Praxedes

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Praxedes
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feast_day= July 21
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church


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caption= "Saint Praxidis". Attributed to Johannes Vermeer (ca. 1655).
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titles=Virgin
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Saint Praxedes is a traditional Christian saint of unknown dates. She is sometimes called Praxedis.

Not much is known for sure about Praxedes. According to legend, Praxedes was a Roman virgin, daughter of Saint Pudens, "friend of the Apostles", and sister of Saint Pudentiana.

Praxedes and Pudentiana, together with presbyter Pastor and Pope Pius I (140-154), built a baptistry in the church present inside their father's house, and started to baptize pagans. Pudentiana died at the age of sixteen, possibly a martyr, and is buried next to her father Pudens, in the Priscilla catacombs, in via Salaria.

After many years of burying mutilated Christians, visiting the imprisoned, and seeing those she loved suffer, Praxedes died on July 21 of a disputed year, which is now her feast day in the Roman Catholic Church. She was reportedly buried with Pudentiana and Pudens in via Salaria. However, while there is evidence for the life of St. Pudens, there is no direct evidence for either Praxedes or Pudentiana.

A church was built in Praxedes' honor on the alleged site of her house, to which her relics were taken when it was rebuilt by Pope Paschal I as the present Santa Prassede in c. 822.

Práxedes Mateo Sagasta may have been named after Praxedes, as he was born on her feast day.

External links

*
* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=772 Catholic Online]
* [http://roma.katolsk.no/prassede.htm Santa Prassede]
*no icon [http://www.katolsk.no/biografi/praxedis.htm Praxedis av Roma]