St. Philomena

St. Philomena is venerated as an early Roman virgin and martyr, though almost nothing is known of her with historical certainty. Her cult arose in the nineteenth century after the discovery in 1802 of a tomb in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome, sealed with tiles bearing the name Filumena and symbols taken as signs of virginity and martyrdom, together with a vial thought to contain her blood.

When her relics were enshrined at Mugnano in Italy in 1805, reported miracles led to a rapid spread of devotion, and she became a beloved patroness championed especially by St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, who attributed many graces to her intercession. Because later scholarship raised doubts about the interpretation of the tomb, her feast was removed from the local calendars in 1961, yet private devotion to her remains permitted and widespread. She is honored as a patroness of the young and of purity, her memory kept on 11 August.