Trophimus and Thalus

Holy Hieromartyrs Trophimus and Thalus were brothers by birth, of Syrian origin, priests. They preached publicly and with full freedom faith in Jesus Christ and attacked polytheism. The furious pagans decided to kill them with stones. According to Christian tradition, when stones were thrown at the brothers, the stones bounced back and struck the attackers, while the brothers remained unharmed. Then both were crucified. As they went to the place of execution they glorified God, because they had the chance to suffer in the same manner as Christ.

From the crosses the brothers taught and encouraged the Christians who stood around grieving. A Jewish woman cried out: "Blessed is the mother who bore such sons." They died after torments, in the year 300, in the city of Vofor, in the time of the persecution of Christians organized by the Emperor Diocletian. After their death a guard said that he had seen their souls ascending to heaven, escorted by angels, and the people stood all night beside the martyrs' bodies. In the morning the wife of the tormentor Asclepiodotus came with a precious covering and told the people that in the evening, in a dream, she had seen the holy martyrs and angels sent to punish her husband. Soon after this the judge Asclepiodotus, who had condemned the brothers Trophimus and Thalus to death, fell ill and died. The mother of the martyrs, with two Christians, Zosimus and Artemius, buried the holy brothers in their native city. The Serbian Church commemorates them on 16 March by the old calendar (29 March by the new).