The Martyrdom of St Polycarp
The eleventh fresco. Polycarp was tried first, burned at the stake, and then beheaded. The text above the image reads "In medio. ignis. non. sum. aestatus. Eccl.II"). This fresco was painted by Marcello Leopardi around 1794 to replace an earlier painting by Pomarancio, which was destroyed in 1778 when the wall between 2 sets of columns was torn down to make way for the construction of a new chapel for Santo Stefano d'Ungheria. When this did not materialize, the spaces were walled up again and provided with new frescoes, namely this one and the following one.