Inside Museu Nacional d'Art de
Catalunya in Barcelona is a painting by Juan Rexach of Santa Margarida that he
painted in 1456. It captivated me with the serene beauty of Margarida against
the pink flesh and vivid red blood of the Dragon. Her flawless skin, golden
hair nor her elegant garments are tainted with the blood she spilled.
Margarida was the daughter of a pagan
priest whose mother died when she was born. Her father gave her into the care
of a Christian woman in Antioch to nurse and raise. Margarida grew up Christian
consecrating herself to GOD. Her beauty caught the eye of a Roman Governor who
told her he would marry her if she gave up Christianity. She refused and he ordered
her tortured. One of the torments that she endured was to be eaten by Satan who came to her in the form of a dragon.
She escaped from the dragon, alive by
slicing open his belly with a cross. They also burned her and attempted to drown
her but she remained safe through each torment. In the end she was beheaded.
Joan of Arc claimed that one of the
voices she heard was that of Santa Margarida.
This week enjoy Santa Margarida.
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