SOPHIA, Pistis, Elpis and Agape, holy martyrs. — Unknown to most ancient Roman liturgical documents, they were inserted by Ado in his Martyrology, from which they passed into the Roman Martyrology on September 30 for Sophia, and on August 1 for the others.
They are nevertheless commemorated in the 7th-century itineraries and in the Monza papyrus, both on the Via Aurelia and on the Via Latina, on the basis of which some authors have argued for the existence of different groups. In the 8th century, the priest John of Milan spread a groundless legend placing their martyrdom in the time of Emperor Hadrian.
BIBL.: G. B. De Rossi, La Roma sotterranea cristiana, II, Rome 1867, pp. 171-80; H. Delehaye, Les origines du culte des martyrs, 2nd ed., Brussels 1933, p. 286; Martyrologium Romanum, pp. 318, 428; R. Valentini - G. Zucchetti, Codice topografico della città di Roma, II, Rome 1942, p. 36; G. de Tervarent, Contribution à l'iconographie de Ste S. et de ses trois filles, in Anal. Boll., 68 (1950), pp. 419-23, Martiniano Roncaglia