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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture What is known about the Numidian martyr Crispina (d. 304) comes chiefly from her Passio (BHL 1989), which offers a seemingly redacted abstract of her final hearing before a Roman magistrate, and from matter in the following writings of St. Augustine of Hippo: _Enarrationes in Psalmos_ 120 and 137; _ Sermones_, 286. 2 and 354. 5. She was a matron from a wealthy family of Thagura (now Taoura in Algeria) who was tried at Theveste (now Tebessa in Algeria) and who was executed along with a number of named companions whom the Roman Martyrology has elected not to include in its commemoration of her under today (5. December). Crispina and unnamed companions are entered for today, along with another group of martyrs, in the early sixth-century Calendar of Carthage. Annexed to the late antique Christian basilica at Tebessa (variously dated from the late fourth to the early seventh century) and reached from its right aisle by a flight of descending steps is a triconch structure thought to have been Crispina's martyrium and reported to contain eleven mosaic inscriptions dated to about the year 351 that name various of her companions. Crispina as depicted (second from left) in the heavily restored later sixth-century mosaic procession of female saints (ca. 561) in the nave of Ravenna's basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo (photograph courtesy of Genevra Kornbluth): http://www.kornbluthphoto.com/images/ApNNorth19.jpg A closer view in different light (Crispina now third from left): http://tinyurl.com/j7s4onu Best, John Dillon ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion