Holy Great Martyr Nicetas (+c. 372)

The holy Great Martyr Nicetas, a Gothic warrior, lived in the fourth century on the banks of the Danube. By that time the faith of Christ had already spread widely in the land of the Goths. Saint Nicetas was enlightened with the light of the Gospel by the local bishop Theophilus, a participant in the First Ecumenical Council. The pagan Goths resisted the establishment of Christianity in the country, and civil strife followed. After Fritigern, the leader of the Christian army, defeated the pagan Athanaric, the preaching of the saving teaching among the barbarians went forward with ever growing success. Bishop Ulfilas created the Gothic alphabet and translated many service books into the Gothic language. By his life and his inspired conversations he converted many of the godless to Christianity; but after his defeat Athanaric managed to rebuild his forces, returned to his homeland and was clothed once more in his former might.

Faithful to the false religion of the idol-worshippers, he hated the Christians as before and persecuted them cruelly. Saint Nicetas boldly denounced the lawless man and tried to set him on the path of serving the truth, but Athanaric seized the Lord’s chosen one and, after terrible torture, threw him into the fire. So the Great Martyr Nicetas ended his life around the year 372. The saint’s friend, the Christian Marianus, found by night the martyr’s body, wholly unharmed by the fire and shining with a wonderful light, carried it to Cilicia and buried it there. Some of his incorrupt relics were later translated to Serbia.