Cyriaca, also known as Dominica, was a Roman widow, and patroness to

St. Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roma ...

, and eventually suffered

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 externa ...

Life

Cyriaca was a wealthy Roman widow who sheltered persecuted Christians.

used her home in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to give food to the poor. After his death, she brought his remains to a catacomb that had been dug into a hill on land she owned. This is now the site of

San Lorenzo fuori le mura The Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo fuori le mura (Papal Basilica of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls) is a Roman Catholic Minor papal basilica and parish church, located in Rome, Italy. The Basilica is one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome ...

. Cyriaca suffered

, by being

scourge A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type, used to inflict severe corporal punishment or self-mortification. It is usually made of leather. Etymology The word is most commonly considered to be derived from Old French ''escorgi ...

d to death for her faith.St. Cyriaca
Catholic Online St. Cyriaca is commemorated on August 21.

References

249 deaths Saints from Roman Italy 3rd-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown Executed ancient Roman women 3rd-century Roman women Ante-Nicene Christian female saints People executed by scourging People executed for apostasy {{AncientRome-bio-stub