Martyr
Martyr Hermil (Ermil) of Singidunum
† нач. IV века
Martyr Hermil, Deacon of Singidunum — who denounced the pagan gods before the court and was tortured, thereby converting his prison guard Stratonicus; both were drowned in the Danube under Emperor Licinius.
Hermil was a deacon serving in Singidunum (modern Belgrade) on the Danube in the early 4th century, during Emperor Licinius's persecution of Christians. Brought to trial, he openly confessed Christ and denounced the pagan gods, for which he was tortured — beaten, hung up, and mutilated with iron claws.
Stratonicus, the prison guard secretly watching his torments, was so moved by his endurance that he wept, thereby betraying his own sympathy. Brought before the governor, Stratonicus likewise confessed Christ and was tortured alongside Hermil.
Both were beaten with rods and drowned in the Danube; three days later Christians recovered their bodies and buried them in a nearby cave.
Their feast is kept on January 13/26.
NOTE: the entry's former sole image turned out to be a modern photograph of an elderly man in a suit — not an icon — removed.