"St Peter Martyr was a medieval inquisitor who, it is said, was murdered by the heretics he was so good at catching. Bellini’s painting makes the story both real and fairytale-like with its eerie setting in a shady woodland. In this dark and obscure wood, Saint Peter and a companion are set upon by the medieval equivalent of 'terrorists', whose opposition to the Catholic religious order is equated with brutality and evil. The assassins are members of the Cathar sect, which believed the material world was utterly evil; it was popular in parts of south-western France between the 12th and 14th centuries. Bellini’s juxtaposition of pastoral landscape and extreme violence makes this propaganda story utterly compelling. ..."
The National Gallery (Video)
W - The Assassination of Saint Peter Martyr
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