The Holy Twenty Thousand Martyrs Burned in Nicomedia, and Others Slain in the Same City (+302)
The holy Twenty Thousand Martyrs. At the beginning of the fourth century the Emperor Maximian (284–305; 307–311) ordered Christian churches to be destroyed, service books to be burned, and all Christians to be stripped of civil rights and offices. At that time the Bishop of the city of Nicomedia was the blessed Cyril, who by his preaching and holy life did much to spread the Christian faith: under his influence many distinguished courtiers of the emperor secretly became followers of Christ.
In the imperial palace there lived a pagan priestess, Domna. In Maximian’s absence she read the Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of the Apostle Paul, and a desire was stirred in her to come to know the Christian teaching deeply. With the help of a Christian maiden Domna secretly went to Bishop Cyril. She was accompanied by a faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Cyril made them both catechumens and then baptised them. Domna set about caring for the poor: through Indes she gave away her jewels as alms, and also distributed food from the royal table. When the steward of the royal table, the chief of the eunuchs, learned of the unusual life of Domna and Indes, he shut them up in prison. So as not to live among the pagans, Saint Domna feigned madness. Then she was driven out of the royal palace together with Indes. The blessed Domna settled in a convent with the abbess Agatha, but soon, with the abbess’s blessing, she left the convent dressed as a man.
Meanwhile the emperor returned and sent soldiers out to search for the former priestess. The soldiers reached Agatha’s convent too and plundered it. The sisters were shut up in prison to be tortured and dishonoured, but a heavenly host led them out unharmed. Once the emperor held a pagan sacrifice in the city square. When they began to sprinkle the people with the blood of the offerings, the Christians withdrew from the crowd and left the square. At this sight the emperor was enraged, but, alarmed by an earthquake that suddenly began, he restrained his feelings. Some time later Maximian went into a church and demanded that those present deny Christ. In case of disobedience he threatened to destroy the church and slaughter the Christians. The presbyter Glycerius answered the godless ruler that he could not force Christians by fear of any torment to renounce their faith. The enraged king left the church in silence, but some time later ordered the presbyter Glycerius to be brought before the tribunal. The executioners tortured the saint terribly. When Maximian was convinced that even to think of bending Glycerius was vain, he ordered him to be burned.
In 302, on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, some twenty thousand Christians gathered at the cathedral church of Nicomedia. The emperor sent a herald to them, who threatened those gathered: if you do not leave the church and offer sacrifice to the idols, you will be burned in the church itself. In spite of this all the believers refused to worship the false gods. While the executioners were preparing to burn the church, Bishop Anthimus (commemorated 3 September), who was celebrating the service, baptised all the catechumens and gave them Communion. All twenty thousand worshippers died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila. Bishop Anthimus managed to hide.
Maximian thought he had completely wiped out the Christians of Nicomedia, but soon he learned that there were still many of them, who confessed the faith as before and were ready to die for Christ. The emperor resolved to settle accounts with them. By his order the military commander Zeno, who had publicly denounced the king’s lawlessness and cruelty, was seized, mercilessly beaten, and at last beheaded. For refusing to take part in a pagan festival the eunuch Indes too was thrown into prison.
Meanwhile Saint Domna was in a cave, in strict fasting and unceasing prayer. The persecution of the Christians went on. Dorotheus, the governor of Italy, Mardonius, the deacon Migdonius and several noblemen were arrested. Bishop Anthimus strengthened the prisoners with letters. The deacon Theophilus was seized with one of his letters, and he was terribly tortured in the hope of making him betray the bishop’s whereabouts. Theophilus endured the torments and revealed nothing. Then he was put to death. Together with Theophilus those to whom the bishop’s letter was addressed were also tortured to death.
When Saint Domna returned to the city, she wept for a long time over the burnt ruins, grieving that she had not been counted worthy to die with her sisters. Then she went to the seashore. At that time fishermen were dragging ashore in their nets the bodies of the holy Martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter. Domna, dressed as a man, helped them. The fishermen left the holy bodies with the blessed woman. She rejoiced especially at the sight of the body of her spiritual friend, the martyr Indes. Even after the burial she did not leave the precious graves, and burned incense at them every day. When the emperor was told of an unknown youth who was paying honour to the graves of executed Christians, the godless ruler ordered him to be beheaded. Together with Domna the holy Martyr Euthymius was also put to death.
