Belina (died 1153) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

virgin martyr The title Virgin (Latin ''Virgo'', Greek ) is an honorific bestowed on female saints and blesseds in some Christian traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. Chastity is one of the seven virtues in Christian tr ...

. Her birth date is unknown, but she was born to pious parents who were

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

of John Paterne, Lord of Pradines and of D'Arcy.Baring-Gould, p. 344 She was killed at Landreville, in

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

near

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

in northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, this is why she is called both ''Belina of Troyes'' and ''Belina of Landreville''. Hagiographer Sabine Baring-Gould described Belina as "a little peasantess". Belina was engaged to a young man of similar rank in her village, so her parents asked for Lord Paterne's permission, as was the custom. Paterne refused, expressing intention that he would marry her himself, but she rejected him. He surprised her one day while she was tending her father's sheep; she defended herself, so he killed her "for refusing to comply to his unchaste proposals" with his sword, cutting off her head. Paterne's peasants were so outraged by his actions that they rose up against him and burned down his castle; they almost killed him, but he escaped in disguise.

Pope Anastasius IV Pope Anastasius IV ( – 3 December 1154), born Corrado Demetri della Suburra, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 July 1153 to his death in 1154. He is the most recent pope to take the name "Anastasius" upon his ...

later

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

Paterne and took away his titles. The king confiscated his land, and the French parliament condemned him to permanent exile. Belina's relics were scattered and lost during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, but some bone particles and her head have been stored in a bust at the Mores Abbey in Landreville. She was

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

in 1203, and is

venerated Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etymo ...

in Troyes.�
Saint Belina
��. CatholicSaints.Info. 18 February 2009. Web. 24 December 2018.

References

Works cited

* Baring-Gould, Sabine (1877).
The Lives of the Saints
' (1st edition). London: J. Hodges. pp. 344–345. {{DEFAULTSORT:Belina (Virgin) 1135 deaths 12th-century births 12th-century Christian saints Roman Catholic child saints Virgin martyrs People from Troyes French Roman Catholic saints Female saints of medieval France 12th-century French women 12th-century French people