Saint Nereus and Saint Achilleus

The oldest acts of the lives of these two Saints say that, seeing one day with what care and study their mistress adorned herself to present herself to Count Aureli an, to whom sh comte Aurélien Gallo-Roman nobleman and ambassador of Clovis. e had just been betrothed, they were deeply pained; and animated by a holy zeal for her salvation, they took the liberty of representing to her, most respectfully, how unworthy this desire to please a mortal man was for a soul they had always believed destined to be the spouse of Jesus Christ. This respectful remonstrance, which was only the effect of a wise and disinterested zeal, made an impression on the heart and mind of the princess. The two Saints took advantage of such a happy disposition; they represented to her that her religion and her virtue promised her a greater fortune; they spoke to her with such energy of the vanity of the honors and goods of this world, of the emptiness found in all pleasures, of the brevity of our days, and above all of the bitterness and harsh subjections of the state of marriage; they painted for her in such a vivid and pathetic manner the price and merit of virginity, that Domitilla protested that she would never have any other spouse than Jesus Christ, whom alone she henceforth wished to please; and addressing these two Christian heroes: Since God has used you, she said to them, to inspire in me the desire to be His spouse, hasten to obtain for me the honor of bearing its marks, and of receiving its grace. She was speaking of the blessing that virgins received from that time on, and of the veil that the bishop gave them as a sign of their consecration to Jesus Christ.

Saint Nereus and Saint Achilleus, leaping for joy and charmed by the blessing that God had bestowed upon their zeal, ran to Saint C lement, who h saint Clément Pope contemporary with the end of the life of John. ad succeeded Saint Peter, and declared to him the resolution of the Princess Domitilla to never lose the precious treasure of her virginity. The venerable Pontiff, blessing the Lord, went to the Saint, and finding her determined to want no other spouse than Jesus Christ, said to her: 'Have you well considered, my daughter, the harsh combat that you will have to sustain? And will you have enough courage to win the victory? Aurelian, irritated by your refusal of his alliance, will not fail to accuse you of being a Christian before the Emperor: to what furious temptations will your faith be exposed; and will you and we be able to avoid martyrdom?' 'And is it not,' replies the Saint, 'the greatest happiness that could happen to us? I count little on my own strength, but I expect everything from the all-powerful grace of my divine Spouse, and persecution will only advance our happiness and our glory.' Saint Clement, moved by this generous response, and even more edified by the eagerness that the Saint showed to be consecrated to the Lord, blessed her with solemnity and placed the veil upon her head.

What the holy Pope had foreseen did not take long to come to pass. Aurelian, informed of the path Domitilla had taken, became furious; and, after having uselessly employed both promises and threats to determine her to change her resolution, he had all those he suspected of having helped her with their counsel seized, brought them before the tribunals as Christians, and used all his influence to have them condemned to the ultimate punishment.

Saint Nereus and Saint Achilleus, confidants of the princess, were the first arrested. The count believed that if he could win them over, he would soon overcome the Princess. Everything was put into action to surprise their religion and to tempt their fidelity: caresses, hopes, promises, solicitations, nothing was forgotten, but nothing could shake the faith of the servants of God; their constancy irritated his spite. He obtained that they be stripped and torn with lashes in the most cruel manner. The joy they displayed in this horrible torment made the tyrant lose hope of perverting them. They were declared Christians, and by that very fact enemies of the emperor and the State. The fear that their firmness in the faith would make Domitilla's constancy more unshakeable caused them to be sent to Terracina, so that t he consul Terracine Place where the saints were sent for their trial. Minutius-Rufus might conduct their trial.

The formalities were soon completed; they were ordered to renounce Jesus Christ and to offer incense to the idols. They replied, with a boldness that astonished the tyrant, that having been baptized by the apostle Saint Peter, and enlightened by the lights of the faith, they recognized no other god than the God of the Christians; that they deplored the misfortune and blindness of the pagans who forged almost as many divinities as there were men, and who worshipped, in all these false gods, only their own passions.

Such a precise and striking response irritated the consul; he had them placed on the rack, and, after having their sides torn, he ordered their wounds to be burned with torches. The violence of the pain served only to make their joy and their ardent love for God shine forth. But the tyrant, fearing that this spectacle might produce too favorable an impression on the minds and hearts of the pagans, had their heads cut off. This glorious martyrdom took place on May 12 of the year 98; the bodies of the Saints were taken away by Auspice, their disciple, and buried on the road to Ardea, half a league from Rom e, w Rome Birthplace of Maximian. here a church was later built, an eternal monument to the triumph of these glorious Martyrs.

