Four Crowned Martyrs
martyrs and saints in Early Christianity
Feast: 8 November (1962 Missal) · not on the current Roman calendar
Who they were
The 'Four Crowned Martyrs' were honoured at a grave in the catacomb of Sts Peter and Marcellinus on the Via Labicana. The old pilgrims' guides name five - Claudius, Nicostratus, Symphorian, Castorius and Simplicius - sculptors in the quarries of Pannonia under Diocletian. Their fourth-century Acts say they were willing to carve profane figures such as Victory and Cupid, but refused to make a statue of Aesculapius for a pagan temple, and were condemned to death as Christians.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: they have been honoured as martyrs since the fourth century.
Why that counted as sanctity
Craftsmen who would do their honest work for anyone refused to make an idol, and gave their lives rather than serve false gods.
Connected on this site
- Symphorian and Timotheus Saint“Symphorian is also the name of one of the Four Crowned Martyrs.” — Wikipedia
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Four Crowned Martyrs
- Wikidata Q1301757 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Four Crowned Martyrs (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.