Saint Saint Balbina

The mythical Balbina of Rome (Latin: bahl-BEE-nə), sometimes called Saint Balbina and Balbina the Virgin has been venerated as a virgin martyr and saint of the Catholic Church. As is made clear in the Catholic Encyclopaedia, it seems what follows has been nothing more than fable, not history. The story of Balbina is introduced in the legendary Acts of Sts. Alexander and Balbina, where it is said that she was the daughter of Quirinus, a Tribune in the Roman Army. Reference to this myth is also to be found in Usuardis' martyrology; his account of Balbina is entangled with the supposed martyrdom of Pope Alexander I. In fact, there is nothing to suggest this early pope was martyred. There was indeed a martyr of the same name, about whom nothing has survived to the present day, but the 1570 Tridentine calendar does not suggest he had been a pope. Legend has it that Quirinus was ordered to hold Pope Alexander and a man named Hermes in prison because of their Christian faith. They were in separate prisons a fair way apart, and both were shackled and well-guarded. Quirinus had been trying to turn Hermes back to the old gods, but had promised to become a Christian if Hermes could prove that there was an afterlife. Hermes is then said to have explained that Pope Alexander could make a better argument than he. He asked repeatedly to visit his prison. At first, Quirinus agreed to this, but after a while he became angry, convinced that these visits were frivolous excursions. He tightened the guard at both places, so that the two would not be able to communicate. That night Hermes prayed, and an angel is said to have appeared to Pope Alexander, releasing his chains and transporting him to Hermes' prison cell. The next morning Quirinus came to Hermes' cell as usual, and he was shocked to find both men inside. His heart now open to what the two Christians had to say, he stayed and talked with the men for a while.