November 8 + The Four Crowned Martyrs

Saints Severus, Severian, Carpophorus and Victorinus were the Four Crowned Martyrs - Latin Sancti Quatuor Coronati - who were sculptors from Sirmium and were killed in Pannonia. They refused to carve a statue of a Greek god for the Emperor Diocletian or to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. The Emperor ordered them to be placed alive in lead coffins and thrown into the river in about 287.

This sculpture is not widely known, but it represents the devotion that results from man’s love of God. This particular work shows four men who knew what was at stake when they chose to obey God rather than their emperor, but remained bold and true to what they knew. The love that they found in God inspired them to be courageous and strong in times of trouble and hardship. To this day, overlooking the streets of Florence, this sculpture remains as a reminder of true devotion to God.

The Four Crowned Martyrs are the Paton Saints of stonemasons, sculptors and marble workers.