Righteous Theodosia of Tyre and Caesarea, Virgin-Martyr

St. Theodosia of Tyre was martyred in 307 (some sources say 308) during the persecution of Christians under Emperors Diocletian and Galerius. A seventeen-year-old virgin from the Phoenician city of Tyre (modern Sour, Lebanon), she approached imprisoned Christians on Pascha to ask for their prayers. Soldiers, noticing her reverence, seized her and brought her before the governor Urban. When ordered to sacrifice to idols, she joyfully confessed her Christian faith, declaring herself honored to join the martyrs. She was subjected to brutal torture — her flesh was torn with iron claws to the bone — then thrown into the sea with a stone tied to her, from which she emerged unharmed. She was next given to wild beasts, which refused to touch her, and was finally beheaded. Her martyrdom is recorded by Eusebius of Caesarea among the Palestinian martyrs. Her relics were later translated to Constantinople and subsequently to Venice.