Saint Dorothea is a single name for two separate virgin martyrs. Both have very sparse documentary evidence for their acta. In Roman times, Vestal Virgins were strictly celibate or they were punished by death. ... Historically, a martyr is a person who dies for their convictions or religious faith, such as during the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire. ...

Saint Dorothea of Caesarea bearing a basket of roses to be given to the mocking Theophilus.

The more famous Saint Dorothea was Dorothea of Caesarea, who died circa 311. She was a martyr of the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecutions, although her death occurred after his reign, whose legend features in a number of retellings. According to the hagiographer Alban Butler, for example, Dorothea's parents were martyred before her by Diocletian, and a Roman governor, Sapiricius, called her to an audience and demanded that she take a husband. When she refused, he had her put upon the rack and given a choice of a husband, if she would sacrifice to the gods, or death, if she refused. She claimed that she had a husband in Jesus Christ and desired death. Sapiricius then put her in a cell with two women who had abandoned Christianity, hoping that they would convince her, but, instead, she brought them back to religious faith. When she was again put on the rack, she smiled and said that she was truly blessed, for she had saved two lost souls and would be assured of paradise. She was sentenced to death, after further tribulation. Her martyrdom occurred in February, and as she was being led to her beheading, a man named Theophilus mocked her, asking her to send him apples or roses from her husband's garden. Upon her binding for decapitation, Dorothea saw a young girl with a basket of roses and apples and asked her to take them to Theophilus as a gift. The child was an angel, and when Theophilus saw her bringing him roses and apples after Dorothea's martyrdom, he converted to Christianity and was later martyred himself. Caesarea is the name of several Roman cities and towns, including: Caesarea Antiochia, properly Antioch in Pisidia, near modern Yalvaç, Turkey Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia, modern Kayseri, Turkey Caesarea Palaestina: modern Caesarea, in Israel Caesarea Philippi in the Golan Heights Iol Caesarea: modern Cherchell, in Algeria Caesarea Magna or Caesara... For the band, see 311 (band), for the number see 311 (number) Events June 15 - Licinius issues his own Edict of Toleration, ending persecution of Christians in his own part of the Roman Empire. ... Emperor Diocletian. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ... Alban Butler (October 24 NS, 1710 - St-Omer, France May 15, 1773), English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer, was born at Appletree Northamptonshire. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... Look up rack in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Greek mythological characters (Most of the gods and goddesses had Roman equivalents. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, known by Christians as Jesus Christ, as recounted in the New Testament. ... The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the entities that bring false peace, War, famine, pestilence, and death. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is an ethereal being found in many religions, whose duties are to assist and serve God. ...

Dorothea of Caesarea's life and martyrdom was the basis of Philip Massinger and Thomas Dekker's The Virgin-Martyr (printed 1622). She is the patron saint of horticulture. Philip Massinger (1583 - 1640) was an English dramatist. ... Thomas Dekker, (c. ... Events January 1 - In the Gregorian calendar, January 1 is declared as the first day of the year, instead of March 25. ... The Latin words hortus (garden plant) and cultura (culture) together form horticulture, classically defined as the culture or growing of garden plants. ...

The other Dorothea is Dorothea of Alexandria, who was courted by the Emperor Maximinus Caius. She rejected his suit in favor of her own faith and her commitment to virginity, and he had her beheaded circa 320. Antiquity and modernity stand cheek-by-jowl in Egypts chief Mediterranean seaport For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation). ... This article is about the year 320 AD. For the aircraft, see Airbus A320. ...

Both saints have their feast days in the Roman Catholic Church on February 6. The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with a saint, and referring to the day as the saints day of that saint. ... Catholic Church redirects here. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Dorothy is a convent of active nuns, occupied primarily with teaching and the cultivation of flowers and produce. The order is named for Dorothea of Caesarea. Their most famous member is Lucia dos Santos, the oldest of the three Fatima visionaries. This article is about an abbey as a religious building. ... Sister Lúcia of Jesus Maria Lúcia Rosa dos Santos – Sister Lúcia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart, better known as Sister Lúcia of Jesus – (March 22, 1907 – February 13, 2005) was a Roman Catholic Carmelite nun. ... Our Lady of Fatima Our Lady of Fatima (pron. ...

References

• Butler, Alban. The Lives of the Saints. Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, 1995. (Originally published 1878.) Nihil obstat and Imprimatur 1955.
• Englebert, Omer. The Lives of the Saints. Christopher and Anne Fremantle, trans. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1994. Nihil obstat and Imprimatur 1951.
• Harvey, Sir Paul, ed. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 4th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1967.

See also

Saints Portal