Antonio Vivarini and Giovanni d'Alemagna
Polyptych of the Body of Christ: Detail, Nereus and Achilleus
1443
Chapel of San Tarasio
Church of San Zaccaria, Venice, Italy
According to their legend Saints Nereus and Achilleus were eunuchs of St. Flavia Domitilla in the first century. Because she and they would not give up their Christian faith they were all exiled to the island of Ponza and eventually tortured and beheaded. The sword and palm branches refer to the fact and manner of their martyrdom.
For more details on Nereus and Achilleus, see our essay on the Polyptych of San Pancranzio.
View this image in full resolution.
View the entire polyptych.
Photographed at the chapel by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.