Vibia Perpetua
Approx. 182 AD — March 7, 203 AD · Feast day: March 7
Vibia Perpetua was a young noblewoman of Roman Carthage who chose death over apostasy in 203 CE, leaving behind an infant son and a prison diary that ranks among the earliest surviving Christian writings by a woman. She and her enslaved companion Felicity were attacked by a wild heifer in the arena on March 7; Perpetua, mortally wounded, guided the gladiator's trembling hand to finish her execution.