Varachisius of Persia

Holy Martyr Varachisius of Persia is remembered together with his brother Jonas and other martyrs. The brothers were Christians living in the village of Yasi in Persia, in the time of King Shapur (310-331), a cruel persecutor of Christians. Learning that Christians were being tortured in the city of Varavokh, they went there, found in prison the martyrs Zanifan, Lazarus, Marufan, Narsin, Elias, Marinus, Aviv, Sivefin and Sabbas, and urged them to hold firm in the faith to the end. The brothers were seized and brought to trial before the Persian princes Masdraf, Syrof and Marmisius, who pressed them to worship the sun, fire and water. The martyrs steadfastly confessed their faith in Christ, refused, and were subjected to terrible tortures.

Jonas suffered first: they tied him to a tree and beat him for a long time, dragged him over the ice of a frozen lake, cut off the fingers of his hands and feet and his tongue, flayed the skin from his head and at last sawed him in two and threw his body into a ditch. On Varachisius they put red-⁠hot shackles, poured molten tin into his nose, ears and mouth, and tormented him bound to a turning wheel. He gave up his spirit to God after boiling pitch was poured into his mouth. The bodies of the martyrs Jonas, Varachisius and the other sufferers were buried by a pious Christian, Audisot.

Saint Varachisius is commemorated on 10 April, in the new style.