Saint Regina (martyr)

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Saint Regina
Statue of St. Regina at church dedicated to her at Drensteinfurt.
Born	Autun, France
Died	Alesia, France
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	September 7
Attributes	depicted as experiencing the torments of martyrdom, or as receiving spiritual consolation in prison by a vision of a dove on a luminous cross.
Patronage	against poverty, impoverishment, shepherdesses, torture victims^[1]
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Saint Regina (Regnia, French: Sainte Reine) (3rd century) was a virgin martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. She was born in Autun, France, to a pagan named Clement. Her mother died at her birth and her father repudiated her. She then went to live with a Christian nurse who baptized her. Regina helped out by tending the sheep. She communed with God in prayer and meditated on the lives of the saints. She was betrothed to the proconsul Olybrius, but refused to renounce her faith to marry him, for which she was tortured and was beheaded at Alesia in the diocese of Autun, called Alise-Sainte-Reine after her.

Her martyrdom is considered to have occurred either during the persecution of Decius, in 251, or under Maximian in 286.

[edit] Veneration

Honored in many ancient Martyrologies, Regina's feast is celebrated on 7 September. In the past, a procession was held in her honor in the town of Dijon. However, her relics were transferred to Flavigny Abbey in 827. The history of the translation of Regina was the subject of a 9th century account.

There are many places in France named Sainte-Reine after her.