The name Albina comes from Albina, "the White Goddess," the Etruscan goddess of the dawn and protector of ill-fated lovers. It was a common name in ancient Rome. According to

Nennius Nennius – or Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work. This attribution is widely considered ...

, Britain gains its earliest name, Albion from Albina, the White Goddess, the eldest of the fifty

Danaïdes In Greek mythology, the Danaïdes (; ), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus, king of Ancient Libya, Libya. Danaus and the Danaids feared that Danaus's twin brother, Aegyptus, was plotting to overthrow and kill them. So, t ...

. There appear to be several different women named Albina remembered as saints in the Roman Catholic Church.

2nd century

Albina refers to a woman put to death in the second century, along with her brother Paxentius, during the reign of

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

(161-180). Their relics ended up in Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory after being sent from Rome to Paris, and their fate is recorded in a Parisian breviary. This Albina's feast day is 23 September. Albina also refers to a Roman woman beheaded because she was a Roman citizen as one of the Martyrs of Lyon AD 177.

3rd century

According to the

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...

, Saint Albina was a young woman from

Caesarea Caesarea, a city name derived from the Roman title " Caesar", was the name of numerous cities and locations in the Roman Empire: Places In the Levant * Caesarea Maritima, also known as "Caesarea Palaestinae", an ancient Roman city near the modern ...

, Palestine, who died a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

in the third century, during the reign of the emperor

Decius Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius ( 201June 251), known as Trajan Decius or simply Decius (), was Roman emperor from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was proclaimed emperor by his troops a ...

, ca. 250. There are two conflicting traditions: one, the Greek tradition, is that she died in Caesarea; another, cited in the Martyrology, states that she was brought to Italy and was killed in the town of

Formia Formia (ancient Formiae) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean , Italy. It is located halfway between Rome and Naples, and lies on the Roman-era Appian Way. Mythology According to the mythology the city was f ...

. Her remains are kept in the cathedral of the Italian city of

Gaeta Gaeta (; ; Southern Latian dialect, Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a seaside resort in the province of Latina in Lazio, Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The city has played ...

. According to the Greek tradition, they were miraculously transported there. This is the Saint Albina depicted in the picture, venerated as a saint in Italy. Her feast day is 16 December.

4th century

Another Albina, who died on 4 March 387, was the mother of Saint Marcella. The Bollandists Henchenius and Papenbroch (of the Acta Sanctorum) did not consider her inclusion in the calendar properly supported by authority.

Athanasius of Alexandria Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

may have stayed at her house in Rome. Another Albina is said to have been martyred in Rome "with many others", according to the

Acta Sanctorum ''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, organised by the saints' feast days. The project was conceived and ...

. Her feast day is 17 February.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Albina, Saint Saints from Roman Italy 2nd-century Christian saints 3rd-century Christian saints 4th-century Christian saints Ancient Christian female saints Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era Virgin martyrs