Victoria, Anatolia, and Audax

Their legend recounts that, in the time of the Emperor Decius, Anatolia and Victoria were sisters whose marriage was arranged to two noble, non-Christian Roman men. They resisted matrimony. Their prospective grooms were reluctant to denounce them as Christians as that would mean that the women's possessions would be forfeited to the state. They received permission to imprison the women on their estates and convince them to renounce their faith. Anatolia's suitor, Titus Aurelius, gave up, and handed her back to the authorities. Victoria's suitor, Eugenius, was more persistent, but also ended up returning her to the authorities. ==Deaths==

Victoria's legend states that she was stabbed through the heart in 250 AD at Trebula Mutuesca (today Monteleone Sabino) after chasing away a dragon terrorizing the residents in exchange for their conversion. An elaboration on her legend states that her murderer was immediately struck with leprosy, and died six days later. Anatolia was killed, also in 250 AD, at "Thora" (identified with present-day Sant'Anatolia di Borgorose). Her legend states that she was at first locked up with a poisonous snake. The snake refused to bite her, and a soldier named Audax was sent into her cell to kill her. The snake attacked him instead, but Anatolia saved him from the snake. Impressed by her example, he converted to Christianity and was martyred by the sword with her. ==Spread of cult==

Due to the translation of their relics, their cult spread across Italy. Some relics of Saint Victoria were transferred in 827 by Abbot Peter of Farfa from the Abbey to Mount Matenano in the Picene area (roughly the south of Le Marche) because the Abbey was besieged by "Saracens". ==References==