Artemia of Rome

Holy Martyr Artemia of Rome was the youngest daughter of Emperor Diocletian. She was freed from a demon by the prayer of Saint Cyriacus, received Holy Baptism from him, and was put to death for her faith in Christ during the persecutions at Rome in the early fourth century. The company to which she belongs is commemorated on 20 June.

In the time of Diocletian and Maximian (284-305), and then of their successors Galerius (305-311) and Maxentius (305-312), many Christians suffered at Rome. Maximian removed all Christians from the ranks of the army and sent them to forced labour. A rich Christian, Thrason, began to send food and clothing to the prisoners through the deacons Sisinnius and Cyriacus, and through Smaragdus and Largus. Pope Marcellus thanked Thrason for his charity, and ordained Sisinnius and Cyriacus deacons. Soon the two were seized and sent to work. They did not only their own share, but also laboured in place of the aged Saturninus, and for this Maximian gave Sisinnius over to torments by the governor Laodicius. The prison warden Apronian, seeing the face of Sisinnius shining with heavenly light, believed in Christ and was baptised. On the same day Apronian confessed that he was a Christian and was beheaded, and Sisinnius and Saturninus were thrown into prison. Later, when they were taken to offer sacrifice in the idol temple, Saturninus prayed that the Lord would turn the idols to dust, and at that moment the tripods on which incense burned were melted. Seeing the wonder, the soldiers Papias and Maurus confessed Christ. After long torments Sisinnius and Saturninus were beheaded, and Papias and Maurus were shut in prison; they prayed to receive Baptism, went out of the prison unnoticed, received it from Pope Marcellus and returned to their cell. At the trial they confessed Christ again and died in torments. Their bodies were buried by the presbyter John and Thrason.

Artemia, the youngest daughter of Diocletian, was tormented by a demon. Learning that Cyriacus, in prison, healed illnesses and cast out demons, the emperor summoned him to his daughter. The saint drove out the demon and baptised Artemia. As a reward, the emperor freed Cyriacus, Smaragdus and Largus. Soon Cyriacus was sent to Persia to heal the daughter of the Persian king. On his return to Rome he was seized by order of Emperor Galerius, the son-⁠in-⁠law of Diocletian, who had abdicated. Galerius was very angry with his predecessor over the conversion of Artemia. He ordered Cyriacus to be led naked and in chains behind his chariot, to the mockery of the crowd. Pope Marcellus rebuked the emperor publicly for his cruelty toward innocent Christians. The emperor ordered him beaten with clubs and made a keeper of cattle. Cyriacus, Smaragdus, Largus and another prisoner, Crescentian, died from the torments. Then Artemia and twenty-⁠one other prisoners who were in the prison with Cyriacus were also put to death.

Pope Marcellus was secretly freed from captivity by the Roman clergy. He dug up the bodies of the martyrs Cyriacus, Smaragdus and Largus and buried them on the estate of two Christian women, Priscilla and Lucina, near Rome, turning Lucina's house into a church. Maxentius, who had become emperor, ordered the church ruined and made into a cattle yard, and condemned the pope to care for the cattle for the rest of his life. Tormented by hunger and cold and worn down by the stench, Saint Marcellus fell ill and died in the year 310. Priscilla and Lucina were driven out of Rome with dishonour, and their estates were plundered.