Abstract
This paper analyses the ‘image’ of Jan Sarkander (1576–1620) in terms of the imaginative representations in both visual and textual media in the 17th and 18th centuries. These media shaped the unique visual language of this Counter-Reformation martyr, who was highly revered despite not being beatified until 1859 and being canonised as recently as 1995. The key to interpreting John’s identity as a martyr was his ambiguous character, which emphasised both masculine and feminine elements in visual and verbal media simultaneously. The image of this ‘non-saint’ was thus formed through a combination of masculine (heroic, triumphant) and feminine (passive, submissive) gender identities. This corresponds to his diverse cult perception, both as a superhuman hero who resisted the torture of ‘heretics’ and as a fragile, pious priest. Sarkander’s dual saintly nature was formed in an interesting way – as both a masculine ‘athlete’ and a feminine, refined, emotionally sensitive saint. This corresponds to the not uncommon Baroque principle of constructing and transcending the identity of Catholic saints through paradox.