Saint of the Day 31/March
Saint of the Day March 31 ✠ St. Balbina of Rome ✠ Born : unknown Died : c.130 CE Rome, Italy Venerated in : Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Major shrine : Santa Balbina Feast : 31 March Attributes : Chains; Fetters; Young woman holding a chain; Young woman kissing the chains of captive Christians Patronage : Struma, Scrofulous Diseases, Goiter, Throat Diseases Acts of Sts. Alexander and Balbina, where it is said that she was the daughter of Quirinus, a Tribune in the Roman Army. Reference to this myth is also to be found in Usuardis' martyrology; his account of Balbina is entangled with the supposed martyrdom of Pope Alexander I. In fact, there is nothing to suggest this early pope was martyred. There was indeed a martyr of the same name, about whom nothing has survived to the present day, but the 1570 Tridentine calendar does not suggest he had been a pope. Legend has it that Quirinus was ordered to...