Saint Bibiana ,celebrated on 2 December ,has over the years
often been confused with St. Vibiana, a 3rd century Roman martyr
whose remains were discovered in the necropolis of Pretextatus in 1853 and
given by Pope Pius IX to Bishop Thaddeus Amat who transported them to Los
Angeles where he oversaw the building of a cathedral and shrine to the Saint
that was completed in 1876. Saint Vibiana thereby became the patron of Los
Angeles until her cathedral was damaged by earthquake in 1994. Her relics were
eventually moved to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels where they have been
placed in a more understated sarcophagus in the crypt chapel of the newer
church. According to an archivist Rev. Francis J. Weber in the LATimes of
May 17, 1969, the church removed St. Bibiana’s feast from the universal
church calendar while St. Vibiana’s feast, celebrated mainly in southern
California, was allowed to remain. Both feasts were in early December. St.
Vibiana’s former and current resting places are pictured below.
http://www.cathedralsofcalifornia.com/?tag=st-vibiana