St. Crispinian

The brothers Crispin and Crispinian, of high Roman birth, fled to Gaul during the Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of the Christians, around the year 303, and settled in the city known today as Soissons. There they learned the shoemaker’s trade, and made free footwear for the poor. Refusing to renounce their faith, they were tortured and finally beheaded. This figure of St. Crispinian is seen seated on a three-legged stool, plying his shoemaker’s trade. He has a fine countenance, with a high, handsomely domed forehead, and is bending over a shoe fastened to his thigh by a strap. This figure of a youthful, graceful shoemaker absorbed in his work is altogether compelling.