The Ante-Nicene Church · AD 180–313
Engratia of Saragossa
d. c. AD 303 (martyr) · Virgin-martyr of Saragossa · Saragossa (Caesaraugusta)
The Ante-Nicene Church
Who Engratia of Saragossa was
A virgin of Saragossa tortured but, uniquely, left alive with her wounds — 'living, thou keepest a martyr's trophy,' Prudentius sings — the chief figure among the eighteen martyrs of the city he celebrates in Peristephanon IV. Her cult joined that of the deacon Vincent as the glory of the Aragonese church.
Prudentius (Peristephanon 4) alone.
Also listed in martyrs, women and the great persecution.
Common questions
When did Engratia die?
Engratia of Saragossa is dated d. c. AD 303 (martyr) in the archive, which places Engratia in the Ante-Nicene Church (AD 180–313). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention Engratia?
Engratia of Saragossa is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Prudentius. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Engratia from?
The archive associates Engratia of Saragossa with Saragossa (Caesaraugusta).
Who were Engratia’s contemporaries?
The archive links Engratia of Saragossa to 1 other figure, including Dacian, Governor of Hispania. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Prudentius, Peristephanon IV (c. AD 400; original Latin, working translation)
c. AD 405[First attested ~100 years later.] Thou alone, surviving thine own tortures, livest on in the world a living martyr, beholding the trophy of thy passion — thy torn breast its witness, and a part of thee, cut away, buried before thine own eyes.Prudentius · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 235 · Maximinus Thrax targets the clergy, AD 235
- AD 250 · The Decian persecution, AD 250
- AD 251 · The Novatianist schism, AD 251
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Engratia.