Saint Maximilian of Tebessa (Latin:
Maximilianus) is a
Christian saint and
martyr, whose feast day is observed on 12 March. Born in the third century, A.D. 274, the son of Fabius Victor, a soldier in the
Roman army, Maximilian was obliged to
enlist at the age of 21. On 12 March, A.D. 295, at the City of Thavaste (now:
Tébessa, Algeria), North Africa. he was brought before the proconsul of
Numidia, Cassius Dion, to swear allegiance to the Emperor as a soldier. He refused, stating that, as a Christian, he could not serve in the military, leading to his immediate
beheading by the sword. He is noted as the earliest recorded
conscientious objector, although it is believed that there were some other Christians at that time who also refused military service and were
executed.