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Folio 162r from the Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry, 1405–1408-9. Herman, Paul, and Jean de Limbourg (Franco-Netherlandish, fl in France by 1399–1416) Suffrages of the Saints Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, Folio 162r - Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry, 1405–1408/9. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 1954 (54.1.1)
In Acts of the Apostles, Stephen alarms the Jews with his preaching that the true temple is in the heart. He is charged with blasphemy, for which the penalty is stoning. Execution must take place outside the walls of Jerusalem; and Stephen is here shown in the countryside, his hands joined in prayer, submitting quietly to his destiny as the first of Christ's followers to be martyred. Since Stephen was not one of the canonical 12 Apostles, he was considered to be a deacon. Source: Article
