Lives and Tradition
Gervasius and Protasius were, by tradition, the twin sons of Vitalis of Milan, a man of consular rank martyred at Ravenna, and of Valeria, who died for her faith at Milan. The narrative recounts that the brothers were imprisoned, scourged, and beheaded for their confession of Christ.
Nazarius was a Roman whose mother, named Perpetua in the tradition, was Christian, while his father was Jewish or pagan; the Orthodox synaxarion names the father Africanus. Baptized by Bishop Linus, he left Rome and preached in Lombardy, visiting Piacenza and Milan, where the tradition connects him with Gervasius and Protasius. Traveling into Gaul, he taught and baptized the boy Celsus, said to be about nine years old, who became his companion through journeys in the Alps, at Embrun, Geneva, and Trier. Arrested repeatedly for refusing to sacrifice to the Roman gods, Nazarius and Celsus were said to have returned to Milan, where they were arrested once more and beheaded.
The narrative details preserved in the tradition are legendary in character and lack firm historical foundation; Paulinus of Nola, an early witness, recorded that the exact date of the martyrdom of Nazarius was unknown.