3-041-985 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Saint Apollonia with a Book and Tongs; Book of Hours, about 1466-1470. Apollonia was one of a group of virgin martyrs who suffered in Alexandria during a local uprising against the Christians prior to the persecution of Decius. According to church tradition, her torture included having all of her teeth violently pulled out or shattered. For this reason, she is popularly regarded as the patroness of dentistry and those suffering from toothache or other dental problems.