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<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1577.jpg'> 
The Crucifixion of Saint Peter Scott 1577 (2014)</center>
 
The Feast of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome is celebrated on June 30. The feast falls the day after the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, who were likely among the first Christians martyred in the city of Rome during Nero's persecutions. The stamp above, from the stamp issue of 2014 commemorating the 450th anniversary of the death of Michelangelo, shows the crucifixion of Saint Peter, who reportedly asked to be crucified upside down since he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Christ.
 
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<img height='275' src='http://vaticanstamps.org/VPS/images/296/1244.jpg'> 
"Stoning of Saint Stephen" by Fra Angelico 
Scott 1244 (2003)</center>
 
Saint Stephen is generally believed to be the first Christian martyr, having been stoned to death in Jerusalem around 35 AD. He is not a Roman Martyr, as venerated in today's feast, but he provides an example of the persecutions suffered by Christians for their faith, beginning in the earliest days of Christendom. In the early first century AD, Rome had a large Jewish population, including Jews now considered to be the earliest followers of Christ. In July of 64 AD, Rome was devastated by a fire. Blame for the tragedy was placed on the unpopular emperor Nero, who wanted to enlarge his palace. However, Nero deflected the blame by accusing the Christian population of the city. As a result, many Christians were persecuted and put to death. Saints Peter and Paul were probably among the victims. The persecution of Christians continued in the Roman empire until the early 4th century, when Constantine the Great, with the issuance of the Edict of Milan, legislated increased religious tolerance.
 
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<img height='350' src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Roma%2C_chiesa_dei_Santi_Protomartiri_Romani_-_Esterno.jpg'> 
Chiesa dei Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica 
(Church of the Holy Protomartyrs on Via Aurelia Antica) 
Photo by Pufui PcPifpef 
From Wikimedia Commons 
Used under the terms of the Creative Commons 
Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license</center>
 
Today's feast came into being as part of General Roman Calendar reforms in 1969. The intention of the feast is to provide a general veneration of the early Roman martyrs, as opposed to honoring dozens of Roman martyrs with individual feast days. There is limited historical evidence related to the specific early martyrs, other than the immortal tradition of their sacrifices. The church of Santi Protomartiri a Via Aurelia Antica in Rome, built in 1968, is dedicated to these first martyrs of Rome.
 
REFERENCES: 
<li>Wikipedia, <a href = 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Martyrs_of_the_Church_of_Rome'>First Martyrs of the Church of Rome</a> 
<li>James C. Hamilton, Vatican Notes, Special Issue, Vatican City: A Philatelic Historic Journey, 2020, page 20, <a href = 'https://vaticanstamps.org/vaticannotes/idisplay2.php?p=PHJ-20&r=0'>Part 5--Missionaries and Martyrs</a> 
<li>UFN, November 21, 2014, <a href='https://vaticanstamps.org/UFN/images/2014-2-17-1.jpg'>450th Anniversary of the Death of Michelangelo</a> 
<li>Vatican Philatelic Society website, www.vaticanstamps.org, Stamp Database Search

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