Nazarius and Celsus ( it, San Nazaro e San Celso) were two

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 externa ...

s of whom little is known beyond the discovery of their bodies by

Ambrose of Milan Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...

. According to Paulinus the Deacon's ''Vita Ambrosii'', Ambrose, at some time within the last three years of his life, after the death of the

Emperor Theodosius Theodosius I ( grc-gre, Θεοδόσιος ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also called Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. During his reign, he succeeded in a crucial war against the Goths, as well as in two ...

(d. 395), discovered in a garden outside the walls of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

the body of Nazarius, with severed head. Nazarius's blood was reportedly still liquid and red when his body was exhumed by Ambrose. Ambrose had it carried to the Basilica of the Apostles. In the same garden Ambrose likewise discovered the body of Celsus, which he had transported to the same place. The ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'' states: "Obviously a tradition regarding these martyrs was extant in the Christian community of Milan which led to the finding of the two bodies."''Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1913), "Sts. Nazarius and Celsus"
Retrieved 2012-03-04.

Legend

Nazarius was a citizen of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

whose father was

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

or pagan. His mother was Perpetua.Lives of the Saints, July 28, Saints Nazarius and Celsus
/ref> Nazarius was a student of the apostle

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

and was baptized by

Pope Linus Pope Linus (, , ''Linos''; died c. AD 76) was the bishop of Rome from c. AD 67 to his death. As with all the early popes, he was canonized. According to Irenaeus, Linus is the same person as the one mentioned in the New Testament. Linus is men ...

. During the persecutions of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

, Nazarius fled Rome and preached in Lombardy, visiting

Piacenza Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...

and

, where he met the brothers Gervase and Protase, who had been imprisoned and who inspired Nazarius by their example. Nazarius was whipped and condemned to exile by the authorities. He traveled to

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, where a young boy of nine, Celsus, was entrusted to his care after the boy's mother asked Nazarius to teach and baptize her son. Nazarius raised him as a Christian. The two were arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for their faith. They were released on condition they would not preach at this place any longer. They preached in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

and built a chapel at Embrun, and then continued on to

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

, and then

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. They preached in Trier, and converted many to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, and they were imprisoned once again there. Celsus was entrusted to the care of a pagan lady, who attempted to make him abjure his faith. Celsus refused, and was eventually returned to Nazarius. An additional legend that describes their time at Trier states that they were tried by Nero there, who ordered the two to be drowned. Nazarius and Celsus were taken in a ship and thrown overboard, but a storm suddenly arose, frightening the sailors. The sailors pulled the two back on board. Nazarius and Celsus left Trier and reached

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, and then returned to Milan, and were arrested again. They refused to sacrifice to the

Roman gods The Roman deities most widely known today are those the Romans identified with Greek counterparts (see ''interpretatio graeca''), integrating Greek myths, iconography, and sometimes religious practices into Roman culture, including Latin lite ...

, and were

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...

Historicity

This legend, written much later, is without historical foundation and places the martyrdom of Nazarus and Celsus during the persecution of Nero, and describes with many details the supposed journeyings of Nazarius through Gaul and Italy. However, Paulinus says distinctly that the date on which Nazarius suffered martyrdom is unknown. Gregory of Tours states that they were martyred at Embrun, which makes the discovery of their bodies in Milan truly miraculous.

Veneration

The discourse eulogizing the two saints which has been attributed to Ambrose (Sermo lv, in Patrologia Latina, XVII, 715 sqq.) is not genuine, according to some critics. Ambrose sent some of Nazarius and Celsus's

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

Paulinus of Nola Paulinus of Nola (; la, Paulinus Nolanus; also Anglicized as Pauline of Nola; – 22 June 431) born Pontius Meropius Anicius Paulinus, was a Roman poet, writer, and senator who attained the ranks of suffect consul () and governor of Campan ...

, who placed them in honor at

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian wor ...

. Paulinus of Nola speaks in praise of Nazarius in his ''Poema'' xxvii (Patrologia Latina, LXI, 658). A magnificent silver reliquary with interesting figures, dating from the 4th century, was found in the church of San Nazaro Maggiore in Milan (Venturi, "Storia dell' arte italiana", I, Milan, 1901, fig. 445–49). The Milanese church of San Celso is dedicated to Celsus. There is a sanctuary dedicated to Nazarius at Monte Gargano.

Camillo Procaccini 300px, ''Nativity'' by Camillo Procaccini Camillo Procaccini (3 March 1561 at Parma – 21 August 1629) was an Italian painter. He has been posthumously referred to as the ''Vasari of Lombardy'', for his prolific Mannerist fresco decoration. Bo ...

painted his ''Martirio dei santi Nazaro e Celso'' around 1629.Museo Diocesano di Milano

References

Books

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External links

Santi Nazario e Celso
{{authority control Ante-Nicene Christian martyrs Saints duos Christian child saints Saints from Roman Italy Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown People executed by decapitation Legendary Romans