Sicily, Italy
Syracuse
What is there today
The cathedral is built inside a Greek temple of the fifth century before Christ: the Doric columns are still there, embedded in the walls, and can be touched. In the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia hangs the painting Caravaggio made of the saint s burial as soon as he arrived in the city as a fugitive.
Why this image comes from here
Lucy comes from lux, meaning light, and her feast falls on 13 December, which in the Julian calendar was the longest night of the year. That crossing of name, date and the attribute of the eyes is what turns her icon into a piece for the protection of sight, and explains why she is venerated as much in Sicily as in Sweden.
Pieces from this place
- Saint Lucy
- Lucy was from Syracuse in Sicily, and her name comes from lux, meaning light. Her feast falls on 13 December, which in the old calendar was the longest night of the year.