The Four Crowned Martyrs are a group of four sculptors who lived around the year 300—their names were Claudius, Castorius, Simpronian, and Nicostratus. They refused to carve a sculpture to honor the pagan gods of the empire. The Roman Emperor had them placed in lead coffins and thrown into the river.

A statue in Florence fittingly depicts the four martyrs in stone. They are patrons of masons and sculptors and their relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

Four Crowned Martyrs, who chose to glorify God in martyrdom rather than to honor pagan gods—pray for us!