Saint Cyriacus and his Companions
Martyrs
(† 303)
Saint
Cyriacus, born of a noble patrician family, embraced the Christian
religion and gave all his wealth to the poor. He was ordained a deacon
at Rome, under Pope Marcellinus. Diocletian was emperor at that time,
assisted by Maximian, his favorite. The latter decided to build a
beautiful palace for the emperor, with magnificent baths, and to make
the Christians work at the construction. Among the new slaves were
elderly gentlemen and persons of the highest rank, clerics and priests.
The labor was hard and the food scanty. A Roman nobleman desired to
relieve the sufferings of these laborers and sent four Christians with
alms and encouragements; these were Saint Cyriacus, Saint Sisinius,
Saint Largus and Saint Smaragdus. They pursued their charities at the
risk of their lives, and they worked vigorously alongside those who were
growing very weak. When Maximian heard of it, he had Saint Sisinius and
an old gentleman whom he had helped, decapitated.
Saint
Cyriacus was well known to Diocletian, who was fond of him. Suddenly
Diocletian's daughter became possessed by a furious demon, and she
announced that only Cyriacus could deliver her. Diocletian sent for him,
and he cured her. She became a Christian like her mother, who is today
Saint Serena. A short time later the daughter of the king of Persia also
became possessed, and cried out like Diocletian's daughter that she
could be delivered only by Cyriacus, who was in Rome. A message was sent
to Diocletian, who asked his wife to persuade the deacon to go to
Persia for this purpose. He did so with his two remaining Christian
companions, and again cast out the demon, thus bringing about the
conversion of the king, his family and four hundred persons, whom he
baptized. The three confessors returned to Rome, having refused all
compensation for their services, saying that they had received the gifts
of God gratuitously and wished to share them gratuitously, not deriving
profit from them. The barbarous Maximian, hearing of their return in
303, had them seized, imprisoned and tortured, and finally decapitated
with twenty other courageous Christians. Their bodies were first buried
near the place of their execution on the Salarian Way, but were later
removed to the city. An abbey in France, at Altorf in Alsace, possesses
relics of Saint Cyriacus and bears his name.
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