Jacopo Tintoretto
St. Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins
Circa 1550-55
Oil on Canvas
Church of San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti, Venice, Italy
In the Golden Legend St. Ursula travels from England to Rome with 11,000 virgin companions, after which they all proceed to Cologne with Pope Ciriacus. In the background of this painting are their ships. In the foreground they and Ciriacus are on their way to Cologne – where, as the angel with palm branches signifies, they will all be martyred by the pagan Huns.
Ciriacus is pictured on Ursula's right, wearing the papal tiara. Behind him are two women who stand apart from the procession of virgins. They could be St. Ursula's mother Daria and St. Gerasine, Queen of Sicily, both of whom the Golden Legend mentions among the saint's companions.
Another companion mentioned by the Legend was Pantulus, Bishop of Basle. He is pictured here on Ursula's left with his mitre and crozier.
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Photographed at the church by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.