Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia holds the viewer's gaze with a gentle smile and rosy cheeks. The sword piercing her neck does not seem to trouble her. This wooden figurine was carved in a Mechelen workshop between around 1500 and 1530. We do not know the artist.

Unyielding Lucia

The Lucia we see here is Lucia of Syracuse (283-304), patron saint of the blind. Her feast day falls on 13 December, the shortest day of the year in the Julian calendar. The return of light is a significant aspect in her veneration. In the Scandinavian countries in particular, this day is celebrated as a festival of light.

According to legend, Lucia visited the grave of Saint Agatha in Catania, Sicily, with her ailing mother. When her mother miraculously recovered, Lucia gave all her possessions to the poor. Her Roman fiancé was unable to accept this and pressed charges against her for her faith in Christ. Her case was compounded by the fact but she did not make similar offerings to the Roman gods or the Emperor. Lucia was sentenced to work in a brothel. She proved to be so unyielding but she could not be moved, even by a team of oxen. She was unflinching, even on the pyre. In desperation, the executioner finally thrust the sword through her neck. The Saint is depicted with those attributes here.

Saint Lucia in Detail

• Title: Saint Lucia of Syracuse
• Item name: holy statue
• Artist: anonymous
• Date: ca. 1500-1530
• Material: Wood, polychromy, metal leaf, tin
• Dimensions: height: 70.5 cm
• Inventory number: OCMW B0007
• Origin: From the art heritage of the Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW). Acquired by the city of Mechelen in 2000.