The Holy Martyr Susanna
I have seen many paintings relating to Saint Susanna, whose relic I have here. Susanna kept me company for an entire night. Now I only remember a few episodes from her life. I saw her in Rome in a great palace. Her father was named Gabinus; he was a Christian; and his brother was the Pope. The Pope’s house was located next to the paternal palace. I saw the house of Gabinus with its peristyle and its corridor of columns. The mother was surely already dead, because she was never shown to me. There were many Christians in that house. Both Susanna and her father distributed everything they had to the poor Christians. They did this with a certain secrecy.
I saw a messenger sent by the Emperor Diocletian to Gabinus, as they were relatives. In that message, he asked for Susanna to give her in marriage to his son-in-law, who had lost his wife. I saw that at first Gabinus was glad of the proposal and shared it with Susanna, who expressed her repugnance at uniting in marriage with a pagan and told him that she was already united with Jesus Christ. I saw that Diocletian, as a consequence of this response, had her removed from her father's side and taken to the court of his wife Serena so that she might change her mind. I saw that the latter was secretly a Christian and that Susanna complained to her about her situation, and I saw them praying together.
She was led back to her father's house. I saw that the Emperor sent a relative (Claudius) to her, who, having barely entered the house, wanted to kiss her—not out of reckless impudence, but out of custom and kinship. I saw that she pushed away from that embrace with her hand, and when he explained his honorable intentions, I heard her tell him that a mouth profaned with praises to false gods should not touch her. I then saw how he allowed himself to be instructed on the falsehood of his gods and the errors of paganism, and was baptized by her uncle the Pope, together with his wife and children.
Seeing that so much time passed without giving him an answer, the Emperor sent a brother to ask what had happened. The brother found Claudius with his wife and children on their knees, praying, and was greatly amazed to hear that they had become Christians. When he later demanded an answer regarding Susanna’s marriage, Claudius proposed that they go to where Susanna was, so he could see if a person like Susanna could be the wife of an idol worshiper. The two brothers went to where Susanna was, and Claudius’s brother was also converted and made a Christian through Susanna and her uncle the Pope.
The Empress Serena had with her a lady and two servants who were also Christians. I saw them with Susanna going secretly, at night, to a small underground chamber located beneath the imperial palace. There was an altar there, and a lamp was always burning. They prayed there, where a priest arrived secretly to consecrate and administer the sacraments. I saw that the Emperor, upon learning of the conversion of the two brothers, flew into a great rage and had them arrested along with everyone in their household. Later, they were all martyred. Susanna’s father was imprisoned.
Later I saw a painting: Susanna was alone inside a large hall next to a round table upon which golden figures could be seen. Her hands were crossed, her eyes raised, and she was praying fervently. That hall had round openings at the top. In the corners, there were white statues as large as children; carved animal heads were seen, especially on the headboards of the furniture. I saw figures reclining on their hind legs, which had long wings and long tails, and I saw some that held scrolls and volumes with their front paws (architectural ornaments of winged lions and griffins).
While Susanna was praying, I saw that the Emperor sent his own son to do violence to her. The latter, leaving behind many individuals who had accompanied him in the antechamber, advanced stealthily toward Susanna; but an apparition came out to meet him, and he fell to the ground as if dead. Only then did Susanna look and cry out for help upon seeing him on the ground. Several people rushed in, filled with wonder, lifted the young man, and carried him away. That apparition had shown itself at the same time to Susanna and to the seducer who was behind her: as soon as it stepped between the two, the man fell to the ground.
Afterwards I saw another painting. Another person approached Susanna, with twenty other men; two idolatrous priests carried a golden idol. It must have been empty, for it was very light. They carried it on a flat surface that had two handles. They placed it in the courtyard of the palace inside a niche between two columns; they took a round piece of wood, which they placed on a tripod, and set it in front of the idol. Many then entered the palace and brought Susanna out of the room on the upper side. They led her before the idol so that she would offer a sacrifice. She prayed fervently to the Lord, and before she reached the place, I saw a wonder. That idol fled from there, crossing between the courtyard and the nearby colonnade, as if carried by force, and going over the top, it descended into the street, where it broke into pieces. A man passing by the street entered, announcing what had happened.
Then I saw that the men tore off Susanna’s clothes, so that only over her breast could she keep a piece of cloth to cover herself; her shoulders and back were uncovered: in this state, she had to pass through the soldiers who pricked and wounded her with their spears, so much so that she fell unconscious. They took her to a room in the palace, where they left her almost dead. Later I saw her again inside a temple, where she was supposed to sacrifice to the gods; but the idol fell prostrate to the ground.
Afterwards, she was dragged by her hair to her house and beheaded in the courtyard of her own palace. During the night, the Empress and a nurse of Susanna came, took the body, wrapped it in linens, and buried it. The Empress cut her hair and a fragment of her fingers. I saw that the Pope soon celebrated Mass over the place of her martyrdom and burial. Susanna's appearance featured round and strong features; her hair was black. She was dressed entirely in white, and her hair was braided on her head. She had a veil tied under her chin that covered her head and fell behind, in two points, over her shoulders.