Key Takeaways
- The Nun II's story takes inspiration from a real-life legend.
- While the movie takes liberties with its real inspirations, it builds a connection between Irene and Lorraine Warren.
- The Conjuring Universe still has stories to tell, but The Nun II's real inspiration revealed a key piece of the puzzle.
Part of what makes The Conjuring Universe so captivating is that it is inspired by "true stories" based on the accounts of the real-life Ed and Lorraine Warren, who have investigated several paranormal occurrences. That being said, events veered a bit when the side character known as Valak was introduced in The Conjuring 2. As demonic figures go within this cinematic universe, Valak rates as the main antagonist, responsible for numerous hauntings throughout the series. Beyond that, its motivations are actually tied to a historical Christian martyr: Saint Lucy.
Introduced to fans in The Nun II, Saint Lucy was one of the virgin martyrs and one of the most well-known female martyrs in the present day. The film glossed over a good deal of her life, what traditional stories make of it at any rate, in favor of turning her into a powerful figure, whose eyes Valak coveted for its own nefarious purposes. Valak may have been thwarted, but the mystery surrounding Saint Lucy is still responsible for tying many Conjuring movies together. To better understand her relevance to the plot, it is necessary to know the records about the historical Saint Lucy.
Updated by Fawzia Khan on June 17th, 2024: The Conjuring Universe quickly became a cornerstone in the horror genre, and The Nun and The Nun II were important additions to the franchise. Many demonic entities are a part of this world, but Valak is the most terrifying. The Nun movies also focus on the protagonists, which leads to the discovery of Sister Lucy's connection to Sister Irene and Lorraine Warren. This piece has been updated with information about the future of The Nun movies and its backstory.
The Girl Who Became a Martyr
- Saint Lucia was born in 283 A.D.
- She was only 21 when she was executed.
- Saint Lucy is the Patron Saint of the Blind.
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Now, it is important to remember that the history of this particular saint is told over the course of centuries. There are variations of her story as time passed, and in all likelihood, some details were simply lost to time. Most sources tend to tell the same story overall. The first records of Saint Lucy, or Lucia of Syracuse, as was her proper name, first came from the fifth-century Acts of Martyrs. Born in 283 A.D., Lucia was born to noble and wealthy parents of Roman and Greek descent. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Lucia's father passed away when she was only five, leaving her and her mother without a guardian.
Consequently, Lucia's mother arranged for her daughter to marry a man from a wealthy pagan family. According to the texts, what Lucia's mother did not know was that her daughter had already consecrated her virginity to God. This was only one instance of Lucia's piety that would gain her notoriety. Later, while on pilgrimage with her mother to Catania, Lucia received a vision of the local Saint, Agatha, who said Lucia's faith would cure her mother's blindness and make Lucia the glory of Syracuse. Lucia used this opportunity to distribute her dowry amongst the poor, earning her some unwanted attention from someone much less receptive to her charity.
Paschasius, governor of Syracuse, demanded that Lucia burn a sacrifice to the emperor if she had so much wealth to give. As this went against Lucia's faith, she refused. It is important to understand that Lucia was alive during the Diocletian Persecution, making it a perilous time to publicly declare oneself a Christian. For her defiance, Paschasius ordered that she be taken to a brothel and defiled. The story then says that no matter what the soldiers who attempted to take her tried, she would not move. So, they tried to burn her alive with wood they stacked around her, only for her to not be burned. Finally, Paschasius ordered that a sword be thrust through her throat, which finally killed her. Accounts in the 15th century would also claim that Paschasius had Lucia tortured by gouging out her eyes, thus turning Lucia into the Patron Saint of the Blind. Lucia's story eventually became well-known among Christians worldwide a century after her death.
Saint Lucy's Role in the Conjuring
- Saint Lucy is the ancestor of Sister Irene and Lorraine Warren.
- Valak craves the power of Saint Lucy and her heirs.
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Obviously, the movies took liberties with Saint Lucy's story, but most of it was inspired by historical accounts. Saint Lucy would appear as a figure of wisdom to the protagonists, offering guidance and protection against the forces of evil that attacked them from all sides. Lucy herself was given a more supernatural role in the story, her gouged-out eyes being a powerful relic that Valak was searching for throughout his second known haunting.
