Saint Pudentiana

Pudentiana is a traditional Christian saint of the 2nd century. She is sometimes called Potentiana and is often coupled with her sister, Praxedes.

According to her acta, published by the Bollandists (dating from the 8th century) and the traditional martyrology, she was a Roman virgin of the early Christian church, daughter of Saint Pudens, friend of the Apostles, and sister of Praxedes. Praxedes and Pudentiana, together with presbyter Pastor and Pope Pius I, built a baptistry in the church present inside their father's house, and started to baptize pagans. Pudentiana died at the age of 16, possibly a martyr, and is buried next to her father Pudens, in the Priscilla catacombs in via Salaria.

While there is evidence for the life of Pudens, there is no direct evidence for neither Pudentiana nor Praxedes. It is possible that the early Church's "ecclesia Pudentiana" (i.e., the Church of Pudens) was mistaken for "Saint Pudentiana".

Pudentiana has a commemoration in the General Roman Calendar of 1962 on 19 May. Pudentiana is not included in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints. Her basilica in Rome is Santa Pudenziana. [edit] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pudentiana