Mariano And Giacomo, Saints, Martyrs (MARIANO E GIACOMO, SANTI, MARTIRI)

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

MARIANO and GIACOMO, saints, martyrs. — Africans, they perished in 258 during the persecution of Valeriano. They are commemorated in the Martirologio geronimiano on 30 April and 6 May, but the true dies natalis is the latter, since it agrees with the Carthaginian Calendar.

The Passio, which bears striking resemblances to that of Perpetua and Felicita, especially in its account of certain visions granted to the martyrs, was written by a contemporary and companion of the martyrs themselves, who had already been arrested with them and then, for an unknown reason, escaped execution. While staying in a suburb near Cirta together with other companions, M. and G. were arrested and brought before the magistrates of the city. After being interrogated and tortured, they were shut up in prison. After a few days they were sent to Lambesa, to the imperial legate, who condemned them to be beheaded. Their bodies were then thrown into the waters of a river.

BIBL.: P. Franchi de' Cavalieri, La Passio ss. Mariani et Iacobi (Studi e testi, 3), Rome 1900; A. Dufourcq, Etude sur les Gesta martyrum romains, I, Paris 1900, pp. 67–75; H. Delehaye, Les passions des martyrs et les genres littéraires, Brussels 1921, pp. 78–82; id., Les origines du culte des martyrs, ibid. 1933, p. 382 ff.; Martyr. Hieronymianum, p. 220; Martyr. Romanum, p. 164.

(photo: Bildarchiv d. Ö. Nationalbibliothek)
MARIA TERESA of ASBURGO, empress — Tomb of M. T. and of Emperor Francesco — Vienna, Kapuzinergruft.