Artwork
The Martyrdom of Saint Mennas
The Martyrdom of Saint Mennas is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Paolo Veronese. It is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The scene emphasizes the clash between imperial authority and religious conviction, framing Mennas’s death as a triumph of faith over earthly power.
The painting depicts the martyrdom of Saint Mennas of Egypt, a fourth-century Christian soldier venerated for refusing to renounce his faith during Roman persecution. Veronese portrays the saint in contemporary military attire, wearing a body armor and combat helmet, and holding a shield, while he is struck down by Roman soldiers, underscoring his dual identity as both soldier of Rome and martyr for Christ. The scene emphasizes the clash between imperial authority and religious conviction, framing Mennas’s death as a triumph of faith over earthly power.
Technique & Style
The Martyrdom of Saint Mennas is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Paolo Veronese's late religious commissions. The canvas measures 248 cm in height by 182 cm in width, giving the composition a pronounced vertical orientation suited to the standing martyr figure and the surrounding combatants depicted in body armor, combat helmets, and shields. Classified as a religious painting, the work belongs to the genre of devotional imagery that characterized Veronese's mature output, completed in 1580 and now held in the Museo del Prado.
The sources confirm only the medium, support, dimensions, and iconographic elements; they do not provide details on handling, brushwork, condition, or specific stylistic qualities, so those aspects are left unspecified.
History & Provenance
The Martyrdom of Saint Mennas is an oil painting on canvas by Paolo Veronese dated to 1580, with recorded dimensions of 248 cm in height and 182 cm in width. The work was created in that year and is classified as a religious painting. It is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado, where it remains located.
The sources do not document an earlier ownership chain, a specific commissioner, or any intervening provenance prior to its entry into the museum's holdings, nor do they provide details on the circumstances of its creation beyond the artist, medium, and date.
The Martyrdom of Saint Mennas is held in the collection of the Museo del Prado in Madrid. It bears inventory number P00968 and has been part of the museum's exhibition displays, including showcases of Spanish Renaissance works and thematic presentations on religious art.
Overview
Created circa 1590 by Paolo Veronese, a prominent Venetian painter of the late Renaissance, this oil on canvas presents a violent episode from the legend of Saint Menas. Executed in a Mannerist idiom, the work now belongs to the collection of the Museo del Prado and illustrates the artist’s interest in grand, narrative compositions.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Paolo Caliari (1528 – 19 April 1588), known as Paolo Veronese ( VERR-ə-NAY-zay, -zee, US also -see; Italian: ), was an Italian Renaissance painter based in Venice, known for extremely large history paintings of…
