Marcius
Tribune
It appears to have been a common torture method across the Empire, not necessarily for martyrs.
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Public Executions In The Arena
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
Not only across the Empire.
Iron hooks were used during the Middle Age and the Modern Age, until the 18th century.
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
SAINT CALLIOPE’S ORDEAL
It is unknown where the Holy Martyr Kalliope was from, who suffered during the years of the Emperor Decius (249-251 AD). She was known for her bodily and spiritual beauty, and also for her clear and deep piety.
During the persecution of Christians of that era, she was arrested and led before the eparch for judgment. He immediately observed Kalliope's beauty, and was occupied by evil thoughts and desires, and sought with promises and flattery to convince her to fulfill his guilty desires. But Kalliope remained indifferent to his promises and unshakable in her faith.
This enraged the eparch, who saw that his hopes were proving false, ordered that she be immediately be tortured terribly until death.
Thus, having been tormented with iron pliers, whipped mercilessly, and having had her breasts cut off, they burned her with lit torches, and poured vinegar and salt on her wounds. In the end, they beheaded her, and thus St. Kalliope received the incorrupt crown of glory, and entered into the joy of her Bridegroom Christ.
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
She was brought before a magistrate, where she was accused of a variety of crimes ranging from a mockery of the pagan faith to treason against the state. According to legend, the suitor paid a parade of witnesses to testify against Kalliope in order to destroy her reputation. She was deemed guilty, and the rejected suitor stepped forth to offer a withdrawal of the charges against her if she would disavow Christ and become his pagan bride. The alternative was torture, and if that didn’t bend her will, then it was death.
Taken to the public square, she was bound to the post and mercilessly flogged until her clothing and flesh were in tatters. Her beautiful face was scarred with branding irons and salt was poured into her open wounds, and while the breath of life was still within her she was told to disavow Christ. When she refused she was beheaded.
Taken to the public square, she was bound to the post and mercilessly flogged until her clothing and flesh were in tatters. Her beautiful face was scarred with branding irons and salt was poured into her open wounds, and while the breath of life was still within her she was told to disavow Christ. When she refused she was beheaded.
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
ST JULIA OF CARTHAGE CRUCIFIED
The Virgin Martyr Julia was born in Carthage in the fifth century to a Christian family. While still a girl, the Persians captured her, carrying her off to Syria and selling her into slavery. Fulfilling the Christian commandments, St. Julia faithfully served her master. She preserved her purity, kept the fasts and prayed to God. No amount of urging by her pagan master could turn her to idolatry.
One day, the master set off to Gaul and took St. Julia with him. Along the way, the ship stopped at the island of Corsica, and the master decided to take part in a pagan festival. However, Julia refused to join him and remained on the ship. The Corsicans plied the merchant and his companions with wine, and when they had fallen into a drunken sleep, they took Julia from the ship. St. Julia was not afraid to tell the Corsicans that she was a Christian, and the savage pagans crucified her.
An angel of the Lord reported the death of St. Julia to the monks of a nearby monastery. They took her body and buried it in a church in the monastery.
In 763, the relics of St. Julia were transferred to a women’s monastery in the city of Breschia.
See also: http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/saint-julia-martyr-tortured-crucified.4269/
One of my favourite martyr stories. Lovely pictures.
I wrote up a first-person fictionalized account of it at one point:
http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/the-martyrdom-of-st-julia.4523/
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
SAINT BASILISSA OF ROME SUSPENDED AND TORTURED WITH TORCHES
The Holy Women Martyrs Basilissa and Anastasia lived in Rome and were converted to Christianity by the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. They devoted themselves to the service of the Lord.
When Emperor Nero persecuted the Christians and gave them over to torture and execution, Ss. Basilissa and Anastasia took the bodies of the holy apostles and gave them a reverent burial. Rumors of this reached Nero, and he ordered that Basilissa and Anastasia be locked up in the prison.
The women were condemned to die and were subjected to cruel tortures: Anastasia was suspended upside down and cut to pieces; Basilissa was scourged with whips and burned with flaming torches. However, the holy martyrs remained unyielding, and bravely confessed their faith in Christ the Savior. By Nero’s command, they were beheaded with the sword. This happened in 68 A.D.
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
SECUNDA OF ROME SCOURGED
Secunda and her sister Rufina were the daughters of one Asterius, a man of a senatorian family in Rome. Their father promised them in marriage, the first to Armentarius, and the second to Verinus, who were then both Christians, but afterwards apostatized from the faith when the storm raised by Valerian and Gallien in 257, fell upon the church. The two virgins resisted their solicitations to imitate their impiety, and fled out of Rome; but were overtaken, brought back, and after a cruel scourging and other torments condemned by Junius Donatus, prefect of Rome, to lose their heads. They were conducted twelve miles out of Rome, executed in a forest on the Aurelian Way, and buried in the same place.
Just think of it - having been scourged, probably still bleeding and swollen with bruising from that, not to mention other routine tortures (stretching, tearing with hooks, burning) - having to walk 12 miles (Roman miles, bit less than ours, but more than 12 km) - they'd have certainly been all too ready to die!
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
THE TWO SISTERS JUSTA AND RUFINA CRUCIFIED
Justa and Rufina were sisters who lived in Seville, Spain, about 200 years after Jesus’ life, death, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. We believe that they became Christians after hearing missionaries preach about Christ. They were devout members of the Church and tried to live as faithful disciples of Jesus.
