Soldier of Christ

According to the Acts of his martyrdom, Alexander was a Roman imperial centurion commander belonging to the Theban Legion, a military unit composed of Christian soldiers. When the legion was transferred to the West to face incursions by the Germanic tribes of the Quadi and Marcomanni, during the crossing of the Valais region, they received orders to persecute Christians, against whom a new wave of persecutions had broken out. The Christian soldiers, refusing to obey, were massacred. Alexander was one of the few survivors and managed to flee to Italy.