The 156 Martyrs of Palestine

The 156 Martyrs of Palestine are Christians condemned to labour in the stone quarries of Palestine in the time of the persecution of Diocletian and killed for their faith. They are commemorated on 19 September.

The story is tied to the Egyptian bishop Peleus, one of four Christians who celebrated the Liturgy for the persecuted Christians condemned to work in the quarries. When the emperor Galerius learned of it, he ordered Peleus and the other leaders, Nilus, Elias and Patermuthius, burned alive, and the other Christians were dispersed to the mines of Cyprus and Lebanon.

Peleus is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Coptic Orthodox Church. Our source does not show where the number 156 in the title comes from.