  the  Virgin  in  glory  ;  and  below,  three  War- 
rior Saints,  wearing  on  their  breast  the  cross  of  the 
Order  of  St.  Maurice,  who  were  SS.  Aventore,  Audi- 
tore,  and  Ottavio,"  three  of  the  companions  of  St. 
Maurice,  mentioned  in  the  legend. t 

The  Martyrdom  of  the  Theban  legion  is  not  a 
common  subject,  but  there  are  some  remarkable  ex- 
amples. In  the  Pitti  Palace  there  is  a  picture  by 
Pontormo,  with  numerous  small  figures,  exquisitely 
painted ;  but  the  conception  is  displeasing  ;  a  great 
number  of  the  martyrs  are  crucified,  and  the  figures 
are  undraped.  Another  picture  of  the  same  subject, 
by  the  same  painter,  in  the  Florence  Gallery,  is  equal- 
ly  unpleasing   and   inappropriate    in    treatment;  the 

*  There  is  a  splendid  church  at  Milan  dedicated  to  this  military 
Sant'  Alessandro.  Over  the  high  altar  is  the  martyrdom  of  the 
saint,  and  St.  Grata  receiving  the  severed  head,  which  is  offered 
in  a  napkin. 

t  Turin,  in  the  church  of  the  "  Gesuiti,"  which  is  dedicated  tu 
them. 


4ia       8 ACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART. 

Christian  Boldiera  arc  scon  contending  with  their  ad 
rersaries,  which  ia  contrary  t<>  the  spiril  and  the  tenor 
of  the  legend  aa  handed  down  to  as.  In  the  Munich 
Gallery,  apon  two  wings  of  an  altar-piece  bj  Peter  de 
Man-.  «r  have,  <>n  one  side,  St.  Maurice  and  hi> 
companions  refusing  t<>  sacrifice  t"  idols ;  and  on  the 
other,  St.  Maurice  beheaded,  while  the  Emperor 
M;i\iinin  looks  on,  mounted  <>n  a  white  horae:  both 
pieces  arc  verj  curious  and  expressive,  and,  thougk 
grotesque  in  the  accessaries,  infinitely  more  true  is 
feeling  than  the  classical  ami  elaborate  pictures  by 
Pontormo.* 

St.  Gereon  also  wears  the  armor,  nml  carries  the" 
standard  and  the  palm  ;  Bometimea  he  has  the  Em- 
peror Maximin  under  his  foot,  t<>  express  the  spiritual 
triumph  of  faith  over  tyranny.  The  celebritj  of  8t 
Gereon  appears  to  be  confined  to  thai  part  of  Ger« 
many  which  was  the  acene  <>i  lii-  martyrdoni :  at 
Cologne  there  is  a  church  dedicated  to  him  ;  and  he  i^ 
frequently  met  with  in  the  sculpture  and  stained  ^lusa 
of  the  old  <  lerman  churches. 

*  There  is  a  celebrated  woodcut  by  Albert  Purer,  which  repre- 
sents a  multitude  "f  martyrs  suffering  every,  *»rtoty  i,f  de»tb  ; 
some  are  crucified,  some  arc  Huhk  from  rocks.  At  first  view, 
this  mijfht  be  mistaken  tor  the  martyrdom  of  the  Theban  I'^lon  ; 
but  it  is  a  different  story,  mm]  represent!  the  muuere  •■(  the 
•  iiristians  by  Sapor,  king  ot  !'•  rata,  popularly  known  a*  tin  "  Le- 
gend "f  the  Ten  Thousand  Martyrs." 

There  i|  another  mild  legend  of  ten  thousand  martyrs,  all  i-ni- 
elfled  together  by  order  of  the  Emperor  Adrian,  "on  ■  oertain 
I  mountain culled  tfounl  Ararat."  [Bee  the  titgenda  Auria.) 
It  is  this  legend  which  i  suppose  t<>  be  represented  by  Oarpaoctt 
in  a  picture  dow  iri  the  Academy  at  Venice,  and  which  i*  known 
to  eoBaeton  bj  the  large  annul  angiaelng  In  '-i^ia  ihet  t- 1  it  is 
ri-ry  line  .  |  the  martyrs  arc  tied  t<>  the  stems  ■  >(  raat 

■was  in  grand  attitudes,  and  then  are  nearly  three  bundled  Bg» 
ur- 1  in  all  ("■■•■  /  orarf,  '  'in  'ii  Searpaccia  I ;  and  the  lame  sub- 
ject I  i»  lleva  to  be  n  presented  In  the  two  pictures  by  Pontormo, 
1  the  Theban  Id  KJ     ri  1MQ  Itda  extravsi 

punt  legend  a  popular 


8T.  LONGINUB.  4,3 

1.  In  the  famous  old  altar-piece  by  Master  Stephen 
of  Cologne,  now  in  the  Cathedral,  he  is  standing  on 
one  side  in  a  suit  of  gilt  armor  and  a  blue  mantle,  at- 
tended by  his  companion-martyrs  (his  pendant  on  the 
other  side,  is  St.  Ursula  with  her  companions). 

