The Flickr Martyrs Image Generatr

TYPIQUE "RUE DES MARTYRS" SOUS la PLUIE à PARIS MONTMARTRE en FRANCE

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Crypt Altar, Tyburn Convent, London March 26th 2025

Pamela & I In A Courtyard, Tyburn Convent, London March 26th 2025

It was constructed in the 16th century following an original design by Michelangelo Buonarroti and constructed in the ruined frigidarium and tepidarium of the Roman Baths of Diocletian in the Piazza della Repubblica. The original building of the church was a bath house commissioned by Emperor Maximian in 297 AD and completed in 306 AD. The baths were in use until the fall of Rome in 537 and soon decayed into ruins. Michelangelo Buonarroti worked from 1563 to 1564 to adapt a section of the remaining structure of the baths to enclose a church. Upon Michelangelo's death in 1564, the work was carried on by his pupil, Jacopo Del Duca. Some later construction was directed by Luigi Vanvitelli in 1749.
There is no true facade (illustration); the simple entrance is set within one of the coved apses of a main space of the thermae. The plan is developed from a Greek cross, with a transept so dominant, with its cubical chapels at each end, that the effect is of a transverse nave.

Vintage French postcard. L'Aube Chrétienne, by L'Avant-garde Caennaise. This was local play, performed at Caen, France, in April 1912. Caption: Devant les Tyrans. The left statue on the table reminds a bit of the Athena Parthenon. On the right two lictores carry the so-called fasces. They represented magisterial power, law, and governance. Thus they were reused by powers that be, such as cardinal Mazarin in France, George Washington in the US, and Napoleon, referring back to either the Roman Republic or the Roman Empire. From the 1920s onward, they were appropriated by the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.

Vintage French postcard. L'Aube Chrétienne, by L'Avant-garde Caennaise. This was local play, performed at Caen, France, in April 1912. Caption: La Visite aux Tombeaux.

Vintage French postcard. L'Aube Chrétienne, by L'Avant-garde Caennaise. This was local play, performed at Caen, France, in April 1912. Caption: Combat de Gladiateurs. NB the helmets looks more like 16th century Spanish helmets, while the shirts and shoes don't like very Roman either. This goes to confirm that every century, every decade and every region makes its own vision of Antiquity.

Memorial site dedicated to the Jesuit martyrs of Tazacorte on the island of La Palma. The stone cross on this mirador commemorates the violent death of the 40 Jesuits who were traveling from Portugal and Spain towards Brazil in 1570. Set against the beautiful backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and dramatic sky, this monument not only commemorates historical events but also provides a place of peaceful contemplation, reflection, and remembrance.

Sorry for the poor-quality photo, but I thought Westminster Abbey's collection of saints was worth documenting; they include Martin Luther King, Oscar Romero and Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Paul MIki, a Jesuit scholastic of Japanese birth and descent said these words from the Cross where he hung dying:
"The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.

Having arrived at this moment of my existence, I believe that no one of you thinks I want to hide the truth. That is why I declare to you that there is no other way of salvation than the one followed by Christians. Since this way teaches me to forgive my enemies and all who have offended me, I willingly forgive the king and all those who have desired my death. And I pray that they will obtain the desire of Christian baptism.”

St Paul Miki was martyred with 25 others at Nishizaka Hill in Nagasaki, Japan on 5 February 1597.

This statue of the saint being crucified is in the museum built on the site of his martyrdom.

"The crosses were set in place. Father Pasio and Father Rodriguez took turns encouraging the victims. Their steadfast behaviour was wonderful to see. The Father Bursar stood motionless, his eyes turned heavenward. Brother Martin gave thanks to God’s goodness by singing psalms. Again and again he repeated: “Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my life.” Brother Francis Branco also thanked God in a loud voice. Brother Gonsalvo in a very loud voice kept saying the Our Father and Hail Mary.
Our brother, Paul Miki, saw himself standing now in the noblest pulpit he had ever filled. To his “congregation” he began by proclaiming himself a Japanese and a Jesuit. He was dying for the Gospel he preached. He gave thanks to God for this wonderful blessing and he ended his “sermon” with these words: “As I come to this supreme moment of my life, I am sure none of you would suppose I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly: there is no way to be saved except the Christian way. My religion teaches me to pardon my enemies and all who have offended me. I do gladly pardon the Emperor and all who have sought my death. I beg them to seek baptism and be Christians themselves.”
Then he looked at his comrades and began to encourage them in their final struggle. Joy glowed in all their faces, and in Louis’ most of all. When a Christian in the crowd cried out to him that he would soon be in heaven, his hands, his whole body strained upward with such joy that every eye was fixed on him.
Anthony, hanging at Louis’ side, looked towards heaven and called upon the holy names – “Jesus, Mary!” He began to sing a psalm: “Praise the Lord, you children!” (He learned it in catechism class in Nagasaki. They take care there to teach the children some psalms to help them learn their catechism).
Others kept repeating “Jesus, Mary!” Their faces were serene. Some of them even took to urging the people standing by to live worthy Christian lives. In these and other ways they showed their readiness to die.
Then, according to Japanese custom, the four executioners began to unsheathe their spears. At this dreadful sight, all the Christians cried out, “Jesus, Mary!” And the storm of anguished weeping then rose to batter the very skies. The executioners killed them one by one. One thrust of the spear, then a second blow. It was over in a very short time."

This is the 26 Martyrs Monument on Nishizaka Hill in Japan, installed in 1962. It was sculpted by Yasutake Funakoshi.

"O God, strength of all the Saints,
who through the Cross were pleased to call
the Martyrs Saint Paul Miki and companions to life,
grant, we pray, that by their intercession
we may hold with courage even until death
to the faith that we profess.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen."
– Collect for the feast of St Paul Miki and Companions.

These relics of the three Jesuits among the 26 Martyrs of Japan are in the church of St Philip built on Nishizaka Hill, the place of their martyrdom.

Awkwardly angled view because the whole of the apse was undergoing repair and restoration. Duomo or Basilica cattedrale della Trasfigurazione, Cefalù, Italy. There are at least five candidates for a Saint Peter martyred before the 12th century. I am not completely sure about the identity of the one depicted here.

Chiesa di Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (Chiesa della Martorana), 12th cent, Palermo.

17th cent. Palazzo dei Normanni, Palermo, Sicily.

Twelfth century. Capella Palatina (Palatine Chapel), Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace), Palermo. The women martyrs in the north aisle are very difficult to photograph, because it is hard to stand back far enough to get the plane of the lens roughly parallel with that of the pillar.

Twelfth century. Capella Palatina (Palatine Chapel), Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace), Palermo.

Twelfth century. Capella Palatina (Palatine Chapel), Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace), Palermo.