Saint
Forty Martyrs of Sebastia
The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia
New Calendar March 9 Old Calendar March 22
Why they are a saint
The Holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia are commemorated by the Orthodox Church on March 9. Venerated as martyrs who died for the faith in Christ; little else about their lives has come down to us.
Limited historical information is available about this saint.
Life
The Forty Martyrs were Christian soldiers from Cappadocia, serving at Sebaste in Armenia under Licinius, who was seeking to purge Christians from his army. When they refused to sacrifice to the gods, the commander Agricola imprisoned them; in the night they heard a voice: 'Persevere until the end, then you shall be saved.' Neither flattery nor the judge Licius could move them.
In a severe winter frost they were thrown into a lake, with a warm bath-house on the shore to tempt them. One soldier ran to it and fell dead on the threshold. In the night light shone, the ice melted and the water grew warm; the guard Aglaius saw thirty-nine crowns over the martyrs, threw off his uniform, and joined them, and a fortieth crown appeared. In the morning their legs were broken and their bodies burned; the mother of the youngest, Meliton, urged him to persevere to the end.
Sources: OCA Lives of the Saints. Retold in our own words.
Traditional patronage
The cited source names no specific patronage.
Patronage / why chosen as patron
Orthodox Christians usually take Forty Martyrs of Sebastia as a patron when they bear the name Forty at baptism, or were born or baptized near the feast on March 9. As a martyr, he is also asked for courage and faithfulness under trial.
Prayer
O holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia, pray to God for us.
A short general prayer to a saint, not a liturgical text. No public-domain troparion for this saint is included.