Saint Epimachus was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...

, and is commemorated on 10 May. After his martyrdom his body was laid in a crypt on the

Via Latina The Via Latina (Latin for "Latin Road") was a Roman road of Italy, running southeast from Rome for about 200 kilometers. Route It led from the Porta Latina in the Aurelian walls of Rome to the pass of Mount Algidus; it was important in the ear ...

and later the body of

Saint Gordianus Saint Gordianus (died 362) was a Roman martyr who was killed during the reign of Julian the Apostate, and is commemorated on 10 May. Gordianus was a Roman pagan and judge. He was charged with forcing Januarius to make a sacrifice to the Emper ...

who was martyred during the time of Julian the Apostate was laid beside Epimachus. The two saints gave their name to the cemetery, and are jointly venerated by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

.Murphy, John F.X. "Sts. Gordianus and Epimachus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 26 November 2021 Many writers have denied the existence of an Epimachus martyred at Rome, and account for the relics honoured there by asserting that the body of a Saint Epimachus from

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...

who was transported to Rome shortly before the martyrdom of St. Gordianus. The

Bollandist The Bollandist Society ( la, Societas Bollandistarum french: Société des Bollandistes) are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century ...

Remi de Buck maintained that the evidence for the Roman Epimachus is too strong to be doubted, and denied that any relics of Epimachus of Alexandria came to Rome. the body of the Alexandrian Epimachus was translated to Constantinople.

Other Saint Epimachuses

There are also several martyrs named Epimachus, and, owing to the meagreness of the information possessed concerning them some writers have confounded them greatly while

hagiologists A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

are unable to agree as to their number or identity. The

Bollandists The Bollandist Society ( la, Societas Bollandistarum french: Société des Bollandistes) are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century ...

mention others of this name: * A martyr commemorated by the Orthodox on 6 July, (Acta SS., XXIX, 280) * Epimachus and Azirianus, martyrs venerated by the

Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are ...

and

Ethiopians Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

on 31 October (Acta SS., LXI, 684) *

Epimachus of Pelusium Epimachus of Pelusium was an Egyptian martyr. Narrative Epimachus lived an ascetical life on Mount Pelusium. To support himself, he worked as a weaver along with his two companions: Theodore and Callinicos. At age 27, he heard that Polemius th ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

, martyred at

in the persecution of

Decius Gaius Messius Quintus Traianus Decius ( 201 ADJune 251 AD), sometimes translated as Trajan Decius or Decius, was the emperor of the Roman Empire from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was pro ...

, venerated by the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canoni ...

on 31 October and by the

on 14 Pashons and commemorated in the Latin Church on 12 Dec. * Epimachus and Alexander, martyred at Alexandria in the persecution of Decius, commemorated in the Latin Church on 12 Dec.Butler, Alban. "Saints Epimachus and Alexander, etc., Martyrs". ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints''
1866. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 December 2013

References

3rd-century Christian saints {{saint-stub sv:Gordianus och Epimachus