St. John, Roman Martyr with Paul

John is the Roman martyr commemorated with Paul on June 26. He is distinct from John the Apostle and John the Baptist. Their shared account follows.

John and Paul (Latin: Ioannes, Paulus) are saints who lived during the fourth century in the Roman Empire. They were martyred at Rome on 26 June. The year of their martyrdom is uncertain according to their Acts; it occurred under Julian the Apostate (361–363).

In the second half of the fourth century, Byzantius, the Roman senator, and Saint Pammachius, his son, fashioned their house on the Cælian Hill into a Christian basilica. In the fifth century the presbyteri tituli Byzantii (priests of the church of Byzantius) are mentioned in an inscription and among the signatures of the Roman Council of 499. The church was also called the titulus Pammachii after Byzantius's son, the pious friend of St. Jerome.
In the ancient apartments on the ground-floor of the house of Byzantius, which were still retained under the basilica, the tomb of two Roman martyrs, John and Paul, was the object of veneration as early as the fifth century.
The Sacramentarium Leonianum already indicates in the preface to the feast of the saints, that they rested within the city walls, while, in one of the early itineraries to the tombs of the Roman martyrs, their grave is assigned to the church on the Cælian (de Rossi, Roma sotterranea, I, 138, 175).
The titulus Byzantii or Pammachii was consequently known at a very early date by the names of the two martyrs (titulus SS. Joannis et Pauli). Their bodies were buried in the house of Pammachius under the basilica in the fourth century, but the year and circumstances of their martyrdom are unknown. It may have occurred during the reign of Diocletian (304 AD), as the martyrdoms of Julian took place not in Rome, but mainly in the East.

According to their Acts, which are legendary and may not be historically reliable, after successful military careers, Constantine the Great entrusted John and Paul with the protection of his daughter, Constantia. Through her, they became acquainted with a certain Gallicanus, who, according to a medieval legend, was her fiancé. Gallicanus is said to have built a church in Ostia. Constantine bequeathed significant sums to the faithful of John and Paul, who built a house on the Caelian Hill and retired to private life, doing works of charity. Other accounts say it was Constantia who left her wealth to her servants for them to spend on Christian works.

They declined to return to service under Julian the Apostate, whereupon the emperor gave them ten days to reconsider. They spent the ten days dispersing their wealth, distributing alms day and night. Emperor Julian had them beheaded secretly by Terentianus in their house on the Caelian Hill. Terentianus had them buried where they died and spread the rumor that they had gone into exile. Three Christians who were ministering to them were also executed and buried nearby: Crispus, Crispinianus, and Benedicta.
The rooms on the ground-floor of the above-mentioned house of Pammachius were rediscovered in the 19th century under the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Rome. They are decorated with frescoes, while the original tomb (confessio) of Sts. John and Paul is covered with paintings of which the martyrs are the subject. The rooms and the tomb form one of the most important early Christian memorials in Rome.
The Acts of Saints John and Paul are also connected with the legend of St Bibiana, which has no historical claim to belief.

Prayer

St. John, Roman Martyr with Paul, pray for us before Our Lord Jesus Christ. Ask him to strengthen our faith, increase our charity, and grant us perseverance in hope. Bring our intentions before him, according to his holy will. Amen.

Sources

Biographical source: John and Paul. Selected and reformatted from Wikipedia contributors; CC BY-SA 4.0. The adapted biographical text is shared under the same license. Contributor history.