Ss. Vitalis and Agricola

Vitalis and Agricola were Christians of Bologna whose martyrdom was remembered by St. Ambrose. Agricola was a freeman, and Vitalis was enslaved in his household. Butler emphasizes that their difference in social condition gave neither a different standing in Christ nor a different hope of reward.

Vitalis was tortured first. The account describes him continuing to praise God until he could no longer speak, then entrusting his soul to Christ. Agricola’s execution was delayed in the hope that the sufferings of his companion would break his resolve. Instead, the example strengthened him. He too was put to death, by crucifixion.

Butler recalls Ambrose’s discovery and veneration of their relics at Bologna. When Juliana, a widow of Florence, asked him to dedicate a church she had built, he gave relics of the martyrs for its altar. Their remembrance thus passed from the place of their suffering into the worship of another Christian community. The exact year of their deaths is treated as probable in the source.