Four female saints, each holding a martyr’s palm frond: Joan of Arc (Ste Jeanne or Jeanne d’Arc); Saint Catherine of Alexandria who holds a sword, symbol of her beheading; Saint Margaret of Antioch (Ste Marguerite) with a dragon at her feet; and Saint Agatha of Sicily (Ste Agathe). Both Joan of Arc and Margaret of Antioch wear martyr’s crowns. Mid-1800s paintings on wood-panelled ceiling vault of Church of Saint Nonne, Dirinon, Finistère, Brittany, France.
Church of Saint Nonne, Dirinon, Finistère, Brittany, France: four female saints, Joan of Arc, Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch and Agatha of Sicily. Among paintings executed between 1856 and 1858 by the painter Jean-Louis Nicolas (1816 - 1899) on the church’s wood-panelled ceiling. These 19th century paintings are distinct from ceiling paintings above the church’s choir. The latter depict the Last Judgement, were painted in 1715 and were restored by Jean-Louis Nicolas in 1757. Joan of Arc (c. 1412 - 1431) a pious peasant in medieval France who believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England. With no military training, she led a French army to the besieged city of Orléans and achieved a stunning victory. After seeing the prince crowned King Charles VII, Joan was captured by the enemy, tried for witchcraft and burned at the stake. According to legend, St Catherine (or Katherine) died in the early 4th century in Alexandria, Egypt, after converting many hundreds of people to Christianity. Roman Emperor Maxentius condemned her to death on a spiked wheel, but it shattered at her touch. Finally, Maxentius ordered her beheading. St Margaret of Antioch (c. 289 - 384) was tortured for refusing to renounce her Christian faith in order to marry a Roman Governor, but miraculous events then included Margaret being swallowed whole by Satan disguised as a dragon - which regurgitated her alive when her cross irritated the monster’s innards. Saint Agatha of Sicily (231 - 251) died in prison after being tortured and refusing to renounce her Christian faith. The Church of St Nonne was built of Logonna sandstone between the late 1500s and early 1700s. It blends Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles.
Size: 7360px × 4912px
Location: Church of Saint Nonne, l’église Sainte-Nonne, Dirinon, Finistère, Brittany, France
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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