**BERNICE** (VERONICA), **PROSDOCIA** and **DOMINIA**, saints and martyrs. Their most singular martyrdom, which took place in Antioch, is attested by Eusebius of Caesarea and St. John Chrysostom. D., renowned for her beauty and wealth, fled the city with her two daughters, B. and P., who were striking in their beauty and youthful bloom, when the persecution broke out. Soldiers were dispatched to track down the fugitives, who, once captured, were brought back to Antioch. But as they approached a river, aware of the fate that awaited them, the mother urged her daughters to throw themselves in to escape dishonor. Donning festive attire and asking the soldiers for a moment’s respite, they hurled themselves into the water and drowned. Such fortitude of spirit won the praise of ancient Christendom, as attested by St. Augustine (*De civitate Dei*, I, 26). The *Martyrologium Hieronymianum* commemorates them on April 15, while the Greek *Synaxaria* mark their feast on October 4.
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BERNICE – BERNINI GIAN LORENZO