During the wicked reign of Maximian, Christians living in the vicinity of Nicomedia were subjected to cruel persecutions. The king, gathering his nobles, called for worship of the pagan gods and threatened those who would not obey. Many Christians, fearing for their lives, promised to serve the idols, but Saint Urpasian, one of the royal nobles, with zeal for God, removed his mantle and belt, proclaiming that he was now a soldier of the heavenly King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Maximian, in fury, ordered Saint Urpasian to be tortured, who, despite the torments, felt no pain and prayed. After the tortures, Urpasian was imprisoned, where he rejoiced and prayed. The king, not satisfied, commanded that he be placed in an iron cage and burned with torches. The saint, remaining in prayer, was burned, and his body melted away, leaving only ashes.
After this, Maximian ordered the earth, onto which his remains had fallen, to be gathered and thrown into the sea. The holy martyr Urpasian died around the year 295 in Nicomedia.
