Emerentiana
| Saint Emerentiana | |
|---|---|
 Emerentiana's likeness on the Royal Gold Cup | |
| Died |
ca. 304 Rome, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholicism, Antiochian Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Basilica of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura, Rome, Italy |
| Feast | January 23 |
| Attributes | young woman with stones in her lap and lilies in her hand; young lady being stoned to death |
| Patronage | stomach problems |
Saint Emerentiana was a Roman martyr, who lived around the start of the 4th century. Her feast day is January 23.
Life
According to the legend of St. Agnes, Emerentiana was her foster-sister. [1] Agnes, a rich Roman heiress who was martyred after refusing her engagement due to her Christian religion. Emerentiana’s mother was the wet nurse and nanny of Saint Agnes.[2]
A few days after Agnes' death, Emerentiana, who was a catechumen still learning about Christianity before being officially baptized, went to the tomb to pray and was suddenly attacked by the pagans stoned to death by the crowd.[1]
%2C_statue_of_Saint_Emerentiana.JPG)
Veneration
Her feast day is January 23,[1] She is represented as a young girl who either has stones in her lap and lilies in her hand,[2] or is being stoned to death by a mob. Her tomb is in the church of Sant'Agnese fuori le mura in Rome. An altar dedicated to her with a marble relief by Ercole Ferrata depicting her martyrdom is in Sant'Agnese in Agone.
Popular culture
Emerentiana had a tiny cameo role in Cardinal Nicholas Wiseman's novel, Fabiola, where she is seen mourning for Agnes right after the latter's martyrdom.
References
- 1 2 3 Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Emerentiana." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 4 December 2015
- 1 2 "St. Emerentiana of Rome", Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Emerentiana. |