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Saint Lucy and Saint Agatha were both Christian martyrs who lived in Sicily before the adoption of Christianity by Constantine the Great in AD 313. Both are also identified with a particular part of the body. Saint Lucy lived in Syracuse, and was martyred in AD 304: her martyrdom included the gouging out of her eyes. As a result she became the patron saint of people suffering from eye infections, impaired sight, cataract, blindness, etc. Saint Agatha lived in Catania, and as part of her martyrdom c.AD 250 her breasts were torn off by pagan torturers with pincers. She is the patron of all who are suffering from diseases of the breast, such as ulcers, cancers, abscesses, etc., and also of mothers breast-feeding their infants. The role of the patron saint was to intercede: the supplicant prays to the patron saint, and the patron saint appeals to the Virgin and/or to Jesus Christ, to grant grace through which a miraculous cure might be accomplished.
Title
Saint Lucy and Saint Agatha
Medium
oil on wood
Measurements
H 139 x W 99 cm
Accession number
44971i
Acquisition method
purchased by Henry S. Wellcome, c.1900–1936
Work type
Painting