2.  In  a  tine  old  Crucifixion  by  Bartholomew  tie 
Bruyn,  St.  Gereon  is  standing  in  armor,  with  his  ban- 
ner and  shield,  and  a  votary  kneeling  before  him  (here 
his  pendant  is  St.  Stephen).* 

3.  "  St.  Gereon  and  his  Companions"  ;  in  the  Mo- 
ritzkapelle  at  Nuremberg  (here  his  pendant  is  St.  Mau- 
rice with  his  companions).  I  remember  no  Italian 
picture  in  which  St.  Gereon  is  represented. 

4.  In  a  Crucifixion  by  Israel  v.  Meckenem,  St.  Ur- 
sula stands  on  one  side  presenting  a  group  of  young 
maidens,  and  St.  Gereon  on  the  other.  (He  is  called 
in  the  catalogue  St.  Hippolytus  ;  —  a  mistake. )t 


St.  Longinus. 

Ital.  San  Longino.     Fr.  Saint  Longin.     Sainct  Longis.     Patron 
saint  of  Mantua.     March  15,  a.  d.  45. 

St.  Longinus  is  the  name  given  in  the  legends  to 
the  centurion  who  pierced  the  side  of  our  Saviour, 
and  who,  on  seeing  the  wonders  and  omens  which  ac- 
companied his  death,  exclaimed,  "  Truly  this  man  was 
the  Son  of  God !  "  J  Thus  he  became  involuntarily 
the  first  of  the  Gentiles  who  acknowledged  the  divine 
mission  of  Christ.  It  is  related  that,  shortly  after  he 
had  uttered  these  words,  he  placed  his  hands,  stained 
with  the  blood  of  our  Lord,  before  his  eyes ;  and  im- 
mediately a  great  imperfection  and  weakness  in.  his 
sight  (i.e.  spiritual  blindness)  which  had  afflicted  him 
for  many  years,  was  healed ;  and  he  turned  away  re- 

*  Munich  Gal. 

f  Munich  Cabinet,  11.  27. 

t  Matt,  xxvii.  54  ;  Mark  xv.  39  ;  John  xix.  34. 


4i4       SACRED  AND  LEGENDARY  ART, 

pen  tan  t,  and  sought  the  Apostles,  by  whom  li«'  \\a^ 
baptized  and  received  int<>  the  Church  of  Christ.  At 
terwards  be  retired  to  Csesarea,  and  dwelt  there  toy 
twenty-eight  years,  converting  aumbers  to  the  Chris 
tian  faith;  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  \\a-  seized 
by  order  of  the  governor,  and  ordered  to  sacrifice  t" 
the  false  gods.  Longinns  not  only  refused,  but  being 
impatient  to  receive  the  crown  <>t'  martyrdom,  he  as- 
sured the  governor,  who  was  blind,  that  he  would 
recover  his  Bight  onlj  after  putting  him  t<>  death.  Ac 
cordingly,  the  governor  commanded  that  he  should  be 
beheaded, and  immediately  his  Bight  was  restored;  and 
he  also  became  a  Christian;  but  Longinns  \\a-  re- 
ceived into  eternal  glory,  being  "the  first-fruits  <>i  the 
( lentiles." 

This  wild  legend,  which  is  of  great  antiquity,  was 
early  repudiated  by  the  Church;  it  remained,  however, 
popular  among  the  people  ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  keep 
it  in  mind,  in  order  to  understand  the  significance  given 
to  the  figure  of  the  centurion  in  must  of  the  ancient 
pictures  of  the  Crucifixion.  Sometimes  he  is  gazing 
up  at  the  Saviour  with  an  expression  of  adoration  ; 
sometimes  his  hands  are  clasped  in  devotion  ;  sometimes 
he  is  Been  wringing  his  bands  as  one  in  an  agony  of 
grief  and  repentance  ;  and  I  have  seen  an  old  carving 
in  which  he  covers  hi>  cms  with  his  hands,  in  allusion 
to  the  legend.  In  the  Crucifixion  by  Michele  da  Vi 
rona,  he  is  on   horseback,  and    looks  op,   his  bands 

ped,  and    holding   his   cap,  which   lie  lias   reverently 

removed.* 

In  the  Crucifixion  l>y  Bimone  Mcuuui.  in  the  chapel 
iA '  SpagrmdU  at  Florence,  Longinns  i>  conspicuous  in  a 

rich  suit  of  Mack  and  gold  armor,  looking  up  with  fer- 

\cnt  devotion. 

When  introduced  into  pictures  or  sculpture,  either  as 
a  single  figure,  or  grouped  with  other  -amis,  St.  Lon 
ginus  wean  the  habit  of  a  Roman  soldier,  and  carries 
a  lance  or  spear  in  his  hand.     He  i-  thus  represented 

HOao,  Brtra. 


ST.   VICTOR.  415 

In  the  colossal  marble  statue  which  stands  under  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome.  The  reason  of  his  being 
placed  there,  is  the  tradition,  that  the  spear  wherewith 
he  pierced  the  side  of  our  Saviour  is  preserved  to  this 
day  among  the  treasures  of  the  Church. 

Some  relics,  said  to  be  those  of  St.  Longinua,  were 
brought  to  Mantua  in  the  eleventh  century,  and  lie  has 
since  been  reverenced  as  one  of  the  patron  saints  of 
that  city. 

