Armogastes and Companions

Holy Martyrs Armogastes, Archinimus and Saturus, with Masculas, were nobles of the court of the Vandal kings in Africa who suffered in the fifth century under the Arian king Genseric. Armogastes was a count at the court and refused to become an Arian. After Genseric enacted new and harsher laws against the faithful in 457, Armogastes was deprived of his dignities and cruelly tortured. The account says the bonds fell from him of themselves. Genseric did not want to make a martyr of him: he made him a slave and cowherd, and Armogastes died in slavery around 463. The other two were beheaded about 464. The account comes from Bishop Victor of Vita, a trustworthy writer of the following century. Armogastes and Companions are saints of the undivided Church, commemorated on 29 March (new style; 11 April in the old style).