CONCERNING THE HOLY MARTYRS POTAMIUS, NEMESIUS, AND DIDYMUS, ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS.
CommentaryPotamius, Martyr in Cyprus (St.) Nemesius, Martyr in Cyprus (St.) Didymus, Martyr in Cyprus (St.)
By G. H.
[1] No Acts of these Cypriot Martyrs survive; only their bare names, at least of some of them, are indicated in most Martyrologies. Usuard, Bellinus, Maurolycus, Galesin, Canisius, These Saints are inscribed in the sacred Calendar along with various manuscripts, omit Didymus and record the others, as does the Roman Martyrology in these words: "On the island of Cyprus, of the holy Martyrs Potamius and Nemesius." But with Nemesius omitted, the remaining two are marked in the ancient manuscripts of Tournai and Laetium thus: "At Cyprus, the birthday of SS. Potamia and Didymus." In the manuscript of St. Cyriacus: "At Cyprus, the birthday of Potamina." Read: "Potamius."
[2] The older Martyrologies commemorate all of them. The manuscript Roman Martyrology, which bears the name of St. Jerome, begins this day thus: "On the tenth day before the Kalends of March, at Cyprus, of Potamius, Nemesis (read Nemesius), Didymus." The Reichenau manuscript near Constance: "And at Cyprus, the birthday of Putamius, Nemesius, and Didymus." Whether, besides St. Potamius, another Potamia is venerated at Rome? The manuscript Bede of the Richenberg monastery: "And on Cyprus, the birthday of Potamia, Nemesius, and Didymus." In the printed Bede, the name Nemersius is given instead of Nemesius. Rabanus and the Aachen manuscript have the same, though in the latter "Potaninia" is written. Notker: "At Cyprus, the birthday of Putamius, Nemesius, and Didymus." Relics of St. Nemesius at Bologna Masinus in his survey of Bologna reports that some relics of St. Nemesius are preserved at Bologna in the church of St. Stephen.
[3] Because Potamius, or Putamius, is also called Potamia elsewhere, or Potamina and Potaninia, she has been believed by some to be a different person, and has been joined with SS. Caius and Victor on this day, also being called Pantamia and Pantanna. So Galesin, the manuscript Florarium, the Usuard published at Lubeck in 1475, the Martyrology printed at Cologne in 1490, Hermann Greven in his supplement to Usuard, and many manuscript copies of Usuard formerly augmented for the use of Belgian churches, in which the following is generally read: "At Rome, of SS. Caius, Victor, and Pantamia, Martyrs; and on the island of Cyprus, of SS. Potamius and Nemesius, Martyrs." Maurolycus treats of the first three on February 19, and of the following two, as we said above, on this day. Concerning St. Victor, who is associated by others with St. Corona and the Twenty Martyrs, we shall speak shortly, with renewed mention of Pantamia, or Potamia, and Caius.