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Basilica of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus

Saints & Tombs Not Applicable
Rome, Italy 4th century Feast day: May 12

A church holding relics of St. Achilleus.

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The Story

The Basilica of Saints Nereus and Achilleus (Santi Nereo e Achilleo) is a small, ancient church facing the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. It stands on the site of one of the city's early house-church foundations, known in the fourth century as the Titulus Fasciolae and recorded under its present dedication by the year 595. According to the traditional account preserved in an inscription of Pope Damasus, Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers who converted to Christ, laid down their arms, and were put to death for the faith. They were buried in the Catacomb of Domitilla on the Via Ardeatina, where a basilica was later built over their tomb, and their memory has been honored in Rome since the earliest centuries of the Church. The present church was restored several times over the centuries, most notably by Cardinal Cesare Baronio, the great Church historian, for the Jubilee of 1600. Baronio had the relics of the two martyrs solemnly brought to the church, where they rest beneath the high altar, and he adorned the interior with frescoes recalling the witness of the early martyrs. Today the basilica remains a quiet place of prayer on pilgrim itineraries of Rome's early martyr churches, and the memorial of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus is kept on May 12 on the General Roman Calendar.

Church Recognition

An ancient titular church and minor basilica of Rome; the relics of the martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, honored in the Roman liturgy since the early centuries, rest beneath its high altar.

Catholic Teaching

The Church venerates the relics of the martyrs as witnesses who conformed their lives to Christ even unto death; such veneration expresses the communion of saints and the Church's confidence in the resurrection (CCC 957, 1674).

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Practical

Additional Information

Visitors come to venerate the relics of the two soldier-martyrs beneath the high altar and to see Cardinal Baronio's Jubilee-era restoration; the church is often included in walking itineraries of Rome's early Christian basilicas, especially around the feast on May 12.

Go Deeper

Read the entry for Sts. Nereus and Achilleus in the Roman Martyrology, the epigram of Pope Damasus honoring the two soldiers, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the veneration of martyrs and relics (CCC 957, 1674).

Location

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In the Area

Other sacred sites within 40 miles.