Roman women converted to Christianity by the Apostles Peter and Paul, they devoted themselves to caring for the bodies of the martyrs during Nero's persecution. For their confession of Christ they were tortured and put to death at Rome.
Feast Day
April 15
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Basilissa and Anastasia were Christian women of Rome in the first century who, according to tradition, were converted by the Apostles Peter and Paul and numbered among the earliest believers in the city. During the persecution under the emperor Nero (reigned 54-68), they took it upon themselves to recover the bodies of executed Christians and to give them honorable burial.
Their work of collecting relics and interring the martyrs brought them to the attention of the authorities. Imprisoned and subjected to severe tortures, they refused to renounce their faith and were put to death by beheading around the year 68. They are commemorated together on April 15.
Timeline 3 moments
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1st centuryConversion at RomeLiving in Rome, the two women were converted to Christianity by the Apostles Peter and Paul and became devoted followers of Christ. Later tradition describes them as Roman matrons of high rank and wealth, among the first converts in the city.
During Nero's persecution (54-68)Burial of the martyrsAs the emperor Nero gave Christians over to torture and execution, Basilissa and Anastasia took the bodies of the slain martyrs and gave them reverent burial. By later tradition, their care extended to the remains of the Apostles Peter and Paul themselves after their martyrdom at Rome.
c. 68Imprisonment and martyrdomTheir recovery and burial of the martyrs brought them to Nero's notice, and they were imprisoned. Subjected to scourging, the scraping of their skin with hooks, and burning with fire, they continued to confess Christ, and by Nero's command they were beheaded with the sword.
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Tradition and Veneration
The principal account of the two women comes from the Orthodox synaxarion, which presents them as disciples of Peter and Paul whose charity toward the persecuted Church led to their own martyrdom. Both the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church venerate them, and they are regarded by tradition as patrons of tailors.
Later Western tradition adds further detail to the account of their suffering, describing tortures that included the tearing out of their tongues and the mutilation of their bodies before they were beheaded. Their relics are said to be kept at the church of Santa Maria della Pace in Rome, and a statue of Basilissa stands among the figures of the colonnade in St. Peter's Square.
