Sabbatius of Antioch

Holy Martyr Sabbatius of Antioch suffered for Christ in the time of the emperor Probus (276-282), together with the Holy Martyrs Trophimus and Dorymedon.

At Antioch a pagan feast was being held, with sacrifices, wine and disorder. The Christians Trophimus and Sabbatius, arriving in the city, looked with grief at the noisy and unseemly festival and prayed the Lord to guide the erring onto the way of salvation. They were seized and brought to the governor. At the interrogation the saints firmly confessed their faith and answered with a decisive refusal the pressure to renounce Christ. During the cruel torments St Sabbatius died, and St Trophimus was sent to still harder torments, to the city of Synnada, to the governor of Phrygia, Dionysius, a notorious executioner and tormentor. Shod in iron boots with sharp nails, St Trophimus walked three days on foot, driven by mounted guards. The skilled tormentor tried every means to break him; Trophimus repeated only the words of Scripture: many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He was thrown into prison, where a secret Christian, the senator Dorymedon, visited him, washing and binding his wounds. Learning of it, the tormentors forced Dorymedon to renounce Christianity, then threw him to the beasts together with Trophimus. The martyrs remained untouched, and then they were put to the sword.

St Sabbatius is commemorated on 2 October, in the new style.