There are two early Christian martyrs with the name Restituta, and the relics of one of them rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame’s campus. We know very little for certain about either of these saints—both martyrs had legends spring up about their lives.

Restituta of Carthage, pictured here with permission from Catholic.org, was martyred either in 255 or 304 (the record is unclear). In medieval times, a legend arose that described Restituta being tortured, then placed on a flaming barge and released into the Mediterranean sea. She drifted away on this flaming barge, but remained unharmed, as she prayed to God to save and guide her. The barge with her body in it was discovered on the coast of an island near Naples, Italy. Today, her relics are kept in the cathedral at Naples, and her feast day is May 17.

Restituta of Sora was a Roman noblewoman who was martyred in 271 in Sora, Italy. Legend tells of her travelling from Rome to Sora, where she healed a leper and converted 39 people to the faith. When the authorities heard of her activity, they arrested her and tried to force her to sacrifice to the Roman gods. She refused and was tortured and imprisoned. An angel helped her escape, but she and several people who she converted were caught and beheaded.

In both cases, we do know that two women, both named Restituta, were willing to die for their faith rather than conform to the culture around them.

St. Restituta, the early Christian martyr who preferred faithfulness to death, pray for us!