St. Maximus of Rome: The Merchant Martyr of the Decian Persecution

Who was St. Maximus?

St. Maximus was a Christian merchant who gave his life for Christ in the persecution of Emperor Decius, about the year 250. Brought before the proconsul, he said plainly who he was and what he believed, refused to offer sacrifice, and was stoned to death outside the city walls. We keep his feast on April 30.

On the web he is usually called St. Maximus of Rome. That name is a little misleading. The record of his trial says he suffered in Asia, the Roman province in what is now western Turkey, and the Roman Martyrology names the city as Ephesus. He was a martyr of the Roman Empire, not, as far as we know, of the city of Rome.

The persecution of Decius

Decius became emperor in 249. Early in 250 he ordered everyone in the empire to sacrifice to the gods before local officials, and to get a signed certificate, a libellus, proving they had done it. For the first time, Christians everywhere were forced to choose at once between the altar and their faith. Many gave in. Many fled, among them bishops such as St. Cyprian of Carthage, who went into hiding to guide his flock from a distance. Some, like Maximus, stood firm and died. Pope Fabian was among the first, put to death in Rome in January 250.

The trial of St. Maximus

"My name is Maximus"

The story of his death survives in a short Latin text, the acts of his martyrdom, said to have been drawn from the record of the proconsul's court. The scholar Thierry Ruinart included it in 1689 among the genuine acts of the martyrs, and S. Baring-Gould calls the acts "brief and genuine."

Maximus was brought before the proconsul Optimus. Asked who he was, he gave his name and his trade, a merchant, and said that he was a Christian. Optimus told him to obey the emperor's decree and sacrifice, or die in torment. Maximus answered that this was what he had always wanted: to leave this short life and pass to eternal life by confessing his faith.

Rack, rods and stones

The proconsul had him stretched on the rack and beaten with rods. Maximus would not give way. Optimus then sentenced him to be taken outside the walls and stoned. The sentence was carried out, and Maximus died like St. Stephen, the first martyr, under a shower of stones.

Why Ephesus?

Baring-Gould notes that the acts "do not state further as to where he suffered than that it was in Asia Minor." One passage mentions Diana as the great goddess of the city. Cardinal Baronius took this as a pointer to Ephesus, home of the famous Temple of Artemis (the Greek name of Diana), and wrote Ephesus into the Roman Martyrology. It is a reasonable guess, and we treat it as one.

Miracles and legends

No miracles are told of St. Maximus, and no legends grew around him. His acts contain only the questions, the answers and the sentence. That plainness is the reason historians trust them. The account of his trial and death is traditional in the sense that it comes down to us through these acts, not through a formal process.

Two saints named Maximus

Searches for "St. Maximus of Rome" also turn up a different martyr. In the story of St. Cecilia, her husband Valerian and his brother Tiburtius were beheaded at Rome for the faith. Maximus, an official of the prefect, was so moved by their courage that he believed in Christ and was beaten to death with leaded whips. The Roman Martyrology keeps those three on April 14. He is a separate saint from the merchant of the Decian persecution.

Symbols of St. Maximus in art

No old painting or icon of this Maximus is known to survive, and he has no fixed type in art. When he is shown, artists use the signs of his trial and death:

• The martyr's palm: the sign of victory over death given to every martyr.
• Stones: the means of his death, held in his hand or lying at his feet.
• A merchant's tunic and cloak: the dress of his trade, which he named at his trial.
• The rack or rods: the tortures he endured first, shown rarely.

Our portrait and scenes on this page are modern illustrations made in a classic style.

Feast day and prayer

The Roman Martyrology lists him on April 30. Eastern calendars remember him on May 14, and some old Latin martyrologies on September 28. No relics or shrine of his are known. See the other saints of spring on our feast days page.

There is no traditional prayer to St. Maximus. We can ask his help in our own words, especially for Christians who must choose between their work and their faith, and for those who are persecuted today. Let us pray with him for the grace he showed before the proconsul: to say simply, when we are asked, that we belong to Christ.