Daniel and Verda

Daniel and Verda were Persian martyrs, the priest Daniel and the virgin Verda, put to death in 344, in the persecution of King Shapur II.

The name Verda means "rose" in the language of the Chaldeans. According to the account, written by Saint Maruthas in Syriac, the two were seized two years after the martyrdom of Bishop Milles, in the province of the Razicheans, by order of the governor, and tortured almost without interruption for three months. Among other things, their feet were pierced and they were put into frozen water for five days together. The governor, seeing that he could not overcome them, condemned them to be beheaded. They received the crown on 21 February 344. Their names were not known to the Greek and Latin martyrologists. They are venerated on 21 February and are greatly honoured in the East.