Meister von San Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna 002

The title Virgin (Latin ''Virgo'', Greek ) is an

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...

bestowed on female

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

s and blesseds in some Christian traditions, including the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

and the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. Chastity is one of the seven virtues in Christian tradition, listed by

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregoria ...

at the end of the 6th century. In

1 Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-au ...

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

suggests a special role for virgins or unmarried women () as more suitable for "the things of the Lord" (). In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul alludes to the metaphor of the Church as Bride of Christ by addressing the congregation "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ". In the theology of the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

, the prototype of the sacred virgin is Mary, the mother of Jesus, consecrated by the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

at the Annunciation. Although not stated in the gospels, the perpetual virginity of Mary was widely upheld as a dogma by the Church Fathers from the 4th century.

Virgin martyrs

In the hagiography of Christian martyrs of the late 1st to early 4th centuries, virgin martyrs (Latin ' (Greek , Russian ) were often persecuted for their refusal to enter a worldly marriage after having vowed to keep their virginity for the sake of heaven. Other virgin martyrs lost their lives ''in defensum castitatis'' ("in defense of chastity"). A group of virgin martyrs of the early church, namely Saints

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, ...

, Margaret of Antioch, Barbara of Nicomedia and

Dorothea of Caesarea Dorothea of Caesarea (''Dorothea, Dora''; often just called ''Saint Dorothy'', 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 ca ...

, is called "the four

capital virgins The four capital virgins, Latin: ''(quattuor) virgines capitales'', are a group of virgin martyrs of the early church. In literature they are also called ''main virgins'' or ''excellent virgins''. These are: Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Mar ...

", three of them belong to the Fourteen Holy Helpers. In the

Roman Missal The Roman Missal ( la, Missale Romanum) is the title of several missals used in the celebration of the Roman Rite. Along with other liturgical books of the Roman Rite, the Roman Missal contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of th ...

and the

Book of Hours The book of hours is a Christian devotional book used to pray the canonical hours. The use of a book of hours was especially popular in the Middle Ages and as a result, they are the most common type of surviving medieval illuminated manuscri ...

, virgins and virgin martyrs have their own

common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally ...

. Different martyrologies (for example the Martyrologium Romanum or the Martyrologium Hieronymianum) list early virgin martyrs, some of which are also named in the

Canon of the Mass The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used in ...

. * Thecla of Iconium (1st century) * Sandukht of Armenia (1st century) * Felicula and Petronilla of Rome (d. c. 90) * Serapia of Antioch (c. 119) * Balbina of Rome (c. 130) * Marina of Aguas Santas (d. 139) * Cecilia of Rome (2nd c.) * Pudentiana of Rome (2nd c.) * Faith, Hope and Charity of Rome (2nd c.) *Melitina of Marcianopolis (2nd century) * Venera of Rome (d. 143) * Praxedes of Rome (d. 165) * Glyceria of Heraclea (d. 177) * Blandina of Lugdunum (d. 177) * Agatha of Sicily (early 3rd c.) * Gundenis of Carthage (early 3rd c.) *

Paraskevi of Iconium Saint Paraskevi of Iconium (also known as ''Paraskeva Pyatnitsa'') is venerated as a Christian virgin martyr. According to Christian tradition, she was born to a rich family of Iconium. Her parents were Christian, and Paraskevi was named as s ...

(3rd c.) * Estelle of Gaul (3rd c.) * Reparata of Caesarea (3rd c.) * Firmina of Rome (3rd c.) *Amonaria of Alexandria (3rd c.) *

Martina of Rome Martina of Rome was a Roman martyr under the Emperor Severus Alexander. A patron saint of Rome, she was martyred in 226, according to some authorities, more probably in 228, under the pontificate of Pope Urban I, according to others. Her feast d ...

