Saint Arianus was a historically attested governor of Ansena in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

(or in some sources a prefect of the

Thebaid The Thebaid or Thebais ( grc-gre, Θηβαΐς, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos to Aswan. Pharaonic history The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximity to ...

) and a notable figure in the

Diocletianic persecution The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rig ...

. He is a recurring character in Coptic hagiography, wherein he often attempts to torture

Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person considered to have died because of their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at t ...

s into worshiping idols, gets frustrated with their resilience and has them beheaded. In these hagiographies he is depicted with a sadistic fondness for torture, employing various methods such as beating,

combing Combing is a method for preparing carded fibre for spinning. Combing is divided into linear and circular combing. The Noble comb is an example of circular combing. The French comb is an example of linear combing. The process of combing is acco ...

, nailing, burning, imprisoning, crucifying, and spearing Christians. It is said that, when his own musician Apollonius confessed his Christianity, Arianus ordered him to be shot with arrows. He died, but of the arrows struck Arianus’ eye and destroyed it. A Christian instructed Arianus to take some of Apollonius’ blood and smear it into his eye. He did so and immediately regained his sight, whereupon he converted to the Christian faith and repented of his severe persecution of Christianity. When Diocletian heard of it, he questioned Arianus about having forsaken paganism. Arianus told him of the miracles he had seen the martyrs perform, enraging the Emperor who had him tortured and then buried alive in a pit. An angel brought him out of the pit and led him to the Emperor's bed. When Diocletian woke up and recognised Arianus, he was terrified and had him placed in a hair sack then thrown into the sea, where he drowned. He was buried in Ansena alongside Saints Philemon and Apollonius."The Martyrdom of St. Arianus, the Governor of Ansena", St Takla
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arianus Diocletianic Persecution 305 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs 4th-century Romans Saints from Roman Egypt Egyptian torture victims

See also

References