Saint Stephen (Koine Greek: Στέφανος, Stephanos; sometimes spelled "Stephan"), the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Stephen's name is derived from the Greek language Stephanos, meaning "crown". Traditionally, Stephen is invested with a crown of martyrdom; he is often depicted in art with three stones and the martyrs' palm. In Eastern Christian iconography, he is shown as a young, beardless man with a tonsure, wearing a deacon's vestments, and often holding a miniature church building or a censer. Rembrandt depicted his martyrdom in his work The Stoning of Saint Stephen.
Read more about Saint Stephen: Hagiography, St Stephen At Bet Gemal, Tomb, Commemorative Places
Famous quotes containing the words saint and/or stephen:
“It’s impossible to represent a saint [in Art]. It becomes boring. Perhaps because he is, like the Saturday Evening Post people, in the position of having almost infinitely free will.”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)
“Two voices are there: one is of the deep;
It learns the storm-cloud’s thunderous melody,”
—James Kenneth Stephen (1859–1892)