Martyr
Martyr Avundius of Rome
† 258
Martyr Avundius of Rome — together with Martyr Irenaeus, thrown alive into a sewage pit by order of Emperor Valerian in 258, on the same day as the burial of Martyr Hippolytus and Martyr Concordia from the same group — all four suffered for the faith during the reign of the Christian-persecuting Emperor Valerian.
Martyr Avundius suffered in Rome in 258, during the reign of Emperor Valerian, together with three other martyrs of the same group.
Hippolytus, overseer of the Roman prisons, converted to Christ after witnessing the steadfastness of Archdeacon Lawrence, held in his custody (who, according to tradition, foretold his own martyrdom). When questioned by the emperor, who accused him of "sorcery" for having stolen Lawrence's body, Hippolytus openly confessed Christ; he was beaten with clubs while repeating "I am a Christian," and was ultimately put to death — tied to wild horses and torn apart.
Concordia, Hippolytus's nurse from childhood, also confessed Christianity and was tortured; her body was thrown by the executioners into a sewage pit (cloaca).
Irenaeus, a secret Christian who worked in the city's sewer system, found Concordia's body and buried it together with Hippolytus's body in a crypt. When this became known, Emperor Valerian ordered Irenaeus and Avundius seized and thrown alive into the same pit where Concordia's body had earlier been found — both drowned.
The feast is kept on August 13/26.