CONCERNING THE HOLY MARTYRS OF NICOPOLIS: PAPIAS, ALEXANDER, DIODORUS, CLAUDIANUS, CARISIUS, LIKEWISE CLAUDIANUS, MERCURIUS, IOCUNDUS.
CommentaryPapias, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Alexander, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Claudianus, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Carisius, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Claudianus II, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Mercurius, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Iocundus, Martyr at Nicopolis (Saint)
Notker in his Martyrology, after recording the Martyrs of Nicomedia, adds the following: "At Nicopolis, of Papias, Alexander, and Diodorus, Martyrs." Hermann Greven in the Supplement to Usuard reports this differently: "At Nicopolis,
of Saints Papias, Alexander, and Iocundus." The same is read in the Prague manuscript, Martyrs inscribed in various Fasti. but with the place omitted. The Reichenau manuscript has: "And elsewhere, of Papias, Alexander." To which is added in the Augsburg manuscript and the Parisian one of our Labbe: "Diodorus, Perpetua, Felicitas, Silvanus." In the Tournai manuscript of Saint Martin, the memory of Claudianus, Diodorus, and Mercurius is celebrated, as also of the last two in the Letian manuscript. The manuscript Florarium, and the manuscript Ado from the monastery of Saint Lawrence at Liege have: "On the same day, of Saint Alexander the Martyr." These are given with further additions in the Martyrology of Saint Jerome published at Paris: "And at Neopolis, of Papias, Alexander, Diodorus, Claudianus, Carisius. Likewise Claudianus, Mercurius, Perpetua, Felicitas, Iocundus, Saturus." The same, with Saturus omitted, are recorded in the Luccan, Blumian, and our own martyrology of the same Saint Jerome. This one, however, begins thus: "And elsewhere, at Nicapolis, of Papias, Alexander. In Africa, of Diodorus, etc." In the Aachen manuscript the names are: "Alexander, Iocundus, Diodorus, Claudianus, Carisius." The last three are mentioned separately by Greven. So much for the tables of the martyrologies. From among the martyrs we have omitted in the heading Saints Perpetua and Felicitas, who are recorded as having suffered the following day in Africa, so that for this very reason the words "In Africa" seem to have been interpolated into one codex of Saint Jerome. We have also omitted Saturus, who was slain with those women, and finally Silvanus, because in the codices of Saint Jerome he is included among the following martyrs. The greater difficulty concerns the prefixed word Neocepolis, Nicapolis, or Nicopolis. Dacherius judged that some place was indicated, Where they were crowned. since in the Index of Saints in the Martyrology of Saint Jerome he has nothing about Neocepolis. We are of the same opinion, and believe with Notker and Greven that they were crowned with martyrdom at Nicopolis, because Neocepolis and Nicapolis are unknown places. Stephanus records three cities called Nicopolis, namely those situated in Epirus, Bithynia, and Lesser Armenia. There are also others mentioned by authors, in Mysia, Thrace, and Palestine, where Nicopolis was later called what is named Emmaus in the Gospel, as Saint Jerome writes in the Life of Saint Paula the Widow, published by us on January 26, number 9.