45 Holy Martyrs at Nicopolis in Armenia
Martyrs
The wicked king Licinius, co-ruler with Constantine the Great, issued a decree to persecute Christians. More than forty servants of Christ, among whom were Leontius, Mauritius, Daniel, Anthony, and Alexander, decided to voluntarily appear before the court and confess their faith. The governor, astonished by their courage, began the interrogation, to which the saints replied that their father is Christ, who rose from the dead.
The governor, enraged, ordered them to be tortured, but the saints steadfastly endured the suffering, encouraging one another. In prison, they prayed and sang psalms, awaiting their martyrdom. A pious woman, Vlasiana, brought them water, quenching their thirst.
On the following morning, the governor sentenced them to death, and the saints joyfully accepted this fate. They prayed, asking God to strengthen them in faith. Two prison guards, Meney and Virilad, seeing the light and hearing the voice of an angel, decided to turn to Christ and became part of the brotherhood of martyrs.
The governor, unwilling to leave them alive, ordered their hands and feet to be cut off and then to be burned. The saints, despite their sufferings, maintained their faith and joy. Saint Sisinius, praying, called forth a spring of water to quench the martyrs' thirst. After the burning, their remains were gathered and preserved until the time of their veneration.
When Constantine the Great became the sole ruler, the church received freedom, and the holy martyrs were glorified; their relics became a source of healing. The forty-five saints suffered on July 10 in Nicopolis of Armenia under the governor Lisius.
