Felicitas of Rome


Felicitas (Felicity) of Rome
St. Felicitas and the heads of her seven sons, from the Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493.
Martyr
Bornc. 101
Rome, Roman Empire
Diedc. 165
Rome, Roman Empire
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
CanonizedPre-Congregation
Major shrineChurch of Santa Susanna, Rome
Feast23 November
Attributessword and seven sons[1]
Patronageparents who have lost a child in death; death of children; martyrs; sterility; to have male children; widows; (reflecting only St Martialis) - Town of Torricella Peligna, Province of Chieti,Town of Collarmele, Province of Aquila, in the Abruzzo, The town of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, UK and the town of Isca sullo Ionio, Province of Catanzaro, Calabria, Italy

Felicitas of Rome (c. 101 – 165), 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.[2] 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.

The legend of Saint Symphorosa is very similar and their acts may have been confused. She was a patron saint of healing. They may even be the same person.[3] This Felicitas is not the same as the North African Felicitas who was martyred with Perpetua.

  1. ^ Husenbeth, Frederick Charles. Emblems of Saints: By which They are Distinguished in Works of Art, Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1860, p. 63
  2. ^ "Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 146
  3. ^ "St Patrick Catholic Church - Saint of the Day: November 23 Felicitas of Rome". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2008-07-08.