Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek Ἅγιοι Τεσσαράκοντα; Demotic: Άγιοι Σαράντα) were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII Fulminata (Armed with Lightning) whose martyrdom in the year 320 AD for the Christian faith is recounted in traditional martyrologies.
| Forty Martyrs of Sebaste | |
|---|---|
Icon of The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste | |
| Died | c. 320 Anno Domini, Sebaste (modern-day Sivas, Turkey) |
| Martyred by | Emperor Licinius |
| Means of martyrdom | Exposure |
| Venerated in |
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| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | 9 March 10 March (pre-1970 General Roman Calendar) |
| Attributes | Crown of martyrdom Martyr's palm |
| Patronage | Persecuted Christians |
They were killed near the city of Sebaste, in Lesser Armenia (present-day Sivas in Turkey), victims of the persecutions of Licinius who, after 316, persecuted the Christians of the East. The earliest account of their existence and martyrdom is given by Bishop Basil of Caesarea (370–379) in a homily he delivered on their feast day. The Feast of the Forty Martyrs is thus older than Basil himself, who eulogised them only fifty or sixty years after their deaths.