05 works, Today, November 18th, is the Saint Romanus' day, their story illustrated #321

Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio Bevilacqua (active 1481–1512)

Detail: Saint Romanus and Saint Babilas, c. 1484–1490

Oil on panel

H 110 x W 59 cm

National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Saint Romanus of Caesarea, also known as Romanus of Antioch,  was a Roman soldier who witnessed the torments of Saint Laurence and was thereby converted. Saint Laurence baptized him while in prison.

Tatiana Romanova-Grant 

Saints Lawrence and Romanus

Icon

Tatiana Romanova-Grant was born and raised by a family of scientists in Moscow.   In 1964-67 she studied at the Moscow Institute of Fine and Applied Arts ''Stroganovskoe'' and graduated from the Moscow Krupskaya Pedagogical Institute (1968-73).   She was a very active member of the Moscow artistic community, and was quite successful as an artist. For several years she worked as an artist-scenographer at the Moscow Mayakovsky Academical Theatre and several independent drama and musical theatres in Moscow, creating staging and costume designs. During this time period she also was very active in cinema, scenography, and advertising, and worked as an illustrator for various publishing houses in Moscow. 

In 1974 she began to study the restoration of ancient art, working with the masters at the Grabar Restoration Center in saving and bringing to life icons from the 13th to 18th century.  She also began restoring tempera icons and frescoes for the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as individual collectors.  Her restoration work led to painting new icons.  Since then she has been commissioned to create new works  throughout Russia, France, England, South America, Asia, and the United States. More on Tatiana Romanova-Grant 

Saint Romanus was born in Palestine, and served as a deacon in Caesarea. At the time of the persecution against Christians, he was living in Antioch. Through his preaching, he encouraged the faithful to stand firm in their confession of Christ when the Eparch Asclypiades wanted to raze the church to its foundations. Saint Romanus told the people that they must fight to prevent the destruction of the house of God, assuring them that even if they died in their efforts they would sing a hymn of victory in heaven.

Francisco de Zurbarán, (1598–1664)

Saint Romanus and Saint Barulas of Antioch, c. 1638

Oil on canvas

Height: 246 cm (96.8 in); Width: 185 cm (72.8 in)

Art Institute of Chicago

Francisco de Zurbarán (baptized November 7, 1598 – August 27, 1664) was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nickname Spanish Caravaggio, owing to the forceful, realistic use of chiaroscuro in which he excelled. 

Zurbarán was born in Fuente de Cantos, near Badajoz. In 1617, after training in Seville, he returned to Llerena in his native province. By 1629 he was back in Seville, where he became the city's official painter.

In 1634 he was in Madrid painting mythologies for the Buen Retiro, Philip IV's new palace, perhaps through the intervention of his friend Velázquez. His last years were not so successful and he died in Madrid in poverty. More on Francisco de Zurbarán

At that time there a festival was being celebrated in honor of the idols, and Saint Romanus went to the pagan temple to upbraid the Eparch and the unbelievers for their impiety. As Asclypiades was about to enter the temple, Saint Romanus fearlessly proclaimed that the idols were not gods, and that only Jesus Christ was truly God.

Jose de Alcibar

Saint Romanus Martyr

Oil on Canvas

I have no further description, at this time

Alcíbar, José de (Mexico City, 1730-1803). Mexican painter. One of the most active and representative artists of the pictorial scene of Mexico City during the second half of the eighteenth century. His commissions were numerous, especially religious paintings for various churches and portraits of pre-eminent figures of Mexican society, with a personal style not unrelated to the artistic processes that developed in the metropolis. It is worth remembering that in the eighteenth century Mexico City lived a moment of special cultural importance, also in the artistic aspect, with the foundation of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos in 1784, of which Alcíbar was one of its founding members and the one that participated actively until his death. Despite the relative successes of his teachings, The Academy represented the arrival in Mexico of painters trained and active in Madrid. The two portraits preserved in the Prado Museum are characteristic of a part of the production of Alcíbar, the portraiture, and show the pretension of elegance and ostentation of its brushes. More José de Alcibar

Asclypiades ordered the saint to be beaten, and even tried to persuade him to deny Christ. When this failed, the Eparch ordered that Saint Romanus be tortured. He was suspended and beaten, and his sides were scraped with metal blades. Bravely enduring these torments, Saint Romanus confessed Christ, and chastised Asclypiades for his obstinate refusal to see the truth.

Unknown artist

Asclypiades ordered the saint to be beaten, c. 985

 Manuscript of the Book of the Services of Emperor Basil II, Tenth Century

Vatican Library

Other details give Romanus a companion in martyrdom, a Christian by name Barulas, a seven year old boy. On this account several historians consider that there were two martyrs named Romanus at Antioch, though more likely there was but the one whom Eusebius mentions. Prudentius has introduced legendary features into his account, and his connection of the martyrdom of Barulas with that of Romanus is probably arbitrary.

Then Saint Romanus was condemned to death by fire. As soon as the fire was lit, however, a rain fell and put it out. Then the Eparch ordered the saint’s tongue to be cut out, because he still confessed Christ and reviled the idolaters. Even after his tongue was cut out, the saint continued to speak as before.

Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio Bevilacqua (active 1481–1512)

Saint Romanus and Saint Babilas, c. 1484–1490

Oil on panel

H 110 x W 59 cm

National Trust, Waddesdon Manor

Giovanni Ambrogio Bevilacqua, also known as il Liberale Bevilacqua (active by 1481 to at least 1512) was an Italian painter active in Lombardy in a late-medieval or early Renaissance style. He was a pupil of Vincenzo Foppa of Milan.

Bevilacqua was apparently born in Milan to a carpenter named Pietro. By 1481, he was noted under the patronage of Duke Francesco Sforza. He signed in 1485 a fresco depicting Saints Roch, Sebastian, and Christopher and perhaps also completed a Madonna and Saints with Donors for the parish church of Landriano. More on Giovanni Ambrogio Bevilacqua

Finally, Saint Romanus was nailed to a keg, and he was strangled in his prison cell. Having completed his contest for Christ, he was found worthy of the heavenly Kingdom, where he continuously glorifies the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit throughout all ages. More on Saint Romanus

Please visit my other blogs: Art Collector, Mythology, Marine Art, Portrait of a Lady, The Orientalist, Art of the Nude and The Canals of Venice, Middle East Artists, and 365 Saints, also visit my Boards on Pinterest

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