Martirio de San Acacio (Martyrdom of St. Acathius)
Toledo, 16th century
Oil on panel, 43.7 x 25.6 in. (111 x 65 cm.)
Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
In the Passio Decem Millium Martyrum St. Acathius was crucified on Mount Ararat in the 2nd century with ten thousand fellow soldiers who had converted to Christianity. St. Acathius is the haloed man in the foreground, standing with two of his officers. The three are being flogged by the men on their right and left, as narrated in the Passio.
In the Passio when Achatius is about to be crucified he cries out, "We exult in triumph in the Cross of Christ." In this painting the parallel between the soldiers' death and Christ's is emphasized by placing the men on crosses rather than the trees specified in the story. The same purpose is served by the man in the right foreground who is piercing Acathius's side. This detail is not in the text but references the piercing of Christ's side.
Read more about images of St. Acathius and the ten thousand martyrs of Mount Ararat.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
