Damian of Alexandria

Saint Damian of Alexandria is remembered as an early Christian martyr, associated by tradition with Alexandria and the wider Roman world, though the details of his life have come down to us only in fragmentary form. In ancient calendars he was honored on February 12, and devotion to him spread through the Church as a witness to Christ in the age of persecution. Over time, accounts of Damian appear to have blended two distinct martyrs: one described as a soldier who suffered death for the faith in Alexandria or Roman Africa, and another whose relics were discovered in the catacomb of Callixtus in Rome. Those Roman relics were later translated to Salamanca, a sign of the Church’s desire to safeguard and venerate the bodies of the saints and to keep alive the memory of their sacrifice. Although his name was later removed from the Roman Martyrology in its 2004 revision due to historical uncertainty, Saint Damian continues to be honored in local devotion, especially as patron of Fara Novarese. His feast day is February 12.