The Martyrs' procession - detail of the apsidal mosaic
On earth, in a paradisiacal garden in front of the entrance to the heavenly Jerusalem, we find the procession of martyrs with their peculiar objects: St Catherine of Alexandria holding the wheel, the symbol of martyrdom. St Catherine has the face of Elisabeth Scriven Clark Potter, the wife of Henry Codman Potter (bishop of New York); St Barbara holding the tower has the face of Georgiana, the wife of Burne Jones; St Cecilia with the organ, is Mary Dahlgren Astor, wife of financier William Waldorf Astor; St Dorothy holding a bouquet of roses, is Margaret, the daughter of Burne Jones; and finally St Agnes with the lamb, symbol of purity and sacrifice, has the face of Guendolin Story.
