Sunday, 14 June 2020

St Martina



It is a Roman Catholic tradition that you can only give your child a name that has previously been that of a recognised saint. Sometimes one comes across the story of a saint about whom so little is known that one wonders if they are only on the list to give parents a wider choice when it comes to baby names!

One such saint might be Saint Martina, whose day for celebration falls on 30th January. Almost nothing is known about her life, apart from the fact that she was buried in a Christian tomb in an ancient church in Rome along with her two brothers, Concordius and Epiphanius.

In 1634 Pope Urban VIII wanted to rebuild the church, which was when the tomb was discovered. It was decided to honour the supposed martyrs and the sculptor Bernini was commissioned to create a magnificent bronze shrine for Martina and her brothers. This is now the centrepiece of the church of Santi Luca e Martino in Rome.

Saint Martina, despite her obscurity, is one of the patron saints of the city of Rome.

© John Welford

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