The sisters supported themselves by making and selling beautiful clay pots (they are today the patron saints of potters). They always gave some of their earnings to people in need. Like many other merchants, they sold their pottery from booths set up out of doors in the village where people could see them.
People who were celebrating a pagan festival honoring the Roman gods came to the sisters’ booth. They wanted to buy pots to use in their worship services. Justa and Rufina refused, explaining that they were followers of Christ and did not believe in false gods. The worshippers became angry. They broke all of the Justa’s and Rufina’s pottery, smashing everything to the ground. The sisters responded to this by breaking an image of Venus, one of the pagan gods. They were arrested immediately.
The sisters were brought before the governor, Diogenianus. He demanded that they give up their faith. They refused. He ordered the women to be jailed. The governor gave Justa and Rufina one last chance to speak out against Christ. They refused again. He ordered Rufina to be thrown to lions, but the lions are said to have refused to attack her. So he had both women scourged and crucified.
MICHELE PATRI
Senator
MARGARET OF ANTHIOCH SCOURGED
Margaret belonged to Pisidian Antioch in Asia Minor, where her father was a pagan priest. Her mother died soon after Margaret's birth, so she was nursed by a pious woman who lived about five or six leagues from Antioch. Having embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to God, she was disowned by her father and adopted by her nurse.
One day, while she was engaged in watching the flocks of her mistress, a lustful Roman prefect named Olybrius caught sight of her, and attracted by her great beauty sought to make her his concubine or wife. When neither cajolery nor threats of punishment could succeed in moving her to yield to his desires, he had her brought before him in public trial at Antioch.
Threatened with death unless she renounced the Christian faith, the holy virgin refused to adore the gods of the empire. She was then bound hand and foot and savagely scourged in public, then burned with flaming torches. Finally the prefect ordered her to be beheaded.
D
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MICHELE PATRI
Senator
SLAVE SHIFRA IMPALED AND SCOURGED TO DEATH
Julia Serviana Paulina was the daughter and only child to the Spanish Roman Politician Lucius Julius Ursus Servianus and Aelia Domitia Paulina. In 117, her parents arranged for her to marry a Spanish Roman, Gnaeus Pedanius Fuscus Salinator, who was was originally from Barcelona and was of consular rank.
Julia had several slave girls who served her in any ways. One of them, the Jew Shifra, helped her dressing and hair combing. The toilet of the Roman ladies was a dreadful ordeal to the female slaves, who were often barbarously punished by their mistresses for the slightest mistake in the arrangement of the hair or a part of the dress. Julia Serviana whipped Shifra every day for any little mistake she did.
One day, after receiving a harsh treatment by her lady, Shifra grabbed a knife and tried to kill Julia, then she ran away and tried to leave the town.
She was soon arrested and brought back to Julia's house. Julia had been slightly wounded, but she was absolutely upset and wanted Shifra to be killed atrociously. Salinator condemned the unfortunate slavegirl to be impaled and scourged to death in the arena.
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Stuff for many stories and everytime nice manips, Michele!
Wonder if Shifra would have felt it was worth it, to be remembered nearly two millennia later?That one does make a very nice story
Bound wrist, arm, knees and ankles to an upright pole, I struggled to maintain my position just above the impalement stake. I screamed and bucked with each lash applied to my bare back. The muscles in my arm cried out. The crowd was on it's feet. More lashes! I squirmed, felt the sharp point scratch and penetrate my womanhood, pulled up sharply just in time to meet the next lash, collapse and impale myself again. Oh the pain! How much longer can I resist? If only I had plunged the knife into her breast. I wish that I could have at least the satisfaction of having killed Julia! These Roman ladies are so haughty and cruel, even when we slave girls serve them well. I should have plunged the knife in deep!
Argghhhh, sliding down. The wicked pole slipping in deep, stretching and tearing at my insides. No more strength. I give up, settling down under the incessant lashes, allowing the inevitable. Condemned, impaled, wet with blood. The crowd's lust satisfied.
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MICHELE PATRI
Senator
Bound wrist, arm, knees and ankles to an upright pole, I struggled to maintain my position just above the impalement stake. I screamed and bucked with each lash applied to my bare back. The muscles in my arm cried out. The crowd was on it's feet. More lashes! I squirmed, felt the sharp point scratch and penetrate my womanhood, pulled up sharply just in time to meet the next lash, collapse and impale myself again. Oh the pain!
How much longer can I resist? If only I had plunged the knife into her breast. I wish that I could have at least the satisfaction of having killed Julia! These Roman ladies are so haughty and cruel, even when we slave girls serve them well. I should have plunged the knife in deep!
Argghhhh, sliding down. The wicked pole slipping in deep, stretching and tearing at my insides. No more strength. I give up, settling down under the incessant lashes, allowing the inevitable. Condemned, impaled, wet with blood. The crowd's lust satisfied.
How much longer can I resist? If only I had plunged the knife into her breast. I wish that I could have at least the satisfaction of having killed Julia! These Roman ladies are so haughty and cruel, even when we slave girls serve them well. I should have plunged the knife in deep!
Argghhhh, sliding down. The wicked pole slipping in deep, stretching and tearing at my insides. No more strength. I give up, settling down under the incessant lashes, allowing the inevitable. Condemned, impaled, wet with blood. The crowd's lust satisfied.