John the Baptist, John and Paul of Rome
Date of news: 24 June 2016
In the middle we see John the Baptist in honour of his birthday on 24 June. John announced the coming of Christ. Famous episodes of his life include baptising Christ in the river Jordan and his beheading, which occurred after John was captured by Herod. Salome, Herod’s stepdaughter, could ask for anything that she wanted in exchange for a dance. Pressured by her mother, she asked for John’s head. In this depiction, John is wearing a cloak of camel hair and points to the lamb on his arm: Ecce Agus Dei (behold the Lamb of God). He is accompanied by John and Paul of Rome, two brothers who journeyed to Rome from Emperor Constantine’s court and were beheaded for refusing to pay tribute to false gods. Their feast day is on 26 June.
