The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-08-25
SACRIFICES OF THE CONVERT

Sosianus,' as memorial to her chas-
tity and her admirable knowledge in
religious matters. "This statue and
| this pedestal were raised in honor Of
| (..... 49,. The name is carefully
| erased by the cutting down OF the
space on which the name was carved
SO as to remove every trace of the
fletters; and the c is almost the
shadow of letter.
Name Of vestaI Wanting.
The date of the erection, of pedes-
| tai and statue is Indicated on the side
of the former: A. D. 1854; even the
fday being given; Dedicated 9Th of the
Ides of June in the Consulate of
fJovianus and Varronianus." Nothing
is wanting but the name of the Vestal.
This execration of the excellent
woman described in such laudatory
terms, the memorial damnatio'' as it
was called in ancient days, was not
unfrequently used against emperors
and other. distinguished individuals
| who, during their lives, were guilty of
great cruelty and crime. 1t seemed
like crushing butterfly on a wheel
to employ such a punishment to a
helpless Vestal Virgin.
From the first moments in which
| announced the new discovery of the
locus Vestae,' l proposed the con-
lecture, writes Commentators Maruc-
| chi. Secretary of the Pontiffcal
Academia of Archaeology. Either
this Vestal had been condemned for
infidelity to her vows, or rather, after
her conversion to Christianity, the
pagan priests had erased her name
The latter hypothesis, considering
the testimony of the pedestal to. the
excellence of her character, seems by
far the more probable. 1t was besides
the time of the last struggle of Pagan
ism against the Church when the wor-
ship of Vesta was drawing to a close;
| and it was prohibited by the law in
1872, twenty-eight years after the date
on the nameless pedestal
Prudentius, the poet of the Cata-
combs and the religious customs of
1
| renee in which he says to the Saint:
| Claudia, the Vestal Virgin, enters
THY shrine" At this time there was
a convent of Christian. Virgins in ex
istence close to the present Church Of
st. Lorenzo, outside the Walls. In
excavations made here for the en-
largement of the great cemetery of
Rome, several inscriptions on sar-
cophagi to Sacred Christian Virgins
have been found and commented upon
| in full and elaborate manner.
Anonyma Was Christian.
There is little room to doubt that
the "Anonyma" of the pedestal in the
| cloister of the Vestals, became a
Christian, and sought retirement and
salvation in the cloister of ST.
Laurence. Whether she was the
Claudia of Prudentius's poem, who
shall decide? The probability that
she was is almost conclusive.
Like the converts of many genera
tions, she gave up the honors and
pleasures of the world for the love
of God. AS "a Vesta1 Virgin of the
| highest class she took part, as one
of the honored daughters of Rome, -
in great public functions, and she
was obliged to be present at the great
| ceremonies of State. Excellent seats
were reserved for these Vestals at
the games, and they had the rare
| privilege of driving through the
streets in wheeled carriages"
They, by a gesture of>their thumb,
could save or condemn gladiator in
the circus; and if they met a culprit
on the way to execution, they could
save him by an microscopy word
They were anything but recluses. 1t
was this life with it's privileges and
honors that Claudia forsook for the
clustered life of the convent at Saint
Laurence on the iTiburtine Way,-an
example which has been followed by
| thousands and tens of thousands of
holy souls during the many centuries
of the past.