St. Praxedes, St. Pudentiana, and Their Family
1st-2nd century

It is said of Saint Praxedes and St. Pudentiana that they were daughters of a Christian Roman  named Pudens who is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21 (see image). Pudens was associated with St. Peter and St. Paul while they were in Rome, and he was also the father of St. Novatus (see image) and of the St. Timothy who was a disciple of St. Paul.

The two sisters were said to have cared for the bodies of martyrs and preserved their blood. They are interred in Rome in the Church of St. Praxedes.

Either of the sisters may be represented caring for martyrs' bodies (example) or using a sponge to gather their blood for preservation (example). Although they were not themselves martyrs, their iconography features the martyr's crown. In portraits both normally wear crowns, and they are often represented proffering their crowns to the Lord, as in the 9th century mosaic at left and in an 11th century fresco.
Feast days
St. Pudentiana - May 19
St. Praxedes - July 21
St. Pudens - May 19
St. Novatus - June 20
St. Timothy - Jan. 26

At left, detail from an arch in the Church of St. Praxedes

Other images in the Church of St. Praxedes:
SS. Peter and Paul present the sisters to Christ
A modern statue: St. Praxedes with the sponge
A mosaic procession in St. Zeno's Chapel: Praxedes; Agnes and Pudentiana

Another image in the Church of St. Pudenziana:
Exterior frieze with images of St. Pudentiana and St. Praxedes

Also see:
St. Timothy

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