Dorothea of Caesarea

Saint

Dorothy of Caesarea[1]
Saint Dorothy, Francisco de Zurbarán
Bornc. 279–290
Died~311
Caesarea Mazaca
(modern-day Kayseri, Turkey)
Venerated inCatholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Anglican Church
Lutheranism
FeastFebruary 6
Attributeswreath or basket of roses, fruit
Patronagehorticulture; brewers; brides; florists; gardeners; midwives; newlyweds; love; Markowa; Pescia[2]

Dorothea of Caesarea (also known as Saint Dorothy, Greek: Δωροθέα; died ca. 311 AD) 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.

Dorothea and her companion, Theophilus, are mentioned in the Roman Martyrology as martyrs of Caesarea in Cappadocia, with a feast on 6 February.[3] She is officially recognized as a virgin martyr. However, with the promulgation of the motu proprio Mysterii Paschalis of Pope Paul VI, Dorothea was removed from the General Roman Calendar, being judged as not having "universal significance".[4] Her feast is still retained in some regional calendars and the Tridentine Calendar.

  1. ^ "St. Dorothy - Saints & Angels Catholic Online". catholic.org. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference saints.sqpn.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
  4. ^ "Mysterii Paschalis (February 14, 1969) | Paul VI".