Martyr
Martyr Callistratus and His Companions
† ок. 304
Also known as: Мч. Каллистрат и дружина его, Каллистрат Карфагенский, Каллистрат Византийский, Каллистрат и с ним 49 воинов, Мчч. Каллистрат, Гимнасий и иже с ними
A Christian soldier from Carthage who converted 49 of his fellow soldiers to Christ; he and they were cut to pieces with swords in prison around 304.
Callistratus came from a Christian family in Carthage; according to his Life, his grandfather had served under Pontius Pilate, witnessed the Crucifixion and Resurrection and was baptized by the apostles. As a soldier, Callistratus was the only Christian in his cohort. A comrade overheard him praying at night and denounced him to the commander.
Callistratus refused to sacrifice to idols. He was beaten, dragged over sharp shards, sewn into a leather sack and thrown into the sea, but the sack burst on a rock and, borne up by dolphins, he reached the shore unharmed. Seeing this, 49 soldiers confessed Christ. They were thrown into a pond bound hand and foot, but their bonds fell away; an earthquake toppled the idols, and many more soldiers believed. Fearing a mutiny, the commander had Callistratus and the 49 cut to pieces in prison at night. Believing soldiers buried them and built a church on the spot.
Their martyrdom is dated to the reign of Diocletian and Maximian, around 304. The Life places it in Rome; the Bollandists thought it took place in Constantinople, where a monastery bore his name. Feast: 27 September (10 October).