For  the  chapel  dedicated  to  him  in  the  church  of 
Sant'  Andrea,  at  Mantua,  Giulio  Romano  painted  a  fa- 
mous Nativity,  in  which  the  saint  is  standing  on  one 
side,  holding  a  pix  or  reliquary,  containing  a  portion 
of  the  blood  of  our  Saviour,  which,  according  to  the 
tradition,  had  been  preserved  by  St.  Longinus,  and 
brought  to  Mantua  from  the  Holy  Land.  This  picture, 
once  in  possession  of  our  Charles  I.,  is  now  in  the 
Louvre.  For  the  altar-piece  of  the  same  chapel,  An- 
drea Mantegna  painted  the  Saviour  as  risen  from  the 
tomb,  with  St.  Andrew  on  one  side  and  St.  Longinus 
on  the  other.  In  the  Madonna  della  Vittoria,  painted 
by  Mantegna  for  Federigo  Gonzago,  St.  Longinus 
stands  behind,  on  the  left  of  the  Virgin,  in  a  Roman 
helmet,  and  distinguished  by  his  tall  lance.* 


St.  Victor. 

Hal.  San  Vittore.    July  21,  a.  d.  303. 

There  are  two  St.  Victors  who  figure  in  works  of 
Art. 

St.  Victor  of  Marseilles  was  a  Roman  soldier 
serving  in  the  armies  of  Diocletian ;  being  denounced 
as  a  Christian  in  the  tenth  great  persecution,  neither 
tortures  nor  bribes  could  induce  him  to  forsake  his 
faith.     In  the  midst  of  the  torments  to  which  he  was 


4,6       8ACRED   AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

condemned,  a  small  altar  was  broughl  to  him,  mi  which 
to  offer  incense  t<>  Jupiter,  and  thus  Bave  himself  from 
deatb  ;  bnt  in  the  fervor  of  hi>  zeal  he  overthrew  it 
u  nli  hi-  foot,  and  broke  the  idol.  He  was  then  crashed 
with  a  millstone,  and  final!]  beheaded  with  three  "t' 
his  companions,  whom  he  had  converted.  At  the 
moment  of  his  death,  angels  wen-  heard  singing  in 
chorus,  ••  Vicisti,  Victor  Beate,  Vicisti!" 

The  reverence  paid  to  this  Bainl  i-  principally  con- 
fined to  France.  He  is  general!]  represented  in  the 
dress  of  a  Roman  Boldier,  with  a  millstone  near  him. 
I  have  Been  him  <>n  one  <>t'  the  windows  i>t'  Strasburg 
Cathedra]  in  a  full  Buit  of  chain  armor,  with  shield 
:iinl  Bpurs,  like  a  knight  <>!'  romance. 

St.  Victoh  of  Milab  was  also  a  Roman  soldier, 
and  Buffered  in  the  Bame  persecution.  He  was  a  luit i \  i- 
of  Mauritania,  but  quartered  at  that  time  in  the  city 
of  Milan.  He  was  denounced  as  s  Christian,  and, 
after  Buffering  Bevere  torments,  he  was  beheaded  by 
order  of  the  Emperor  Maximian.     (Maj  8.) 

This  Bainl  is  greatly  honored  throughout  Lombardy, 
ami  is  the  favorite  militarj  Baint  in  the  North  >>i  Italy. 
He  i-  often  introduced  into  the  pictures  of  1 1 • « -  .Milan 
and  Brescian  Bchools  ;  and  is  sometimes  represented  aa 
m  Moor  ("  Son  Vittore-il-Moro"),  wearing  the  habit  "t 
;i  Etonian  Boldier.  In  hi-  church  at  Milan  (which,  at 
the  time  I  visited  it,  was  crowded  with  soldiers)  there 
i-  a  tine  picture  >>n  the  lift  of  the  high  altar,  by  Enea 
Salmeggia,  representing  St  Victor  as  victorious  (in  allu- 
sion t"  hi-  name),  mounted  on  a  white  horse,  which  i- 
bounding  forward.  In  his  church  at  Cremona,  there 
i-  a  splendid  Madonna  picture,  by  Andrea  Campi,  in 
which  St.  Victor  i-  the  principal  Baint,  standing  wcto- 
rtitwa,  with  hi-  foot  "ii  a  broken  altar.  According  to 
some  authorities,  thii  81  Victor  was  thrown  into  » 
flaming  oven  ;  ami  i-  therefore  represented  with  an 
oven  near  him,  from  which  the  Hamc-  are  issuing  ;  hut 
I  have  nevi  r  yet  met  with  an  instance  of  tin-  attribute 


ST.  EUSTACE.  4i7 


St.  Eustace. 

ZM.  Sanctus  Eustatius.    Ital.  Sant'  Eustachio.    Fr.  St.  Eustache 
Sept.  20,  A.  D.  118. 

"  St.  Eustace  was  a  Roman  soldier,  and  captain 
of  the  guards  to  the  Emperor  Trajan.  His  name  be- 
fore his  conversion  was  Placidus,  and  he  had  a  beau- 
tiful wife  and  two  sons,  and  lived  with  great  magnifi- 
cence, practising  all  the  heathen  virtues,  particularly 
those  of  loyalty  to  his  sovereign  and  charity  to  the 
poor.  He  was  also  a  great  lover  of  the  chase,  spend- 
ing much  of  his  time  in  that  noble  diversion. 

