Three Saints

Parish church, Mariapfarr, Austria

These statues are on the right of the apse crucifix in the church. Three others are on the left (see below).

The attributes of the figure on the left would seem to identify him as St. Gervasius, the early Christian martyr who was beaten to death with a leaden scourge and is usually pictured as a beardless youth holding a hand cross. Other saints have a scourge as their attribute, but all are bishops except for St. Guthlac, who is almost always pictured with a beard. On the other hand, St. Gervasius was not a monk, is not dressed as one in any other image I have encountered, and is traditionally pictured along with his brother Protasius.

With her crozier, book, and Benedictine habit, the center figure is probably St. Scholastica. Usually a dove rests on this saint's book.

On the right St. Barbara holds her tower with three windows and the sword by which she was beheaded. Barbara was a commoner, but the images often give her a crown. In this case, her crown and armor breastplate parallel those on the virgin martyr to the left of the crucifix.

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Read more about St. Barbara, St. Gervasius, and St. Scholastica.


Crucifix with Trinity and Saints, Mariapfarr, Austria. The attributes held by the saints on the left are not specific enough to identify them. The figures above and below the crucifix are of course the Father and the Holy Spirit.

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