Musa of Rome

Saint Musa of Rome (Musa the Roman) was a virgin of Rome, who lived in the fifth century, venerated as a saint. The Orthodox Church commemorates her on 16 May by the old calendar (29 May on the new style). Her story is told by Saint Gregory the Dialogist. A Serbian source says that she died in the first century, while the Russian source places her in the fifth.

One source says that Musa was only nine years old when, in a dream, the Mother of God appeared to her, surrounded by shining maidens, and asked her: Do you want to follow Me and live with these maidens? The child answered yes, and the Mother of God gave her instructions to avoid evil deeds and to refrain from laughter and childish games, promising to come for her on the thirtieth day and take her. From that time Musa became collected, grew serious and prayed constantly. To her astonished parents Musa told her vision. On the twenty-⁠fifth day the child fell ill. On the thirtieth day she saw the Mother of God again, and after that, with the words: I come, I come, my Lady, Musa passed to God.

Later, Musa's brother, Probus, told of her to Gregory the Dialogist, who retold what he had heard to his archdeacon Peter.