Saint Praxedes (d. 165), called "a Roman maiden", was a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

and

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

who lived in the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

during the 2nd century. Along with her sister, Saint Pudentiana, she provided for the poor and gave care and comfort to persecuted Christians and martyrs. Her veneration began in the 4th century and many churches have been dedicated to her.

Biography

Praxedes' father was Saint Pudens, a Roman senator who was a Christian convert of St. Peter, mentioned in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

by St. Paul in 2 Timothy 4:21. She was the sister of Saint Pudentiana.

Sabine Baring-Gould Sabine Baring-Gould (; 28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) of Lew Trenchard in Devon, England, was an Anglican priest, hagiographer, antiquarian, novelist, folk song collector and eclectic scholar. His bibliography consists of more than 1,240 pu ...

, in the entry for Saint Novatus, states that Praxedes' brothers were Saint Novatus and Saint Timothy. After her father's conversion to Christianity, Praxedes' entire family became Christians and she and her sister eventually inherited their family's fortune, which they used to provide for the poor. During a period of persecution in the Roman Empire in the early years of the Christian Church, Praxedes and Pudentiana buried the bodies of Christians and distributed goods to the poor. They cared for, encouraged, financially supported, and comforted Christians, hid many in Praxedes' home, ministered to them in prison, and buried martyrs.Tabor, p. 101 Praxedes also "allowed those who were in prison or toiling in slavery to lack nothing". Praxedes and Pudentiana died in 165, when Praxedes was 16 years old. The ''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

'' calls both sisters "martyrs of an unknown era" and states that they were venerated as martyrs 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, ...

starting during the 4th century. They, along with their father, were buried in the

Catacomb of Priscilla The Catacomb of Priscilla is a large archaeological site on the Via Salaria in Rome, Italy, situated in what was a quarry in Roman times. The catacombs extend underground for over seven miles, making them one of Romes most extensive catacombs. ...

, the archaeological site near the

Via Salaria The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy. It eventually ran from Rome (from Porta Salaria of the Aurelian Walls) to ''Castrum Truentinum'' ( Porto d'Ascoli) on the Adriatic coast, a distance of 242 km. The road also passed throu ...

located on the Rione Esquilino, which was used for Christian burials from the late 2nd century through the 4th century. They are also mentioned in the 7th-century itineraries of the graves of Roman martyrs buried there. Praxedes' feast day is July 21.Tabor, p. 100 Art historian Margaret E. Tabor states that the churches dedicated to both Praxedes and Pudentiana are among the most well-known and interesting churches in Rome. They are probably the two female figures shown offering their crowns to Christ in the mosaic of the apse in the Basilica of Saint Praxedes, built in the 4th century on the site of Praxedes' home and rebuilt by

Pope Paschal I Pope Paschal I (; died 824) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 25 January 817 to his death in 824. Paschal was a member of an aristocratic Roman family. Before his election to the papacy, he was abbot of St. Stephen's monas ...

(817–824), who translated the sisters' relics there. Praxedes is depicted in images at the basilica "squeezing the blood of the martyrs which she has collected from a sponge into a vessel". A part of the floor in the basilica's central nave is marked as the place where the sisters' relics are stored.

Churches dedicated to Saint Praxedis

Santa Prassede The Basilica of Saint Praxedes (, ), commonly known in Italian as Santa Prassede, is an early medieval titulus (Roman Catholic), titular church and minor basilica located near the papal basilica of Saint Mary Major, on Via di Santa Prassede, Mont ...

church in

* Santa Prassede, Todi * Santa Praxedes, Cagayan * Sainte-Praxède, Quebec

References

Works cited

External links

*
Colonnade Statue in St. Peter's SquareMosaics at St. Prassede Church in Rome
{{Authority control 165 deaths 2nd-century Christian saints Eastern Catholic saints Italian Roman Catholic saints Year of birth unknown Ancient Christian female saints Virgin martyrs