Litany of Saints
Picture: José Luiz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Saint Susanna

Christian saint martyed in 295

SaintResearchedhttp://www.wikidata.org/.well-known/genid/02c53973d1ae879241578a3593077afdPre-congregation

Feast: 11 August (1962 Missal) · not on the current Roman calendar

Born
280
Died
295
Beatified
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began

Who they were

Susanna's story comes from a sixth-century Passion with legendary elements. A noble Roman woman of the third century, probably from Dalmatia, she was the daughter of the priest Gabinius and niece of Bishop Gaius, later Pope. Consecrated to God, she refused Diocletian's proposal that she marry his adopted son Galerius Maximian.

Her firmness converted her uncles Claudius and Maximus, imperial officials. She was martyred, and her body, buried on the Via Nomentana, was later moved to the church that bears her name, today Santa Susanna by the Baths of Diocletian.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: Susanna has been honoured as a martyr since the early centuries.

Why that counted as sanctity

Susanna kept her consecration to Christ against the emperor's family, and her courage brought others to the faith.

Sources

Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.

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