They are soldiers assigned to the court. Converted to the faith,
they abandon military service, for which reason they are condemned
to death, probably at the time of Diocletian. Their tomb is preserved
in the cemetery on via Ardeatina where a basilica was built in their
honor. |
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12 May - Saints Nereo and Achilles, martyrs
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Concerning these two soldiers there is little information. According
to some testimonies they were martyred in the first century, according
to others, in the third century. According to the "Gesta"
Nereo and Achilles, converted by St. Peter, they were catechized
by Flavia Domitilla whom they served.
Exiled on this account to Ponza, presumably they were subsequently
martyred at Terracina. Their bodies were gathered up by a certain
Auspicio, and later transferred to Rome and buried on Via Ardeatina.
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