| Saint Praxedes | |
|---|---|
Saint Praxidis. Attributed to Johannes Vermeer (ca. 1655). |
|
| Virgin | |
| Died | 165[1] |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | July 21 |
Saint Praxedes is a traditional Christian saint of the 2nd century. She is sometimes called Praxedis or Praxed.
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Little is known for about Praxedes, and not all accounts agree. According to Jacobus de Voragine's The Golden Legend, Praxedes was the sister of Saint Pudentiana; their brothers were Saint Donatus and Saint Timothy. During one of the periods of persecution, they buried the bodies of Christians and distributed goods to the poor. De Voragine's brief account states they died in 165, "in the reign of Emperors Marcus and Antoninus II."[notes 1][1]
Sabine Baring-Gould, in the entry for Saint Novatus, states that the "holy virgin" Praxedes was a daughter of Saint Pudens, sister of Saint Pudentiana, and that her brothers were Saint Novatus and Saint Timothy. Novatus is said to have died in 151.[3]
The remains of Praxedes and Pudentiana were buried in the Catacomb of Priscilla, nicknamed the "Queen of the Catacombs" for its many martyrs and popes. Later, they became associated with a Roman church, Titulus Pudentis, which is presumably named for their father, Saint Pudens, and was also known as the Ecclesia Pudentiana. (This association may have led to Potentiana coming to be known as Pudentiana.) According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "The two female figures offering their crowns to Christ in the mosaic of the apse in St. Pudentiana are probably Potentiana and Praxedes."[4]
In the 4th century, a Titulus Praxedis church was being built, especially connected with the veneration of Saint Praxedis. The relics of Praxedes and her sister were translated to that church, which was rebuilt by Pope Paschal I (817-824), and renamed Santa Prassede.[4]