Gospel in Art: Feast of Saint Stephen, the first Martyr

The Stoning of St Stephen, Part of tapestry series: 'Acts of the Apostles Peter and Paul'. After cartoons by Raphael, woven in workshop of Pieter van Aelst III. © Palazzo Ducale, Mantua

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 26 December 2025
Matthew 10: 17-22

At that time: Jesus instructed his Apostles: 'Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.'

Reflection on the Tapestry

It has always struck me as a little strange that the day after we celebrate the gentle birth of Jesus, we commemorate the violent death of the first Christian martyr, Stephen. The contrast seems stark: the peace and joy of Bethlehem set beside the tragedy of Stephen's stoning. Yet this tension dissolves when we reflect on the deeper meaning of Christmas. The child in the manger is the same Son of Man who would one day lay down His life so that humanity might have life in abundance. The wood of the stable foreshadows the wood of the cross; the arms of Mary that cradled her newborn Son would one day hold Him again as He was taken down from Calvary. Some artists have even depicted the Nativity scene with beams shaped like crosses, a quiet visual reminder that the cradle and the cross are carved from the same wood of love.

Stephen embodies this truth. He is the first martyr, the first to give his life for Christ, just as Christ gave His life for all. Our first reading shows him dying as Jesus died: praying for his enemies, forgiving those who harmed him, and entrusting his spirit to the Lord, just as Jesus entrusted Himself into the hands of the Father. Christmas proclaims that Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again so that the fear of death might lose its grip on us. The birth of Jesus made possible Stephen's birth into glory, and it allows us to see our own mortality through the lens of hope.

Our tapestry is part of a series of tapestries designed by Raphael. The Raphael Cartoons are among the greatest achievements of the High Renaissance. Commissioned in 1515-1516 by Pope Leo X, they were designed as full-scale preparatory drawings for a magnificent set of tapestries to adorn the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel during major feasts. Raphael was asked to depict key events from the Acts of the Apostles, focusing especially on the lives of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, thereby visually affirming the apostolic foundations of the Church and the authority of the papacy. These cartoons were then sent to Brussels to the workshop of the famous weaver Pieter van Aelst, where they were translated into sumptuous wool-and-silk tapestries. The result was a series that matched, in splendour, the ceiling frescoes of Michelangelo above them: a dialogue between painting and tapestry.

Among the episodes chosen, the Stoning of Saint Stephen is simply stunning. In the version preserved in the Palazzo Ducale, Mantua, we see Stephen at the very centre of the composition, kneeling in calm surrender as stones fly toward him from an enraged crowd. Raphael arranges the scene like a stage: the executioners stand in a sweeping row to the left of Stephen, their bodies twisted with violence and tension, while the martyr's face is lifted serenely toward the heavens. Above him, the clouds open and a radiant crowned Christ appears with angelic hosts. In the bottom right corner stands a young Saint Paul, still unconverted, observing the scene with cold detachment, stretching his arms not to help, but encouraging the stoning.

Saint Stephen - pray for us.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-10-17-22-2025-2/