Early Martyr
Feast Day: August 11
Patronage: Infants, babies, youth
Printed from Lynn Garlick's Originals.
These wooden retablos come in 4 sizes on pine and/or Baltic birch boards.
Pocket - 1 1/2" x 3"
Ornament - 2 1/2" x 5"
Small - 3 1/2" x 6 3/4"
Large - 5 1/2" x 10 1/2"
Very little is known about Philomena. Her tomb was discovered in a catacomb in 1802. A Dominican Tertiary was visited by Philomena, who told her she was the daughter of a king of Greece who had converted to Christianity. Philomena vowed her virginity at 13. Her family moved to Rome. There, the Emperor, Diocletian, wanted to take Philomena as his own. She refused. He had her scourged. Two angels came and healed her. He had her thrown into the water with an anchor to drown her. Two angels cut the rope and saved her. Three times she was shot by arrows, but angels intervened. Finally, she was decapitated. Her relics were moved to Mugnano del Cardinale, Italy. As soon as the relics arrived, miracles began to take place.
Holy St. Philomena, I
