Sts. Nereus and Achilleus
May 12
There are different accounts of the lives of these two Saints. One legend tells us that they were Roman soldiers who renounced their commission when they converted to the faith. They were arrested, beheaded, and their bodies were buried in the catacomb of Domitilla on the Via Ardeatina. In following centuries, a Mass was celebrated on their graves on the 12th of May.
Another legend identifies them as eunuchs and chamberlains of Flavia Domitilla, a niece of the Roman Emperor Domitian. With the Christian virgin Flavia Domitilla they were exiled to the island of Ponza, and later beheaded in Terracina. They were buried with Domitilla on the Via Ardeatina. The picture included here include Flavia Domitilla.
Though the legends differ in the circumstances of their lives, they are listed as early as the fifth century in the Roman Martyrology. A basilica was built over their graves in the 6th century and was named in their honor. They are praised in the writings of Pope Damasus. St. Paul mentions a Nereus with his sister Domitilla in his Letter to the Romans who may be the man in question. Given the fact that there we many who bore this name, they may be two other individuals completely. The feast of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus is kept on May 12.
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