Holy Martyrs Alphaeus, Philadelphus, Cyprian, Onesimus, Erasmus and Their 14 Companions (III)

The holy Martyrs Alphaeus, Philadelphus, Cyprian, Onesimus, Erasmus and their fourteen companions (III) were Italians. Alphaeus, Philadelphus and Cyprian were the sons of Vitalius, a governor in Italy. They were converted to Christianity by Saint Onesimus. The Emperor Licinius issued a decree to seek out and torture those who hoped in the true God. The brothers, with Onesimus, Erasmus and fourteen other Christians, were taken to Rome. In Rome Saint Onesimus was stoned to death. Erasmus and the fourteen Christians were beheaded. The brothers met their end in Sicily, in the city of Mesopolis. Saint Alphaeus’s tongue was torn out and he bled to death, while Saints Philadelphus and Cyprian were thrown into a heated cauldron. In 1517 their holy relics were uncovered.