(d. 228) * Tatiana of Rome (d. 226 or 235) * Euthalia of Sicily (3rd c.) * Albina of Caesarea (250 AD) * Anastasia of Rome (250 AD) * Regina of Autun (c. 231 – c. 251 AD) * Rufina and Secunda of Rome (257 AD) * Maxima, Donatilla and Secunda of Tuburga (257 AD) * Eugenia of Rome (258 AD) * Barbara of Nicomedia (3rd c.) * Denise of Lampsacus (3rd c.) *

Christina of Bolsena Christina of Bolsena, also known as Christine, or in the Eastern Orthodox Church as Christina the Great Martyr, is venerated as a Christian martyr of the third century. Archaeological excavations of an underground cemetery constructed over her ...

(3rd c.) * Vibiana (3rd c.) * Apollonia of Alexandria (d. 249) * Messalina of Foligno (d. 251) * Digna and Emerita of Rome (d. 259) *

Agrippina of Mineo Agrippina of Mineo, also known as Saint Agrippina (flourished 3rd century, died 262) was venerated as a virgin martyr in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Christianity. Legend Her legend states that she was a blonde princess born of a noble Roma ...

(d. 262) *

Columba of Sens Columba of Sens (probably born Eporita, d. 273), was a virgin and nun who was born to a noble pagan family in northwestern Spain. She left Spain for France as a child to avoid being denounced as a Christian and received the baptismal name Columb ...

(d. 273) * Pelagia of Antioch (late 3rd c.) * Daria of Rome (283 AD) * Justa and Rufina of Seville (d. 287) * Margaret of Antioch (d. 289) *

Theodosia of Tyre Saint Theodosia of Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, according to the historian of the early Christian church Eusebius, was a seventeen-year-old girl who deliberately sought to be executed as a martyr to Christianity in the city of Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea ...

(d. 290) * Hripsime of Armenia (d. 290) * Demiana and the 40 Virgins * Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora *

Pelagia of Tarsus Pelagia ( grc-gre, Πελαγία; early 4th century), distinguished as Pelagia of Tarsus and Pelagia the Martyr (, ''Pelagía ē Mártys''), was a legendary Christian saint and martyr who lived in Tarsus in Cilicia (southeastern Asia Mino ...

* Faith of Conques * Kyriaki of Nicomedia (d. 289) * Aquilina of Byblos (d. 293) * Susanna of Rome (d. 295) * Eulalia of Barcelona (d. 303) * Engratia of Zaragoza (d. 303) * Euphemia of Chalcedon (d. 303) * Devota of Corsica (d. 303) * Rais of Tamman (d. 303) *

Marciana of Mauretania Marciana (also Marciana of Toledo) (died 9 January 304 in Caesarea, Mauretania Caesariensis)Shaw, p. 265 is venerated as a martyr and saint. The Latin account of her martyrdom was written possibly in the 5th century. Marciana's martydom occurre ...

(d. 303) *

Agnes of Rome 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. St. Agnes is one of several virgin martyrs co ...

(d. 304) * Emerentiana of Rome (d. 304) * Anastasia of Sirmium (d. 304) * Charitina of Amisus (d. 304) *

Febronia of Nisibis Phebronia of Nisibis, also known as Phebronia of Sebapte, was a nun at Nisibis (modern-day Nusaybin, Turkey). She suffered persecution under Diocletian, who offered her freedom if she renounced her faith and married his nephew, Lysimachus, who had ...

(d. 304) * Justina of Padua (d. 304) * Lucia of Syracuse (d. 304) * Agape, Chionia, and Irene of Thessalonica (d. 304) * Philomena of Rome (d. 304) *

Eulalia of Mérida Eulalia of Mérida ( Augusta Emerita in 292 - Augusta Emerita 10 December, 304) was a young Roman Christian martyred in Augusta Emerita, the capital of Lusitania (modern Mérida, Spain), during the Persecution of Christians under Diocletian. Othe ...

