Agapius and Companions
- Year: c 259.
- Feast Day: Apr 29
Born in Spain, Agapius and Secundinus, bishops or priests, were exiled to Cirta in Numidia in North Africa in the persecution under Valerian. There they suffered martyrdom together with Tertulla and Antonia, virgins, and a certain woman with her twin children.
Agapius, Bishop, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Secundinus, Bishop, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Theodorus, Priest, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Marianus, Lector, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Jacobus, Deacon, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Aemilianus, soldier, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Tertulla, Virgin, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Antonia, Virgin, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Likewise a woman with two twins, Martyrs at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saints)Secundianus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Concordius, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Florianus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Gaber, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Gaianus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Postumus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Momminus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Quintianus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Cassius, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Fasilus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Florentius, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Demetrius, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Gududus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Crispinus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Crispinus, another, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Donatus, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Zeon, Martyr at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saint) Many others, Martyrs at Cirta and Lambaesa in Numidia (Saints)
The most eminent Baronius in his Ecclesiastical Annals, at the year of Christ 262 no. 34, writes that among the butcheries of the whole province of Africa, carried out in the persecution of the Emperors Valerian and Gallienus, that one seems fiercer than the rest, which is found to have taken place in Numidia. That there exists, he says, concerning it an epistle written by one of those Confessors, already designated as a Martyr, who himself a fellow prisoner, composing chiefly the history of Jacobus the Deacon and Marianus the Lector, also makes mention of other Martyrs, namely of Agapius and Secundinus the Bishops, of Aemilianus a most illustrious man, of Tertulla and Antonia the Virgins, and of a certain mother with her twins, and of many others. As far as it is possible to conjecture from the style, the same Baronius says he seems to have been a disciple of Cyprian, whose diction he imitates somewhat in his writing; a noble monument of antiquity, recognized by us, and diligently corrected with great zeal applied (as much as was possible in matters so very ancient and in corrupted codices). This therefore, both for the remarkable knowledge of the matters transacted, and also that from those things which have been faithfully written down, we may be able to contemplate the other Acts of the Martyrs which have not been written or have perished through the injury of time, we judge it worth the labor to describe in the Annals. Thus Baronius. The same Acts Lawrence Surius published on this day, April 29: which we give again taken from four manuscript codices, namely from the Passional of the Cathedral Church of Saint Lambert at Liège, formerly of Saint Victor of Paris, written six hundred years ago; then from a perhaps older manuscript of the Trier monastery of Saint Maximinus; moreover from the notable parchment manuscript of the monastery of Boddeken, of the Order of Canons Regular of Saint Augustine in the diocese of Paderborn; finally from the Utrecht manuscript of Saint Salvator; except that the same Acts in the last two codices are more contracted.
https://www.actasanctorum.org/april/day-30/agapius-and-secundinus-bishops.html