Witnesses to Christ unto giving their lives

Blaise (or Blastus) and Diogen (or Diogenes)  are two saints who have been venerated in Rome since antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages. Their commemoration is recorded in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum under the date of June 17.

Regarding Saint Blaise, some texts — including the Acts of the Martyr Saint Valentine — refer to a Roman Tribune named Blastus, who was condemned to death in 269 AD by Emperor Claudius Gothicus for his Christian faith. However, there is no conclusive evidence to confirm that this Blastus is the same saint remembered on this date.