Saint Alena 1700 - 1800

This is an anonymous watercolor and ink drawing on paper of Saint Alena. Saint Alena, a virgin martyr, stands in what seems to be a royal court. The crown above her head alludes to her nobility. She is surrounded by flowers, birds and light rays. This imagery can be connected to 7th-century Belgium, where Alena was said to have been murdered for her Christian beliefs. The visual codes employed here create meaning through cultural references to the hagiography of Saint Alena. The religious orders of the time recorded her story and disseminated it throughout the region in an effort to win converts. The historian researches the past and the institutions of the past to better contextualize relics like this one.