Firmina

Who is Firmina?

Saint Firmina or Fermina is a Roman Catholic Italian saint and virgin martyr. She is the patron saint of Civitavecchia, and Amelia Cathedral is dedicated to her.

She is said to have lived in the 3rd century and to have suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Diocletian, but all information about her comes from a vita written not earlier than the 6th century. Later oral tradition has supplemented this with sometimes conflicting detail.

The simplest version of her legend is that she belonged to a family of high status: her father Calpurnius was prefect of the city of Rome. Olympiadis, a high official, attempted to seduce her but was converted by her to the Christian faith, for which he was martyred. She then left her family to devote herself to prayer in seclusion, near the city of Amelia in Umbria, where she suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Diocletian and was buried.

Other versions claim that she was martyred and buried in Civitavecchia.

Many miracles are attributed to her, one of which occurred during a sea passage to Centumcellae, the present Civitavecchia, when a sudden violent storm was calmed by her miraculous intervention. Firmina is said to have lived for a time in a grotto near the port, over which was later built the Forte Michelangelo.