A laywoman martyred in Rome in 252, remembered alongside her companion Saint Basilissa.

Saint Callinica was a laywoman martyred in Rome in the year 252, dying alongside her companion Saint Basilissa. The two are remembered together in the Church’s ancient tradition as martyrs of the mid-third-century Roman persecutions.

Quick Facts

• Died: 252, in Rome, Italy
• Companion: Saint Basilissa
• Venerated as: Lay martyr

Who Was Saint Callinica?

Callinica was a laywoman put to death in Rome in 252, recorded together with her companion Basilissa as a fellow martyr. Little further biographical detail survives beyond their shared witness in the city during this period of persecution.

Historical Setting

The year 252 fell within the extended aftermath of the Decian persecution and the further troubles under the emperor Valerian that would soon follow, a period of ongoing danger for Christians in Rome even between the empire’s more organized waves of official persecution.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Callinica

She is remembered as one of the Roman martyrs of the mid-third century, her witness preserved jointly with that of Basilissa, a pairing that reflects the early Church’s practice of honoring companions who suffered and died together.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process for Callinica is recorded, as is standard for martyrs of this ancient period. Her veneration rests on the Church’s ancient liturgical memory of the Roman martyrs.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Callinica’s story, preserved only in outline alongside her companion, is a reminder that friendship and companionship in faith often gave early martyrs the strength to endure what they might not have faced alone.

A Prayer to Saint Callinica

Saint Callinica, martyr of Rome remembered with your companion Basilissa, intercede for the bonds of friendship that sustain believers in difficult times. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology