Saint Philomena of Rome

Nothing is known about Philomena, and her story is one of the strangest in the history of the cult of the saints. In 1802, in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome, the remains of a girl of about fourteen were found, sealed behind three terracotta tiles bearing the inscription *Pax tecum Filumena*, along with a small vial that was believed to hold her blood — according to others, a perfume or an ointment. There was nothing else: no story, no date, no information. The body was taken to Mugnano del Cardinale, in the province of Avellino, to the church of the Madonna delle Grazie, and from then on something happened that nobody expected. The devotion exploded, not only in Campania but all over Europe. The Curé of Ars was deeply devoted to her, and credited her with every grace people attributed to him; Pius IX, who came to Mugnano on foot, and Gregory XVI were devoted to her as well. In the 1960s the Sacred Congregation of Rites removed her from the calendar, precisely because there is no historical reference that can be verified: what’s more, the inscription on the tiles turned out to have been put together from reused slabs, which makes even the link between the name and that burial uncertain. The devotion in Mugnano hasn’t stopped: every August the town still fills with pilgrims. If your name is Philomena, today is your name day — and in the South it’s still a common name.