Gordianus and Epimachus

Who they were

Gordianus was a judge who, moved by the holiness and sufferings of the priest Januarius, became a Christian with many of his household. Accused, he was cruelly tortured and beheaded under Julian the Apostate in 362. The Christians buried him in a crypt on the Via Latina beside St Epimachus, recently buried there; the two gave their name to the cemetery and have been honoured together ever since.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: they have been honoured as martyrs since the fourth century.

Why that counted as sanctity

A judge converted by the witness of a suffering priest gave his own life for Christ.

Connected on this site

• Saint Gordianus Saint one of this group
• Saint Epimachus Saint
  “The two saints gave their name to the cemetery of Gordianus and Epimachus, and were for a long time jointly venerated by the Catholic Church on 10 May.” — Wikipedia
• Saint Gordianus Saint
  “The Princely Abbey of Kempten in Bavaria was established in 752, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Gordianus and Epimachus.” — Wikipedia