Achilleus and Nereus, Martyrs

Persecution and killing of Christians occurred over much of the first three centuries of the Church. Achilleus and Nereus were part of the emperor’s units that persecuted Christians and they witnessed the martyrdom suffered by their own hands. They were converted to Christianity and resigned their commissions. They refused to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, which would have spared their lives. They were beheaded in about 100 A.D. Their bodies were recovered and placed in the catacomb of Domitilla where many of their victims had been buried. Pope Damascus had an epitaph inscribed near their tombs, which praised these two soldiers.