"  One  day,  while  hunting  in  the  forest,  he  saw  be- 
fore him  a  white  stag,  of  marvellous  beauty,  and  he 
pursued  it  eagerly,  and  the  stag  fled  before  him,  and 
ascended  a  high  rock.  Then  Placidus,  looking  up, 
beheld,  between  the  horns  of  the  stag,  a  cross  of  radiant 
light,  and  on  it  the  image  of  the  crucified  Redeemer  ; 
and  being  astonished  and  dazzled  by  this  vision,  he  fell 
on  his  knees,  and  a  voice  which  seemed  to  come  from 
the  crucifix  cried  to  him,  and  said,  '  Placidus  !  why 
dost  thou  pursue  me  ?  I  am  Christ,  whom  thou  hast 
hitherto  served  without  knowing  me.  Dost  thou  now 
believe  1 '  And  Placidus  fell  with  his  face  to  the  earth, 
and  said, '  Lord,  I  believe  ! '  And  the  voice  answered, 
saying,  '  Thou  shalt  sutler  many  tribulations  for  my 
sake,  and  shalt  be  tried  by  many  temptations  ;  but  be 
strong  and  of  good  courage,  and  I  will  not  forsake 
thee.'  To  which  Placidus  replied,  '  Lord,  I  am  con- 
tent. Do  thou  give  me  patience  to  suffer  ! '  And 
when  he  looked  up  again  the  wondrous  vision  had  de- 
parted. Then  he  arose  and  returned  to  his  house,  and 
the  next  day  he  and  his  wife  and  his  two  sous  were 
baptized,  and  he  took  the  name  of  Eustace.  But  it 
happened  as  it  was  foretold  to  him  ;  for  all  his  posses- 
sions were  spoiled  by  robbers,  and  pirates  took  away 
(lis  beautiful  and  loving  wife  ;  and   being  reduced  to 

vol.  II.  27 


4i 8       8ACR1  D   AND   LEGENDARY   AST. 

poverty,  and  in  deep  affliction,  he  wandered  forth  with 
his  !\\n  children,  and,  coming  to  a  river  swollen  with 
torrents,  lie  considered  how  he  mighl  cross  it.     He 

took  One  of  his  children  in  hi-  arm-,  and  -wain  across, 

ami  having  safely  lai<l  the  child  on  the  opposite  hank, 
he  returned  l<>r  the  other  ;  but,  just  as  he  had  reached 
the  middle  of  the  stream,  a  wolf  came  up  and  Beized 
on  the  child  he  had  left,  and  ran  off  with  it  into  the 
forest ;  and  when  he  turned  to  his  other  child,  behold, 
a  lion  was  in  the  act  of  carrying  it  oil'!  Ami  the 
wretched  father  tore  his  hair,  ami  hnr.-t  into  lamenta- 
tion-, till  remembering  that  he  had  accepted  of  sorrow 
and  trial,  and  that  he  was  to  have  patience  in  the  hour 

of  tribulation,  he  dried  his  tear-  and  prayed  for  resig- 
nation ;  ami,  coming  to  a  village,  he  abode  there  for 
fifteen  years,  living  bj  the  labor  of  bis  hand-.     At  the 

•nd  of  that  time,  the    Kniperor  Adrian    being  then  on 

the  throne,  ami  requiring  the  services  of  Placidus,  sent 
out  Boldiers  to  Beek  him  through  all  the  kingdoms  of 

tin-  earth.  At  length  they  found  him,  and  he  was  re- 
stored   to    all    his    former  honors,  and  again  led  on  hi- 

troopa  to  victory  ;  ami  the  emperor  loaded  him  with 

favon  and  riches  ;  hut  his  heart  wa-  sad  lor  the  |o--  of 
hi- wife  and  children.      Meanwhile,  hi-  -mis  had    been 

rescued  from  the  jaws  of  the  wild  beasts,  ami  hi-  wife 
had  escaped  from  the  pirates  ;  ami,  after  many  war-, 

they  met  and  recognized  each  other,  ami  were  reunited  ; 
and  Eustace  said  in  hi-  heart,  •  Sureh  all  mv  Inhala- 
tion i-  at  an  end  !  '       Bui   it  wa-    not    go  :    lor  the  llin- 

peror  Adrian  commanded  a  great  sacrifice  and  thanks- 
giving to  hi-  false  gods,  in  consequence  of  a  victor] 
he  had  gained  over  the  Barbarians.  St.  Eustace  and 
hi-  family  refused  to  oiler  incense,  remaining  stead- 
fast in  the  Christian  faith.  Whereupon  the  emperor 
ordered  'hat  thej  should  he  -hut  up  in  a  brazen  hull, 

and  a    lire    kindled    under    it  ;    and    thu-    thc\    |,eri-hcd 

together." 

There  is  nothing  in  this  legendarj  romance  to  rec- 
ommend   it,   hut    It     ha-    been    popular  from    the    carlie-l 

limes,  and  i-  constantly  met  with  in  Art. 


