Martyr Zoticus of Tomi (Caesarea)

Martyr Zoticus suffered for Christ in 303 in the city of Tomi (Greek Τόμοι, now Constanța, Romania) — an ancient Black Sea city, center of the Roman province of Scythia Minor, wholly unrelated to the Siberian city of Tomsk mistakenly implied by the card's original name. He suffered together with the martyrs Elias, Lucian, and Valerian during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. After refusing to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, all four were tortured and put to death. They are venerated among the numerous martyrs of Tomi and Scythia Minor, a region that gave the Church a considerable number of saints from the early centuries of Christianity.