St. Justina of Padua

St. Justina of Padua (died c. 304) was, according to tradition, a young noblewoman of Padua in northern Italy who had been consecrated to Christ and instructed in the faith, by some accounts baptized by a disciple of St. Peter, though her acts are of later date. During the persecution of Diocletian she refused to renounce her faith or sacrifice to the gods and was put to the sword for her constancy, being pierced through with a blade.

Her cult was ancient and prominent in Padua and the surrounding region. A great basilica was raised over her tomb, and the Benedictine abbey attached to it — Santa Giustina — became one of the most important monastic centers of Italy and gave its name to a notable congregation of reformed Benedictines. Honored as the patroness of Padua, she is remembered as a model of youthful courage and fidelity, and her feast on 7 October coincides with the anniversary of the victory of Lepanto, won on her day in 1571.