ST.    QriRLVPS.—  ST.  FLORIAX.         419 

In  the  devotional  pictures,  St.  Eustace  is  represented 
cither  as  a  Roman  soldier,  or  armed  as  a  knight ;  near 
him  the  miraculous  stag.  In  a  picture  by  N.  Soggi 
(a  rare  master,  who  lived  and  worked  about  1512)  he 
stands  armed  with  a  kind  of  mace  or  battle-axe,  and 
his  two  sons,  as  boys  with  palms  and  glories,  stand  be- 
lli ml  him.* 

The  "  Conversion  of  St.  Eustace "  is  only  distin- 
guished from  the  legeud  of  St.  Hubert  by  the  classical 
or  warrior  costume.  The  martyrdom  of  St.  Eustace 
and  his  family  in  the  brazen  bull  I  have  frequently  met 
with ;  and  a  series  of  subjects  from  this  legend  is  often 
found  in  the  stained  glass  and  sculpture  of  the  old 
French  cathedrals. t 


St.  Quirinus  was  another  Roman  soldier,  serving 
under  the  Emperor  Aurelian.  As  he  did  not  hesitate 
both  to  profess  and  preach  openly  the  Christian  faith, 
he  suffered  martyrdom  by  being  dragged  to  death  by 
horses  ;  his  tongue  was  first  thrown  to  a  hawk.  He  is 
represented  in  armor,  with  a  horse  and  a  hawk  near 
him,  bearing  a  shield  with  nine  balls,  and  the  palm  as 
martyr.  Of  this  military  saint  I  have  met  with  only 
one  representation,  in  an  old  German  picture ;  where 
he  stands  in  complete  armor,  bearing  the  standard,  on 
which  are  nine  balls.}: 


St.  Florian,  one  of  the  eight  tutelar  saints  of 
Austria,  was  another  Roman  soldier,  who,  professing 
Christianity,  was  martyred  in  the  reign  of  Galerius. 

*  Florence,  Pitti  Pal. 

t  St.  Eustace  has  been  banished  from  the  English  Calendar;  there 
are,  however,  three  churches  in  England  dedicated  in  his  name. 

{  A  St.  Quirinus,  bishop  of  Sissek  in  Croatia,  and  martyr  (June 
4,  a.  d.  309),  is  one  of  the  eight  tutelar  saints  of  Austria  ;  he  was 
thrown  into  a  river  with  a  millstone  round  his  neck  ;  he  figures  in 
Albert  Durer's  fine  print  of  the  patrons  of  the  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian. 


^o       SACRED  AND   LEGENDARY  ART. 

He  was  m  native  of  Eune,  in  Lower  Austria,  and  worked 
many  miracles:  among*  others  he  is  said  to  have  extin- 
guished a  conflagration  by  throwing  a  pitcherful  of 
water  over  the  flames.  A  Btone  «^  tied  round  his 
neck,  and  he  was  flung  into  the  river  Enns.     (May  4.) 

St.  Florian  is  rarely  met  with  in  Italian  Art,  but  he 
occurs  frequently  in  the  old  German  prints  and  pic- 
cures;  and  in  Austria  and  Bohemia  we  encounter  him 
in  almost  every  town  and  village,  standing,  in  a  Borl  of 
half-military,  half-ecclesiastical  coBtume,  at  the  cornet 
of  a  street  or  iii  an  open  space,  generally  marking  the 
gpol  on  which  Borne  destructive  fire  occurred  or  was 
arrested.  1  have  often  found  his  statue  on  a  pump  or 
fountain.  He  is  also  painted  on  the  outside  of  houses, 
in  armor,  and  iii  1 1 1 « -  act  of  throwing  water  from  a 
bucket  or  pitcher  on  a  house  in  flames.  The  magnifl- 
cenl  monastery  of  St.  Florian,  which  is  also  a  famous 
seminary,  commemorates  the  scene  and  the  legend  of 
his  life  and  martyrdom.  "St.  Florian  in  a  deacon's 
dress,  his  righl  hand  on  a  millstone,  his  martyrdom  in 
the  background,"  is  described  in  a  picture  by  Murillo.* 
The  costume  is,  I  think,  a  mistake. 


The  legend  of  St.  Hippolytus  (San?  Ippolito  Romano), 
the  friend  of  St.  Laurence,  1  have  alread)  given  at 
length,  and  Bhall  only  add,  that  in  the  fine  Coronation 
nf  the  Virgin  in  the  Wallerstein  collection  he  stands 
behind  St  Laurence,  in  annul-,  and  with  the  head  of  a 
Moor  "i  for  this  peculiarity  I  find  n<>  authority  ; 

there  seems  to  have  been  some  confusion  in  the  paint  i  - 
mind  between  the  Moorish  saim>,  St.  Maurice  and  St. 
Victor,  and  Si.  Hippolytus  the  Roman. 

When  we  find  St.  Hippolytus  in  the  Brescian  pic- 
tures, it  i-  because  the  inhabitant!  ol  Brescia  claim  t« 
big  nil.-.     They  insist  that  the  bodj  of  the 

-,  witli  that  ol'   St.    Julia,  m  the  .oiiwnt  ..! 
■I'll  ibnrg,  Hermitage. 


ST.  PROCULUS.  —  ST.   QU1NT1N.         4zi 

Santa  Giulia  in  Brescia.  There  was  a  fine  figure  of  St. 
Hippolytus,  accompanied  by  Str.  Catherine  (St.  Julia? ), 
by  Moretto  di  Brescia,  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  W. 
Coningham,  and  probably  painted  for  this  convent. 


