Saint of the Day – 27 March – Saint Augusta of Treviso (Died 5th Century) Virgin Martyr.

Saint of the Day – 27 March – Saint Augusta of Treviso (Died 5th Century) Virgin Martyr. Died by being beheaded by her father in the 5th century, The name Augusto means “consecrated.” Patronages – Ceneda, Italy and Serravalle, Italy. Also known as – Augusta of Ceneda, Augusta di Serravalle, Augusta of Tarvisium, Augusta the Martyr.

The “Acts” of St Augusta, that is, the reports about her life and Martyrdom, were written at the end of the 16th century by Minuccio de ‘Minucci of Serravalle,the Apostolic Protonotary and Secretary of Pope Clement VIII (1592-1605).

These “Acts” were sent to the editors of the volumes “De probatis sanctorum historiis” by Lorenzo Surio, a Carthusian and German hagiographer (1522-1578) and were included in volume VII of the edition printed in Cologne in Germany.

According to these “Acts,” Augusta was the daughter of Matruco, an Alemannic chief (Alemagna – Germany), who had conquered and subdued Friuli, Italy. He resided in Serravalle (the current ancient village of the City of Vittorio Veneto in Italy) and was a bitter enemy of the Christian religion.

Augusta secretly embraced the Christian Faith but her father learned of it anyway and had her arrested. Since she refused to apostatise, she was thrown into a prison and after various tortures, she was beheaded by her own father. Her body was found a few years later buried on a hill overlooking Serravalle, which took her name. A Church was built and was dedicated to her – a Church and Shrine, which became very popular with the inhabitants.

The Saint is also known as Augusta of Ceneda, a City located at the foot of the Belluno Prealps, in the Province of Treviso).

St. Augusta is depicted with the symbols of her Martyrdom, a toothed wheel for torture, her teeth that were torn from her, mouth and her palm. On the hill of St Augusta, there are still the remains of the castle of the grim father Matruco and the large Church dedicated to her.