Subiaco, Sacro Speco, Upper Church, South Transept, Martyrdom of St. Flavia and the Companions of St. Placidus
This is a detail of one of a set of scenes relating to saints linked with St. Benedict (Sts. Scholastica, Maurus, and Placidus) in the interconnected chapels that form a south transept in the Upper Church of the Monastery of St. Benedict, the Sacro Speco, at Subiaco. The early fifteenth-century paintings are attributed to Ottaviano Nelli, an Umbrian artist, and his circle.
The painting represents a threefold conflation: it conflates St. Placidus, a sixth-century follower of St. Benedict, with the early Christian martyr of the same name from Sicily. In addition, it depicts the scene in a way that suggests that the martyrdom took place at the hands of Muslims, perhaps offering a Benedictine counterpart to images of the thirteenth-century Franciscan martyrs of Morocco, led by Berard of Carpio.
The female martyr conflates St. Flavia, one of the early Christian martyrs, with a sister of St. Placidus in the medieval accounts of the Benedictine saint.
D'Emilio photo archive no. s19790629u (13.11.27/JD with Alexandria Trsek)Galleries:Italy 1420s, Italy 1430s, Scenes of Martyrdom, South Transept, St. Placidus, Wall paintingsKeywords:blade, execution, halo, helmet, kneeling, monks, prayer, shield, sword, tonsure, tower-shieldPhoto Location: Subiaco (Lazio), ItalyPhotographer: Dr. James D’EmilioDate of Photo:Device Make: NikonDevice Model: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 5000 EDOriginal Dimensions: 3594×5366Picture Orientation: PortraitGPS Coordinates:Picture Number: 24221
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