One of the seven sons of Saint Felicity of Rome, martyred together with his mother and brothers in the second century.

Saint Alessandro is remembered in ancient tradition as one of the seven sons of Saint Felicity of Rome, a widow martyred together with her sons under the persecutions of the second century. Roman Martyrology tradition places his death around the year 165, alongside brothers Januarius, Felix, Philip, Silvanus, Vitalis, and Martial, in an account cherished since antiquity even where modern scholarship debates its precise historical details.

Quick Facts

• Died: c. 165, Rome, Italy
• Venerated as: Martyr; traditionally one of the seven sons of Saint Felicity of Rome

Who Was Saint Alessandro, Son of Saint Felicity of Rome?

Saint Alessandro is named in ancient tradition, preserved in the Roman Martyrology, as one of seven sons of Saint Felicity of Rome, a Christian widow said to have been martyred along with her sons during the second century. The Church has long honored this family together, though modern historians note that the surviving accounts may reflect later literary shaping of an older, simpler memory of joint martyrdom.

Historical Setting

The mid-to-late second century, spanning the reigns of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius, brought periodic local persecution of Christians in Rome itself, driven as much by popular hostility and provincial magistrates as by any single empire-wide edict. Roman Christian tradition remembers several notable groups of martyrs from this period, of which Felicity and her sons became among the best known.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Alessandro, Son of Saint Felicity of Rome

Alessandro is remembered as part of a family martyrdom that became, for the ancient Roman Church, a powerful image of shared Christian witness across generations, a mother’s faith passed to and sealed alongside her children’s. Whatever the precise historical details, this memory shaped how the early Roman Church understood family fidelity to Christ.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process is recorded for Saint Alessandro, entirely typical for a second-century martyr. His veneration rests on the ancient Roman liturgical tradition surrounding his mother, Saint Felicity, and his brothers, received into the Church’s memory long before any formal canonization process existed.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Alessandro’s story, shared with his mother and brothers, speaks to the way that faith is so often first given and strengthened within a family. His witness invites parents to consider what they hand on to their children, and children to consider what they might in turn be willing to hold fast to.

A Prayer to Saint Alessandro, Son of Saint Felicity of Rome

Saint Alessandro, son of Saint Felicity of Rome, you held fast to the faith your mother gave you, even to death. Watch over the bonds between parents and children in our own families, that faith may be shared and never lost between generations. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology, entry for July 10
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints, rev. ed.