When the soldiers came for Lucia, Paschasius ordered them to take her to a brothel. Lucia then declared, "No man will ever defile my body, for I am consecrated to Jesus." The soldiers were unable to move Lucia, no matter how hard they tried. It is said that she weighed as much as a mountain. Paschasius then ordered them to build a fire around her, but the flames parted and did not touch her. In desperation, he finally ordered a soldier to cut off her head, which he did.
According to legend, Lucia was still conscious after her death and carried her eyes on a plate to her tomb. She was buried in the Catacomb of Saint Callixtus in Rome. Her relics were later moved to the Church of Saint Lucy in Venice, where they are still venerated today.