A twelve-year-old martyr put to death at Caesarea during the empire-wide Decian persecution of the mid-third century.

Saint Albina of Caesarea was a young Christian layperson, born in Caesarea around 238 and put to death there in 250, at only about twelve years old, during the persecution ordered by the emperor Decius. No office or ministry is recorded for her beyond her steadfast profession of faith at such a young age, a pattern typical of many child martyrs remembered from this period of empire-wide persecution.

Quick Facts

• Born: c. 238, Caesarea, Israel
• Died: 250, Caesarea, Israel, aged about 12
• Venerated as: Martyr

Who Was Saint Albina of Caesarea?

Saint Albina lived in Caesarea, a major Roman city on the coast of Palestine, and was put to death there around the year 250 at only about twelve years of age. The record preserves no office or ministry for her, only the fact of her death for the faith at an unusually young age, which is itself the whole substance of her memory.

Historical Setting

The year 250 marks the beginning of the Decian persecution, the first empire-wide and systematic effort to compel Christians to sacrifice to the Roman gods, backed by an imperial edict requiring proof of compliance on pain of death. Caesarea, a major administrative center, would have enforced this edict with particular rigor.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Albina of Caesarea

Albina is remembered for a courage made more striking by her age: a child who, by tradition, held to her faith under a persecution designed to break the resolve of even seasoned Christians. Her memory belongs to the wider company of young martyrs whose witness the early Church treasured precisely because of their youth.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process is recorded for Saint Albina, entirely typical for a third-century martyr. Her recognition as a saint rests on ancient local veneration in Caesarea and the broader region, carried forward through the Church’s early liturgical memory of the Decian martyrs.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Albina’s youth is the heart of her witness: a reminder that spiritual courage is not reserved for adults, and that even a child can hold to what is true under real pressure. Her memory invites parents and catechists alike to take seriously the depth of faith a young person can carry.

A Prayer to Saint Albina of Caesarea

Saint Albina, who held fast to Christ while still a child, pray for the young people of our own time, that they may know their faith deeply enough to stand firm under pressure. Give courage to the smallest and most vulnerable among us. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints, rev. ed.
• Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (for the Decian persecution)