Religion in any form has been known to give meaning to people’s lives for centuries. People devote their lives to following who or what they believe is the higher power, often taking their devotion to extreme levels. In the history of Catholicism and Christianity, specifically Roman Catholicism in this case, followers of the religion take their beliefs to the grave, and proudly get killed to show their devotion to their God. This unyielding devotion is called martyrdom, and was considered a great honor in the time of Saint Augustine. The passage of  7.15-16 in Saint Augustine’s novel, Confessions, displays the importance of martyrs in his growing religion of Roman Catholicism. 

Ambrose built a magnificent basilica, known at the Ambrosian Basilica. In order to consecrate it, he needed to obtain certain religious artifacts known as relics. Protasius and Gervasius were Christian martyrs, who, like many others, died for their religious beliefs with an unbreakable level of devotion to their God. Ambrose took a large party to the site where these two martyrs were buried, and took them to his basilica, “with due honor” (165). There, certain miracles were said to have happened. Augustine explains that “some people vexed by impure spirits were healed, the very demons themselves making confessions” (165). This implies that the party members who witnessed the relics felt so moved by the martyrdom of Protasius and Gervasius, that they confessed their sins to grow closer to God. In addition, a blind man placed the cloth worn by one of the martyrs and put it over his eyes. Almost immediately, he was healed and blessed with vision again. The news of such miracles spread like wildfire, and brought a surplus of attention to the religion. As one may expect, this upset the party who executed the martyrs. 

In this time, there was a very noble characteristic associated with martyrs. To die for one’s devotion to a religious belief is seen as an utterly unselfish act, especially when the intentions are for the good of one’s community. As seen in the passage, the result of these martyrs’ deaths was magnificent for many people. It showed people who hated Christianity the influence of the religion on its followers, urging people to wonder why others felt so drawn to it. This helped to spread the religion rapidly. In addition, followers saw the martyrs as holy and sacred, as seen by the “miracles” which occurred and strong reactions people felt when Ambros’s party came in contact with the relics. 

People who engaged in martyrdom saw it as a way to enter the kingdom of God in the best way possible. In Saint Perpetua’s writings called, “The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas,”  it displays accounts of the thoughts and emotions martyrs thought in their final hours. It states, “Ah, most valiant and blessed martyrs! Truly are you called and chosen for the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord!” This shows the belief of the time that martyrs were considered holy and good in the eyes of God, which was the ultimate goal of most Christians. In Catholicism and Christianity, the central belief is that Jesus Christ, the son of God, was crucified for his unyielding dedication to Catholicism. To be a martyr is to die in a similar fashion, which is believed to bring the followers closer to both God and Jesus. In Perpetua’s passage, she explains that as the martyrs lined up to be tortured and killed, “they rejoiced at this that they had obtained a share in the Lord’s sufferings.” Because martyrs such as Protasius and Gervasius died in a similar noble and holy fashion such as their savior, Jesus Christ, Augustine and his contemporaries viewed martyrdom as a great honor and a preferred way of death for a few reasons. First, the personal benefit of dying for the sake of one’s beliefs draws them into their religion, allowing the follower to grow closer with their savior in mind and body. To die as a martyr would mean to die as the most fantastic and holy representation of their faith possible. As seen in Augustine’s passage, the noble status of martyrs gave their bodies great power. Next, it aided in the spread of the religion, demonstrating the powerful effect and influence it had on individuals. In spreading the religion, it made the belief system more widely accepted, giving more people access to it and therefore a newfound sense of purpose. Martyrdom was incredibly influential to Augustine, Ambros, and people with similar beliefs and maintained its importance for centuries after.