Francisco de Zurbarán’s “Saint Romanus of Antioch and Saint Barulas” (1638) depicts the martyr St. Romanus holding his tongue, which his tormentors cut out, while holding a book open to a page that begs God for intercession on behalf of the faithful. Looking up at him is 7 year old St. Barulas who was also martyred with St. Romanus.
Sad Fact: Only eight years after the brutal killings of St. Romanus and St Barulas, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity which significantly reduced the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.