MARTYRS OF MASSA CANDIDA. — This name designates a large group of martyrs who perished at Utica during the persecution of Valerian (258–59). There exists no written account of their martyrdom, apart from some references in the discourses of St Augustine delivered in their honour and a few verses by Prudentius that recount their martyrdom. The number of martyrs is also uncertain: St Augustine speaks of over 153, while Prudentius mentions 300. Their official commemoration was held on 18 August, as attested by the Carthaginian Calendar and the Hieronymian Martyrology.
Various hypotheses have been proposed regarding the meaning of M. C. Some, following the tradition recorded by Prudentius, have wished to see in it a reference to the manner of their martyrdom: the martyrs, faced with the choice between sacrificing to idols or death, preferred to hurl themselves en masse into a pit filled with quicklime prepared for this purpose, or were thrown there by their executioners. Others, more plausibly and based on the information provided by St Augustine, believe that the expression M. C. refers to the place of their martyrdom. The event would thus have unfolded as follows: near Utica, the entire population of a village called precisely M. C., whose bishop was a certain Quadratus (also killed for the faith), was martyred en masse, perhaps because they were caught celebrating liturgical functions in defiance of Valerian’s edict. Others again suggest that it refers to the collective commemoration of all the martyrs of the village who had perished at different times.