Agrestius Chromatius was vicar to the

city prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

under

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

. He had an ornate palace in the

Parione Parione is the 6th of Rome, Italy, identified by the initials R. VI, and belongs to the Municipio I. Its name comes from the fact that in the area there was a huge ancient wall, maybe belonging to the stadium of Domitianus; the nickname people ...

district. Chromatius condemned several martyrs to death during the reign of

Carinus Marcus Aurelius Carinus (died 285) was Roman Emperor from 283 to 285. The eldest son of the Emperor Carus, he was first appointed '' Caesar'' in late 282, then given the title of ''Augustus'' in early 283, and made co-emperor of the western p ...

. According to a legend of

Saint Sebastian Sebastian (; ) was an early Christianity, Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians. He was initially tied to a post or tree and shot with arrows, though this d ...

, Chromatius was later converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

by Tranquillinus and baptized by

Polycarp Polycarp (; , ''Polýkarpos''; ; AD 69 155) was a Christian Metropolis of Smyrna, bishop of Smyrna. According to the ''Martyrdom of Polycarp'', he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to consume his bo ...

.Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, ''A Dictionary of Miracles: Imitative, Realistic, and Dogmatic'' Chatto and Windus (1901), 11. This happened because of Tranquillinus' testimony that he had been cured of gout during baptism. Chromatius suffered from the same malady, so he sent for Polycarp, who baptized him, and he was also healed.Butler, Alban. ''Lives of the Saints'', Vol. III, 1866
/ref> After becoming a Christian, Chromatius released the prisoners and freed his slaves. He then retired and was succeeded by Fabianus. Chromatius lived quietly on his country estate for many years, welcoming other Christians into his home to protect them from persecution. Chromatius had a son, Tiburtius, who was baptized through the persuasion of Sebastian, who served as his godfather.Meier, Gabriel. "Sts. Tiburtius and Susanna." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 3 November 2017 Tiburtius was ordained a subdeacon. During the persecution by Diocletian he took shelter in his father's house. He was later betrayed by an apostate, tortured and beheaded. Tiburtius is held to be a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Chromatius is said to have also been martyred. However, no details of his martyrdom remain."St. Chromatius", Catholic Online
/ref> According to

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiography, hagiographer. Born in Northamptonshire, he studied at the English College, in Douai, Douay, France where he later taught philosophy and theology. He s ...

, Chromatius was mentioned in several ancient martyrologies along with his son Tiburtius; they are commemorated on August 11.

References

{{Reflist Persecution of early Christians 3rd-century Romans 3rd-century Christian martyrs