The daughter of Bishop Germanus of Perada, Leontia was a young woman killed in the late 5th century during the persecution of Trinitarian Christians by the Arian Vandals in Proconsular Africa. The Vandals were followers of Arianism, a heretical Christian doctrine that denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. Under the reign of King Huneric, Arianism was heavily enforced, resulting in innumerable Christians being subjected to persecution and, for those unwilling to abandon their faith, martyrdom.

It is believed that Leontia was only twenty years old when she faced such persecution. She was killed alongside other Christians, including a widowed noblewoman called Denise, her young son Majoricus, a doctor called Emilius, and a monk by the name of Tertius. All are reported to have met horrific ends at the hands of the Arian Vandals, with Denise and her child being burnt at the stake after being brutally whipped, and Emilius and Tertius being flayed alive. While the specific details of Leontia’s death are unclear, it is noted that she “suffered, with great constancy, horrible torments for the faith”.

Due to her suffering and unwavering faith, Leontia is revered as a martyr by the Catholic Church, with her relics thus considered worthy of veneration.

This particular example is in an envelope sealed with the seal of Bishop Joseph-Frédéric Saivet, who served as Bishop of Mende from 1872 to 1876, then Bishop of Perpignan–Elne from 1876 to his death in 1877.

Leontia’s remains are today housed in the San Francesco a Ripa church in Rome, alongside a vial of her blood. Her feast day is celebrated on 6th December.