September 7: Saint Regina, Virgin and Martyr

She lived and died for Christ

Saint Regina of Alise, virgin and martyr, lived around 286 A.D. in Alise, France, near the city of Autun. Although little is known about her life and much of it remains uncertain, her veneration spread widely not only in France but also in Germany.

According to tradition, Regina was born in Alise, a place also famous for the captivity of the Gallic leader Vercingetorix, defeated by Julius Caesar. Her mother died giving birth to her, and the child was raised by a nurse who instilled in her the Christian faith.

Her father, Olybrius, a prominent pagan official in Gaul, discovered her conversion to Christianity and, enraged, drove her out of the house. Regina went to live with her nurse and, to support herself, began tending sheep.

There are two main versions of her death. In the first, her father, seeing that she refused to renounce her Christian faith, had her imprisoned and tortured, and finally condemned her to beheading.

In the second version, Regina was courted by a local prefect, but she, having consecrated her life to God, resolutely refused him. In this account as well, she was imprisoned and subjected to torture. During the night she had a vision of the cross and heard a voice promising her the imminent end of her sufferings. The following day, after further torture, she was beheaded.

It is said that during her martyrdom a white dove appeared, flying above her as she died—a sign that deeply moved those present, leading many to convert to Christianity.