Martyr Eunicianus of Crete

Martyr Eunicianus, a native of Gortyna, the metropolitan city of Crete, was one of ten Christians from different parts of the island (five of them, including Eunicianus, from Gortyna) seized during the persecution under Emperor Decius in the mid-3rd century. Brought to trial before the island's governor, all ten firmly confessed Christ and rejected pagan idolatry. For thirty days they were paraded through pagan shrines for public mockery, subjected to beatings and abuse from the crowd, and were then had their bones broken and were beheaded. The group of the Ten Martyrs of Crete comprised: Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, and Eunicianus (of Gortyna), Zoticus (of Knossos), Pompius (of Lyttos), Agathopus (of Panormus), Basilides (of Kydonia), and Evarestus (of Heraklion). Their memory is kept on December 23/January 5.