In the long litany of saints and martyrs of the early Church, Saint Anastasia occupies a unique place. Venerated in both East and West, and mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass, she embodies purity, fidelity, charity, and resistance in the face of persecution.
Known by several names – Anastasia the Martyr, Anastasia the Delivered, or Anastasia of Sirmium – this young, wealthy, Christian noblewoman dedicated her life to rescuing prisoners of the faith and healing the sick, before being burned alive in the early 4th century during the great Diocletianic persecution.
The story of Saint Anastasia, though partly shrouded in legend, is a poignant testament to early spirituality and a source of contemporary inspiration for Christians worldwide. This article traces her life, her martyrdom, the spread of her cult, her artistic representations, and the spiritual legacy she left behind.
Reliquary containing a relic of Saint Anastasia on elics.es
Rome and Sirmium at the time of persecution
Saint Anastasia is traditionally associated with Sirmium , a city in Pannonia (present-day Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), an important military and administrative metropolis of the Eastern Roman Empire. The Church was already well established there in the 3rd century, but suffered recurring waves of persecution.
In 303, Emperor Diocletian , influenced by his co-emperor Galerius, launched the most severe persecution of Christians in Roman history, known as the Great Persecution . Imperial orders were given to destroy churches, burn scriptures, ban meetings, and force Christians to sacrifice to the gods.
It was in this climate of fear, violence and secrecy that Saint Anastasia made the radical choice to live the Gospel to the point of martyrdom .
A Christian noblewoman in the shadow of Rome
Family and education
According to Latin tradition, Anastasia was born in Rome towards the end of the 3rd century into a noble family. Her father, Praetextatus , was a high-ranking pagan official of the Empire. Her mother, Fausta , was a Christian and is said to have passed on the first seeds of faith to her daughter.
Anastasia received a careful education, learning Greek and Latin, rhetoric, philosophy, and medicine. She was said to have been spiritually entrusted to Saint Chrysogonus , a Christian priest later venerated as a martyr, who instructed her in the Scriptures and Christian doctrine.
Marriage and secret vocation
While still very young, Anastasia was married against her will to a pagan Roman nobleman named Publius , or Pomponius according to some sources. In order to preserve her virginity, she feigned a chronic illness, refusing him any carnal union. Under the guise of medical care, she was able to devote her time to helping Christian prisoners , bringing them food, clothing, medicine, and dressing their wounds.
This double game continued for some time, until her husband discovered her activities. Enraged, he locked her up, deprived her of food and possessions, but died shortly afterward in obscure circumstances, sometimes attributed to a sudden illness. Anastasie then regained her freedom and her possessions and intensified her charitable work.
Saint Anastasia, healer and “delivered”
Anastasia is known in Eastern tradition as "Pharmakolytria" , meaning "she who delivers from poisons and curses" . She apparently had a knowledge of simples, medicinal plants and ointments, which allowed her to help many sick people.
But this nickname also has a spiritual dimension : she delivers from anxiety, prisons, sin, and the influence of demonic powers. She thus becomes a model of female diaconate —of service—very active and respected in the early Christian communities.
The trial and the martyrdom
After being arrested once, Anastasia was freed through the intercession of a Christian magistrate. But soon after, during a new wave of repression, she was captured again and taken to Sirmium , the provincial capital, where the emperor Galerius was raging.
Refusing to sacrifice to the gods, Anastasia endured a lengthy trial. She was tortured, but remained silent or merely proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ. The authorities, impressed by her rank, youth, and beauty, tried to force her to comply, but she remained firm.
Eventually, she was sentenced to death by burning . She was tied to a raft or platform, placed over a burning pyre on the island of Palmaria , off the Dalmatian coast. According to some accounts, she sang psalms until her last moment. She died on December 25, 304 .
After death: the spread of worship
In the East
The cult of Saint Anastasia developed very early in the East. In 468, her relics were transferred to Constantinople under the Byzantine Empress Pulcheria, wife of Marcian. A basilica was dedicated to her, where many faithful came to pray for healing and deliverance.
She is celebrated in the Byzantine calendar on December 22 , and her cult remains alive in the Greek and Slavic Orthodox Churches.
In the West
In the West, the cult of Saint Anastasia enjoyed remarkable influence from the 5th century onwards. She appears in the Roman Canon of the Mass – one of the few women, along with Agnes, Cecilia, Felicity, Perpetua, Lucy, and Agatha. She is mentioned after the consecration, which attests to her liturgical importance.
Her relics were partially transferred to Zadar , in Dalmatia (present-day Croatia), where a basilica was dedicated to her. There she is known as Sveti Stošija , patron saint of the city. Her relics, including part of her head, are preserved in a marble sarcophagus, still visible today.
Iconographic representation
Saint Anastasia is often depicted in Western and Eastern Christian art with the following attributes:
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A palm : symbol of martyrdom
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A bottle or vials : a reminder of her healing activities
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Chains or irons : referring to his liberation of prisoners
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A fire or a pyre : in allusion to his torture
In Byzantine icons, she is often depicted standing, draped in a red or blue cloak, with a grave and benevolent expression. In Baroque art, she is sometimes shown freeing a captive, or pouring a medicinal potion.
Patronage and Invocation
Saint Anastasia is the patron saint of :
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pharmacists
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doctors
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people unjustly imprisoned
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abused or widowed women
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poisoning victims
She is invoked to obtain healing, spiritual liberation, and inner peace. Her name, moreover, means "resurrection" in Greek ( Anástasis ), which gives her a strong eschatological significance.
Spiritual and theological influence
The testimony of Saint Anastasia has marked generations of Christians, notably:
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By his fidelity to Christ to the supreme sacrifice
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Through its inner freedom in the face of social and marital constraints
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Through its charitable mission to the excluded
She embodies the ideal of consecrated virginity , female diaconate , and active charity in the early centuries of Christianity. She is also a symbol of spiritual freedom in the face of political oppression.
Liturgy and celebration
Liturgical feast
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West : December 25 (same day as Christmas, which has relegated its celebration to the background)
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East : December 22
Some communities, particularly in the Balkans, continue to dedicate processions, vigils and specific prayers to him.
Prayers and litanies
Anastasia appears in several medieval litanies and exorcism prayers. Among the prayers addressed to her are prayers for deliverance, such as:
“Saint Anastasia, you who freed captives and healed hearts, intercede for us with the Lord, that he may deliver us from all evil, visible and invisible.”
Conclusion
Saint Anastasia remains today a powerful figure of faith, hope, and mercy . She combined intelligence, courage, humility, and charity in a troubled time when confessing the name of Christ was tantamount to signing one's death warrant.
Through her life and sacrifice, she marked the history of the Church and continues to inspire Christians, especially women called to live their faith with boldness and tenderness.
Mentioned in the Roman Canon, honored in East and West, she reminds us that holiness depends neither on strength nor on glory, but on the inner freedom that the love of God gives .
SOURCES
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Peter Brown , The Cult of the Saints – Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity , Gallimard, 1984.
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Jean-Marie Sansterre , The Saints and Their Cult in the West in the First Centuries , Éditions du Cerf, 2001.
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Hippolyte Delehaye , Hagiographic Legends , Society of Bollandists, Brussels, 1905.
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Agostino Amore, OFM , S. Anastasia e la sua Basilica a Roma , Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1967.
