Saint Valeria of Milan

Valeria’s story comes from a little book found inside a tomb. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, tells it in one of his letters: he says he had a vision that showed him where the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius were buried, and that inside the sarcophagus a libellum was found, signed by a certain Philip, servus Christi, which before telling the story of the two twins told that of their parents — Vitalis and Valeria. Vitalis was a consular soldier escorting the judge Paulinus on a journey to Ravenna. There he saw a Christian doctor, Ursicinus, who was about to be executed and at one point wavered. Vitalis urged him to hold firm, then gathered up his body and buried it. For this he was arrested and killed. Valeria was on her way back from Ravenna to Milan when, near Milan, she came across a group of people sacrificing to the gods. They invited her to join in; she refused, saying she was a Christian, and they beat her. She died a few days later from the blows. Their two sons, Gervasius and Protasius, would also die as martyrs, and it was to find their tombs that Ambrose had the ground dug up in 386 — one of the most debated and most famous events of ancient Milan. In the sixth century, the basilica in Ravenna that still bears his name was dedicated to Vitalis. If your name is Valeria, today is your name day.