Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/118

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101 ST. BASILL.V •nd successor of St. Anastasia, Abbess of Horres, near Treves. Baeel inns. Men. Ben. St Basilla H;, May 20, Sept. 22 /Basiua^ Basilissa, Bafsilla, etc.), Y. M. c. 304. Of royal lineage, and be- trothed to a man of eqnal rank, to whom the Golden Legend gives the name of Pompey. As he was a heathen, she would not be married to him. He ap- pealed to the Emperor Grallienas, who said she mnst be married forthwith or she shonld bo pierced with a sword. She said she already had the King of kings for her hnsband, and conld not have another. She was put to death, and was buried in the ancient Via Salaria, in a cemetery that belonged to her, and which has sometimes been called by her name, and sometimes by the names of other martyrs bnried there. Her body was removed to the church of St. Pbas- HEDB, in the 9th century. She is com- memorated in theancient.BoDian Calendar^ compiled in the middle of the 4th cen- tury, and that of St Jerome shows that she was worshipped at her own cemetery on Sept. 22. She is also honoured on Sept. 1 1 , with St. Eugenia and SS. Protus and Hyacinthus. E.Jtf., May 20. Pape- broch, in AA.SS., Sept. 22. Baillet, Vies. L^gende Dor^e, Canisius. St. Basilla (2, or Basilissa, May 17, M. at Alexandria with SS. Adrion and Victor. BM. St Basilla (3), Aug. 29 (Basila, Basilissa), M. at Smyrna, or Syrmium, or Sirmich. B.M. AA.SS. St. Basilla (4), Dec. 24 or 25. Fer- rarius calls her mother of St. Eugenia, but the legend gives Claudia as the name of Eugenia's mother. St. Basiola, or Basjela, June 13, M. Wife of St. George, tortured and martyred with many others in Abyssinia, encouraging her husband and the rest to the last. AA.8S. St. Basjela, Basiola. Bassa, Basia, Basila, Basilla, Basilia, Basilica, Basilca, Bassila, Bassilica, Bassilia, Bassilla, Basilissa, Bassilissa, are sometimes written one for the other. Many saints and martyrs bore these names. Three Bassas appear in the B,M., March 6, Aug. 10, and Aug. 21. Bassa, or BassOa, or Bassilla was a Latin name derived from Bassus. Basilia and Basilissa are feminine forms of the Greek name Basil, a king, and were very popular in the Roman empiro at the time when the great persecutions occurred. Basilica and Basilca appear to be variants of Basilia or Basilissa ; the s and the I seem to have been doubled or left single in the calendars, at the discretion of the copyist. Basa may have been a separate name, but the SS. Basa, Sept 21 and Aug. 21, are identi£ed with the SS. Bassa of those dates. Basta is perhaps a clerical error for Bassa. St Bassa (l), or Basa, Aug. 21, M. at Edessa, in Syria, in the tenth persecution, end of 3rd or beginning of 4th century, under Maximian. The Boman Mariyroloffy says that she encouraged her three sons in their Chris- tian profession and martyrdom, and, having sent them before her to receive the palm, she was beheaded and followed them joyfully. The Mendogy of Basil, and the account given by Pinius the Bollandist, say further that she was the wife of a heathen priest named Valerius, who accused her and her sons before the prefect as Chris- tians. The sons, whose names were Theognes or Theogonius, Agapius, and FideUs or Pistis, one by one underwent the most horrible tortures, one being flayed, another torn to pieces, while their mother stood by and encouraged them to endure to the end. Having seen them all die triumphantly rather than give up their religion, Bassa endured indescrib- able torments, but was miraculously pre- served from injury. At last the baffled prefect had her thrown into the sea, whereupon angels took her in a boat to the island of Halo, in the Hellespont. Her wonderful escapes were related to Philip, an officer of the government in Greece, with the representation that a woman who had practised so many sor- ceries should not be suffered to live. So he sent and had her beheaded. Her sons are honoured with her. Pinius says their martyrdom may have taken place at Larissa, instead of Edessa. B,M, AA.8S, Men. Basil. St Bassa (2), March G, M. Wife of