Serena of Rome | |
---|---|
martyr | |
Born | Mid-third century |
Died | Late-third century |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Beatified | Pre-Congregation, Roman Empire |
Feast | August 16 |
Serena of Rome is a legendary third-century martyr and saint listed in the Martyrologium Romanum . She is listed as the wife of Diocletian, however that claim is unproven and she has been removed from the calendar of saints.
The previous Martyrologium Romanum placed her feast day on August 16, and stated that she was the wife of Diocletian.
Tradition has it that Serena was Diocletian's first wife, before he reached his highest office. A convinced and conscious Christian, when her husband learned of her faith, he repudiated her, perhaps fearing that the presence of a Christian at his side would jeopardize his political career. This may have led to her martyrdom. [1]
However, Serena's existence is considered doubtful. In De mortibus persecutorum , Lactantius states that Prisca and Valeria were the wife and daughter of Diocletian. [1]
The Monks of Ramsgate wrote in their Book of Saints (1921),
Described as the wife of the Emperor Diocletian, and as secretly a Christian. She certainly sought as far as was in her power to mitigate the lot of the Christians. After her death they venerated her as a saint. The little we know of her comes from the Acts of Susanna, V.M. and from those of Pope St. Caius (A.D. 283-296). [2]
According to tradition about Saints Marcellus and Susanna, Serena defended the Christians against the persecutions under her husband. She was cast out and suffered martyrdom. [3]
In the legend of Cyriacus, he is credited with exorcizing demons from two girls, one of whom was Artemisia (or Artemia), the daughter of Diocletian, which resulted in both Artemisia and her mother Serena converting to Christianity. [4]
According some sources, Serena did not die a martyr, but instead spent her days in exile in Magliano Sabina, in the Italian region of Lazio. She is the patron saint of Foglia (Magliano Sabina) and the Chapel of Saint Serena in Schizzanello is dedicated to her. [1]
She is not mentioned in the current martyrology due to her legendary nature. [5]
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Pope Caius, also called Gaius, was the bishop of Rome from 17 December 283 to his death in 296. Little information on Caius is available except that given by the Liber Pontificalis, which relies on a legendary account of the martyrdom of Susanna of Rome for its information. According to legend, Caius baptized the men and women who had been converted by Tiburtius and Castulus. His legend states that Caius took refuge in the catacombs of Rome and died a martyr.
Pope Marcellinus was the bishop of Rome from 30 June 296 to his death in 304. A historical accusation was levelled at him by some sources to the effect that he might have renounced Christianity during Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians before repenting afterwards, which would explain why he is omitted from lists of martyrs. The accusation is rejected, among others, by Augustine of Hippo. He is today venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and in the Serbian Orthodox Church.
Vitus, whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown. He has for long been tied to the Sicilian martyrs Modestus and Crescentia but in the earliest sources it is clear that these were originally different traditions that later became combined. The figures of Modestus and Crescentia are probably fictitious.
Saint Afra was martyred during the Diocletian persecution. Along with Saint Ulrich & St Simpert, she is a patron saint of Augsburg. Her feast day is August 7. Afra was dedicated to the service of the goddess Venus by her mother, Hilaria. Through his teachings, Bishop Narcissus converted Afra and her family to Christianity. When it was learned that Afra was a Christian, she was brought before Diocletian and ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods. She refused and was condemned to death by fire.
Saints Theodora and Didymus are Christian saints whose legend is based on a 4th-century acta and the word of Saint Ambrose. The pair were martyred in the reigns of co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximianus. St. Theodora should not be confused with another St. Theodora of Alexandria commemorated on September 11.
Cyriacus, sometimes Anglicized as Cyriac, according to Christian tradition, is a Christian martyr who was killed in the Diocletianic Persecution. He is one of twenty-seven saints, most of them martyrs, who bear this name, of whom only seven are honoured by a specific mention of their names in the Roman Martyrology.
Alexandra of Rome was a Christian martyr and saint, known from Martyrdom of Saint George as either Emperor Diocletian's wife or the wife of Dacian, a Roman Prefect. She is also sometimes mistaken with Priscilla or Prisca.
Jovita and Faustinus were said to be Christian martyrs under Hadrian. Their traditional date of death is 120. They are patron saints of Brescia. Faustinus is the patron saint of Pietradefusi.
Saint Placidus (Placitus), along with Saints Eutychius (Euticius), Victorinus and their sister Flavia, Donatus, Firmatus the deacon, Faustus, and thirty others, have been venerated as Christian martyrs. They were said to be martyred either by pirates at Messina or under the Emperor Diocletian.
Mark and Marcellian are martyrs venerated as saints by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Their cult is sometimes associated with that of Saints Tranquillinus, Martia, Nicostratus, Zoe, Castulus, and Tiburtius, though not in the official liturgical books of the Church, which mention only Mark and Marcellianus among the saints for 18 June. Their mention in the General Roman Calendar on that date from before the time of the Tridentine calendar was removed in the 1969 revision, because nothing is known about them except their names, the fact of their martyrdom, and that they were buried on 18 June in the cemetery of Santa Balbina on the Via Ardeatina.
Susanna of Rome was a Christian martyr of the Diocletianic Persecution. Her existing hagiography, written between about 450 and 500 AD, is of no historical value and the relations it attributes to Susanna are entirely fictitious. It is probable that a real martyr named Susanna lies behind the literary invention.
Tiburtius, according to Christian legend, was a Christian martyr and saint. His feast day is 11 August which is the same as Saint Susanna. The two were not related, but are sometimes associated because they are venerated on the same day.
Felicitas of Rome, also anglicized as Felicity, is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Salaria on a 23 November. However, a legend presents her as the mother of the seven martyrs whose feast is celebrated on 10 July. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates their martyrdom on 25 January.
Saint Honorina was a 3rd-century virgin martyr of Gallo-Roman northern France, venerated as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Believed to have been killed in the first years of the 4th century during the persecutions of Diocletian, very little is known of her life, apart from her reputed martyrdom for maintaining her Christian faith.
Marcellus and Apuleius were third- or fourth-century martyrs who were inserted in the General Roman Calendar in the 13th century. They were recognized as saints by the Catholic Church, with 7 October as their feast day. Apuleius is considered purely legendary, and is no longer recognized.
Dorothea of Caesarea is a 4th-century virgin martyr who was executed at Caesarea Mazaca. Evidence for her actual historical existence or acta is very sparse. She is called a martyr of the late Diocletianic Persecution, although her death occurred after the resignation of Diocletian himself.
Saint Firmina is a Roman Catholic Italian saint and virgin martyr. She is the patroness saint of Civitavecchia, and Amelia Cathedral is dedicated to her.
The Martyrs of Persia under Shapur II were Christian martyrs who were put to death by Shapur II of Persia for failing to renounce their faith. Historical accounts suggest that approximately 16,000 Christians may have been martyred during this period. They are remembered collectively in the Roman and Orthodox calendars, with the Roman Martyrology listing feast days on April 6, April 22, and May 9 for different groups of martyrs.
Saint Ischyrion was an Egyptian officer in the Roman army who was martyred in Alexandria during the persecution of the Emperor Decius . His feast day is 22 December
Saints Phileas and Philoromus were two Egyptian martyrs under the Emperor Diocletian. Phileas was Bishop of Thmuis and Philoromus was a senior imperial officer.