(Died 228 AD)
St. Martina of Rome was a wealthy daughter of a Christian Roman consul. On her parent’s death, she gave away her riches to the poor and devoted herself to prayer.
She so openly testified to her Christian faith that she could not escape the persecutions under Emperor Alexander Severus. Arrested and commanded to return to idolatry, she refused, whereupon she was subjected to various tortures.
The stories of her torments in vita include being scourged and scaled. She was condemned to be devoured by wild beasts in the amphitheater but was miraculously untouched by them. She was then thrown onto a burning fire, from which she also escaped unhurt, and was finally beheaded. It was said that some of her executioners also converted to Christianity and were themselves beheaded.
Assorted miracles were ascribed to her, and her story was blended with those of other early martyrs, especially St. Prisca and St. Tatiana of Rome. One of the writers claimed that when she was beheaded, her body bled milk, a tale that led to her patronage of nursing mothers. She is also considered to be a patron of Rome.
Adapted by A. J. Valentini from: Thua, L. (2018b, Jan. 25). St Martina of Rome Biography-St. of the Day. Catholic Daily Readings. https: //catholicreadings.org/saint-of-the-day-january-30-saint-martina-of-rome/