St. Apollonia (d. 249 CE) was a Christian saint, who was much regarded in the Early Church and whom “old age and the state of virginity rendered equally venereal, as she was seized and tortured by the pagans of Alexandria.”
According to The Lives of the Saints and the usual questionable sources, “At last they made a great fire in the manner of Nero, without the city, and threatened to cast her into the flames, if she did not utter certain impious words against Jesus. She begged a moment’s delay, as if she was considering their proposal. But, once she was free of her bondage and as soon as she found herself at liberty, then of her own accord she committed suicide by leaping into the flames.”
Last Words: “Take your hands off me, and give me some time to think it over.”Some scholars have questioned this, as her teeth had already been knocked out. The repeated blows on her jaws had beaten out all her teeth, and some years later she was recognized by the Vatican as “the patron saint of dentistry.”
Infamous Last Words: St. Apollonia (d. 249 CE)
--------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment