Saint Margaret of Antioch and the Dragon

Saint Margaret was one of those devoted virgins who got in trouble for refusing a marriage offer from a wealthy and powerful man. To punish her, he fed her to a dragon. (No messing around with that guy.) But, of course, this didn't work -- like the consummation of love in a comedy, the consummation of a martyr's death had to overcome many obstacles, and no mere dragon was going to finish off Saint Margaret. According to the various versions, Margaret either chased the dragon away with a cross, or jammed a cross into its mouth, or the dragon actually ate her and she burst out of its belly. If these pictures are any guide, the dragon often seems to have bit off a piece of her dress before she stopped it.

Anyway, medieval and Renaissance artists loved this story. At top, an anonymous drawing from 16th-century Italy; above, a statue from Salisbury Cathedral. I love this one.

From an illuminated manuscript of ca. 1440. Where did this guy get his ideas about dragons?

Bench end at St. Helen's Church in Norwich, England.

Anonymous rendering from Italy, showing that Margaret got to take her dragon with her when she sat around and did whatever famous virgins do in heaven. I mean, it must get boring being so pure all the time, so a pet dragon must be a welcome distraction.

Titian.

Sixteenth-century painting from the crypt of Acerenza Cathedral.

And the 16th-century church of Mlynica, Slovakia.