St. Sabina, Martyr


SHE was a rich widow lady of high birth, and lived in the province of Umbria in Italy. She had a servant called Seraphia, a native of Antioch in Syria, who was a zealous Christian, and served God in the holy state of virginity. The religious deportment of this virtuous maid-servant had such an influence over the mistress, that she was converted to the Christian faith; and so powerfully did the great truths of our holy religion operate on her soul, that her fervour and piety soon rendered her name illustrious among the great lights of the church, in the beginning of the second century. The persecution of Adrian beginning to rage, Beryllus, governor of the province, caused Sabina and Seraphia to be apprehended, and the latter to be beat to death with clubs. Sabina was discharged out of regard to her quality and friends; but her zeal procured her the crown of martyrdom the year following. She suffered at Rome, as the Bollandists have proved. She is honoured on the 29th of August, and again with St. Seraphia on the 3rd of September, because, on that day, as Ado informs us, a famous ancient church was dedicated to God in Rome, under the patronage of those two saints, in 430. It at present bears only the name of St. Sabina. In it was kept the first among the stations in Lent, till, in the last century, the public prayers of forty hours succeeded the devotion of the stations, both being equally the general assembly of the city in the same church to join in prayer. See the acts of SS. Sabina and Seraphia in Baluze, Miscell. t. 2.	1

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