The Martyrdom of St. Euphemia

19th century
Stained glass
Milan Cathedral

In John the Stylite's vita, St. Euphemia is exposed to the lions in the arena at Chalcedon, but the beasts simply lick her feet as a voice from Heaven calls, "Ascend on high, O Euphemia!" In the foreground of this image the saint is flanked by two lions, neither of them licking her feet. In the background, a nearly naked man sitting on the lip of the arena has lifted up the gate of the lions' den. The spectators are seated above him, and above them two angels bring a palm branch and crown of roses symbolizing martyrdom.

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