De Martyrs of Ararat and Albanus of Mainz - responses

Ten naked bodies are depicted in various painful positions while being impaled on thorny bushes on a hill. They represent the martyrs of Ararat. According to legend, Achatius of Ararat was leading an army under the command of Hadrian and he was about to lose a battle. In a desperate attempt to turn the tide, Achatius and his men prayed and sacrificed to the gods and begged for help. An angel appeared to them who promised them victory if they converted to Christianity. They followed the angel’s advice and won a glorious battle. However, when the heathen emperor Hadrian discovered his soldiers had converted to Christianity, he condemned Achatius and his 10,000 men to death by crucifixion on Mount Ararat. Their feast day is on 22 June. Hidden away in the left corner at the bottom we see bishop Albanus, a Greek bishop who was banned by the Arians and preached in Mainz, where he was captured again and subsequently killed. His feast day is on 21 June.