Public executions in the arena

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CATHARINA OF ALEXANDRIA TORTURED
According to the legend, she was of noble descent, well educated and even at the age of 18 versed in science and rhetorics. She used her capabilities well in discussions with pagan philosophers and converted many to the Christian faith, to the dismay of the pagan authorities of Alexandria (Egypt). During the persecution of Maxentius she was imprisoned. scourged and tortured with red hot irons and hooks, then sentenced to a particularly cruel death: She was going to be tortured to death on a wheel. a slow, painful, and spectacular execution. However, the wheel broke, and the dismayed executioners finally had to kill her “the noble way” by beheading her with a sword.

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JULIA OF CARTHAGO CRUCIFIED AND TORMENTED
Julia was a daughter of a noble Christian family living in Carthago. When the Vandals took North Africa in 439, she was enslaved and sold to a merchant traveling the Mediterranean Sea. His ship arrived at Corsica just at the time of a pagan festival. Julia was ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods. She refused and was tortured: She was whipped and tortured in various ways. In the end she was crucified† as a punishment as well as for the amusement of the pagans.

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FIRMINA OF AMELIA CRUCIFIED AND SINGED WITH TORCHES​
Firmina lived towards the end of the 3rd Century in Amelia, a town in Umbria (today: Italy). Her family was wealthy; her father was a high-ranking Roman official.
When the persecution of Emperor Diocletianus began, she could have stayed in her rather remote home town and led an untroubled life. Instead, she chose to go to Rome and to support the Christian community there.
Then, however, Firmina was arrested as a Christian herself. As the Christians refused to make sacrifices to the god emperor, they were thought to be illoyal subjects or even traitors. However, the judge presiding over Firmina's trial was a just man and allowed the young woman to defend herself. She did this so well that the judge acquitted her; later he became a Christian himself.
But the persecution was still going on. In 303 Firmina was arrested again. This time her judge was a cruel and arrogant man who let her be tortured in order to make her renounce her faith. But she remained steadfast, so she was condemned to be crucified and tortured to death.
Firmina's memorial day is November 24th.

[frog]

Good to see you back.

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CONCORDIA SCOURGED TO DEATH AS A CHRISTIAN REBEL
There is not much known about concordia except that she was martyred for her faith. She was stripped, tied to a post, and scourged to death. According to the legend her breasts were heavy with milk, and she suffered terribly when the executioners struck her.
For evident reasons she is the patron saint of nursing mothers and wetnurses. Her memorial day is August 13th.

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REBEL SLAVE IMPALED AND SCOURGED TO DEATH

[artur-ae]

Nice to see you here.

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AGATHA OF CATANIA PUBLICLY TORTURED AS A CHRISTIAN REBEL
Agatha was a Christian virgin living in Catania, Sicily, at about 250 AD. When Emperor Decius tried to suppress the Christians by his edicts, a magistrate of Agatha's hometown who knew about her religion tried to blackmail her into granting him sexual favours. She refused, was arrested and sent to a brothel for “education”; but she refused to serve the customers. Finally she was handed over to the torturers. She was flogged, her breasts were crushed with tongs and then cut off, and finally she was rolled naked over hot coals and sharp potshards. She died from her wounds in prison.
According to some legends St. Peter visited Agatha in prison and restored her breasts (to make her more receptive for the torture of the hot coals?).
Agatha is the patron saint of rape victims, wet nurses, and women suffering from breast maladies of all kinds. Her memorial day is February 5th.
In art she is usually represented as a young woman carrying her cut-off breasts on a silver platter. Furthermore, Agatha often holds the pincers with which her breasts had been tortured.
After Mary, the mother of Jesus, Agatha is probably the female saint with the largest number of artistic representations.

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MARGARETA OF ANTIOCHIA PUBLICLY SCOURGED
Margareta was the daughter of a pagan priest in Antiochia (Asia Minor), who disowned her when she became a Christian. When she refused the advances of the Roman prefect Olybrius, who had been smitten by her beauty, that man arrested her as a Christian. . During the following days the authorities tortured the girl cruelly by scourging her, immersing her in hot water or by suspending her naked from her wrists and singeing her with torches, but could not make her renounce her faith. Finally Margareta was beheaded, presumably in the year 307.