Susanna of Rome

Not to be confused with Susanna (disciple).

For the sculpture, see Saint Susanna (Duquesnoy).

Susanna of Rome (fl. 3rd century) was a Christian martyr of the Diocletianic Persecution. Her existing hagiography, written between about 450 and 500 AD, is of no historical value and the relations it attributes to Susanna are entirely fictitious.^[1] It is probable that a real martyr named Susanna lies behind the literary invention.^[2][3][4]

Saint Susanna
Saint Susanna
Virgin and martyr
Died	3rd century Rome
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Oriental Orthodoxy
Major shrine	Santa Susanna in Rome
Feast	11 August
Attributes	martyr's palm, sword, holding lilies

Her feast day is on 11 August in the Roman Martyrology, but since 1969 her veneration has been limited to the Church of Santa Susanna in Rome. She has no connection to Saint Tiburtius, who is commemorated on the same day.^[2] The Church of Santa Susanna was originally that of Gaius, but by 595 it was named after Susanna, possibly because of the popularity of her hagiography.^[1]

In addition to her main shrine in Rome, a church exists in Santiago de Compostela dedicated to her; it was first built in the early twelfth century after her relics were translated from Braga to Compostela by Diego Gelmírez according to the Historia Compostelana. Susanna is the co-patron of the city along with St. James.^[5]

Legend

Saint Susanna, virgin and martyr, is said to have been the daughter of Saint Gabinus of Rome. The lengthy account given of her in mediaeval legend is, however, unreliable. The account claims that on her refusal to marry a pagan relative of the Emperor Diocletian, she was arrested as a Christian.^[6] According to her Acts, she was beheaded about the year 295, at the command of Diocletian, in her father's house, which was turned into a church together with the adjoining one belonging to her uncle, the prefect Caius or, according to other accounts, Pope Caius. The church became known as Sancta Susanna ad duas domos.^[7]

Susanna is mentioned in the Roman Martyrology for 11 August in the following terms: "At Rome, commemoration of Saint Susanna, in whose name, which was mentioned among the martyrs in ancient lists, the basilica of the titular church of Gaius at the Baths of Diocletian was dedicated to God in the sixth century."^[8] The commemoration of her that was included in the General Roman Calendar was removed in 1969 because of the legendary character of the Acts of her martyrdom.^[9]

References

1. Michael Lapidge, The Roman Martyrs: Introduction, Translations, and Commentary (Oxford University Press, 2018), pp. 270–71.
2. Basil Watkins, The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary, 8th rev. ed. (Bloomsbury, 2016), p. 696.
3. According to Lapidge (n. 1), her hagiography is "an attempt to provide personalities for the names associated with a titulus-church".
4. According to David Hugh Farmer, The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, 5th rev. ed. (Oxford University Press, 2011), s.v. "Tiburtius and Susanna", her legend was written around an actual entry in a martyrology.
5. Jacobean Foundation, "Iglesias de Santiago: Santa Susana" https://www.fundacionjacobea.org/santiago-de-compostela/iglesias-de-santiago-santa-susana/ (in Spanish.
6. Monks of Ramsgate. “Susanna”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 10 August 2016
7.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sts. Tiburtius and Susanna". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
8. Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001 ISBN 88-209-7210-7)
9. Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 134