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Emerentiana
Christian martyr
SaintResearchedAncient RomePre-congregation
Feast: 23 January (1962 Missal, commemoration) · not on the current Roman calendar
Born
250
Died
304
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Emerentiana was a Roman virgin martyr of the third century, buried near St Agnes on the Via Nomentana. According to the legend of St Agnes she was Agnes's foster-sister. Still a catechumen, she went to pray at Agnes's grave a few days after her burial, and was attacked by pagans and stoned to death.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: Emerentiana has been honoured as a martyr since the early centuries.
Why that counted as sanctity
A catechumen who went to pray at a martyr's grave shared her martyrdom, witnessing to Christ before she could be baptised.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Emerentiana
- Wikidata Q2389729 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Emerentiana (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.