Fragment
Arsima, a beautiful little nun from Germany, had fled with 27 fellow-sisters to Armenia in an attempt to avoid the advances of Emperor Diocletian [3rd century].
The Emperor, breathing vengeance, incited his Armenian colleague Tiridates to favour Arsima with a nuptial bed or, in the event of her decline, to send her back to where she came from. The hot-blooded Tiridates sent out his servants to tell her of the imperial proposition.
Arsima replied that this would be an act of bigamy in the eyes of God and of all her fellow-sisters, because they considered Jesus-Christ as their true and heavenly Bridegroom. So Tiridates sent her back and the Emperor, still madly in love with her, took his revenge.
fig. 218 – Arsima Sematat, Arsima beheaded
Of course the poor virgin underwent the whole kaleidoscopic variety of tortures from tearing out of her tongue, grilling of her flesh, cutting open of her stomach and being burnt by flames. The desired lethal effect was finally obtained by chopping her up. Five crowns of martyrdom were bestowed upon her and judging by the painting her 27 companions followed or preceded her. Her fatal attraction evidently accounted for the emperor’s burning passion.
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