Martyr Vivianus (Valens) of Sebaste

Martyr Vivianus was one of the Forty Soldier-Martyrs of Sebaste, who suffered in 320 in the Armenian city of Sebaste during the persecution of Emperor Licinius. All forty soldiers belonged to the same legion and, having been accused of confessing Christianity, were condemned to a torturous execution: they were placed naked overnight on the ice of a lake in bitter cold, while a heated bathhouse was prepared on the shore for any who recanted. One soldier could not endure the trial and, running to the bathhouse, died the moment he crossed its threshold, but his place was, according to tradition, miraculously taken by a pagan guard who came to believe in Christ upon seeing the light shining upon the sufferers. In the morning the survivors were put to death, and the bodies of all forty were burned. Their joint commemoration is celebrated on March 9 (22); the names of all forty martyrs, including Vivianus, have been preserved by church tradition and are listed in the liturgical texts of the feast.