Apollonia of Alexandria

Saint Apollonia of Alexandria was an aged Christian virgin who suffered martyrdom in Alexandria, Egypt, during a pagan riot in 249, the last year of the emperor Philip. The pagans seized her and forced her to renounce her faith. When she refused, they struck her on the jaws until all her teeth were broken, then threatened to burn her alive if she did not blaspheme. She asked for a brief moment, which she used to voluntarily throw herself into the fire, preferring death to apostasy. She is venerated as the patroness of dentists and those suffering from toothaches.