The Martyrdom of Saint Peter of Verona

A Dominican friar of the convent of Sant’Eustorgio in Milan, Peter of Verona was an Inquisitor and preacher against the heresy of the Cathars: in 1252, together with a confrère, he was killed by a heretic in the woods between Seveso and Barlassina, struck on the head by a great cleaver. Moretto’s painting shows the scene of his martyrdom: the Saint, in the foreground, already struck on the head, is writing the word credo with his own blood on the ground, while in the middle ground his co-brother attempts to escape the assassin’s attack. In the upper part of the altarpiece, three angels hold a number of iconographic symbols that refer to the Saint: the palm and crown to indicate the victory of martyrdom, and the lily, which alludes to the virtue of chastity.