During the persecutions of Christians, the relics of the holy martyrs were secretly buried by the faithful. Near the Gate of Eugenius in Constantinople, many martyrs had been laid to rest, although their names had long remained unknown to the Church. When miracles and healings began to occur at that site, the relics of the saints were discovered and solemnly translated with great honor to the church.
It was then revealed to Fr. Nicholas the Calligrapher that among these relics were those of the Holy Apostle Andronicus and Junia, his fellow worker, whom the Apostle Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Romans (Romans 16:7).
In the 12th century, Emperor Andronicus (r. 1183–1185) commissioned the construction of a magnificent church on the site where the relics of the holy martyrs had been discovered.
