07 works, Today, November 1st, is Saint Juliana of Nicomedia's day, her story illustrated #303

Unknown artist

Saint Juliana of Nicomedia, c. 1460s

Oberhausmuseum, Passau, Germany

I have no further description, at this time

Saint Juliana of Nicomedia is said to have suffered Christian martyrdom during the Diocletian persecution in 304. She was popular in the Middle Ages, especially in the Netherlands, as the patron saint of sickness.

Juliana’s parents were pagans and they wanted to betroth her with Eleusius, a prominent officer from Antioch, but Juliana denied strongly. Her denial left her parents surprised because until then she had never opposed them and she was an obedient daughter. Her father was hostile to the Christians. Juliana had secretly accepted holy baptism.

Eleusius' ego was sorely injured and he sought revenge. He made some queries and found out that Juliana had converted to Christianity, though her parents knew nothing about this. Eleusius impeached her before the Roman governor.

Unknown artist

Juliana’s father scourged and tortured her

I have no further description, at this time

When Eleusius realized that she would not become his wife, he decided that she should be noone’s bride. Her calling had left Juliana without a family of her own. Both men, failing to get their own way with this determined saint, treated her brutally: Juliana’s father scourged and tortured her. Eleusius flung her into jail.

While she was in prison, efforts to make her the wife of Eleusius continued, in order to save her from execution, but Juliana preferred to die rather than have a pagan as a husband. Then Eleusius after being ordered by the Roman governor and filled with hate flogged her in a ruthless way. 

The devil came to her in the guise of an angel and said: “Juliana, I am an angel of the Lord, who has sent me to you to warn you to sacrifice to the gods, if you do not want to be subjected to long torture and die a dreadful death!”

German 15th Century

Saint Juliana, c. 1460

Woodcut, hand-colored in blue, green, rose, brown, tan, and gold

National Gallery of Art

Domenico Fetti  (1589–)

St. Juliana of Nicomedia defeats the devil, circa 1636

Oil on poplar wood

Height: 55,0 cm; Width: 38,0 cm

Vienna Art History Museum

Domenico Fetti (c. 1589 – 1623) was an Italian Baroque painter who had been active mainly in Rome, Mantua and Venice.

Domenico is said to have apprenticed initially under Ludovico Cigoli, or his pupil Andrea Commodi in Rome. He then worked in Mantua from 1613 to 1622, patronized by the Cardinal, later Duke Ferdinando I Gonzaga. In the Ducal Palace, he painted the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. The series of representations of New Testament parables he carried out for his patron's studiolo gave rise to a popular specialty, and he and his studio often repeated his compositions.

In August or September 1622, his feuds with some prominent Mantuans led him to move to Venice, where he remained despite pleas from the Duke to return to Mantua, Fetti changed his style: his formalized painting style became more colorful. In addition, he devoted attention to smaller cabinet pieces that adapt genre imaging to religious stories. 

His painting style appears to have been influenced by Rubens. He would likely have continued to find excellent patronage in Venice had he not died there in 1623 or 1624. More on Domenico Fetti

Juliana wept and prayed, saying: “O Lord my God, do you let me perish, but show me who this is that’s giving me such advice!” Then a voice spoke to her, telling her to lay hold of her visitor and force him to admit who he was. She grasped him firmly and questioned him, and he told her that he was a demon and that his father had sent him to deceive her. “And who is your father?” she asked. He answered: “Beelzebul". Juliana tied his hands behind his back, threw him to the ground, and gave him a thorough thrashing with the chain that had bound her, while the devil cried aloud, pleading with her and saying: “My lady Juliana, have pity on me!”

Unknown artist

Juliana and Beelzebul

I have no further description, at this time

Now the prefect gave orders to bring Juliana out of jail, and she came out dragging the demon, still in bonds, after her. The demon continued to plead with her, saying: “Lady Juliana, stop making a fool of me or I’ll never again be able to mislead anyone! Christians are supposed to be merciful, but you haven’t shown me any mercy at all!” But she dragged him from one end of the market-place to the other and finally tossed him in a sewer.

Unknown artist

Juliana was boiled in oil

I have no further description, at this time

Unknown artist

Juliana was beheaded

I have no further description, at this time

After that, Eleusius burned her face with a heated iron and said at her, "Go now at the mirror to see your beauty". Juliana answered him with a light smile: "At the resurrection of the righteous, there won’t exist burnings and wounds but only the soul. So Eleusius, I prefer to have now the wounds of the body which are temporary, rather than the wounds of the soul which torture eternal." After a while, Juliana was boiled in oil then beheaded. 

Soon after a noble lady, named Sephonia, came through Nicomedia and took the saint's body with her to Italy, and had it buried in Campania.

Eleusius was later eaten by a lion, when he was shipwrecked on an unknown island.

In art, Saint Juliana is sometimes shown in a cauldron, leading the devil in chains, or crowned wearing a cross on her breast. She is invoked against infectious diseases. In the paintings and stained glass of the Middle Ages, Saint Juliana is frequently shown battling with a winged devil; usually she carries a chain in order to bind him. She may also be seen with a dragon at her feet. More on Saint Juliana of Nicomedia

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

Images are copyright of their respective owners, assignees or others. Some Images may be subject to copyright

I don't own any of these images - credit is always given when due unless it is unknown to me. if I post your images without your permission, please tell me.

I do not sell art, art prints, framed posters or reproductions. Ads are shown only to compensate the hosting expenses.

If you enjoyed this post, please share with friends and family.

Thank you for visiting my blog and also for liking its posts and pages.

Please note that the content of this post primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.