Saint Apollonia FS. II 333 by Andy Warhol is a screenprint from his 1984 Saint Apollonia portfolio. In this series, Warhol applies his signature Pop Art style to a lesser-known religious icon, reimagining the patron saint of dentistry and toothaches with contemporary boldness. As he did with celebrities and cultural icons, Warhol elevates Saint Apollonia to the realm of modern myth, granting her a place among the figures he immortalized through art. The print is based on a 15th-century portrait attributed to Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca, dated circa 1455–1460.

Saint Apollonia FS. II 333 was a virgin martyr who, according to Christian tradition, was tortured during an anti-Christian uprising in Alexandria in the mid-3rd century. The Catholic Church recounts that she had all her teeth violently extracted before being burned alive. She has since been venerated as the patron saint of dentistry and, more specifically, of those suffering from toothaches. In Warhol’s rendition, she is portrayed holding a tooth gripped in pliers—a powerful and direct symbol of her martyrdom.

A historical letter from Dionysius, the Bishop of Alexandria, to Fabios, the Bishop of Antioch, records the horrific details of her death:

"These men seized her also and by repeated blows broke all her teeth. They then erected outside the city gates a pile of wood and threatened to burn her alive if she refused to repeat impious words. Given, at her own request, a little freedom, she sprang quickly into the fire and was burned to death."

Of the images in Warhol’s Saint Apollonia portfolio, Saint Apollonia FS. II 333 remains the most faithful to della Francesca’s original. It echoes the same muted palette, architectural composition, and visual serenity, while still infusing Warhol’s distinct, vibrant undertone. Unlike his other reworkings of Renaissance imagery—such as Birth of Venus, St. George and the Dragon, or The Annunciation—this print shows minimal cropping and avoids the layered abstraction seen in many of his other adaptations. Warhol even preserves the illusion of craquelure from the original painting, emphasizing reverence over reinterpretation.

A devout Catholic throughout his life, Warhol often quietly expressed his religious beliefs through select artworks. Given his lifelong health struggles and fascination with sainthood, it is no surprise he was drawn to Apollonia—a figure associated with suffering and endurance. In Saint Apollonia 333, Warhol presents not only a martyred saint, but a quietly personal emblem of pain, faith, and reverence.