Symphorosa
Roman saint
Feast: 18 July (1962 Missal, commemoration) · not on the current Roman calendar
Who they were
Symphorosa was martyred with her seven sons at Tibur (Tivoli) towards the end of the reign of Hadrian (117-138), according to an old Passion whose reliability many modern scholars question. It tells that she was the widow of the tribune Getulius, already martyred; when Hadrian dedicated his palace at Tibur, the oracle blamed the widow and her sons for tormenting the gods by calling on their God.
Refusing to sacrifice, she was tortured and thrown into the river Anio with a stone round her neck; the next day her seven sons, equally firm, were put to death too.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: Symphorosa and her sons have been honoured as martyrs since the early centuries.
Why that counted as sanctity
A widowed mother and her seven sons stood firm together for Christ before an emperor.
Connected on this site
- Getulius Saint Spouse
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Symphorosa
- Wikidata Q453710 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Symphorosa (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.