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Died 1st century or c. 270 (?).
Saint Prisca seems to have had a very early cultus in Rome, who has not
been satisfactorily identified. From the 9th century, the martyr buried on
the Aventine was identified with the Priscilla, wife of Aquila, of the
Acts of the Apostles.
But according to her acta, which were not written until the 10th century,
Prisca was a 13-year-old girl who was exposed in the amphitheatre and, to
the amazement of all, the fierce lion was loosed upon her, licked her
feet. She was therefore returned to prison and beheaded. An eagle watched
over her body until it was buried in the catacomb of Priscilla, where a
church has been dedicated as titulus Aquilae et Priscae on the Aventine
hill since at least the 4th century. Her existence has lately been subject
to scrutiny; she may be identical to Saint Tatiana and/or Saint Martina (Attwater,
Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer, Gill,
Tabor).
Saint Prisca is pictured as an early Christian maiden martyr with a lion
(or two lions), sword, and eagle near her (Farmer, Roeder, Tabor). The
tamed lion signified a conquered paganism, in addition to an element in
the story (Appleton). She is venerated in Rome, where her relics remain on
the Aventine (Roeder) and on the calendars of 16 English monasteries
(Farmer).
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