Saint Soteris | |
---|---|
Virgin Martyr | |
Died | 304 Rome, Roman Empire |
Cause of death | Martyrdom by decapitation |
Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church |
Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
Feast | 10 February (Eastern Orthodox) 11 February (Roman Catholic) |
Saint Soteris (Italian : Santa Sotere, died 304 AD) was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who was put to death for her faith in the early 4th century. [1] [2] She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic church, with a feast day on 10 February [2] and 11 February respectively.
Traditionally, Soteris was said to be a woman of very great beauty, who dressed modestly and consecrated her virginity to Christ. [1] She was arrested on account of her Christian faith and underwent torture, before being finally beheaded, perhaps around 304 AD. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum states that her remains were initially buried in the Catacombs of Callixtus in the 3rd century along the Appian Way as it approached Rome, which also contained the remains of Saint Cecilia and many other martyrs. [6] In the same region was dedicated a basilica to Saint Soteris. [7] Pope Sergius II later transferred the relics to the church of San Martino ai Monti in Rome. [8]
Saint Ambrose of Milan claimed that he, his older sister Saint Marcellina, and their brother Saint Satyrus, descended from Soteris' family, and he wrote about her in his works, De virginibus and Exhortatio virginis. [3]
Pope Damasus I, also known as Damasus of Rome, was the bishop of Rome from October 366 to his death in 384. It is claimed that he presided over the Council of Rome of 382 that determined the canon or official list of sacred scripture.
Agnes of Rome is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. She is one of several virgin martyrs commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass, and one of many Christians martyred during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian.
Clement of Rome, also known as Pope Clement I, was the bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church, and a leading member of the Church in Rome in the late 1st century.
Philomena, also known as Saint Philomena or Philomena of Rome was a virgin martyr whose remains were discovered on May 24–25, 1802, in the Catacomb of Priscilla. Three tiles enclosing the tomb bore an inscription, Pax Tecum Filumena, that was taken to indicate that her name was Filumena, the English form of which is Philomena. Philomena is the patron saint of infants, babies, and youth, and is known as "The Wonderworker".
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does not mean "a large meal, typically a celebratory one", but instead "an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint".
Saint Valentine was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his feast day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of Terni, epilepsy and beekeepers. Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine since at least the eighth century.
Saint Lawrence or Laurence was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258.
Lucia of Syracuse, also called Saint Lucia and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. She is one of eight women explicitly commemorated by Catholics in the Canon of the Mass. Her traditional feast day, known in Europe as Saint Lucy's Day, is observed by Western Christians on 13 December. Lucia of Syracuse was honored in the Middle Ages and remained a well-known saint in early modern England. She is one of the best known virgin martyrs, along with Agatha of Sicily, Agnes of Rome, Cecilia of Rome, and Catherine of Alexandria.
Thecla was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle. The earliest record of her life comes from the ancient apocryphal Acts of Paul and Thecla.
Saint Anastasia is a Christian saint and martyr who died at Sirmium in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, she is venerated as St. Anastasia the Pharmakolytria, i.e. "Deliverer from Potions". This epithet is also translated as "One who Cures (Wounds)" in Lampe's A Patristic Greek Lexicon.
August 10 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - August 12
Saints Chrysanthus and Daria are saints of the Early Christian period. Their names appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, an early martyrs list, and a church in their honour was built over their reputed grave in Rome.
February 9 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - February 11
The Italian Catholic Church, or Catholic Church in Italy, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the Pope in Rome, under the Conference of Italian Bishops. The pope serves also as Primate of Italy and Bishop of Rome. In addition to the Italian Republic, two other sovereign states are included in Italian dioceses: San Marino and Vatican City. There are 225 dioceses in the Catholic Church in Italy, see further in this article and in the article List of Catholic dioceses in Italy.
Saints Cyrus and John are venerated as martyrs. They are especially venerated by the Coptic Church and surnamed Wonderworking Unmercenaries because they healed the sick free of charge.
Palatias and Laurentia are martyrs venerated by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. According to tradition, Palatias or Palatia was an aristocratic Roman woman who was converted to Christianity by her wet nurse or slave Laurentia. They were executed for being Christians at Fermo, in present-day Italy, during the reign of Diocletian.
The title Virgin is an honorific bestowed on female saints and blesseds, primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
Christina of Tyre, also known as Christine of Bolsena, or in the Eastern Orthodox Church as Christina the Great martyr, is venerated as a virgin martyr of the third century. Archaeological excavations of an underground cemetery constructed over her tomb have shown that she was venerated at Tyre by the fourth century.
Messalina of Foligno was a 3rd-century Italian Christian consecrated virgin and martyr who was a disciple of Felician of Foligno. During the persecution of Christians by Emperor Decius, she was clubbed to death after she refused to make a sacrifice to the Roman gods. She is venerated ad a saint in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.