Saint Anastasia, Virgin and Martyr - 3rd century

Medieval lives of Anastasia, including the one in the Golden Legend, conflate elements from the stories of two different saints of the same name and same century.  One is St. Anastasia of Sirmium, who was burned at the stake.  The other is a disciple of St. Chrysogonus, St. Anastasia of Rome, who was crucified and then beheaded.  The conflated Anastasia in the Golden Legend, "a Roman noble," was burned at the stake, which explains the bowl of fire in the portrait at left. 

There is also a St. Anastasia the Patrician, a Byzantine lady-in-waiting of the 6th century who fled the court to live as a hermit in the desert.

Feast days (Latin, pre-Vatican II): St Anastasia of Rome, April 15; St. Anastasia of Sirmium, December 25; St. Anastasia the Patrician, March 10.

At left, 17th century portrait in Rome

Hagiography:

Golden Legend #7: Latin original (cached) or use this summary:

St. Anastasia was a noble Roman who was raised in the faith by her mother and St. Chrysogonus.  She was betrothed against her will to a pagan named Publius, but the man died before he could have her.

 She had three Christian serving girls who were desired lustfully by the Prefect.  Through a number of humiliations and tortures, they kept their virtue and were finally martyred.

Another prefect tried to marry Anastasia against her will, but in the bridal chamber he was struck blind.  He went to a pagan temple and complained of this to his gods, who replied that he was doomed to spend eternity with them in hell. 

Yet another prefect tried to wed St. Anastasia so as to gain her wealth.  She protested that her wealth had to go to the poor, so he had her shipped to an island where she was burned to death along with a number of other Christians.  St. Apollonia took her body back to Rome and buried it in a garden.  On the site of the garden a church was later built.

Menu