St. Fortunatus, a young Roman legionary from Upper Egypt, was martyred in 286 AD in the Agaunum Valley (now Switzerland) as part of the Theban Legion. Composed of Christian soldiers from Egypt and Nubia, the legion refused Emperor Maximian’s order to sacrifice to pagan gods, choosing fidelity to Christ over life itself. Fortunatus, steadfast in faith, met death by clubbing during the legion’s extermination. His relics were later discovered in the Roman catacombs of St. Callistus, transferred to Santa Maria in Via Lata, and then to Casei, Italy, in 1765. His feast honors courage, faith, and devotion to Christ unto death.
