2-990-813 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

St Julianus Murdering his Parents, Unknown date. In a schematic bedroom, drawn in perspective with open walls, St Julian is stabbing his parents to death as they sleep. The saint is dressed in a red robe and cloak and adorned with a halo incised into the golden panel. To the left a figure, probably his wife, is watching the terrifying scene of slaughter. The drama is further heightened by the red blood dripping from the wounds of the dying parents. The legend of St Julian recounts that the night Julian was born, his father saw pagan witches who placed a curse on him, saying that he was going to kill his parents. When Julian was ten years old he moved to Galicia to prevent the curse being fulfilled. There he met and married a wealthy widow. After thirty years his parents went in search of him, and when they reached his home in Galicia his wife told them he was out hunting. Julian’s wife let his parents rest in their bed, and on returning home Julian thought his wife was having an affair with somebody and killed them both instantly. When he realized his mistake, he found his wife sitting by his mother. After seeking redemption in Rome, he built seven hospitals and twenty-five homes, the reason for his epithet St Julian the Hospitaller.