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Image 1 of 1: Saints Nazarius and Celsus, early modern devotional engraving

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Sts. Nazarius and Celsus

Martyrs

Sts. Nazarius and Celsus are remembered as an older missionary and his young companion who remained faithful together unto martyrdom. St. Ambrose’s discovery of their bodies renewed their ancient honor in the Church of Milan.

Sources

The life below remains the existing Butler-based reading, with its edition citation. The profile preserves the feast date and source title already listed in the library. Additional personal dates and historical details are shown only when separately documented.

Butler sourceButler's Lives of the Saints, Volume III (July-August-September), July 28, Ss Nazarius and Celsus, Martyrs, Christian Classics 1990, pp. 200-201.

The reading

ⓘ Butler source

Butler's Lives of the Saints, Volume III (July-August-September), July 28, Ss Nazarius and Celsus, Martyrs, Christian Classics 1990, pp. 200-201.

Sts. Nazarius and Celsus are ancient martyrs of Milan whose memory was renewed when St. Ambrose discovered their bodies near the city about the year 395. Their translation was received with solemn devotion, and their names remained honored in the Milanese Church.

Tradition remembers Nazarius as a zealous Christian preacher who took the young Celsus as his companion. Together they traveled in service of the Gospel and finally shed their blood for Christ at Milan. The details of their journeys come from later accounts, but the bond at the heart of the story is clear: an older disciple forming a younger one, and both remaining faithful unto martyrdom.

Their feast reminds us that Christian courage is handed on. Faithful example can strengthen the young, and companionship in Christ can sustain believers even in persecution.

Historical note

St. Ambrose’s discovery and translation give the ancient Milanese martyr tradition its firm historical center.

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