(d. 304) * Juliana of Nicomedia (d. 304) * Afra of Augsburg (d. 304) * Victoria of Albitina (d. 304) * Trofimena of Sicily (d. 304) *

Theodora of Alexandria Theodora of Alexandria was a saint and Desert Mother who was married to a prefect of Egypt. In order to perform penance for adultery, she disguised herself as a man and, pretending to be a eunuch, joined a monastery in the Thebaid. Her true iden ...

(d. 304) * Justina of Antioch (d. 304) * Anysia of Salonika (d. 304) * Crispina of Numidia (d. 304) * Leocadia of Toledo (d. 304) * Victoria of Córdoba (d. 304) *

(d. 305) * Vasilissa of Nicomedia (d. 309) * Berenice and Prosdoce of Syria (d. 310) *

(d. 311) *

Fausta of Cyzicus Fausta of Cyzicus, also known as Saint Fausta (c. 298 – 311), was a 4th-century girl from Cyzicus. At the age of 13, she was arrested, tortured, and executed for being a Christian. A pagan priest, Evilasius, was responsible for torturing an ...

(d. 311) * Antonina of Constantinople (d. 313) * Bibiana of Rome (d. 361/3) * Ursula of Cologne and Companions, such as Leticia, Cordula,… (d. 384; various other traditional dates) *

Quiteria Quiteria ( es, Quiteria; ca, Quitèria; oc, Quiteira; french: Quitterie; pt, Quitéria) was a second-century virgin martyr and saint about whom nothing is certain except her name and her cult. She appears in the ''Roman Martyrology'', but not in ...

(5th century) * Noyale of Brittany (5th century) * Ia of Cornwall (5th century) *

Augusta of Treviso Saint Augusta of Treviso, also known as ''Augusta of Ceneda'', ''Augusta of Tarvisium'', or ''Augusta of Serravalle'', is venerated as a virgin martyr. Background Her ''Acts'' were written in the 16th century by Minuccio Minucci di Serravalle, wh ...

(5th century) * Julia of Corsica (d. 439) * Olivia of Palermo (d. 448) * Eluned of Brecon (d. 468) *

Juthwara Saint Juthwara or Jutwara was a virgin and martyr from Dorset. According to her legend, she was an eighth century Saxon, and sister to Saint Sidwell, though some historians have theorised she was a Briton living in the sixth century. Her relics w ...

(6th century) * Nympha of Palermo (6th century) *

Columba of Cornwall :''See Columba (disambiguation) and St Columb (disambiguation) for other uses.'' Columba of Cornwall (Welsh, and in Latin, translated to modern English as ''dove''), also called Columb (English), was a saint from Cornwall who lived in the ...

(6th century) * Christina of Persia (6th century) * Dymphna of Geel (7th century) * Alena of Brussels (d. 640) * Irene of Tomar (c. 653) * Winifred of Treffynnon (d. c. 660) *

Theodosia of Constantinople Saint Theodosia of Constantinople ( el, Ἁγία Θεοδοσία ἡ Κωνσταντινουπολίτισσα, translit=Hagia Theodosia hē Kōnstantinoupolitissa) is an Eastern Orthodox nun and martyr who lived through and opposed the Byza ...

(d. 729) * Sidwell of Devon (c. 740) * Febronia of Syria (d. 749) * Columba of Córdoba (d. 853) * Belina of Troyes (d. 1153), canonized in 1203 *

Margaret of Louvain Margaret of Louvain (also known as Fiere Margriet or Margaretha de Trotse (Dutch); Marguerite la Fière (French); 1207–1225) was a servant murdered by thieves. She is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church; her shrine is in St. Peter's Churc ...

(d. 1225) * Markella of Chios (14th century) *

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...

