Philemon of Antinoe

Holy Martyr Philemon of Antinoe was a famous flute player, mime and actor of Antinoöpolis in Egypt, converted by the deacon Apollonius, and died as a martyr about the year 303, at Alexandria, in the persecution of Diocletian. The Orthodox Church commemorates him on 14 December (27 December by the new calendar), and the Catholic Church on 8 March and on 6 July. He is the patron of dancers.

During the persecution of Diocletian, Philemon put on the deacon's clothes so that, disguised as Apollonius, he could offer in his place the sacrifice demanded to Jupiter, and the deacon avoid prison and death. But just before the public sacrifice Philemon was recognized, declared himself a Christian and refused to offer the sacrifice. The two were brought from Antinoë to Alexandria and there put to death together with many others who had believed in Christ. Their hands and feet were bound and they were cast into the sea.

The story of the saint formed the basis of the play Philemon Martyr by Jacob Bidermann, who presents the art of acting as a potential route to moral and spiritual transformation. Philemon is also a recurring motif in the work of the twentieth-⁠century British artist Albert Houthuesen.