SAINT PETRONILLA, martyr.
Commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on May 31. Certainly an authentic Roman martyr, though every biographical detail and the circumstances of her death in which persecution she perished remain unknown.
The similarity of her name led to the arbitrary belief that she was the daughter of the Apostle Peter; her end is mentioned in the *Passio ss. Nerei et Achillei*, a legendary account at odds with far more reliable sources. Her tomb, recorded in the 7th-century itineraries, was located in the cemetery of Domitilla on the Via Ardeatina, where, during the pontificate of Pope Siricius (384–99), a basilica was built in her honor. A 4th-century fresco in the same cemetery depicts her as she introduces the soul of a devout woman into heaven, bearing the inscription: *Petronella martyr*. She is the special patroness of France. Feast day: May 31.
ICONOGRAPHY. — St Petronilla is usually portrayed as a maiden holding a palm and a book. Thus by Daniele da Volterra in a statue in Lucca cathedral. A very large altarpiece representing the funeral of the saint and her entry into heavenly glory was painted in 1623 by Guercino to adorn