He did not anticipate that his old nemesis, Sister Irene, was actually a descendant of Saint Lucy. During their final confrontation, when Valak tried to burn Irene alive, she was unharmed, recreating the miracle that Saint Lucy had performed when Paschasius' men tried and failed to burn her. This, in turn, explained why Irene had such a deep connection to the spiritual world: her family's lineage could be traced back to Saint Lucy and whatever power she held to cause such miracles. The events in Irene's life that she deemed a burden were actually gifts from her ancestors and were instrumental in thwarting Valak a second time.
It would later be revealed Irene isn't the only known modern descendant of Saint Lucy. Lorraine Warren is confirmed in the movies to also be related to Saint Lucy, explaining her unique gifts as well. As a result, Saint Lucy is the wellspring from which the film series gains its protagonists, creating a spiritual wall across the globe that acts against the demonic forces seeking to consume it.
Saint Lucy's Real Story is More Complicated Than the Movies Make it Out to Be
- Saint Lucy's descendants might be related to her via brothers or sisters.
- Having their gifts be hereditary opens up new opportunities for movies set in different time periods.
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How Does The Nun 2 Connect to The Conjuring?
The Nun II surprisingly has a mid-credits scene that ties into the first Conjuring movie, but there is an issue with it and the ending as a whole.
As stated before, the movie took liberties with Saint Lucy's tale to bolster its story. Had Valak been searching for her eyes, his search would have been in vain, as they would have deteriorated centuries ago. More importantly, for Saint Lucy to have any direct descendants would be problematic, as a major part of her martyrdom is that she spurns the idea of marriage in favor of devoting herself to God. This can partially be explained away by the vast amount of time between then and now. Records only say that Saint Lucy came from a wealthy Sicilian family, not whether she had siblings.
If the power she had was hereditary, then Saint Lucy probably wasn't the first woman in her family to wield it, and as proven by Irene and Lorraine Warren within the series, she is not the last either; she is merely the most prominent among them. It's possible that both women could be descended from relatives of Lucy, preserving the integrity of her story and presenting an even greater mystery about where this mysterious gift came from.
The idea that the power this particular line of women possesses has been active for nearly two thousand years suggests that there is a grander story in the works, tying the family closely to Valak, but also implies a great destiny might be lying in wait for them. Saint Lucy is only the first piece in a puzzle that The Conjuring Universe has provided for its fans. One that opens the door for new adventures and mysteries for her descendants to solve and perhaps even presents new opportunities for stories to be told in different time periods as the family continues its seemingly never-ending war with the demon Valak.
What Is The Future Of The Conjuring Universe?
IMDb Rating | Rotten Tomatoes Score | Metacritic Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
The Nun | 5.3 | 25% | 46% |
The Nun II | 5.6 | 52% | 47% |
While The Nun II was much more favorably received than the first movie, the fate of this particular offshoot of The Conjuring Universe hangs in the balance. The Nun II ended with a happy Maurice walking off into the metaphorical sunset with Sophie and Kate. Still, Sister Irene looked worried about this, possibly hinting that their story wasn't over yet.
However, there has been no announcement of The Nun III yet, which could mean that The Nun series could be done with its own movies. Yet the mid-credits scene from the sequel seemed to connect the movie to the fourth and final Conjuring movie, which is titled The Conjuring: Last Rites.
"I know that they're going to end with a bang. I know that there is a great finale being planned for "Last Rites" and as to what or who's in it ..."
- Michael Chaving, about The Conjuring: Last Rites
One of the biggest connections remains the filial one between Sister Irene and Lorraine Warren, which was confirmed by director Michael Chaves in an interview. He said, "There are clues even in the very first "Nun" movie if you look at it, and I think people have picked this up online because I think I have seen this online."
It also seems as though all the threads of The Conjuring Universe (including Annabelle and The Nun) might be coming together in The Conjuring: Last Rites. In the same interview, Chaving hinted that this upcoming movie may be the most explosive and scariest one yet, with the universes colliding and providing resolutions.
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The Conjuring
The ConjuringUniverseis an Americanhorror franchiseandshared universecentered on a series ofsupernatural horror films. The films present a dramatization of the supposed real-life adventures ofEd and Lorraine Warren,paranormal investigatorsand authors associated with prominent yet controversial cases of haunting.
