A layman of Roman Mauritania martyred in the third century together with his wife, Saint Aquila, a married couple remembered as joint martyrs.

Saint Severian was a layman of Caesarea of Mauritania, in present-day Algeria, martyred in the third century together with his wife, Saint Aquila. Their shared death is one of the rarer examples in the early Church’s memory of a married couple martyred together.

Quick Facts

• Died: 3rd century (Caesarea of Mauritania, Algeria)
• Venerated as: Layman and martyr
• Husband of Saint Aquila

Who Was Saint Severian?

Saint Severian was a layman of Roman Mauritania, in present-day Algeria, martyred in the third century together with his wife, Saint Aquila, a rare case in this register of a married couple remembered jointly as martyrs.

Historical Setting

Caesarea of Mauritania was an important Roman provincial capital on the North African coast, with an established Christian community by the third century that, like the rest of Roman North Africa, endured recurring local and empire-wide persecutions under emperors from Septimius Severus through Decius and Diocletian.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Severian

Severian is remembered, together with Aquila, as an example of a Christian household that faced martyrdom as a unit, husband and wife sharing the same ultimate witness to their faith.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process for Severian is recorded, as expected for a martyr of this era. His veneration is ancient and local, part of the memory of Caesarea of Mauritania’s early Christian community.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Severian and Aquila’s shared martyrdom as husband and wife is a reminder that Christian marriage has, at its best, always been meant to be a shared journey toward God, even to the point of shared sacrifice. Their example invites married couples to consider how they support one another’s faith today.

A Prayer to Saint Severian

Saint Severian, who with your wife Aquila gave your life for Christ, watch over Christian marriages today. Help husbands and wives support one another’s faith as faithfully as you supported each other, even to the end.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
• Acta Sanctorum