The Eyes of St. Lucy

One of the most recognizable images of Saint Lucy is her holding a golden plate with a pair of eyes on it. This unusual depiction is tied to her status as the patron saint of the blind and those with eye disorders. But why is St. Lucy so commonly illustrated holding a pair of eyeballs? The story behind this connection comes from her life story and the torture she endured for her Christian faith.

Lucy was born in Sicily in the late 3rd century to a wealthy pagan family. According to legend, from an early age she vowed to live a life of service and charity in dedication to God. Lucy’s mother tried to arrange a marriage for her, but Lucy refused the proposal, wanting instead to devote her life and virginity to helping the less fortunate. This angered her pagan suitor and he reported her to the governor as a Christian, a dangerous claim in a time when Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire.

The governor ordered her to make sacrifices to the pagan gods, but Lucy refused. For this act of defiance, she was sentenced to die. The method of execution was particularly gruesome – her eyes were to be gouged out. However, through miracle or simply the poor aim of her torturers, Lucy did not immediately die from her injuries. As she lay dying, she foretold the end of the persecution of Christians in Sicily and prophesied the return of her body to her hometown of Syracuse after her death.

Lucy’s predictions came true. She eventually did succumb to her injuries, but her body was mysteriously returned to Syracuse after her death. Miracles came to be associated with Lucy’s relics and her fame spread. She was venerated for her virginity, Christian devotion, prophecy and for the grisly nature of her martyrdom. The emblem of Lucy with a pair of eyeballs began appearing in religious iconography and art as symbolic of her miraculous survival after her torturous blinding.

Over the centuries, Lucy’s fame solidified her position as a patron for eye disorders and blindness. Sufferers often pray for her intercession in curing their illnesses. So the next time you see an image of St. Lucy cradling her plucked-out eyeballs, you’ll know the full story of faith, persecution and devotion behind this gory emblem. Her eyes represent the sacrifice Lucy made for her religious beliefs and the blindness she endured only to emerge with her faith intact and her vision clearer than ever.