Seven Martyrs of Dyrrachium

The Seven Martyrs of Dyrrachium are Peregrinus, Lucian, Pompeius, Hesychius, Papius, Saturninus and Germanus, who suffered in the time of Emperor Trajan, around the year 117, and are commemorated on 7 July, the day after their bishop, Holy Hieromartyr Astius.

In those days many Christians had fled to Albania from the persecution in Italy. Among them were the seven. Seeing the martyrdom of Bishop Astius of Dyrrachium, crucified by the Romans after being smeared with honey so that he would be stung by bees and flies, they praised aloud his courage and steadfastness. For this they were seized, confessed their faith in Christ, and were arrested, chained and then drowned in the Adriatic Sea. The waves carried their bodies to shore, and Christians hid them in the sand. After ninety years the martyrs appeared to the Bishop of Alexandria and ordered him to bury their bodies and to build a church over them.

Saint Astius, born an Illyrian, was bishop of Dyrrachium (Durrës, in present-⁠day Albania) in the time of Trajan. He was arrested by the governor Agricola around 98, beaten with leaden rods and ox-⁠hide whips, and crucified near the city walls because he refused to worship Dionysus. He is the patron of the city of Durrës and is commemorated on 6 July.