During the reign of the wicked king Diocletian, a great persecution was raised against the Church of Christ. The holy martyrs suffered: Bishop Theopemptus, Theonas, Vass, Eusebius, Eutychius, and Basilides, as well as the wives of royal dignitaries, who, having accepted the holy faith, laid down their souls for the Lord. After their martyrdom, their households, realizing the greatness of the faith, also decided to become Christians and stood before the judgment of Diocletian, declaring their faith in Christ.
The king, seeing their multitude, tried to entice them with flattering words, offering wealth and honors if they would sacrifice to the idols. However, the saints replied that nothing could be more precious than Christ, and they did not yield to threats or promises.
In anger, Diocletian commanded the soldiers to attack the Christians, and all of them, including children, were brutally killed. Thus, the holy martyrs completed their feat in true confession of Christ on February 7 in Nicomedia, in the year 303.
