Violence & Brutality Towards Perpetua and Felicitas

The martyrs at Carthage in the foreground, other martyrs in the background.

The martyrs of Carthage.

These two works of art are depictions of the violence and brutality that Perpetua and Felicitas endured at the end of their lives as martyrs. Each piece demonstrates a different method of violence used to punish the martyrs, which shows how long they endured the torture to defend their faith. Their devotion to their faith carried them past the violence and brutality depicted here, and they died witnesses to their faith.

The group of martyrs at Carthage faced whippings by gladiators, then the men had a boar, a bear, and a leopard sent to attack them, while Perpetua and Felicitas faced a wild cow. Perpetua in the end guided the sword of the gladiator to her own neck and was slain.