The legend of the holy sisters Pudentiana and Prasseda and the beginnings of the Roman Church

Abstract

Our contribution aims to present mysterious figures from the period of antiquity of Saints Pudentiane and Praxedis, the daughters of Senator Pudens, whose ancient legends identify them among the first people to be converted in Rome by the Apostle Paul. Pudens owned a villa, the remains of which are nine meters below the present basilica (for centuries it was believed to be the oldest Christian church in Rome), in which he hid persecuted Christians, according to some sources, even the Apostle Peter. When Pudens died a martyr, they built Praxedis and Pudentiane with the consent of Pope Pius I in 142/145 AD in the father’s house a baptistery for the baptism of new Christians. However, during the persecution of Emperor Antonio Pius, Praxedis and Pudentiane were also tortured. After the death of Pudentiane, Praxedis used the heritage of her family to build the church "sub titulo Praxedis". She hid many persecuted Christians, and when they were exposed and tortured, she gathered their bodies and buried them in the cemetery of St. Priscilla on Via Salaria, where she was later buried in the grave with her sister and father. Legends say so much, our scientific interest was aroused by the proximity of the Basilica of Santa Pudentiane and the Roman synagogue Oratorio Castro as a symbol of the 2000 years of the mysterious coexistence of religions they serve for the peaceful development of human civilization in the sense of Pope Francis’ encyclicals.