Saint Aristocles came from Tamassos in Cyprus. He was a priest.
During the period of persecutions against Christians under the reign of Maximian, he withdrew from the world in order to protect himself. He stayed into the desert. There, God revealed Himself and commanded him to go to the region of Salamis in Cyprus, so that he might stand by those who were suffering and become a martyr himself.
Thus strengthened by the holy revelation of God, he set out on his journey. In Salamis he met Saint Demetrianus, a deacon, and Saint Athanasius, a reader, who wished to follow him. Together they began to preach the truth of the faith with courage, until they were arrested and brought to trial.
The three saints were tortured, cast into the fire, and finally beheaded. The Church commemorates their holiness on 23 June.
