Posted by Today is the Feast of the Four Holy Crowned Martyrs. They were sculptors in ancient Rome who refused to carve pagan demon idols. Hence, they were killed by the Emperor Diocletian.
8 Nov: Four Holy Crowned Martyrs. An object lesson about fooling around with demonic idols (aka Pachamama) | Fr. Z’s Blog
Their remains are in the Roman church of St. Marcellinus and Peter. Greatly venerated by the Romans there is an interesting Basilica dedicated to them on the street that goes up the side of the Caelian Hill from the Colosseum to the Lateran Basilica (of which Dedication we celebrate soon). I used to walk by this church, and San Clemente, every day on the way to university and often stopped in.
These martyrs refused to carve idols.
I wonder what they would think of Pachamama. The garden adulation. Setting up shop in a church. Being carried around in St. Peter’s. A demon idol cult bowl put on the altar of St. Peter’s.
Ponder that.
Meanwhile, these sculptors, as patron of sculptors, were highly regarded in the lofty days of Florence. At the Church of Orsanmichele there is a statue group of them in a niche on the outer wall (the originals are inside, in a museum). A friend in Florence sent pics:
In the museum…
In the Philadelphia Museum of Art you find a terrific Medieval collection, including a 15th c. altar piece from the same Orsanmichele. Note that the one in charge over the torturers is being strangled by a demon.
The martyrs refused to have anything to do with idols.
Fool around with demons… you won’t win. And if people on high fool around with demons, lots of people suffer.