Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, and Dorymedon — September 19 / October 2 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, September 19 according to the Julian Calendar (October 2 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, and Dorymedon.

The Holy Martyrs Trophimus, Sabbatius, and Dorymedon suffered for Christ in the time of the Roman Emperor Probus (276–282). Once, a pagan festival was being celebrated in Antioch, and unrestrained revelry filled the city. The Christians Trophimus and Sabbatius, who had come to the city, looked with sorrow upon this noisy, lawless celebration and prayed to the Lord to set the bewildered on the path of salvation.

For preaching Christ, the godless seized the saints and brought them before the governor. The pagans began to beat and torture the confessors in order to force them back into idol worship. Sabbatius died under the torture, while Trophimus was sent to Dionysius, the governor of Phrygia, notorious for his cruelty and ruthlessness. The impious Dionysius could not bend the mighty Christian by any effort; the saint only repeated these words of the Psalm: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps. 33:19). At last he was thrown into prison.

There the blessed one was visited by a secret follower of Christ, the senator Dorymedon. When the persecutors learned of this, they arrested him as well and demanded that he renounce faith in the Savior. The martyr refused, and for this he was cast together with Trophimus to the wild beasts to be torn apart. The beasts would not touch the Lord’s chosen ones. Then their heads were cut off.