Saint Susanna of Rome

Saint Susanna Sainte Suzanne Roman virgin and martyr, a relative of Diocletian. was the daughter of Saint Gabi saint Gabinius Roman priest and father of Saint Susanna. nius and the niece of Saint Ca saint Caïus, pape Pope and uncle of Saint Susanna. ius, Pope, his brother, who were of a most illustrious race and close re latives of the Empero l'empereur Dioclétien Roman emperor under whom the martyrdom is said to have taken place. r Diocletian. Her father, who had become a priest since her birth, raised her with great care in the fear of God and in the love of Jesus Christ, and, having grown up, she consecrated herself entirely to His service, and resolved never to have any other spouse than the King of Virgins and holy souls. It happened, however, that Valeria, daughter of Diocletian, whom Maxi mian Galerius h Maximien-Galère Roman emperor and persecutor of Christians. ad married, died; and this emperor, wishing to give him another wife from his kin, set his eyes on Susanna, whose spirit, wisdom, and beauty were extraordinary and delighted everyone. He knew that Caius, her uncle, was the Sovereign Pontiff of the Christians, and that Gabinius, her father, was a priest; but, at that time, he had not yet risen against his own blood, and he was not such an enemy of the faithful that he did not prefer the establishment and aggrandizement of his house and his relatives to the ruin of Christianity. With this in mind, he called a Roman lord named Claudius, who was also his cousin, and who was ev Claude Priest ordained by Saint Remi, judged unworthy by Leo. en more closely related to the two brothers, the father and uncle of Susanna, and asked him to go to Gabinius and make him an honorable proposal for the marriage of his daughter to Maximian. Claudius felt very honored by this mission and undertook it with joy. He therefore came to find Gabinius and proposed the matter, which he believed would be very agreeable to him. The holy priest did not rebuff him, but only asked for a few days' delay to speak about it to the Pope and his daughter. They conferred about it together, and at first these blessed brothers were not averse to consenting to the alliance that the emperor wished, in the view that it could make this prince, and Maximian, his son-in-law, who was to succeed him, more favorable to the Christians. But Our Lord, who did not wish to establish His religion by these human and political means, gave another thought to Susanna. She therefore declared to them "that, according to the good instructions she had received from their charity, she had consecrated herself to the King of kings and that she would never have any other spouse than Him: even if she had not resolved to keep her chastity inviolably, she would not want to marry a man defiled by the abominations of idolatry and by the massacre of an infinite number of Christians, as was Maximian, who had often taken part in the persecution that Diocletian had waged against them: thus, she begged them to break off entirely all these marriage negotiations." Caius and Gabinius praised her resolution infinitely and exhorted her to persevere in it constantly, without letting either promises or threats ever make her change her resolution.

Claudius, having returned after three days, repeated in the presence of the Pope the proposal he had made. The holy brothers told him that the young girl's will must be consulted on the matter, and they had her called immediately. When she entered the room, Claudius wished to kiss her out of respect as his relative; but she pushed him away, telling him that her mouth had never been defiled by any man's kiss, and that she would certainly not receive one from a person whom the worship of false gods and the murder of Christians rendered dirty and abominable before God. Claudius, surprised by these words, excused his action, saying that it had seemed to him that, being her close relative, he could well use such familiarity with her. And, regarding the defilements she imputed to him, he begged her to tell him by what means he could be delivered from them. "It will be," replied Susanna, "by doing penance and receiving holy baptism." Caius and Gabinius supported this speech and spoke so effectively to this lord about the advantages of our religion that, no longer concerning himself with his mission, he embraced Christianity and was baptized, along with Praepedigna, his wife, and two sons he had, named Alexander and Cuthias. Meanwhile, the emperor, receiving no response to the proposal he had sent to Gabinius, inquired about the reason for the delay. He was told that he had fallen ill, and that this had prevented him from coming to see His Majesty; the emperor, who loved him and was impatient to know the outcome of his message, sent Maximus, count of his domestic affairs, to visit him and learn from him the success of this negotiation. Maximus, who was his brother, was very surprised to find him in a state of penance, with tears in his eyes, a hairshirt on his back, and prostrate before an oratory; he asked him where this change came from. Claudius told him openly that God had granted him the grace to open his eyes to know the truths of the Christian religion, and that, recognizing how guilty he was for having worshipped idols and for having shed the innocent blood of Christians, he was doing penance for it. Maximus, touched by his words and his example, asked to be enlightened on the mysteries of our faith. He led him to Saint Caius, who baptized him and gave him at the same time the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. Claudius and Maximus, having thus entered the bosom of the Church, sold all their goods to have the means to help the poor faithful whom the long persecutions had reduced to extreme poverty. The emperor was warned of this, and learned at the same time that instead of convincing Gabinius to give his daughter in marriage to Maximian, they had embraced his religion and were the first to persuade this holy girl to remain a virgin. These news irritated him. He forgot that they were his close relatives; he had them arrested with Praepedigna, Alexander, and Cuthias, and relegated them to the port of Ostia, where they were put to death. He also had Gabinius imprisoned with Susanna, and, after fifty-five days in prison, he begged the Empress Prisca, his wife, to ensure that this illustrious g irl consented to his l'impératrice Prisca Wife of Diocletian, a secret Christian who protected Susanna. wishes. Prisca had her come to her apartment; but, as she herself was a Christian, far from advising her anything against her resolution and her vow, she strengthened her, on the contrary, in her generous design.

Diocletian, learning that she was steadfast, had her taken back to her house and permitted Maximian to go there to use violence. This prince went there; but, when he entered her room, he perceived an angel of marvelous radiance who was beside her and guarding her. Terror seized him, and he withdrew in confusion without having dared to undertake anything. Diocletian attributed this effect to magic and sent one of his officers named Macedonius to compel the Saint to worship idols. This officer presented her with an image of Jupiter, ordering her, on behalf of the emperor, to offer it incense. Susanna then raised her eyes and her heart toward heaven, and at the same instant the statue disappeared, and it was found in the street thrown to the ground. Macedonius, unable to gain anything through gentleness, had recourse to threats and tortures; he mistreated her in her own house, beat her cruelly, and tore her body with lashes. Finally, the emperor, learning again that she was inflexible, commanded that she be beheaded, which was executed secretly, at her home, on August 4, 295.

Empress Prisca was soon informed of what had happened; she felt extreme joy to know that Susanna had remained steadfast in her faith and innocence, despite all the efforts of the powers of the earth. She traveled herself by night to the place of her martyrdom, and having found her bathed in her blood, she removed the veil from her head, which she soaked in that precious liquid. Thereafter, she had this veil encased in a silver box and placed it in her oratory, where she assiduously offered her prayers without the knowledge of Diocletian, her husband. As for the body of our Saint, she embalmed it, shrouded it with her own hands, and had it interred in the very grotto of Saint Alexander, alongside an infinity of other martyrs. The house which had been the place of her birth, her conversion on earth, and her most precious death, was changed by Saint Gaius into a church where he celebrated Mass in her honor. It was on the Quirinal, in the st reet of Quirinal Hill in Rome where the saint's house was located. Mammure, before the market of Sallust. This church still exists and is occupied by Cistercian nuns; it is al so a cardinalatial title, religieuses Cisterciennes Religious order occupying the church of Sainte-Suzanne. and some of the Eminences who have held it have taken care to have it embellished.

Saint Susanna is seen in her images with a crown at her feet. She did not wish to marry the son of Diocletian, for the love of virginity; this is an allusion to that fact.

Cf. Acta Sanctorum, and History of the Church, by Abbé DATTES.