Irene of Rome explained

Honorific Prefix:	Saint
Irene of Rome
Death Date:	288 AD
Feast Day:	April 3
Venerated In:	Roman Catholic Church
Death Place:	Rome
Attributes:	tending to Saint Sebastian

Saint Irene of Rome (died 288 AD) was a Christian woman in the Roman Empire during the reign of Diocletian. She was the wife of Saint Castulus. According to Christian legend, she attended to Saint Sebastian after he was wounded by Mauretanian archers.

Biography

Irene was the wife of Saint Castulus who, according to tradition, was in the service of the Roman emperor. She was later widowed when Castulus was martyred for practicing Christianity and converting others to the religion.^[1] After the death of her husband, Irene continued to be active in the Christian community in Rome. According to hagiography, when Saint Sebastian was shot with arrows for practicing Christianity, Irene tended his wounds.^{[2] [3]}

Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene was the subject of many paintings by Benedetto Luti and others.

Further reading

• Conisbee, Philip. “An Introduction to the Life and Art of Georges de La Tour,” in Philip Conisbee (ed.), Georges de La Tour and His World, exhibition catalogue Washington, DC, National Gallery of Art; Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum 1996, pp.13-147.
• Judovitz, Dalia. Georges de La Tour and the Enigma of the Visible, New York, Fordham University Press, 2018. ; . Pp. 11, 94-103, plate 24, 25.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Sts. Castullus and Irene. faith.nd.edu.
2. Web site: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Sebastian. www.newadvent.org.
3. Web site: St. Irene. Catholic News Agency.