Peter, Dionysius, Andrew, Paul and Christina

The holy martyrs Peter, Dionysius, Andrew, Paul and Christina suffered in the city of Lampsacus, on the Hellespont (today in Turkey), in the third century, in the persecution of the emperor Decius (249 to 251), according to tradition in the year 250. They are commemorated on 18 May (31 May New Style) in the Orthodox Church, and in the Roman Catholic Church on 15 May. The sources differ: the English source speaks of Peter, Andrew, Paul and Denise, with Nichomachus, while the Serbian and Ukrainian speak of five martyrs, among them Christina.

The story

According to the Ukrainian source, the first to suffer was the youth Peter, in the city of Lampsacus. They forced him to renounce the Lord and worship the idol of the goddess Venus, but he refused, declaring before all that a Christian does not bow to the idol of a depraved woman. He was subjected to cruel tortures, bore them bravely and was beheaded with the sword. With him were brought to trial Dionysius, Nichomachus, two soldiers brought from Mesopotamia, Andrew and Paul; all confessed their faith in Christ and refused to sacrifice to the idols, and were tortured. The Serbian source says that Peter was a youth, Dionysius a distinguished citizen, Andrew and Paul soldiers, and Christina a girl of sixteen.

Nichomachus, to the grief of all Christians, did not stand, renounced Christ, went to the temple and sacrificed. At once he was seized by a terrible possession by evil spirits and died in torment. His denial was heard in the crowd by the sixteen-⁠year-⁠old girl Christina (in the English source Denise, called "presumptuous"), who cried out: "Wretched man, he is perishing." The words were heard by the governor, who ordered her seized and, learning that she too was a Christian, gave her over to be dishonoured by libertines. In the house to which she was taken an angel appeared; the youths, frightened by his appearance, begged forgiveness of the holy maiden with tears and asked her to pray for them. According to the English source, she was protected by the angel, though subjected to the approaches of three libertines; the governor was named Optimus.

The next morning Dionysius, Andrew and Paul appeared again before the governor. For their confession of faith in Christ they were given to the pagan crowd to be torn to pieces; they were bound by the feet and taken to the place of execution and there stoned, in the city's arena. Saint Christina escaped from prison, found the bodies and ran to die together with the martyrs, but, at the governor's order, she was beheaded with the sword.

Relics

Relics attributed to Saint Denise were brought in 1922 to the Abbey of Flône in Belgium and placed in a statue of wax; among them a vase with her crystallized blood and another with earth soaked in the blood of Christian martyrs. On the sarcophagus is set a marble tablet said to come from the Roman catacombs, with the inscription "Denise, celebrated virgin martyr, rests in peace. She lived twenty-⁠nine years". In the modern era the saint is invoked for protection against bicycle and motorcycle accidents and headaches.