Martyrs Processus and Martinian of Rome

Historical Context

The two martyrs are associated with the Mamertine Prison in Rome, the only single-celled prison used for those held as threats to the state. Christian tradition connects the site with the imprisonment of the Apostle Peter, and by the medieval period it had passed to Christian use; the location today hosts two superimposed churches, San Giuseppe dei Falegnami above and San Pietro in Carcere below.

The synaxarion account names the jailer Paulinus, who is said to have discovered the conversion of Processus and Martinian and demanded that they renounce Christ. According to this tradition, they refused and spat upon a golden statue of Jupiter, after which Paulinus had them beaten with iron rods and scorched with fire before their execution. The account further relates that Paulinus was struck blind and died three days afterward.

Veneration

Public veneration of the martyrs in Rome is traced to the third or fourth century. They were originally buried in an apostolic-era cemetery along the Via Aurelia, and a church was built over their tomb; Pope Gregory the Great is said to have preached there concerning the healings and miracles reported at the site.

Pope Paschal I (817–824) translated the relics of the two martyrs to a chapel in the old Basilica of Saint Peter. In 1605 their relics were placed in a porphyry urn beneath an altar dedicated to them, and their tomb is now located in the transept of Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Relics & Shrines

The relics of Processus and Martinian rest in Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, placed in a porphyry urn beneath an altar dedicated to them since 1605. The tomb is located in the basilica's transept.