This painting, by the French artist Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780 – 1867), re-creates the story of the arrest and martyrdom of Saint Symphorien (also spelled Symphorian). According to legend, this saint clashed with local authorities in Autun, Gaul (modern France), during the time of Emperor Septimus Severus of Rome (r. 193-211). Septimus’ Severan Dynasty (r. 193-217, 218-235) was much more tolerant toward Christians than the rulers that came immediately before and after them, but some regional persecutions did occur during their dynastic rule. Notably, the father of the famous theologian, Origen, was martyred during one such persecution in 202, after Septimus Severus enacted a vague edict against the missionary activity of Christians. Symphorian was said to have fallen victim to a similar persecution around the same time, with the date of his death often being assigned to the year 200.
According to legend, Symphorien drew the deadly attention of Autun’s local Roman authorities during the time of a religious festival by refusing to honor the Roman pantheon of gods, particularly the goddesses Venus and Cybele. Symphorien’s lack of veneration and sacrifice reportedly offended the worshippers of Rome’s traditional gods, resulting in the saint being brought before a judge. During the hearing, Symphorien allegedly began preaching and reciting Biblical teachings, which, in effect, would have violated Septimus Severus’ sentiments against proselytization. Suffice it to say, the locals and the judge jumped at the opportunity to sentence Symphorien to death. A description of the saint’s sentencing and execution was recorded in the Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine (c. 13th century), who wrote, “And then the judge, fulfilled with wrath, gave sentence, and commanded that Symphorien should be slain. And as he was led to the place of his martyrdom, his mother cried from the wall of her house…And then he was anon beheaded, and his body taken of Christian men and was honourably buried” (Jacobus de Voragine, Golden Legend, 5.4).
Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres re-creates this tale in his painting. He depicts Symphorien being led away by a rowdy crowd to the executioner’s block. Following Jacobus de Voragine’s narrative, Symphorien’s mother can be seen stretching out over the wall in the upper-left corner of the canvas, her arm reaching out for her condemned son. After the execution, Symphorien’s remains were laid to rest in a local cave, which was reportedly rediscovered by Bishop Euphronius of Autun. The bishop built a church on the site in the 5th century.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine, translated by William Caxton (c. 1422-1491), and reprinted unabridged and in seven volumes by SSEL (2022).
- Oxford Dictionary of Saints (Fifth Edition) by David Farmer. Oxford University Press, 2011.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion, edited by Simon Price and Emily Kearns. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- Early Christianity: A Brief History by Joseph H. Lynch. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.
- https://www.historytoday.com/archive/causes-early-persecutions
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Septimius-Severus
- https://www.visitpham.org/objects/102613
