Saint Apollonia of Alexandria

Also known as

• Apolline of Alexandria

Memorial

• 9 February

Profile

Consecrated virgin. Deaconess. During an anti-Christian uprising in Alexandria, Egypt caused by a pagan prophecy, the mob seized Apollonia as a leader among the local Christians. After her teeth were broken with pincers, she was given the choice of renouncing Christ or being burned alive; she lept onto the fire herself. Martyr.

Died

• burned to death c.249 at Alexandria, Egypt

Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

Patronage

• Achterbos, Belgium
• against tooth disease
• against toothache
• Ariccia, Italy
• Cuccaro Monferrato, Italy
• dentists

Representation

• deaconess holding a set of pincers which often holds a tooth
• gilded tooth
• pincers
• pincers grabbing a tooth
• tooth
• tooth and a palm branch
• woman wearing a golden tooth on a chain

Images

• Gallery of images of Saint Apollonia

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Catholic Encyclopedia, by T J Campbell
• For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
• New Catholic Dictionary
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints, by Matthew Bunson, Margaret Bunson, and Stephen Bunson
• Saint Apollonia, The Patron Saint of Dentistry, by Henry A Kelley, DMD

MLA Citation

• “Saint Apollonia of Alexandria”. Saints.SQPN.com. 8 August 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-apollonia-of-alexandria/>