Hormizd the Martyr

Hormizd the Martyr, also called Hormisdas, was a Persian nobleman of the 5th century, a martyr around 420 under King Bahram V. His story was written by Theodoret of Cyrrhus in the Ecclesiastical History. He was of high birth, a son of a provincial governor and of the race of the Achaemenids, and he kept his faith in Christ despite pressure. He was stripped of his ranks and put to look after the camels of the royal army. After a long humiliation he was called by the king, who asked him to renounce his faith in return for new favours; Hormizd refused them and tore off the garment given by the king.

His name was entered in the Roman Martyrology of 1583, on 8 August, and since then he has been venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. In 1599 the Synod of Diamper put him in the place of Rabban Hormizd in the calendar of the Christians of India. He is a saint of the undivided Church, venerated also in the East.