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 (; el, Δαναΐδες), also Danaides or Danaids, were the fifty daughters of Danaus. In the ''Metamorphoses'', Ovid refers to them as the Belides after their grandfather Belus. They were to marry the 50 so ...

. 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 (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, Saint Albina was a young woman from

Caesarea Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesare ...

, Palestine, who died a martyr in the third century, during the reign of the emperor Decius, 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. Her remains are kept in the cathedral of the Italian city of

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

. 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, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

may have stayed at her house in Rome. She is martyred in Rome "with many others", according to the Acta Sanctorum. 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 Ante-Nicene Christian female saints Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era