Saints Tiburtius & Susanna, Martyrs
Ss. Tiburtii et Susannae Virginis et Martyrum
On this day the Church honours two martyrs of the early Roman Church, Tiburtius and the virgin Susanna, whose veneration in the city of Rome is very ancient.
This feast unites the memory of two martyrs of Rome, Saint Tiburtius and Saint Susanna, whose names were honoured in the city from early Christian times. Each was venerated at a place of burial along the ancient roads of Rome, and their commemoration was joined together on the eleventh of August in the calendar of the Roman Church.
Two martyrs of Rome
Saint Tiburtius was venerated as a martyr of Rome, honoured at a burial place on the road to Lavicum, where a church was raised in his memory. Saint Susanna was a virgin and martyr of Rome, whose veneration was attached to a church bearing her name, near the baths of Diocletian, which still stands as one of the ancient churches of the city. The detailed accounts long associated with their names belong to the early martyr-legends of Rome, whose particulars cannot all be confirmed by history.
What the Church holds with certainty is the antiquity of their veneration and the witness of their tombs honoured by the faithful of Rome. They lived and died in the age when to confess the name of Christ might cost a Christian his life, and they are numbered among the great company of the city’s early martyrs who counted that name dearer than life itself.
The Collect
May the continued protection of thy holy Martyrs Tiburtius and Susanna defend us, O Lord: for thou dost not cease to look graciously upon those whom thou hast granted to be aided by such succour.
Sanctórum Mártyrum tuórum Tibúrtii et Susánnæ nos, Dómine, fóveant continúata præsídia: quia non désinis propítius intuéri; quos tálibus auxíliis concésseris adiuvári.
Patronage
They are venerated among the early martyrs of Rome; Saint Susanna is honoured at the ancient church in the city that bears her name.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar these martyrs are no longer kept on the universal calendar.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saints Tiburtius and Susanna?
Their commemoration is kept on 11 August in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Fourth Class feast.
Who were Saints Tiburtius and Susanna?
They were two martyrs of the early Roman Church — Tiburtius, honoured on the road to Lavicum, and Susanna, a virgin and martyr honoured at a church near the baths of Diocletian. Both were venerated at Rome from ancient times.
How much is reliably known about them?
The antiquity of their veneration and the honour paid to their tombs at Rome are certain. The detailed stories later attached to their names belong to the early martyr-legends whose particulars cannot all be confirmed by history, and the Church honours soberly what is sure: that they bore witness to Christ unto death.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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