St.  Proculus,  military  protector  of  Bologna,  is 
often  found  in  the  pictures  of  that  school  of  Art,  and 
sometimes  also  in  the  North  of  Italy.  This  is  the  only 
saint,  as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  of  whom  an  act  of  vio- 
lence and  resistance  is  recorded.  When  the  tenth  jjerse- 
cution  broke  out,  a  cruel  officer  named  Marinas  was 
sent  to  Bologna  to  enforce  the  imperial  edict ;  and  Pro- 
culus, more  of  a  Roman  than  a  Christian,  being  moved 
with  indignation  and  pity  because  of  the  sufferings  of 
the  martyrs,  entered  the  house  of  Marinus,  and  put 
him  to  death  with  an  axe  :  *  this  axe  is  usually  placed 
in  his  band.  In  some  effigies  he  carries  a  head  in  both 
hands ;  whether  his  own,  or  that  of  Marinus,  does  not 
seem  clear.  In  the  Bolognese  pictures,  San  Proculo 
Vescovo  and  San  Proculo  Solduto  are  sometimes  found 
together  as  joint  patrons. 

In  a  beautiful  altar-piece  by  Don  Lorenzo  Monaco, 
St.  Proculus  is  represented  as  a  young  saint,  leaning  on 
a  sword,  the  belt  of  which  he  holds  in  one  hand.  The 
name  is  inscribed  underncath.t 

The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Proculus,  by  Palma  Vecchio, 
is  at  Venice,  in  the  church  of  St.  Zaccaria. 


St.  Quintin,  the  son  of  Zeno,  held  a  high  command 
in  the  Roman  army,  and  being  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  he  threw  away  his  arms  and  preached  to  the 
people  of  Gaul,  particularly  at  Amiens  and  in  the  coun- 
try of  Belgium  ;  but  being  denounced  before  the  prefect 

*  In  Guido's  picture  dedicated  after  the  plague  at  Bologna,  St. 
Proculus  appears  as  a  fine  martial  figure,  with  an  angel  holding 
the  axe.     (Legends  of  the  Madonna..1 

t  Academy,  Florence. 


422      n .  1 1  v; /■:/>  a  x i)  1. 1: <; r.x da  r  \ '  a  r  t. 

Rictius  Varus,  lie  suffered  a  cruel  martyrdom.  He  is 
represented  in  armor,  and  his  proper  attribute  is  an  iron 
spit  on  which  he  was  impaled  ;  but  this  is  often  omit- 
ted :  he  is  famous  in  the  old  French  and  Flemish  eccle- 
siastical decorations,  hut  so  rare  in  Italian  Art  that  I 
can  remember  no  example. 


The  last  of  these  military  saints  who  may  be  consid- 
ered of  sufficient  importance  to  require  a  detailed  notice, 

is  St.  Amu  an,  illustrious  throughout  all  Christendom, 
both  in  the  East  and  in  the  West  ;  but  less  popular  as  a 

subject  of  Art  than  might  have  been  expected  from  the 

antiquity  of  his  worship,  and  the  picturesque  as  well  as 
pathetic  circumstances  of  t h<-  legend. 

"  Adrian,  the  son  of  Probus,  was  a  noble  Roman ;  he 
served  in  the  guards  of  the  Emperor  Galerius  Maxim- 
ian,  at  the  time  when  the  tenth  persecution  against  the 
servants  of  our  Lord  first  broke  out  in  the  city  of  Nico- 
media,  in  Bithynia  |  \.  i>.  U'JO).  Adrian  was  then  not 
more  than  twenty-eight  years  old,  and  he  was  married 
to  a  wife  exceedingly  fair  and  rirtuous,  whose  name 
was  Natalia,  and  she  was  Becretly  a  Christian. 

••  When  the  imperial  edict  was  first  promulgated,  it 

had  been  torn  down  by  the  brave  St.  George,  which  so 

incensed  the  wicked  emperors,  that  in  one  day  thirty- 
lour  Christians  were  condemned  to  the  torture;  and  it 
fell  to  the  lot  of  Adrian  to  superintend  the  execution  ; 
and  as  he  stood  by,  wondering  at  the  constancy  with 
which  these  men  Buffered  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  bis 
heart  was  suddenly  touched,  and  he  threw  away  his 
arms,  and  Bat  down  in  the  midst  of  the  condemned,  and 
said  aloud,  'Consider  me  also  a~  one  of  ye,  fbr  I  too 
will  be  a  Christian!1  Then  he  was  carried  to  prison 
with  the  i 

"  Hut  when  his  wife,   Natalia,  heard  these  things,  she 

was  transported  with  joy;  ami  came  to  the  prison,  and 
I'M  upon  her  husband's  neck  and  kissed  his  chains,  and 
encouraged  him  to  suffer  fbr  the  truth. 


ST.  ADRIAN  AND  ST.  NATALIA.        423 

«  And  shortly  afterwards,  Adrian,  being  condemned 
to  die,  on  the  night  before  he  was  to  suffer  prevailed 
upon  the  jailer  by  large  bribes,  and  by  giving  sureties 
for  his  return,  to  permit  him  to  visit  his  wife. 

