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Christian martyrs are often remembered through grim attributes that serve as poignant reminders of the agonizing ordeal they endured due to their faith.

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1. Saint Laurence

Patron saint of cooks, chefs, and comedians

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Burned on a rack

As he endured the excruciating torment of being cooked, the story goes that he turned to his tormentors and calmly uttered:

“I’m done on this side, flip me over”

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2. Saint Sebastian

Patron saint of soldiers, archers, and plague

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‍Shot by arrows

His survival from a rain of arrows did little to sway the Roman emperor who had issued his death sentence. He was then brutally beaten, and his lifeless body cast aside into a sewer.

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3. Saint Catherine

Patron saint of girls, students, philosophers, and craftsmen working with wheels

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Breaking wheel

Initially condemned to the breaking wheel, she left onlookers astounded when the wheel disintegrated at her mere touch. As the execution proceeded with a beheading, legend has it that instead of blood, a milk-like substance flowed from her severed neck...

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4. Saint Peter Martyr

Patron saint of inquisitors and midwives

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Murdered by cleaver

Vengeful Venetian nobles hired his assassins in response to Peter's persecution of heretics.

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5. Saint Lucy

Patron saint of the blind

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Eyes removed

Paschasius commanded his guards to remove her eyes when she prophesied his impending punishment. Another version has Lucy taking her own eyes out in order to discourage a persistent suitor who was captivated by them.

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Extra

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A shared symbol among all martyrs is the palm leaf of victory, reminiscent of what Greek or Roman athletes received upon winning sporting contests. Martyrs are victorious in death, reborn in Heaven.

Spot a palm leaf - Spot a martyr!

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There’s no nice way to put it: in medieval art, babies were pretty damn ugly. 

But why?

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It’s not because artists hadn’t worked out how to paint them properly – in fact, this was a deliberate stylistic choice… In medieval artwork, one baby popped up a whole lot more than the others: Jesus Christ.

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There was a popular notion that Jesus was born “perfectly formed” and remained “unchanged” over time; this led to artists depicting him as a sort of weird little old man – and influenced portrayals of other babies too!

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This all changed with the dawn of the Renaissance, and a new emphasis on realism in art.

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Plus, as artists began to embrace non-religious subjects, wealthy patrons could commission portraits of their own families – and they didn’t want their own children looking like little old men!

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So, ugly babies were out and cute babies were in. Way less disturbing, but nowhere near as fun…