The faith of the illustrious virgin Domitilla was not shaken by the death of these two generous Christians; her birth, her name, her beauty, and her merit led the emperor to spare her; he contented himself with relegating her to the i île de Ponza Place of exile of Saint Domitilla. sland of Ponza, near Terracina. But Aurelian, not despairing of winning her over, had her recalled some time later. He found a way to place near her two young ladies, her foster sisters, named Euphrosyne and Theod Euphrosine Foster sister and companion in martyrdom of Domitilla. ora, wise in Théodora Foster sister and companion in martyrdom of Domitilla. truth, but filled with the spirit of the world and the desire to settle down. The promise of finding them advantageous matches, if they could persuade the princess to marry the count, made them employ all that art and wit could find most seductive: sometimes they asked her if they could be Christians, and if, to be saved in her religion, it was necessary to be a virgin; at other times they said to her: If marriage is lawful, why do you refuse an establishment which, while not preventing you from being a Christian, gives you the means to convert your husband, his family, and his servants one day?

Saint Domitilla easily discovered the spirit that made them speak, and, having answered their questions in a way that left no room for reply, she asked them in turn if, having been promised to two rich lords, they would be in the mood to listen to a proposal made to them by vile slaves? Certainly not, they replied, unless they had lost their minds. And why, the Saint then resumed, do you cry out if I am just as wise? By consecrating my virginity to God, I have become the spouse of his only Son Jesus Christ; this august alliance must last for all eternity; the advantages of this happy state are infinite. What do you think? Honored with this happy quality, should I prefer the alliance of a mortal man to the only Son of the living God? She spoke with such grace and strength that Euphrosyne and Theodora, touched and convinced by her reasons, appeared shaken; however, they still hesitated. If what you say is true, replied Theodora, I have a brother who has lost his sight; make your divine Spouse restore his vision. Your brother is absent, the Saint replied, the miracle would come too late: but you have a young mute girl who serves you, bring her here, the power of Jesus Christ will shine forth more promptly, and you will be convinced sooner. The young girl presented herself; Saint Domitilla prayed, the mute girl recovered her speech, and the first use she made of it was to proclaim that there was no other god than the God of the Christians. At this prodigy, Euphrosyne and Theodora threw themselves at the feet of Saint Domitilla, proclaimed that they were Christians, and declared that they wanted no other spouse than Jesus Christ.

Aurelian, having learned what had happened, kept no more measure; he won over the consul, a cruel man and mortal enemy of the Christians, who had fire set to the house where Saint Domitilla was enclosed with her two servants. Immolated as pure victims to the living God, they thus consummated their glorious martyrdom. The deacon Saint Caesarius came the following day to collect their ashes, and found them prostrate on the ground on their faces, as if they had been in prayer; the fire had taken their lives without burning them, nor touching a single hair on their heads.

## CULT AND RELICS.

M. de Rossi h M. de Rossi Christian archaeologist whose work brought to light the contributions of Damasus in the catacombs. as just discovered (1874), in the cemetery of Domitilla in Rome, the primitive tomb and the sepulchral inscription of the holy martyrs Nereus and Achilleus.

As for their relics, Pope Gregory IX removed them from the catacombs (13th century), along with those of Saint Flavia Domitilla, and transported them to the diaconia of Saint-Aérien. They had been receiving the eager homage of the faithful there for several centuries , when the immortal l'immortel Baronius Disciple of Philip, historian and cardinal, author of the Annales ecclesiastici. Baronius, titular of the urban church of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, had this basilica restored and obtained permission from Pope Clement VIII to transport the bodies of the holy martyrs there.

There are nevertheless many other churches, in France as well as in Spain and the Netherlands, that boast of possessing some portions of these holy relics. Among this number is the parish church of Safflien (diocese of Viviers).

Saint Flavia Domitilla, virgin and martyr, must not be confused with her aunt, Flavia Domitilla, surnamed the Elder. The latter was the daughter of Domitilla, sister of the Emperor Domitian. This prince married her to Saint Flavius Clemens, his first cousin, who was the son of a brother of Vespasian. Flavius Clemens having been put to death for the faith, Domitilla was accused of the same crime by the pagans, who were frightened to see Christianity invading the imperial family so quickly; but as she was thought to be sufficiently punished by the death of her husband, Domitian ordered her only, after three or four days, to marry another. Upon her refusal, he banished her to the island of Pandataria (today Saint Mary's), near Pozzuoli. It is probable that she returned to Rome, or at least to the mainland, when Domitian had been assassinated. She had had two sons by Saint Flavius Clemens. As Domitian intended them to succeed him, he had had them take the names of Domitian and Vespasian, and had entrusted the care of their education to the famous rhetorician Quintilian. The rest of their history is unknown. It is believed that Flavia Domitilla the Elder had also had a daughter who bore the same name, and was married to Flavius Onesimus. P. Croiset; Batilet; Godescard, and Martigny: Bulletin d'Archéologie chrétienne.