Prilidian of Antioch

Holy Martyr Prilidian of Antioch was one of three brothers, children, who suffered together with the Holy Hieromartyr Babylas, bishop of Antioch, and with their mother Christodula, in the time of the emperor Decius (249-251).

Being at Antioch, the emperor had given a great feast in honour of the pagan gods. At the same time Bishop Babylas was serving the Divine Liturgy in the church, praying for his flock and teaching it to bear every trial bravely for faith in Christ. After the idol worship, Decius wished to see the celebration of the Mysteries and to enter the church, thus defiling the Lord's dwelling. The bishop, learning of it, went out to meet him and stopped him at the threshold of the church; when the emperor tried to come near the doors, Babylas pushed him back with his hand, and Decius had to give up. He wished to take revenge at once but, seeing the crowd of Christians, feared an uprising.

The next day he ordered the Christian church burned and the bishop brought before him. Asked how he could humiliate the emperor, Babylas answered that whoever rises against God and wishes to insult His holiness is not worthy of honour but becomes an enemy of the Lord. Decius demanded that he worship the idols, otherwise he would be killed; seeing him unmoved, he ordered the commander Victorinus to put him in heavy chains and parade him in shame through the city. The saint said that the chains were as dear to him as the crown to the emperor and that death for the immortal King was as desirable to him as life to the emperor.

At the trial three small brothers stood beside Babylas, who had not left him even in the hardest moments: Urban, Prilidian and Epolonius. Asked whose they were, the saint answered that they were his spiritual children, born through the Gospel, nourished by teaching and raised by counsel, and that in small bodies there stood before the emperor great men and perfect Christians. The emperor tried every means to make the boys and their mother, Christodula, renounce Christ, in vain. Furious, he ordered wounds given to each equal to the number of his years: the first received twelve, another ten, the third seven. He let the mother and children go, then called the bishop again, trying to deceive him by saying that the boys had renounced; the lie was exposed at once. Then he hung them all from a tree and burned them with fire; at last, seeing their steadfastness, he condemned them to be put to the sword, around the year 251.

St Prilidian is commemorated on 17 September, in the new style.