Grata of Bergamo (early 4th century) is an Italian

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', 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 externa ...

, and sister of Asteria of Bergamo. Her parents were Saint Lupo of Bergamo and Saint Adelaide, duke and duchess of

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

.Dunbar, Agnes B.C. (1901). ''A Dictionary of Saintly Women''. Volume 1. London: George Bell & Sons. p. 354 According to

hagiographer A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

Agnes B.C. Dunbar, Grata's husband was "a great king in Germany". She did not become a Christian until after his death, when she converted her parents to Christianity and persuaded them to build the cathedral of Bergamo. She became known as a holy woman in Bergamo, "especially for her zeal in securing Christian burial for the bodies of martyrs". She built three churches and a hospital for the poor in Begamo. She and her sister Asteria buried the body of St. Alexander of Rome, after Grata wrapped his head in a napkin. After her parents' death, she governed Bergamo "with wisdom and benevolence". Grata was put to death for burying Alexander. Her feast day is September 4. She is the co-patron of the city of Bergamo. St. Grata seems to have been a popular subject for female writers, being the subject of a 1596 biography by Flavia Grumelli and a 1723 one by the nun Maria Aurelia Tassis. The Church of San Grata Inter Vites (in English, "among the vines") because it was surrounded by vineyards until 17th century in Bergamo, where she was buried until 1000 CE, is dedicated in her honor. Her body was moved to another church, also named for her, inside the city's walls.

Asteria of Bergamo

Asteria of Bergamo, also called Hesteria (died 307) is an Italian

and

, and sister of Grata of Bergamo. She is the patron saint of

in Northern Italy. Asteria and Grata, at the time of

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 ...

and

Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his ...

, buried

Alexander of Rome Alexander of Rome (died 289) is a Christian martyr. The date of his birth is unknown. He died in 289 AD and his mother Pimenia buried him near the river Ergina. His mother was a witness of his martyrdom. Alexander was a Roman soldier and he was s ...

. Grata was put to death; Asteria buried her, and then she was arrested, and tortured. An ancient epitaph describes her as having been beheaded as a Christian under Diocletian, when she had already reached her sixtieth year.Monks of Ramsgate. "Asteria". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 2 August 2012
/ref> Asteria, Grata, and Alexander were all martyred for refusing to worship the god

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

as Maximian had ordered. Asteria's feast day is August 10.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grata of Bergano Christian martyrs Christian saints Eastern Orthodox saints