Arianna, Saint, Martyr (ARIANNA, SANTA, MARTIRE) - Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. I, p. 1114

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

ARIANNA, saint, martyr. - Called Maria in the Latin (BHL, 5422) and Syriac (BHO, 682) versions of the Greek Passio (BHG, 165), she was the slave of a Tertullo, a wealthy lord of a provincial city not specified, which for the author of the Greek Passio is Primesso in Phrygia Salutaris. Tertullo, a pagan and benefactor of the city, is accused of giving shelter to Christians, but the judge acquits him of the charge. A. refuses to sacrifice; condemned to torture, it is not inflicted upon her at the request of those present; rather, she is granted a delay of 3 days. A. declares to the judge that she will decide upon what will benefit her most. What has been related thus far is the summary of two documents of great historical value (the trial of Tertullo and the interrogation of A.) which

the author of the Greek Passio, dating from the second half of the 4th century, has set within a fantastic narrative that ends with the miraculous concealment of A. in the hollow of a rock. The date of the martyrdom remains uncertain, between the 2nd and 4th centuries.

Feast: in the East she is commemorated on 18, 25, 26, and 27 September; in the West on 1 November, under the name Maria, in the Geronimiano and Romano martyrologies; in the latter, Baronio also inserted her on 17 September, under the name A.

BIBL.: Martyr. Hieronymianum, p. 383; Synax. Constantinop., cols. 57-58, 81-83, 933; Martyr. Romanum, pp. 403, 489; Acta SS. Septentris, V, Anversa 1755, p. 459; Novembris, I, Bruxelles 1887, pp. 194-207; P. Franchi de' Cavalieri, I martiri di s. Teodoro e di s. Ariadne. (Studi e Testi, 6) Roma 1901; id., Note agiografiche, I (Studi e Testi, 8), ivi 1902.

A. Pietro Frutas