Saints Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum (died 270) were, according to their passio of the 6th century, four saints of the same family (a husband, his wife, and their two sons). They came from Persia to Rome, and were martyred in 270 for sympathizing with and burying the bodies of Christians. Some ancient martyrologies place the date of their death between 268 to 270, during the reign of Claudius II. Their story states that the familys assistance to the Christians exposed them to persecution. They were seized and delivered to the judge Muscianus or Marcianus, who, unable to persuade them to abjure their faith, condemned them to various tortures. Despite the torture, the saints refused to abjure. Maris and his two sons were thus beheaded on the Via Cornelia, and their bodies were burnt. Martha meanwhile was killed at a place called in Nimpha or Nymphae Catabassi (later called Santa Ninfa), thirteen miles from Rome. Tradition states that Martha was cast into a well. A Roman lady named Felicitas secured the half-consumed remains of the father and sons and also the mothers body from the well, and had the sacred relics secretly interred in on her estate at Buxus, today Boccea. This is said to have occurred on January 20. A church arose at Boccea, and during the Middle Ages, it became a place of pilgrimage. Their relics later suffered various vicissitudes: some were transferred to the churches of Sant Adriano al Foro and Santa Prassede, in Rome, and part of these relics were sent to Eginhard, biographer of Charlemagne, who lodged them in the monastery of Seligenstadt. Some relics went to Prüm Abbey where their presence was recorded in the early 11th century. The original reliquary chest was destroyed during the French occupation at the end of the 18th. The current chest dates from the 19th century. Their feast day (as indicated in the Roman Martyrology) is on 19 January. They were included in the General Roman Calendar from the 9th century. *. Born: 3rd century Persia *. Died: 270 Nymphae Catabassi, near Rome *. Major shrine: Rome, Prüm Abbey *. Feast: 19 January • Source: Wikipedia .
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 08:05:02 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015