Art of Martyrdom

If you are in a morbid mood, the Basilica di Santo Stefano Rotondo in Rome, Italy is the perfect place to go. Built between 468 and 483 A.D. the church is one of the oldest and largest round churches in the world. It was dedicated to Saint Stephen who was the first Christian martyr. Keeping with the martyrdom theme, Pope Gregory XIII (ruled from 1572-1585) commissioned the artists Antonio Tempesta and Niccolo Circignani to paint the interior walls with 34 frescoes that depict the many ghastly ways in which Christians were martyred. This was to show what horrible trials ancient Christians had to endure. These graphic paintings are not for the faint of heart.

Frescoes decorate the interior of the basilica

Interestingly, the people being tortured and killed actually have serene (and some, almost happy) expressions in the paintings. This is to signify the sense of spiritual peace and ecstasy that comes along with being martyred. These works embody the Counter-Reformation because they are portraying the gallant Catholic believers resisting Protestantism. 

Each painting has an inscription that explains the scene and tells the name of the emperor who ordered each punishment, as well as a Bible verse.

Saint Stephen was stoned to death. He was one of the lucky ones...

 

Stoning of Saint Stephen

Boiled alive!

Crushed under stone slab (look closely at the eyes and gut).

Dismemberment

The tortures these martyrs endured, and the willingness with which they did it, help to portray a message of valiant piety among the Catholics. Their gruesome deaths earned the martyrs perpetual reverence. 

• Thayer, Bill. "S. Stefano Rotondo." Churches of Rome. N.p., 13 July 2006. Web. 13 Nov. 2014
• "Santo Stefano Rotondo, Rome." Sacred Destinations. Sacred Destinations, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-santo-stefano-rotondo.
• Ruggeri, Amanda. "Santo Stefano Rotondo, for Strong Stomachs Only." 'Revealed Rome' Revealed Rome, 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. http://www.revealedrome.com/2010/09/the-basilica-of-santo-stefano-rotondo-for-strong-stomachs-only-on-celian-hill-rome.html.