The Venerable Fathers Slain at the Lavra of St. Sabbas

The Venerable Fathers Slain at the Lavra of St. Sabbas were the monks of the Lavra of Venerable Sabbas the Sanctified, near Jerusalem, killed by the Persians in the year 614. According to tradition their number was forty-⁠four.

In the year 614, in the time of the emperor Heraclius, the Persians raided the Lavra, wrongly thinking that the monastery had great treasures. The only wealth of the monks, however, was their virtues. Learning that there were no treasures in the monastery, the attackers gathered the monks and demanded that they renounce faith in Christ. Since all refused, they were killed by the barbarians: some were beheaded, others cut in two, others hacked to pieces or tortured with nails. So the holy Fathers, remaining in the faith to the end, completed their way to Christ.

They are commemorated on 29 May, in the new style.