Saint Acacius ( el, Ἅγιος Ἀκάκιος Σεβαστείας; died 304) was a 4th-century
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
who lived in
Sebaste,
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 ' ...
, during 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 ...
. Under the governor Maximus (284–305) seven women and two children were brought to justice in Sebaste.
Monks of Ramsgate. “Hirenarchus, Acacius and Others”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 September 2013
/ref> The women were accused of having tempted their husbands to become Christians. They did not lose their dignity even under the harsh torture. One of the executioners, Irenarchus, was so impressed by their attitude to their faith that he joined them. It was the priest Acacius who administered the baptism of Irenarchus. All of them suffered of torture and were killed by the sword or the stake.[
This Acacius should not be confused with the soldier Acacius, one of the ]Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste or the Holy Forty (Ancient/Katharevousa Greek ''Ἅγιοι Τεσσεράκοντα''; Demotic: ''Άγιοι Σαράντα'') were a group of Roman soldiers in the Legio XII ''Fulminata'' (Armed with Lightning) w ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acacius
3rd-century births
4th-century deaths
4th-century Christian clergy
Armenian saints
4th-century Christian saints
People from Sivas
Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian