Candida the Elder explained

Honorific Prefix:Saint
Candida the Elder
Death Date:1st century
Feast Day:September 4
Venerated In:Roman Catholic Church
Birth Place:Naples
Death Place:Naples
Titles:Virgin
Patronage:Naples, Dining Clubs

Candida the Elder (Italian: Candida la Vecchia) (died 78 AD) was a supposed early Christian saint and resident of Naples, Italy.

According to her legend, Candida was an elderly woman who hospitably welcomed Peter the Apostle, when he was passing through Naples on his way to Rome.[1] The woman was cured of an illness by Peter and converted to Christianity.[2] She was baptized by Peter and later converted Aspren, the first bishop of Naples, to Christianity.[3]

She is one of the patron saints of Naples. Basil Watkins says she probably never existed. Her name has been deleted from the revised Roman Martyrology.[4]

Notes and References

  1. http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-candida-the-elder/ Monks of Ramsgate. "Candida the Elder". Book of Saints
  2. Web site: Sant' Aspreno di Napoli. April 19, 2002. Santi e Beati.
  3. https://books.google.com/books?id=PBgYAAAAYAAJ&dq=Saint+Candida+the+Elder&pg=PA142 Dunbar, Agnes Baillie Cunninghame. A Dictionary of Saintly Women
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=yzqOCgAAQBAJ&dq=Candida+the+Elder&pg=PT210 Watkins OSB, Basil. "Candida the Elder", The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical Dictionary