Saint Crispina (died 5 December, 304) was a virgin

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 ...

of Africa who suffered during the

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 ...

persecution. She was born at Thagara, a town in the Roman province of

Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...

, located in Taoura,

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. (The Tabula Peutingeriana calls it Thacora) in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

.) She died by

beheading Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

Theveste Theveste was a Roman colony situated in the present Tébessa, Algeria. History In 146 BC, the Romans conquered the region, where existed an old city called " Tbessa". Theveste was founded by the Romans in 75 AD near an old Berber village located ...

, in

Biography

Crispina belonged to a distinguished family and was a wealthy

matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person ...

with children. At the time of the persecution she was brought before the

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...

Annius Anullinus; on being ordered to sacrifice to the gods she declared she honored only one

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

. When threatened with death, Crispina replied: “I care not for the present life, and am only anxious for the life of my soul. I fear eternal torments only.” Her head was shaved at the command of the judge, and she was exposed to public mockery, but she remained steadfast in her faith and was not moved even by the tears of her children. When condemned to death, she thanked God and offered her head with joy for execution.Meier, Gabriel. "St. Crispina." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 30 September 2021 The ''Acts'' of her

martyrdom 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 external ...

, written not long after the event, form a valuable historical document of the period of the persecution. The day of St. Crispina's death was observed in the time of

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

; in his sermons Augustine repeatedly mentions her name, as well known in Africa and worthy to be held in the same veneration as the names of

Saint Agnes Agnes of Rome () is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheran Churches. St. Agnes is one of several virgin martyrs co ...

and St. Thecla."St. Crispina", FaithND
/ref> In his Sermon on Psalm 120, Augustine says: "The persecutors turned their rage against Crispina, whose birthday we celebrate today. They unleashed their savagery against a rich woman delicately nurtured; but she was strong, because the Lord was for her a better defense than the hand of her right hand, and He was guarding her. Is there anyone in Africa who does not know about these events, brothers and sisters? Scarcely, for she was extremely famous, of noble stock and very wealthy."

Thierry Ruinart Dom Thierry Ruinart (also Theodore, Theodoricus) (1657–1709) was a French Benedictine monk and scholar. He was a Maurist, and a disciple of Jean Mabillon. Of his many works, the one now cited is his ''Acta sincera'', a martyrology, written in La ...

in his collection of the

Acts of the martyrs Acts of the Martyrs (Latin ''Acta Martyrum'') are accounts of the suffering and death of a Christian martyr or group of martyrs. These accounts were collected and used in church liturgies from early times, as attested by Augustine of Hippo, Saint ...

gives the account of her examination.

Alphonsus Liguori Alphonsus Liguori, CSsR (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787), sometimes called Alphonsus Maria de Liguori or Saint Alphonsus Liguori, was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philosop ...

provided a version of these acts in his ''Victories of the Martyrs''.

References

Sources

* Liguori, Alphonsus. ''Victories of the Martyrs.'', 1776. * Schiavo, Anthony P.
I Am A Christian: Authentic Accounts of Christian Martyrdom and Persecution from the Ancient Sources
'' Merchantville, NJ: Arx Publishing, 2018. (Includes an English translation of the Passion of Saint Crispina as recounted by

based on the ancient ''Acts'' of Saint Crispina):

Videography

*
The Passion of Saint Crispina, Roman North African Martyr of AD 304
' (2018) – Excerpt. {{authority control 304 deaths 3rd-century births 3rd-century Christian martyrs 3rd-century Roman women 4th-century Roman women Executed ancient Roman women Numidian saints People executed by decapitation People executed for apostasy