"  And  Natalia  was  spinning  in  her  chamber  when 
the  news  was  brought  that  her  husband  had  fled  from 
prison ;  and  when  she  heard  it  she  tore  her  garments, 
and  threw  herself  upon  the  earth,  and  lamented,  and 
exclaimed  aloud  :  'Alas  !  miserable  that  lam!  I  have 
not  deserved  to  be  the  wife  of  a  martyr !  Now  will 
men  point  at  me,  and  say,  "  Behold  the  wife  of  the 
coward  and  apostate,  who,  "for  fear  of  death,  hath  denied 

his  God." 

"Now  Adrian,  standing  outside  the  door,  heard 
these  words  ;  and  he  lifted  up  his  voice  and  said  :  <  O 
thou  noble  and  strong-hearted  woman !  I  bless  God 
that  I  am  not  unworthy  of  thee !  Open  the  door,  that 
I  may  bid  thee  farewell  before  I  die.'  So  she  arose 
joyfully,  and  opened  the  door  to  him,  and  took  him  in 
her  arms  and  embraced  him,  and  they  returned  to  the 
prison  together. 

"  The  next  day,  Adrian  was  dragged  before  the  tri- 
bunal ;  and  after  being  cruelly  scourged  and  tortured, 
he  was  carried  back  to  his  dungeon ;  but  the  tyrants, 
bearing  of  the  devotion  of  his  wife  and  other  Christian 
women,  who  ministered  to  the  prisoners,  ordered  that 
no  woman  should  be  allowed  to  enter  the  dungeon. 
Thereupon  Natalia  cut  off  all  her  beautiful  hair,  and 
put  on  the  dress  of  a  man  ;  and  thus  she  gained  access 
to  the  presence  of  her  husband,  whom  she  found  lying 
on  the  earth,  torn  and  bleeding.  And  she  took  him  in 
her  arms,  saying  tenderly,  '  O  light  of  mine  eyes  aud 
husband  of  mine  heart !  blessed  art  thou,  who  art  called 
to  suffer  for  Christ's  sake  ! '  And  Adrian  was  comfort- 
ed, and  prepared  himself  to  endure  bravely  to  the  end. 

"  And  the  next  day,  the  tyrants  ordered  that  Adrian 
should  have  his  limbs  struck  off  on  a  blacksmith's  an- 
vil, and  afterwards  be  beheaded,  and  so  it  was  done  to 
him ;  and  Natalia  held  him  aud  sustained  him  in  his 


+i4         S.\ii;/1>    AM)    I.I  '.I  SDAliY    ART. 

6iiflcrinc:s,  and  before  the  last  blow  was  struck  he  ex- 
pired in  her  arms. 

"  Thru  Natalia  kissed  liim  upon  the  brOW,  and,  Stoop- 
ing, took  op  one  of  the  severed  hands,  and  put  it  in  her 
bosom  ;  and,  returning  to  her  house,  Bhe  folded  up  the 
hand  in  a  kerchief  of  fine  linen,  with  spices  and  per- 
fumes, and  placed  it  at  the  head  of  her  bed  ;  but  the 
bodies  of  Adrian  and  his  companions  were  carried  by 
the  Christians  to  Byzantium,  which  was  afterwards 
Constantinople. 

•■  And  it  happened  after  these  things,  that  the  em- 
peror threatened   to  marry  Natalia,  by  force,  to  ODfl  of 

the  tribunes  of  the  army.  Therefore  Bhe  Bed,  and  em- 
barked on  board  a  vessel,  and  sailed  for  Argyropolis,  a 

port  near  Byzantium  ;  and  the  remainder  of  her  life  did 
she  pass  in  widowhood,  near  the  tomb  of  her  husband. 

And  often,  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  when  sleep  came 
upon  hex  eyes  heavy  with  weeping,  did  Adrian,  clothed 
in  the  glory  of  beatitude,  vi.-it  her  dreams,  and  invite 

her  to  follow  him.  Nor  long  did  she  remain  behind 
him  ;  for  it  pleased  God  to  release  her  pine  and  ooble 
spirit  from  its  earthly  bondage  :  and  Adrian,  accom- 
panied by  a  troop  of  rejoicing  angels,  descended  from 

heaven  tO  meet  her  ;  and  they  entered  into  the  joy  of 
the  Lord,  with  the  prophets  and  with  the  salntS  and 
those  whose  naino  are  written  in  the  hook  of  life  ;    and 

they  dwell  in  the  light  of  His  presence,  reunited  forever 

and  ever." 

"The  Greek   Church  counts   St.  Natalia  among   the 

most  distinguished  female  martyrs,  with  honors  equal 
to  those  of  her  husband  ;  for,  not  lees  precious  was  her 
death  in  the  sight  of  God,  than  if  she  had  perished  by 
the  sword  of  the  persecutors,  seeing  that  she  had  en 
dured  a  more  terrible  martyrdom  than  any  that  the  in- 
genuity of  man  could  inflict  ;  therefore  they  place  the 
palm  in  her  hand,  and  the  crown  upon  her  head,  as  one 
Victorious  over  worse  than  death." 

