Saint Afra
Saint Afra | |
---|---|
St. Ulrich's and St. Afra's Abbey, Augsburg | |
Feast | August 7 (sometimes listed as August 5) |
Attributes | depicted being burnt to death |
Patronage | Augsburg; converts; martyrs; penitent women |
Saint Afra (died 304) was martyred during the
Biography
Although many different accounts of her life exist, the most widely known is The Acts of St. Afra, which dates from the
In the late 3rd century, her pagan family journeyed from
She continued to hide the bishop from the authorities. When it was learned that Afra was a Christian, she was brought before Diocletian and ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods. She refused and was condemned to death by fire on a small island in the Lech River,[4] with her remains being buried at a distance from the place of her martyrdom.[2] Her mother and her maids (viz., Ligna, Eunonia, and Eutropia) later suffered the same fate,[1] for interring her in a burial vault.
According to an alternative account in an earlier document, Afra was beheaded, rather than having been burned. The
According to Carl Egger, it appears that the author of the passio blended the account of Afra with that of Venerea, a martyr of Antioch, who is mentioned on the same day in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum. Contrary to this, other ancient calendars portray Afra as a virgin.[5]
Legacy
Her exact birthdate is unknown
There was a Church of Saint Afra in Brescia (that was destroyed during the bombing of World War II).[6]
See also
- Saint Afra, patron saint archive
References
- ^ a b c Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Afra." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 12 Apr. 2013
- ^ a b c "St. Afra, Martyr, of Augsburg, Germany", Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
- ^ a b "Afra (fl. c. 304)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Gale Research Inc. Archived from the original on February 3, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2013.(subscription required)
- ^ Butler, Alban. Lives of the Saints, Vol.III, (1866)
- ^ Egger, Carl. "Santa Afra", Santi e Beati
- ISBN 9783110618549
External links
- Short Fact List
- Henry Gardiner Adams, ed. (1857). "Wikidata Q115345859.