Saint Alexandra of Rome (Ἀλεξάνδρα) — Christian martyr and saint, known from ''"Martyrdom of

Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

"'' as either Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

's wife or the wife of Dacian, a Roman Prefect. She is also sometimes mistaken with Priscilla or

Prisca Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin '' Prisca'', derived from ''priscus''. One suggestion is that it is intended to bestow long life on the bearer. The name first appears in the New Testament of Christianity variously a ...

Life

According to

Frederick George Holweck Frederick George Holweck (born Friedrich Georg Holweck; 29 December 1856 – 15 February 1927) was a German-American Catholic parish priest and scholar, hagiographer and church historian. Monsignor Holweck contributed some articles to the ''Catho ...

, Saint Alexandra was the reputed wife of Emperor Diocletian and secretly converted to Christianity.

Jacobus de Voragine Jacobus de Voragine (c. 123013/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the ''Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the medie ...

listing her name as “Alexandria” describes her as the wife of Dacian, the Roman Prefect who persecuted Saint

Caprasius of Agen Saint Caprasius of Agen (french: Saint Caprais) is venerated as a Christian martyr and saint of the fourth century. Relics associated with him were discovered at Agen in the fifth century.Alban Butler, David Hugh Farmer, Paul Burns, ''Butler' ...

and

Saint Maginus Saint Maginus (Spanish language, Spanish: San Magín; Catalan language, Catalan: Sant Magí) was a Catalonia, Catalan hermit in the late third and early fourth centuries in Tarragona. Orphaned early, he was a hermit in a cave on Mount Brufaganya fo ...

. While Saint George was being tortured, Alexandra went to the arena, bowed before him, and professed her faith openly. When she questioned whether she was worthy of paradise and martyrdom without being baptized, Saint George told her, “Do not fear, for your blood will baptize you.” She was denounced as a Christian and imprisoned on her husband's orders in

Nicomedia Nicomedia (; el, Νικομήδεια, ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocletia ...

, then sentenced to death. Her husband was so outraged by her conversion that he is said to have uttered, “What! Even thou hast fallen under their spell!”. Alexandra quietly accepted her sentence and prayed as the guards walked her to the place of execution. She asked if she could rest for a moment. The guards allowed this. She rested by the place of Saint George's execution at Nicomedia's City Wall. Her three servants Apollo, Isaac, and Codratus went to prison with her; the first two died of

starvation Starvation is a severe deficiency in caloric energy intake, below the level needed to maintain an organism's life. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation can cause permanent organ damage and eventually, dea ...

while the last was beheaded with her on April 21, 314. Her feast day is usually celebrated on April 21 and occasionally on April 23, when she is commemorated at the same time along with the soldier martyrs Anatolios and Protoleon and the 630 others who were martyred for professing faith while witnessing George's martyrdom. The

Coptic Church The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

venerates her on April 8. She is sometimes confused with Prisca. Holweck believes that her story was fabricated; de Voragine presents it as legendary but not outright fiction.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexandra 303 deaths Year of birth unknown People executed by the Roman Empire 3rd-century Roman women 4th-century Roman women 4th-century Christian saints Diocletianic Persecution

Life

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