THEY were three twin brothers, who, with Leonilla their grandmother,
glorified God by an illustrious martyrdom in Cappadocia, probably in the
reign of Marcus Aurelius. The most ancient acts of their martyrdom,
published by Rosweide and Bollandus, place it in that country, and their
relics were brought from the East to Langres in France, while the first
race of French kings filled the throne. A copy of the acts of their
martyrdom, which was sent from Langres by one Varnahair, to St.
Ceraunus, bishop of Paris, in the beginning of the seventh century, by
an evident mistake or falsification, affirms their martyrdom to have
happened at Langres; by which false edition, Ado, and many others, were
led into the same mistake. From certain ancient writings kept at
Langres, mentioned by Gualtherot in his Anastasius of Langres, Chatelain
proves that these relics, with the head of St. Mammes, a martyr, also of
Cappadocia, were given by the emperor Zeno to a nobleman of Langres, who
had served him in his wars. By him this sacred treasure was deposited in
the church of Langres, in the time of the bishop Aprunculus, in 490, to
be a protection against devils. The cathedral of Langres, which bears
the title of Saint Mammes, is possessed of the head of that martyr in a
rich shrine. A brass tomb before the high altar, is said to have
contained the bodies of the three children who were thrown into the
furnace at Babylon, mentioned in the book of Daniel: but Chatelain
thinks it belonged to the three martyrs whose bodies were given by the
emperor Zeno to the count of Langres. The church called of St. {173}
Geome, or Sancti Gemini, that is, the twins, situated two miles from
Langres, belongs to a priory of regular canons, and is famous out of
devotion to those saints, though great part of their relics was
translated by Hariolf, duke of Burgundy, and his brother Erlolf, bishop
of Langres, into Suabia, and remains in the noble collegiate church of
St. Guy, or St. Vitus, at El{}ange. These holy martyrs are secondary
patrons of the diocese of Langres, and titular saints of many churches
in France and Germany. See Chatelain Notes on Jan. 17, p. 313.