St. Acathius the Centurion

First half of the 16th century
Oil on wood
Cathedral of St. Stephen, Passau, Germany

This portrait reflects the passio of St. Acathius the Centurion in making him a young man of 25, dressed anachronistically as a contemporary dandy. But the leafless branch in his hand is an attribute of another Acathius, a Roman commander who converted to Christianity with his 9,000 men, all of whom were crucified on trees at Mount Ararat. That other Acathius is almost always pictured as a soldier, often with a beard.

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Photographed at the cathedral by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.