The Leontine Martyrs were a group of people who were killed after a long period of captivity in Persia. They were executed by the order of King

Yazdegerd II Yazdegerd II (also spelled Yazdgerd and Yazdgird; pal, 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩), was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 438 to 457. He was the successor and son of Bahram V (). His reign was marked by wars against the Eastern Roman ...

in 455, five years after the insurrection led by

Vartan Mamikonian Vardan Mamikonian ( hy, Վարդան Մամիկոնեան; – 451) was an Armenian military leader who led a rebellion against Sasanian Iran in 450–451. He was the head of the Mamikonian noble family and holder of the hereditary title of , ...

. The group is named after Leontius of Vanand (In Armenian Սուրբ Ղևոնդ, pronounced "Surb Ghevond"), the most senior of the religious group.

Martyrs

Leontius of Vanand

A high level priest also known as St. Ghevond (in Armenian Սուրբ Ղևոնդ)

Joseph I of Armenia

Joseph I of Armenia or St. Hovsep I (in Armenian Սբ. Հովսեփ Ա Հողոցմեցի), catholicos of Armenia (437–452)

Sahak of Syunik Rshtuni

Sahak of Syunik Rshtuni (in Armenian Սահակ եպս. Ռշտունյաց) - a bishop

Tatik of Basen

Tatik of Basen (in Armenian Բասենյաց Թաթիկ եպիսկոպոս) - a bishop

Mushegh

Mushe or Mushegh (in Armenian Մուշեղ քահանայ) - A priest

Arshen

Arshen (in Armenian Արշեն երեց) - a priest

Samuel

Samuel (in Armenian Սամուէլ քահանայ) - a priest Plus a number of deacons

Survivors

Abraham of Arazd

Abraham of Arazd was an

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

n priest and a disciple of the Leontine martyrs. Like his teachers, he was subjected to prolonged

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

, but unlike them, was eventually set free. He afterward left society to become a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

, remaining one until his death in the 5th century. He is regarded as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

by the

Armenian Church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

, with a

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

of December 20.

Veneration

St. Ghevond the Priest and His Companions are commemorated as

s in the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

. The day of the Feast of St. Ghevond the Priest and His Companions is July 31. It is also considered the day of the clergy in the Armenian Church and their office is celebrated on the Tuesday after the western

Sexagesima Sexagesima , or, in full, Sexagesima Sunday, is the name for the second Sunday before Ash Wednesday in the pre-1970 Roman Rite liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, and also in that of some Protestant denominations, particularly those with L ...

, as they are regarded as the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

s of the Armenian clergy.

References

Year of birth missing 455 deaths Armenian saints Deacons Martyred groups Lists of saints 5th-century Christian saints Saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church People executed by the Sasanian Empire Armenian people from the Sasanian Empire {{Armenia-reli-bio-stub