Which Saint Ran Around Holding Her Own Head?
 

Now I am on a mission to visit the sites of interesting saints in Italy and France. I remember one lady who got her head chopped off and then picked it up and ran off into the hills with it. I think another one ran around with her eyes on a plate after someone plucked them out. Do you know where these places are?

Do you know any other interesting saints so I can visit their shrines churches?
Thanks.

Apparently more than one; St. Denis comes to mind.

Hi
Suggest you buy one of the many books about the saints/martyrs, either in a Catholic bookstore, or any bookstore.
I am not Christian but very interested in this so that I can recognize which saints are in which paintings, and for that reason I often recommend the book
Oxford Guide to Christian Art and Architecture. But it's a reference book, too heavy to carry on a trip imo

Saint Lucy is the one who had her eyes plucked out. She didn't walk around with them on a plate as far as I know, but is just shown that way in paintings. 'Lucy' is a word related to the Latin word for 'light'.

Not all of these stories are historically true, but are part of folklore. Saint Lawrence (Lorenzo, in Italian) was said to have been martyred by being roasted on a grid iron, so he is always shown holding one. St Peter was said to have been told by Jesus to have the keys to the kingdom of heaven, so the old bald man holding the keys, is St Peter. Saint Barbara was held in a tower, freed from the tower by an explosion, and then beheaded by her father (I think that's the story)
So she is usually depicted with a small tower next to her, or an explosion or lightning.

Almost every city will have churches devoted to one or many saints, a few cities have patron saints where a particular saint is the 'star.'
Example: Saint Mark, in Venice (San Marco), his remains were supposedly smuggled into Venice by being hidden from Muslim soldiers in a barrel of pork.
Some of the saints, of course, don't date from biblical times but from much later years. Joan of Arc, for example.

The mystery novel The Seventh Sinner by Elizabeth Peters (1972) is a (very) light read about a group of grad students in Rome. They discuss bizarre saints' deaths and visit a bunch of churches dedicated to the saints.

The Italian Santa Lucia (d. 304, Syracuse, Sicily; feast day December 13) was a virgin and martyr who was one of the earliest Christian saints to achieve popularity, having a widespread following before the 5th century. She lived in Syracuse, a town on the Italian island of Sicily. She is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse. Because of various traditions associating her name with light, she came to be thought of as the patron of sight and of the blind and was depicted by medieval artists carrying a dish containing her eyes.

And then there's Saint Agatha who walks around with her breasts on a plate. Because one of the tortures she supposedly suffered was to have her breasts cut off, she was often depicted carrying her breasts on a plate. It is thought that blessing of the bread that takes place on her feast may have come from the mistaken notion that she was carrying loaves of bread.

How interesting. I will look up that reference book and the light book. I find this fascinating too.

Thank you - any more?

Peeky, if you're in Rome you could visit St. Cecilia's Church in Trastavere. It's a gorgeous 12th century church (or is it 14th?) dedicated to Cecilia who survived days of the Romans trying to kill her before she finally succombed. Centuries later she was exhumed and her body was untouched. A sculptor made a statue of the beautiful saint as she was found in her coffin, and it is in front of the altar. It is very sad and touching--she was very tiny and frail.

Also in Rome is the fascinating church of San Stefano Rotundo, off the beaten tourist path. The church has huge wall frescoes showing the martyrdoms of something like 32 saints in full color. Our taxi driver had never heard of the church but followed us inside and was fascinated by what he, and we, saw.

Bonanza! I knew Fodorites would know.

More please. This is just perfect.

I like this web site:

www.catholic-forum.com/saints/indexsnt.htm

In the lower right of the page is a section "Countries." After clicking on that you're given a list of countries and saints associated with them.

San Sebastiano is one of the most frequently depicted saints. Look for him in paintings everywhere. You'll recognize him by the numerous arrows embedded in his body. Then there's the body of St. Zita in Lucca, the head of Catherine in Siena, the girdle of the Blessed Virgin...

"Saint Lawrence (Lorenzo, in Italian) was said to have been martyred by being roasted on a grid iron.."

Which is why today, he is the patron saint of football.
((H))

Didn't Santa Guistina also have her breasts cut off?? I am thinking of that fantastic painting by Veronese, that hangs in the Uffizi, of Santa Guistina with a knife held to her breast. The man holding the knife is a Moor.

I think it is fascinating that one is able to pick out a saint in a painting by knowing what his matyrdom was. I didn't even think of that, I should take an art appreciation class.

I'm fairly certain that Santa Giustina was martyred by being stabbed by a sword, with no body parts actually severed.

Cheerful topic.

And of course there was poor St. Joan.

And, yes, it was St. Denis of Paris who had his head chopped off, then picked it up and walked off with it. He must have had a lot of endurance and determination, because he made it all the way from Ile de la Cite to Montmartre (mountain of the martyr).

I just read on that website that he is the patron saint of headaches - no wonder!

I remember reading somewhere St. Lawrence is supposed to have said (as he was being roasted) "I'm well done on this side, can you turn me over?"

Saint Catherine of Alexandria was sentenced to be killed on the wheel.
Once she was bound, the spikes and the ropes holding her flew off the wheel, so she was merely beheaded.
In paintings she is shown holding, yes, a wheel.

Another identification of martyrs in paintings--they are often shown holding palm leaves.

and another thing about Saint Catherine

when she was converted, she dreamed she had entered into a 'mystical marriage' (so did some other saints) with the infant Jesus
So, there is at least one painting of her (by Parmigiano)with Jesus, who is holding a wedding ring