Romanesque frescoes in the central apse of the abbey church of St John in Müstair show his martyrdom. St John the Baptist was decapitated with his head offered to his daughter at a banquet hosted by King Herod.
The upside down figure is Salome dancing. She could request any reward from Herod and her mother forced her to ask for John’s head on a platter.
In the following scenes – his entombment and tom – his head is shown off center to indicate that it has been severed.
Also note the geometric patterns resembling those found in Italian churches with Byzantine influences such as in Ravenna. The less bright pantings are Carolingian originals.