St. Praxedes of Rome

St. Praxedes' father was Saint Pudens, a Roman senator who was a Christian convert of St. Peter, mentioned in the New Testament by St. Paul in 2 Timothy 4:21. She was the sister of Saint Pudentiana. Sabine Baring-Gould, in the entry for Saint Novatus, states that Praxedes' brothers were Saint Novatus and Saint Timothy.

After her father's conversion to Christianity, Praxedes' entire family became Christians and she and her sister eventually inherited their family's fortune, which they used to provide for the poor. During a period of persecution in the Roman Empire in the early years of the Christian Church, Praxedes and Pudentiana buried the bodies of Christians and distributed goods to the poor. They cared for, encouraged, financially supported, and comforted Christians, hid many in Praxedes' home, ministered to them in prison, and buried martyrs. Praxedes also "allowed those who were in prison or toiling in slavery to lack nothing".

Praxedes and Pudentiana died in 165, when Praxedes was 16 years old. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls both sisters "martyrs of an unknown era" and states that they were venerated as martyrs in Rome starting during the 4th century. They, along with their father, were buried in the Catacomb of Priscilla, the archaeological site near the Via Salaria located on the Rione Esquilino, which was used for Christian burials from the late 2nd century through the 4th century. They are also mentioned in the 7th-century itineraries of the graves of Roman martyrs buried there. St. Praxedes' feast day is July 21.