PRASSEDE, saint. - She is commemorated in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum on July 21; the 7th-century itineraries record her as buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on the Via Salaria Nuova.
Regarding the origin of the « titulus Praxedis », no certain information is available; it already existed in the 5th century, as attested by the Roman Synod of 499 and an inscription from 489 in the cemetery of S. Ippolito on the Via Tiburtina. In the 6th century, the founder, according to custom, is named as s. P. The association of P., Pudens, and Pudenziana undoubtedly originated from the fact that the cemetery of S. Ippolito depended on the two titles and perhaps also due to their proximity. The church of S. P., already restored by Hadrian I (772-95), was completely rebuilt by Paschal I (817-24), though « in alio non longe demutans loco ». The new building, despite various later works, still preserves its 9th-century structure; it was enriched with the bodies of many martyrs, including that of Zeno, removed from the cemetery of Praetextatus. In his honor, a separate oratory was built, adorned with rich mosaics that represent the most distinguished and characteristic work of Rome in that period. Other mosaics were executed in the apse and on the triumphal arch, depicting respectively the Redeemer with saints and the heavenly Jerusalem.
