Solochon

Holy Martyr Solochon was a soldier from Egypt who suffered at Chalcedon in the time of the Emperor Maximian (284-305), together with Pamphamer and Pamphalon. The Church commemorates them on 17 May by the old calendar.

The three served in the imperial army, in the regiment of the tribune Campanus. During the persecution begun by Maximian and Diocletian, Campanus was sent with his soldiers to Chalcedon, where all the soldiers were ordered to offer sacrifice in a pagan temple. Solochon, Pamphamer and Pamphalon refused, confessing that they worshipped only the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

At Campanus's order they were subjected to harsh torments, in which Pamphamer and Pamphalon died. Solochon survived and continued to glorify Christ. In fury, the tormentor ordered his mouth forced open and blood offered to idols poured into him, but the saint clenched his teeth so hard that they could not be parted even with iron. According to the account, the sword bent, and he broke his bonds and stood before the tormentor. He heard a voice from heaven urging him to persevere to the end.

He was beaten without mercy, dragged over sharp stones and then hung by one hand with a weight tied to his foot for about three hours. When the ropes were cut, he stood upright, to everyone's astonishment, like a healthy man. Campanus, mad with rage, drove a stylus into his ear, and the martyr fell. The Christians carried him to the house of a pious widow and laid him on a bed; he ate a little, spoke with them urging them to stand firm in the faith, and then, after prayer, gave up his soul into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ.