Balbina of Rome

The mythical Balbina of Rome, also known as Saint Balbina and Balbina the Virgin, has been venerated as a virgin martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. As clarified by the Catholic Encyclopedia, her story appears to be more fable than historical fact.

Legend and Life

The legend of Balbina is primarily found in the "Acts of Sts. Alexander and Balbina." In this narrative, she is presented as the daughter of Quirinus, a Tribune in the Roman Army. The story intertwines with the supposed martyrdom of Pope Alexander I and the figure of Hermes. According to the legend, Quirinus was tasked with imprisoning Pope Alexander and Hermes due to their Christian faith. After a series of events involving divine intervention, including an angel releasing Pope Alexander, Quirinus's heart was opened to Christianity.

Upon learning that his daughter Balbina suffered from a large goitre, Quirinus sought Pope Alexander's intercession. The pope instructed Quirinus to bring Balbina to his prison cell, assuring him of his presence despite being shackled. Upon finding Alexander, Balbina was encouraged to seek out and kiss the chains of Saint Peter, which she did, leading to her healing. This event, along with the conversion of Quirinus, his wife, and Balbina, was followed by their baptism by Pope Alexander I. Another version of the legend depicts Quirinus ordered to execute Alexander and two others, converting after witnessing their miracles.

Quirinus was later martyred by decapitation on March 30, 116, and buried in the catacomb of Prætextatus. The fate of Balbina after her father's death is less detailed, with some accounts suggesting she lived as a virgin recluse until her death around 130. Most stories agree that in 130, Balbina was condemned to death by Emperor Hadrian, with accounts varying on whether she was drowned or buried alive. An alternative tradition places her arrest and beheading in 166 alongside her father.

Veneration and Legacy

Balbina is believed to have been buried next to her father in the catacomb of Prætextatus. Her bones and relics were later transferred to a church built in her honor in the 4th century. A statue of the fabled St. Balbina is featured on the colonnade of St. Peter's Square. During the Middle Ages, some of her supposed relics were brought to Cologne Cathedral. The majority of her supposed relics are said to remain in the altar of Santa Balbina, a basilica church in Rome built in the 4th century over the house of consul Lucius Fabius Cilo. The mythical Balbina's skull, removed at some point in the late 15th or early 16th century, is now housed in an ornate reliquary at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Basilica of Santa Balbina

The Basilica of Santa Balbina, a church in Rome dedicated to St. Balbina, was constructed in the 4th century on the Aventine Hill. This site should not be confused with the catacomb named after Balbina, located between the Via Appia and Via Ardeatina. Over this cemetery, another basilica, now lost, was erected in the fourth century by Pope Mark.