Verissimus, Maxima and Julia

The Holy Martyrs Verissimus, Maxima and Julia were three Christian siblings executed at Olisipo (now Lisbon), in the Roman province of Lusitania, in the persecution of Diocletian. The earliest historical mention of them is found in the martyrology of Usuard, of the ninth century, and the city's ancient devotion to them is also attested in De expugnatione Lyxbonensi, the account of the siege of Lisbon at the start of the Second Crusade. The story of their martyrdom inspired a series of paintings by Garcia Fernandes, around 1530.

According to most accounts, the three siblings were in Rome when an angel appeared to them and told them to go to Olisipo, where they would achieve the crown of martyrdom they so eagerly sought. They journeyed by boat and were brought before Tarquinius, Roman governor under Diocletian. They declared their will to suffer for the Christian faith, and the governor subjected them to torments. Their commemoration is on 1 October (new style). They are saints of the undivided Church, venerated in the Catholic Church.