Paul the Martyr

Ancient iconography of Paul is dominated by one image: Paul as martyr. Whether he is carrying a sword the traditional instrument of his execution or receiving a martyr s crown from Christ the apostle was remembered and honored for his faithfulness to the point of death. As a result Christians created a cult of Paul centered on particular holy sites and characterized by practices such as the telling of stories pilgrimage and the veneration of relics. This study integrates literary archaeological artistic and liturgical evidence to describe the development of the Pauline cult within the cultural context of the late antique West.