“It is said that in times of persecution certain holy women were known to have immersed themselves in the water with the intention of being swept away by the waves and drowning, and thus preserving their threatened chastity.” Then the saint adds: “Although they abandoned life in this way, they nevertheless receive the high honor as martyrs in the Catholic Church and their festivals are observed with great ceremony.”
Finally, the Bishop of Hippo concludes: “This is a topic on which I do not dare to judge lightly, since I only know that the Church was authorized by God through reliable revelations to thus honor the memory of these Christians. It may be that this is the case (….) Could it also be that these acted in such a way, not by human whim but by divine command, not wrongly, but out of obedience, through obedience, as we should believe? in the case of Samson? However, when God gives an order and makes it clearly known, who could judge obedience therein as a crime or condemn such pious devotion and effective service?”
Returning to Dionysius’ narrative, it does not suggest the slightest reproach to Saint Apollonia’s decision; In her eyes, she was as much a martyr as anyone among those who died as witnesses to Christ and his Church. And, as such, she was venerated in the Church of Alexandria.
The iconographic tradition represents the young martyr holding tweezers that hold a tooth.