Decapitation of Hermagoras and Fortunatus
Guida Aquileia
Another episode told in the Crypt of the frescoes of the Basilica of Aquileia concerns the earthly life of the proto-bishop Hermagoras and his inseparable deacon Fortunatus.
This story ends with the beheading of both, persecuted for their Christian faith. The scene of the killing of Hermagoras by a soldier, while Fortunatus watches the execution terrified, is rendered with raw realism. A gush of blood comes out of the severed neck, while the saint's head is now far from his body.
This story ends with the beheading of both, persecuted for their Christian faith. The scene of the killing of Hermagoras by a soldier, while Fortunatus watches the execution terrified, is rendered with raw realism. A gush of blood comes out of the severed neck, while the saint's head is now far from his body.
