Picture: AlfvanBeem · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Saint Balbina
2nd century Christian female saint
SaintResearchedAncient RomePre-congregation
Feast: 31 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
150
Died
130
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Tradition says Balbina was the daughter of the martyr Quirinus, baptised by Pope St Alexander, who lived unmarried and was buried near her father in the catacomb of Praetextatus in Rome.
Her memory is kept at several ancient sites in Rome.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: she has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
A consecrated virgin of the early Roman Church.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Balbina
- Wikidata Q508782 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Balbina of Rome (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.