Background
According to tradition, he was born either in Ireland or England and served in the armies of Richard the Lion-Heart and Leopold VI during the Crusades.
According to tradition, he was born either in Ireland or England and served in the armies of Richard the Lion-Heart and Leopold VI during the Crusades.
He then participated in the Reconquista, serving in the army of Alfonso VIII. He met Saint Peter Nolasco and became a Mercedarian in 1222. According to Christian tradition, he was nailed on an X-shaped cross and was dismembered. Spanish Baroque artist Francisco Zurbarán depicts Serapion in his painting, The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion.
