Carlo Beretta
The Martyrdom of St. Agnes

1754
Right transept of the cathedral of Milan, Italy

In the center a Roman official strikes a sword into the St. Agnes's throat. At their feet lie the bystanders who were burned to death by the fire that had been intended to consume the saint. On either side stand representatives of the Roman authority: a helmeted man on the left holds a fasces symbolizing the power of the magistrate, and a cowled priest on the right points to a book that represents the old religion. Behind them more bystanders crowd in to observe the execution.

Read more about images of St. Agnes.

• Home Page
• Iconography of St. Agnes
• This Page

Source: Giovanni dall'Orto via this page at Wikimedia Commons.