Saint Peter Martyr

This section of an altarpiece showing Saint Peter Martyr is probably a comparatively early work by Schiavone. It is thought to come from S. Niccolò, Padua.

Born in Verona in 1205, Saint Peter was received into the Dominican Order by Dominic himself in 1221, while a student at Bologna University. He was energetic in seeking out heresy and punishing the offenders. This led to his murder in 1252. While on a journey he was attacked by hired assassins, in the pay of two members of the Venetian Cathari sect whose property he had confiscated.

He is depicted here dressed in the Dominican habit of black and white, and with the symbols of his martyrdom: a dagger in his chest and an axe penetrating his skull.