Holy Martyrs Claudius, Asterius, Neon and Theonilla (+285)

The holy Martyrs Claudius, Asterius, Neon and Theonilla, brothers and sister, suffered in 285, in the reign of the Emperor Diocletian (284–305), in Cilicia.

After their father’s death their stepmother, who did not want to share the property with them, handed the Lord’s chosen ones over to the persecutors of the Christians. Lysias, the governor of Cilicia, tortured the saints for a long time and demanded that they worship the idols. The brothers Claudius, Asterius and Neon, faithful to the faith of the Saviour, were taken outside the city after terrible torments and crucified, while their sister, the devout widow Theonilla, was stretched between stakes, beaten with straps, and had hot coals heaped on her belly. The remains of the martyr, who died under this cruel torture, were at last thrown into a sack and sunk in the sea.