Lives Of The Saints
May 31
St. Petronilla
Petronilla is remembered as a virgin of the apostolic age whose personal story remains mostly hidden, while the Church’s memory of her sanctity and ancient Roman cult remains clear.
The Burial of Saint Petronilla, Guercino
Brief life
Petronilla is one of the holy women of the apostolic age whose personal history is mostly hidden while her sanctity is strongly remembered. The life is careful here. It does not pretend we possess a rich biographical record, and it is cautious about the tradition that she was the natural daughter of St. Peter rather than his spiritual daughter.
What remains clear is the antiquity of her cult at Rome and the esteem in which the early Church held her purity and holiness. The tone is therefore quiet and restrained. It is less a full dramatic life than an early Christian remembrance, keeping the focus on the Church’s memory of a virgin honored among the saints close to apostolic times.
Historical note
This life uses St. Petronilla because Butler gives her the principal date page, while also being careful about how much of her personal story can be known with certainty.
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