(d. 1431), canonized in 1920 * Irene of Lesbos (d. 1463) * Helen of Sinope (1700s) * Kyranna of Thessaloniki (d. 1751) * Maria Goretti (1890–1902), canonized in 1950 *

Edith Stein Edith Stein (religious name Saint Teresia Benedicta a Cruce ; also known as Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross or Saint Edith Stein; 12 October 1891 – 9 August 1942) was a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Christianity and became a D ...

(1942), canonized in 1998 * Laura del Carmen Vicuña Pino, beatified in 1988 * Karolina Kózka (1914), beatified in 1987 * Albertina Berkenbrock (1931, beatified in 2007 *

Antonia Mesina Antonia Mesina (21 June 1919 - 17 May 1935) was an Italian Roman Catholic and part of Catholic Action. Mesina was murdered in mid-1935 after she attempted to fend off a would-be rapist and suffered 74 strikes with a stone before she died. Life A ...

(1935), beatified in 1987 * Nina Kuznetsova (Нина Кузнецова) martyr of Vologda (1938), canonized in the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

Benigna Cardoso da Silva Benigna Cardoso da Silva (15 October 1928 – 24 October 1941) was a Brazilian people, Brazilian Catholic Church, Catholic child. In her childhood she was Adoption, adopted following the deaths of her parents, and was noted for aiding in household ...

(1941), beatified in 2020 * Maria Restituta Kafka (1943), beatified in 1998 * Anna Kolesárová (1944), beatified in 2018 * Pierina Morosini (1957), beatified in 1987 *

Veronica Antal Veronica Antal (7 December 1935 - 24 August 1958) was a Romanian Roman Catholic professed member from the Secular Franciscan Order and member of the Militia Immaculatae. Antal was known for her strong faith and her love for the Mother of God; s ...

(1958), beatified in 2018 * Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta (1964), beatified in 1985 * Lindalva Justo de Oliveira (1993), beatified in 2007

Consecrated virgins

The tradition of the rite of the ''Consecratio virginum'' (consecration of a virgin) dates back to the 4th century, the form of life to apostolic times. The first known formal consecration is that of Saint Marcellina, dated AD 353, mentioned in ''De Virginibus'' by her brother,

Saint Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...

. Another early consecrated virgin is Saint Genevieve (c. 422 – c. 512). According to Raymond of Capua, Saint Catherine of Siena (c. 1347–1380) at the age of twenty-one (c. 1368) experienced what she described in her letters as a

Mystical marriage __NOTOC__ Within the Christian tradition, bridal theology, also referred to as mystical marriage, is the New Testament portrayal of communion with Jesus as a marriage, and God's reign as a wedding banquet. This tradition in turn traces back to t ...

with

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

, later a popular subject in art as the ''

Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine The mystical marriage of Saint Catherine (or "Mystic") covers two different subjects in Christian art arising from visions received by either Catherine of Alexandria or Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), in which these virgin saints went through a ...

''. Canon 922 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church's approval to live in a state of virginity 'for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven'." Virgins are consecrated for the church as a bride of Christ both in the Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic church. While in the latter one the consecration has been bestowed for centuries only for nuns living in cloistered monasteries, the bestowal for women living in the world has been reintroduced under

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City, Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his ...

in 1970.''Ordo Consecrationis Virginum'' (31 May 1970), '' AAS'' 62 (1970) 650 = ''EDIL'' 2082-2092 = ''DOL'' 294 no. 3352. English translation: ''The Rites of the Catholic Church'' 2 (n. 29, p. 81), 132-164, ''DOL'' 395 nos. 3253-3262. The number of consecrated virgins ranges in the thousands. Estimates derived from the diocesan records range at around 5,000 consecrated virgins worldwide as of 2018.Bernadette Mary Reis
"Church reproposes Order of Virgins 50 years after its restoration"
Vatican News, 4 July 2018.

References

*Karen A. Winstead, ''Chaste Passions: Medieval English Virgin Martyr Legends'', Cornell University Press (2000). {{Saints Types of saints Religious titles

Virgin martyrs

Consecrated virgins

See also

References