Martyr
Martyr Hieron of Melitene
III век — †ок. 298
Martyr Hieron of Melitene, a native of Tyana in Cappadocia — leader of a group of 33 martyrs, forcibly conscripted into the Roman army and beheaded in Melitene for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods during the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian.
Martyr Hieron was born in the city of Tyana in Cappadocia. Emperors Diocletian and Maximian sent a military detachment under the command of Lysias into Cappadocia — to suppress Christianity and forcibly conscript able-bodied men into the army. Hieron, known for his physical strength, initially hid in a cave with armed companions, resisting conscription, but was eventually compelled to submit.
In Melitene, Hieron and 32 of his fellow conscripts refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods, openly confessing Christ. Lysias first tried flattery, then threats, and finally had them mercilessly beaten with rods; Hieron himself had his hand cut off in the process. All were imprisoned and beheaded the next day. A wealthy Christian named Chrysanthius ransomed Hieron's severed head and later built a church on the site of the execution to house it; under Emperor Justinian the incorrupt relics of the martyrs were rediscovered.
The names of Hieron's 32 fellow martyrs: Isichius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamant, Varachius, Callinicus, Theagenes, Nicon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthus, Theodulus, Callimachus, Eugenius, Theodochus, Ostrichius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Dukitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotion, Castricius, Anicetas, Themelius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus, Amonitus.