Saint Irene of Rome (died 288 AD) was a Christian woman in the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

during the reign 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 ...

. She was the wife of

Saint Castulus Saint Castulus (died 286) is venerated as a martyr. According to tradition, he was the chamberlain (or officer, valet) of Emperor Diocletian and the husband of Saint Irene of Rome. Biography A convert to the Christian religion, he sheltered C ...

. According to Christian legend, she attended to

Saint Sebastian Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Dioclet ...

after he was wounded by

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

n archers.

Biography

Irene was the wife of

who, according to tradition, was in the service of the Roman emperor. She was later widowed when Castulus was martyred for practicing Christianity and converting others to the religion. After the death of her husband, Irene continued to be active in the Christian community in Rome. According to

hagiography 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 migh ...

, when

was shot with arrows for practicing Christianity, Irene tended his wounds.

Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene is an incident in the legends of Saint Sebastian and Saint Irene of Rome. It was not prominent in the hagiographical literature until the late Renaissance, and is hardly seen in art before then. As an artis ...

was the subject of many paintings by

Benedetto Luti Benedetto Luti (17 November 1666 – 17 June 1724) was an Italian painter. Early life Luti was born in Florence on 17 November 1666. Career In 1691, he moved to Rome, where he was patronized by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, an en ...

and others.

Gallery

File:San Sebastián y Santa Irene (Lluís Bonifàs, MRABASF E-33) 01.jpg ,

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

relief of Saint Irene curing Saint Sebastian's injuries. File:Irene of Rome and Saint Sebastian.jpg, Irene of Rome and Saint Sebastian File:Bigot, Trophime - Der Hl. Sebastian wird von Irene geheilt.jpg, Trophime Bigot File:Baburen St Sebastian Attended by St Irene and Her Maid 1615.jpg, Dirck van Baburen, 1615 File:Saint Sebastiano by Marco Antonio Bassetti.jpg, Marcantonio Bassetti -c.1620 File:'Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene', attributed to Georges de La Tour, early 1630s, oil on canvas, Kimbell Art Museum.jpg, attributed to Georges de La Tour, early 1630s File:Georges de La Tour 004.jpg, Georges de La Tour 1650 File:St Sebastian PNG.png, Felice Ficherelli -1650 File:Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene by Vicente López Y Portaña.JPG, Vicente López y Portaña 1795-1800

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irene Of Rome 288 deaths 3rd-century Christian martyrs Late Ancient Christian female saints Italian Roman Catholic saints Saints from Roman Italy Year of birth unknown