The Martyrdom of St. Lucy

16th century
Fresco
Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy

The judge Paschasius sits in the marble throne on the left. As in the Golden Legend's account, he orders the soldier to cut Lucy's throat. In the background are the townspeople of Syracuse, to whom she will address her last words. On the right a herdsman watches over the two oxen who had been put unsuccessfully to the task of dragging her to a brothel.

View this image in full resolution.
Read more about St. Lucy.

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