Saint Sabina is a saint of the early church, believed to have lived and suffered

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' 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 colloqui ...

at the beginning of the 2nd century in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Her feast day is 29 August.

Narrative

Sabina was the daughter of Herod Metallarius and the wealthy widow of Senator Valentinus, originally from

Avezzano Avezzano ( ; ) is a city and comune in the Abruzzo region, province of L'Aquila, Italy. It is the second most populous municipality in the province and the sixth in the region. It is the main commercial, industrial and agricultural centre of the ...

in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, ; ; , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; ), historically also known as Abruzzi, is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy with an area of 10,763 square km (4,156 sq mi) and a population of 1.3 million. It is divided into four ...

region of Italy. Sabina converted to Christianity due to the example of her Syrian slave

Serapia The Serapia or Sarapia was a Roman Empire, Roman Imperial Roman festival, religious festival devoted to the Greco-Egyptian god Serapis. It is found as an official holiday on 25 April as late as the Calendar of Filocalus in 354 AD. In farmers' alm ...

. The widow then withdrew with a few devout friends to one of her country seats, where she spent her time doing good works. Serapia was denounced and beheaded in the city of Vindena in the state of

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

. Sabina rescued her remains and had them interred in the family mausoleum where she also expected to be buried. Sabina was later denounced as well, and accused of being a Christian by Elpidio the Prefect. She was thereupon martyred in Rome . In 430 her relics were brought to the

Aventine Hill The Aventine Hill (; ; ) is one of the Seven Hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the modern twelfth ''rione'', or ward, of Rome. Location and boundaries The Aventine Hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills. I ...

, to the newly erected

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

Santa Sabina The Basilica of Saint Sabina (, ) is a historic church on the Aventine Hill in Rome, Italy. It is a titular minor basilica and mother church of the Roman Catholic Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. Santa Sabina is the oldest ex ...

on the site of her

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

, originally situated near a temple of

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods * ''Juno'' (film), the 2007 film Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, a character in the book ''Juno of ...

. This house may also have formed an early Christian

titular church In the Catholic Church, a titular church () is a Churches in Rome, church in Rome that is assigned to a member of the Holy orders in the Catholic Church, clergy who is created a Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal. These are Catholic churches in ...

. The church was initially dedicated to both Sabina and Serapia.

Commentary

According to Klemens Löffler, writing for the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', the Acts of the martyrdom have no historic value.Löffler, Klemens. "St. Sabina." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 3 December 2021 Maya Maskarinec suggests that "'Sabina'...was most plausibly the donor who had provided the ''titulus'' with property on the Aventine."Maskarinec, Maya. ''City of Saints: Rebuilding Rome in the Early Middle Ages''
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018, p. 105 Often this was a private home to be used as a church. When someone donated property or money, the resulting foundation bore their name. The ''passio'' that developed during the sixth to eighth century becomes attached to the memory regarding a late fourth or early fifth century philanthropist. "Gradually, however, throughout Rome, many of the ''tituli's'' donors metamorphosed into their communities' patron saints."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabina 126 deaths 2nd-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown Ancient Christian female saints 2nd-century Christian martyrs 2nd-century Roman women Italian saints Executed ancient Roman women 2nd-century Romans Converts to Christianity from ancient Roman religions