Saints Vitalis and Agricola

Vitalis was the slave of Agricola, a Christian of Bologna, and the two were bound by faith and friendship rather than by servitude. During the persecution of Diocletian, around 304, Vitalis was arrested and martyred first, and Agricola, strengthened by his example, followed him in martyrdom. In 393 Saint Ambrose of Milan discovered their remains in the Jewish cemetery of Bologna and spread devotion to them, writing about their witness.

Their relics are honored in the Basilica of Santo Stefano in Bologna, in the church of Saints Vitalis and Agricola. Saint Ambrose brought some relics to Florence, where he dedicated a church in their honor.