Basilla of Rome (original) (raw)

Basilla of Rome, also known as Basilissa and Babilla, was a saint and martyr of the 3rd century. According to myth she was born into a Roman noble family and was a niece of the emperor Gallienus. She was beheaded in 257 under the Roman emperor Valerian because she refused to marry Pompeius (or Pompey), a patrician and pagan described as "a man of equal rank" to her, after she converted to Christianity. She was baptized by Pope Cornelius. Her maid accused her of being a Christian, and Pompeius betrayed her to Valerian when "she remained steadfast in her refusal to marry him".