Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs

Nereus and Achilleus were Roman martyrs buried in the catacomb of Domitilla on the Via Ardeatina, where a basilica was built over their tomb in the 4th century. Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph for them, which says that they were soldiers who carried out a tyrant’s cruel orders, but then suddenly threw down their shields and weapons, left the camp and confessed Christ, and were put to death.

Their later Acts make them servants of Flavia Domitilla, a relative of the emperor, who shared her exile on the island of Pontia and were beheaded at Terracina. When they died is not known: the Acts place them about the year 100, while Damasus’s words fit a later persecution of soldiers, perhaps under Diocletian.