St  Adrian  and  St  Natalia  are  commemorated  on 
the  8th  of  September,  and   the  Story  in  its  main  points 


ST.  ADRIAN  AND  ST.  NATALIA.         42  c 

is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  authentic  in  the  calen- 
dar. St.  Adrian  was  for  ages  the  chief  military  saint 
of  the  North  of  Europe,  next  to  St.  George ;  and  was 
in  Flanders  and  Germany  and  the  North  of  France 
what  St.  Sebastian  was  in  Italy,  —  the  patron  of  sol- 
diers, and  the  protector  against  the  plague.  He  is  also 
the  patron  of  the  Flemish  brewers.  According  to  an 
ancient  tradition,  his  relics  have  reposed  since  the  ninth 
century  in  the  convent  of  St.  Adrian  at  Grammont,  in 
Flanders.  His  sword,  long  preserved  as  a  most  precious 
relic  at  Walbeck,  in  Saxony,  was  taken  from  its  shriue 
by  the  Emperor  Henry  II.  (St.  Henry),  and  girded  on 
by  that  pious  emperor  when  preparing  for  his  expedi- 
tion against  the  Turks  and  Hungarians. 

St.  Adrian  is  represented  armed,  with  an  anvil  in  his 
hands  or  at  his  feet ;  the  anvil  is  his  proper  attribute  ; 
sometimes  a  sword  or  an  axe  is  lying  beside  it,  and 
sometimes  he  has  a  lion  at  his  feet. 

1.  In  a  picture  by  Hemling,  now  belonging  to  Mr. 
Harcourt  Vernon,  St.  Adrian  is  thus  represented,  armed 
as  a  Roman  soldier,  with  a  magnificent  helmet  and  cui- 
rass, and  carrying  the  anvil  in  his  arms. 

2.  St.  Adrian,  in  a  short  tunic  richly  embroidered, 
but  without  helmet  or  cuirass,  holds  his  sword,  the 
point  of  which  rests  on  the  anvil ;  in  the  left  hand  he 
holds  the  banner  of  victory.* 

3.  St.  Adrian,  crowned  with  laurel  and  in  complete 
armor,  holds  the  sword  and  anvil  ;  a  lion,  here  the  em- 
blem of  fortitude,  crouches  at  his  feet.  A  beautiful 
miniature  in  the  breviary  of  Marie  de  Medicis.t 

4.  St.  Adrian,  with  the  lion  at  his  feet  (engraved  in 
Carter's  Specimens  of  Ancient  English  Painting  and 
Sculpture). 

It  is  necessary  to  observe  these  effigies  with  attention, 
for  I  have  seen  figures  of  St.  Adrian  in  which  the  an- 
vil in  his  hand  is  so  small  as  to  look  like  a  casket ; 
others  in  which  the  anvil  placed  at  his  feet  is  like  a 
block  or  a  large  stone. 

*  Italian  print.  t  Oxf.,  Bodleian. 


426       SACRED  AND  LEOENDARf  ART. 

SS.  Adrian  and  Natalia  are  represented  by  Domcni- 
chino  in  the  chapel  of  St.  Nilo  at  Grotta  Ferrate,  be- 
cause this  chapel  had  been  originally  dedicated  to  theso 
Greek  saints. 

1  regret  that  I  can  cite  no  other  separate  figure  of  «st. 
Natalia,  nor  any  series  of  subjects  from  this  beautiful 
legend.  No  doubt  many  examples  might  be  found  iu 
the  old  Flemish  churches.* 

A.(  cording  to  the  Greek  and  German  authorities,  St. 
Natalia  bears  the  lion  as  her  proper  attribute:  if  it  be 
so,  the  lion  is  not  here  expressive  of  martyrdom,  but  is 
given  to  her  as  the  received  emblem  of  magnanimity 
and  invincible  fortitude.  She  is  the  type  of  womanly 
love  and  constancy  exalted  by  religious  enthusiasm  ; 
and  though  the  circumstances  of  her  heroic  devotion 
have  been  deemed  exaggerated,  we  may  find  in  the 
pages  of  sober  and  authentic  history  warrant  for  belief. 
Every  one,  in  reading  the  legend  of  St.  Natalia,  will  be 
reminded  of  the  Btory  of  Gertrude  de  Wart,  who,  when 
her  husband  was  broken  on  the  wheel,  stood  by,  and 
never  left  the  BCaffold,  during  the  three  days  and  three 
nights  of  his  protracted  torture:  — 

"  For,  mightier  far 

Than  strength  of  nerve  Or  sinew,  or  the  sway 

Of  magic,  potent  over  sun  and  star, 

Is  Love,  though  oft  U>  agony  distrest, 

Anil  though  his  favorite  seat  be  feeble  woman's  breast  !  " 

*  In  the  collection  of  Ml  Ml/ llu>,  of  Glasgow,  I  saw  a  small 
picture  representing  8t.  Adrian  in  i"om)dete  armor,  with  a  helmet 

and  Boating  plumes  •.  the  anvil,  on  which  he  was  mutilated,  at  his 
feet,  and  ■  crouching  lion  dmi  him.  In  Ihe  ooUection  of  the  late 
Mr  Denntstoun,  at  Bdinburgh,  I  saw  (in  November, IBM) ■  nail 
and  vrry  beautiful  picture,  —  by  Beading,  I  think,  —  whlob  rep- 
resented til   Nathalie,  bearing  tie     ■  • '  P  d  hands  of  h'-r  husband. 


J  ill.    KND. 


DATE  DUE 


AP«2i»B 


APR  1 1  1966  5 


APR  17 


MAY  1  2  1 


EEii 


4  196b 


966  1 


£6^5- 


-^    97(kS 


j 


6 


AN  *5  >3'3 


JAN  JJ  B  !3fj  e