VITALIS AND AGRICOLA, Saints, Martyrs. - They were respectively a slave and his master and were martyred for the Christian name at Bologna around 304, in the persecution of Diocletian.

The slave preceded him, whose torments, in the judge's intention, were supposed to frighten the master and induce him to better counsel. On the contrary, the constancy of V. confirmed A. in the faith and disposed him to suffer the martyrdom of the cross. Their bodies were buried in the cemetery of the Jews, where they were found by St. Ambrose in 393. The translation of their relics to Florence and Ireve helped to spread their cult. Their feast is celebrated on November 4.

Bibliography5 works

BIBL.: Acta SS. Novembris, II, 1, Brussels 1894, pp. 233-53; H. Delahaye, L'hagiographie ancienne de Ravenne, in Anal. Boll., 47 (1928), pp. 7-10, 19 ff.; id., Les origines du culte des martyrs, 2nd ed., Brussels 1933, p. 328 ff.; Martyr. Hieronymianum, pp. 584 ff., 623 ff.; Martyr. Romanum, p. 496.

Francesco Russo

@incollection{ec12_vitale_e_agricola_santi_martir, author = {Russo, Francesco}, title = {Vitale e Agricola, santi, martiri}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {1520}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/vitale-e-agricola-santi-martiri} }

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Vitalis and Agricola, Saints, Martyrs

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