Happy St Lucy’s Day! To mark the Feast of St Lucy, we thought we would share this petition from Pistoia regarding the renovation of her chapel. It reads:
14 June 1334
Item. As the [state of the] chapel of St Lucia which is in the church of St John the Baptist in the city of Pistoia hinders the beauty, the windows, and other things expedient for the appearance of said church, what would the [General] Council provide, ordain, and reform to be done regarding said chapel? In the name of Christ, it is put forward.
Item cum capella Beate Lucie que est in ecclesia Beati Johannis Batiste civitatis Pistorii inpediat pulcritudinem fenestras et alia expedientia ad decorem dicte ecclesie quid dicto placet consilio providere ordinare et reformare quod fiat de dicta capella in Christi nominee consulatur.
For our readers outside Italy and Scandinavia: Lucy of Syracuse was a Roman Christian martyr and saint. Though born in 280s Sicily, she remains important in Scandinavia and Finland, where she is depicted as a woman dressed in white with a red sash and a crown of candles.
Despite the serene imagery surrounding her, St Lucy’s story is quite grim. After taking a vow of virginity, she refused an arranged marriage, convinced by a vision from Saint Agatha that faith could cure her ailing mother. Enraged, her betrothed reported her as a Christian. Lucy was tortured, set aflame, pierced with spears, and even had her eyes gouged out, only for them to be miraculously restored. She endured all this and could not die until receiving her Last Rites.
The struggle between light and darkness resonated strongly in the Nordic world. The devotion spread via missionaries and was celebrated throughout the Middle Ages and into the present day. Quite an example of knowledge circulation!
Sources
Archivio di Stato di Pistoia, Consigli, Provvisioni e Riforme IV, f. 143v.
A 16th century portrait of St Lucy by Domenico di Pace Beccafumi.