Palatia and Laurentia
Encyclopedia
Palatia and Laurentia were virgin martyr
s of Ancona
, venerated as saints by the Catholic Church. Laurentia was said to have been Palatia’s nurse.
The account of their lives and martyrdom was preserved in an ancient manuscript from Ancona of uncertain date and another preserved by the Biblioteca Vallicelliana
at Rome
. The accounts contain many legendary details, containing tropes
found in the vitai of other virgin saints, such as Saint Christina
, Saint Barbara
, and Saint Victoria
.
Mario Natalucci believes that it may possible that the two saints were natives of Ancona who were martyred during the persecutions of Diocletian
, and their relics carried to that city. Their cult was diffused in the Piceno, in places such as Fermo
, Osimo
, and Camerino
, and in Ancona the name “Palazia” appears in ancient liturgical texts and statues of her appear from the 11th century onwards.
A church and a monastery were built in their honor. Their relics were collected in one small bronze urn
, of Berninian imitation, donated to the cathedral of San Ciriaco in Ancona by Pope Benedict XIV
, who had been bishop of that city.
Guercino's "La Santa Palazia" is preserved in the Pinacoteca Civica Francesco Podesti, in Ancona.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s of Ancona
Ancona
Ancona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, venerated as saints by the Catholic Church. Laurentia was said to have been Palatia’s nurse.
The account of their lives and martyrdom was preserved in an ancient manuscript from Ancona of uncertain date and another preserved by the Biblioteca Vallicelliana
Biblioteca Vallicelliana
The Biblioteca Vallicelliana is a library in Rome, Italy. The library is located in the Oratorio dei Filippini complex built by Francesco Borromini in Piazza della Chiesa Nuova.The library holds about 130 000 volumes of manuscripts, incunabula, and books...
at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The accounts contain many legendary details, containing tropes
Trope (literature)
A literary trope is the usage of figurative language in literature, or a figure of speech in which words are used in a sense different from their literal meaning...
found in the vitai of other virgin saints, such as Saint Christina
Saint Christina
Saint Christina or Christine can refer to several saints:*Saint Christina of Persia, 6th century *Saint Christina of Bolsena...
, Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara, , Feast Day December 4, known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian saint and martyr....
, and Saint Victoria
Saint Victoria
Saint Victoria may refer to:*Victoria of Albitina *Victoria, Anatolia, and Audax *Victoria, 1st century martyr *Victoria, 4th century martyr, sister of Saint Acisclus...
.
Mario Natalucci believes that it may possible that the two saints were natives of Ancona who were martyred during the persecutions of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, and their relics carried to that city. Their cult was diffused in the Piceno, in places such as Fermo
Fermo
Fermo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the Province of Fermo.Fermo is located on a hill, the Sabulo with a fine view, on a branch from Porto San Giorgio on the Adriatic coast railway....
, Osimo
Osimo
Osimo is a town and comune of the Marche, Italy, in the province of Ancona, 15 km south of that town by rail. It is situated on a hill near the Adriatic Sea.Silk-spinning and the raising of cocoons are carried on.-History:...
, and Camerino
Camerino
Camerino is a small town of 7.135 inhabitants in the Marches , in the province of Macerata, Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about 40 miles from Ancona....
, and in Ancona the name “Palazia” appears in ancient liturgical texts and statues of her appear from the 11th century onwards.
A church and a monastery were built in their honor. Their relics were collected in one small bronze urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
, of Berninian imitation, donated to the cathedral of San Ciriaco in Ancona by Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV
Pope Benedict XIV , born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was Pope from 17 August 1740 to 3 May 1758.-Life:...
, who had been bishop of that city.
Guercino's "La Santa Palazia" is preserved in the Pinacoteca Civica Francesco Podesti, in Ancona.