Christian soldiers or citizens arrested during the persecution of Maximian Herculius, Nabor and his companion Felix endured numerous torments in Milan before being beheaded in 304. Their bodies, miraculously preserved from the flames of a pyre, were buried by Saint Sabina and later transferred by Saint Ambrose to a dedicated basilica.
Guided reading
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SAINTS NABOR AND FELIX, MARTYRS IN MILAN
Introduction and hagiographic sources
The text opens with a reflection on martyrdom and cites Saint Ambrose as the primary historical source concerning Nabor and Felix.
Quam mirandi generis mors est, cui parum fuit non esse in poenis, nisi esset insuper in deliciis.
O admirable passing of the martyrs! It was little that death put an end to their sufferings, and it would have been, moreover, but a source of delights.
S. Aug., tract. 65 sup. Evang. Joan.
These two illustrious witnesses to the divinity of Jesus Christ and the truth of the Christian religion had as their panegyrist one of the greatest docto rs of the Chur saint Ambroise Father of the Church cited for a maxim on strength. ch, Saint Ambrose, in his Commentary on Saint Luke and in his Epistle to his sister Marcellina; and the Church honors their memory with an annual commemoration in its office. They appear in history like Melchizedek, without father, without mother, and without country. What the Ecclesiastical Annals teach us is that, in the cruel persec ution of Maximia Maximien Hercule Roman co-emperor, instigator of the persecution. n Herculius, they were arrested as Christians, quite near Milan Italian city where the saint has an altar and an annual feast. Milan, and thrown into an obscure prison, with express prohibition against giving them anything to eat or drink, so that hunger and thirst might oblige them to abandon the worship of the true God and force them to offer incense to idols. But these generous Christians, whom God sustained by His word, did not diminish in the least their constancy and firmness in the faith, and endured so generously, not only hunger and thirst, but also the darkness, the infection, and the inconveniences of their dungeon, that one despaired of winning them over by this first trial.
Arrest and initial trials
Arrested near Milan under Maximian Herculius, the two saints endure hunger and isolation in prison without denying their faith.
The tyrant therefore had them appear in his presence; and, as he found them more courageous than ever, he had them beaten with rods. Then, hoping that the torment of Nabor might intimidate Felix, he had the former subjected to torture; his sides were burned with flaming torches, and his skin was torn all over with iron claws. The Martyr, in the midst of these torments, did nothing but praise God for the grace He granted him to suffer something for His glory. As for Felix, far from being shaken by this spectacle, his only sorrow was not to be the companion of Nabor's pains, just as he was his companion in the profession of Christianity. The minister of Satan, furious at this constancy, had them both thrown into a great brazier, which was to consume them in a moment; but the flames so respected their bodies and even their hair that they suffered no harm from them. Such a striking miracle should have confounded their persecutor and made him recognize the power of the God of Nabor and Felix; but his heart hardening, like that of Pharaoh, without giving place to the lights or movements of grace, he had the Martyrs led to prison, from where, a few days later, he had them taken out to complete their sacrifice. They were beheaded on July 12, around the year 304, near the stream named Silaro, where Sabina, a lady equally illustrious by her birth and her virtue, gave t Sabine Noble lady who provided burial for the martyrs. hem burial. Later, they were transported to Milan, to the basilica of their name, which Saint Ambrose himself mentions in his letter to his sister.
Tortures and the miracle of the brazier
Nabor undergoes torture while Felix encourages him; thrown into a brazier, they emerge unharmed through divine intervention.
They were kept in the same church, which bore the name of Saint Francis until 1798. At that time, the government of the Cisalpine Republic, whose seat was in Milan, drove the Conventual Franciscan friars who serv ed this church from thei Franciscains conventuels Religious order that served the church of Saint Francis in Milan. r cloister and had it demolished. Before it was destroyed, the Archbishop of Milan gave the order to remove the relics of Saint s Nabor and Felix, as well as seve reliques des saints Nabor et Félix Sacred remains of the martyrs preserved in Milan. ral others that were kept there. They were deposited in the Ambrosian Basilic a, where they are now basilique Ambrosienne Current location of the relics in Milan. .
Execution and first burial
The martyrs were beheaded in 304 near the Silaro stream and buried by a noble lady named Sabina.
See the Church fasti in Italian, January volume, Milan, 1824; Solier, Acta Sanctorum, tome III July.
Translation and fate of the relics
After resting in a Franciscan church demolished in 1798, their remains were transferred to the Ambrosian Basilica of Milan.
They were kept in the same church, which bore the name of Saint Francis until 1798. At that time, the government of the Cisalpine Republic, whose seat was in Milan, drove the Conventual Franciscan friars who served this church from their cloister and had it demolished. Before it was destroyed, the Archbishop of Milan gave the order to remove the relics of Saints Nabor and Felix, as well as several others that were kept there. They were deposited in the Ambrosian Basilica, where they are now located.
See the Fasti of the Church in Italian, January volume, Milan, 1824; Solier, Acta Sanctorum, volume III July.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.