Saint Martina of Rome
- 30 January
- formerly 20 January
- confined to local calenders since 1969
Profile
Wealthy daughter of a Christian Roman consul. On her parent’s death, she gave away her riches to the poor and devoted herself to prayer. Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Alexander Severus for refusing to sacrifice to pagan gods. A basilica is dedicated to her at the Roman forum.
In the time after her death there were a series of biographies and descriptions of her martyrdom written, each more extravagant that the last, and none with historical value. Assorted miracles were ascribed to her, and her story was blended with those of other early martyrs, especially Saint Prisca and Saint Tatiana of Rome. One of the writers claimed that when she was beheaded, her body bled milk, a tale that led to her patronage of nursing mothers.
- martyred in 228
- relics discovered on 25 October 1634 in a crypt near Mamertine prison at the Roman forum during a church construction project ordered by Pope Urban VIII
- woman tortured by being hung on a two-pronged hook
- being beheaded by a sword
- young woman with a lion
- receiving a lily and the palm of martyrdom from the Virgin and Child
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- Lives of the Saints, by Father Alban Butler
- New Catholic Dictionary
- Roman Martyrology, 1914 edition
- books
- other sites in english
- video
- sitios en español
- Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
- fonti in italiano
- websites in nederlandse
- spletne strani v slovenšcini
MLA Citation
- “Saint Martina of Rome“. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 October 2018. Web. 7 April 2020. <>