Saint Peter Visiting Saint Agatha in Prison and Healing her Wounds n.d.

Anton Raffael Mengs rendered this pen and brown ink wash drawing of Saint Peter visiting Saint Agatha in prison sometime in the 18th century. Note Saint Agatha's serene gaze towards the heavens, a halo resting above her head. This is a nod to her divine connection, despite her physical suffering and imprisonment. Saint Peter appears, bringing light and divine intervention to the darkness of the prison. Observe the keys cast aside on the floor, representing Peter's symbol of authority and the power to unlock or lock, forgive or condemn, and connect this to the iconography of keys as symbols of access to the divine across cultures. The image of healing and intervention by divine figures resonates across time. Consider the Greek god Asclepius, often depicted with a staff entwined with a serpent, symbolizing medicine and healing. This motif, like the intervention of Saint Peter, reflects humanity's enduring hope for divine help in times of suffering. Consider, too, how such images trigger our collective memory, stirring deep-seated emotions related to pain, hope, and the yearning for redemption.