Saint Valeria of Milan

Valeria of Milan (d. 1st or 2nd century), or Valérie, according to Christian tradition, was the wife of Vitalis of Milan and the mother of Gervasius and Protasius. "Some modern writers contend that she may have been a character in a work of fiction mistaken for history." It is said she was from a noble family, and at an early age was baptized, being among the first converts to Christianity in the city of Milan. The reigning Pope had commanded the priests of the area to organize nine decurias, each consisting of five men and five virgins. Their duty was to gather the corpses of Christians who had been martyred in the Coliseum (Flavian Amphitheatre) and other places of martyrdom the preceding day. She was martyred for burying Christian martyrs, and then refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods According to one tradition, shortly after the martyrdom of her husband, Vitalis of Milan, in Ravenna, she refused to join in a celebration and sacrifice to pagan gods, and was severely beaten, causing her death two days later in Milan. According to another tradition, on 3 June, Valeria was discovered by Roman soldiers searching for Christians. She avowed herself to be one of the faithful. Following terrible tortures, Valeria was beheaded in the Coliseum in the company of several other martyrs. Her remains were gathered by other Christians and were deposited in the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian. A mosaic depicting Valeria appears in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna. A church dedicated to her in Milan was destroyed in 1786. Canon Charles M. Ménard (1845–1896), pastor of St. Joseph Church (now Co-Cathedral) in Thibodaux, Louisiana, made a pilgrimage to Rome in 1867, marking the anniversary of the martyrdom of Peter the Apostle. Longing to bring back an important relic for the veneration of his parishioners, he requested an audience with Cardinal Costantino Patrizi Naro.