Saint Philomena

Life events

1. Born — 291

   According to the 19th-century revelations of Maria Luisa di Gesù, Philomena was born on 10 January 291, the daughter of a Greek king who had converted to Christianity. No independent historical source corroborates this account.

2. Martyred — 304

   The hagiographic tradition, derived from Maria Luisa di Gesù's account, holds that Philomena was decapitated on 10 August 304 after refusing to marry the Emperor Diocletian and enduring multiple failed attempts at execution. Scholars dispute whether the skeletal remains found in 1802 belonged to a martyr of this period.

3. Translated — 1802

   On 24–25 May 1802, a sealed loculus in the Catacomb of Priscilla on the Via Salaria Nova in Rome was opened, revealing the skeleton of a female aged thirteen to fifteen years and a small glass vial. Three terracotta tiles bore the inscription 'pax tecum Filumena', taken to read 'Peace with you, Philomena'.

4. Translated — 1805

   On 8 June 1805, Canon Francesco De Lucia of Mugnano del Cardinale received the remains; they arrived in Mugnano on 10 August and were placed in the Church of Our Lady of Grace. In 1827, Pope Leo XII granted the church the three inscribed terracotta tiles from the tomb.

5. Other — 1835

   On 10 August 1835, Pauline Jaricot, founder of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, was reported to have been healed of a near-fatal illness at Philomena's shrine in Mugnano del Cardinale, an event that received wide publicity and accelerated the spread of devotion to Philomena across France and Italy.

6. Other — 1837

   In 1834, Pope Gregory XVI authorized veneration of Philomena; in 1837, he approved celebration of her feast on 11 August (or, according to another source, 9 September) initially in the Diocese of Nola, and subsequently in several other Italian dioceses. She was never included in the General Roman Calendar.

7. Other — 1912

   On 21 May 1912, Pope Pius X elevated the Confraternity of Saint Philomena — founded in Paris in 1876 — to the rank of Universal Archconfraternity by the apostolic brief Pias Fidelium Societates, affirming the current statements regarding Philomena as fixed and binding.

8. Other — 1961

   On 14 February 1961, the Holy See ordered the name of Philomena removed from all liturgical calendars, a measure singled out from the general application of the 1960 Code of Rubrics to local calendars. The decision followed scholarly questions, particularly those of archaeologist Orazio Marucchi, about whether the tomb inscription and the skeletal remains belonged to the same person.

Relationships

Documented claims

• The three terracotta tiles sealing the 1802 tomb bore the Latin inscription 'pax tecum Filumena'. Scholars debate whether the tiles were re-used fourth-century material, meaning the name and symbols may not belong to the individual whose remains were found. (disputed)
• John Vianney built a shrine to Philomena at Ars and publicly attributed to her intercession the extraordinary cures that visitors attributed to him personally. (likely)
• The Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of Saint Philomena on 10 August of the Gregorian calendar (4 Misra of the Coptic calendar), maintaining liturgical commemoration after the 1961 Roman removal. (likely)
• Popular devotion includes the 'Cord of Philomena', a red and white cord to which plenary and partial indulgences were formerly attached; the 1967 revision Indulgentiarum doctrina did not renew those indulgences. (likely)
• Damien of Molokai, who maintained an intense devotion to Philomena, named his church at Kalawao in her honor. (likely)