Hieromartyr Pionius of Smyrna

Hieromartyr Pionius was a presbyter of the church of Smyrna in Asia Minor, who suffered together with the presbyter Linus, and the martyrs Sabina, Macedonia, and Asclepiades during the persecution of Emperor Decius. He was deliberately arrested on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna, since Decius's edict requiring universal sacrifice demanded the participation of all the city's inhabitants.

After lengthy interrogation by the Smyrna authorities and torture, the saint was crucified and burned on March 11, 250; witnesses reported his body remained visibly unconsumed by the flames.

Pionius is historically significant because the surviving "Martyrdom of Pionius" (Martyrium Pionii) is one of the more reliable and detailed 3rd-century martyr acts, based on court transcripts. Church tradition also credits him with preserving and transmitting the earlier text of the "Martyrdom of Polycarp" — tradition holds that a vision of Polycarp himself directed Pionius to the manuscript — directly linking him to Smyrna's earlier bishop-hieromartyr.

IMPORTANT NOTE: the saint's life has no connection to Rome whatsoever — he never left Asia Minor. The previous image of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was contamination from a generic "Rome" association unrelated to the Smyrna presbyter, and has been removed.

His feast is kept on March 11/24.