Andronicus, Probus (Provos), and Tarachus (Tharacus, Tarachos) were martyrs of the

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

persecution (about 304 AD). According to tradition, Tarachus was beaten with stones. Probus was thrashed with

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

s, his back and sides were pierced with heated

spits ''Spits'' (; en, Peak/Rush Hour; stylized as ''Sp!ts'') was a tabloid format newspaper freely distributed in trains, trams and buses in the Netherlands from 1999 to 2014. Its competitor was ''Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: ...

; finally he also was cut up with knives. Andronicus was also cut to pieces with knives.

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According to the ''Acts'', Tarachus (ca. 239- 304), a Roman who was a native of Claudiopolis in

Isauria Isauria ( or ; grc, Ἰσαυρία), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated, district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surrou ...

and a former soldier,"Martyrs Probus, Tarachus, and Andronicus, at Tarsus in Cilicia", Orthodox Church in America
/ref> the plebeian Probus of Side in Pamphylia, and the patrician Andronicus, who belonged to a prominent family of

Ephesus Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...

, were tried by the governor Numerian Maximus and horribly tortured three times in various cities, including Tarsus, Mopsuestia, and

Anazarbus Anazarbus ( grc, Ἀναζαρβός, medieval Ain Zarba; modern Anavarza; ar, عَيْنُ زَرْبَة) was an ancient Cilician city. Under the late Roman Empire, it was the capital of Cilicia Secunda. Roman emperor Justinian I rebuilt ...

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...

.Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Sts. Tarachus, Probus, and Andronicus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 16 April 2020 According to tradition, Tarachus was beaten with stones. Probus was thrashed with

s, his feet were burned with red hot irons, his back and sides were pierced with heated

; finally he also was cut up with knives. Andronicus was also cut to pieces with knives. They were then condemned to death by wild beasts, and when the animals would not touch them in the amphitheatre they were put to death with the sword. Three men, named Marcian, Felix, and Verus, witnessed their martyrdom and added an epilogue to the saints' ''Acts''. They retrieved the bodies of the three saints, buried them, and watched over them the rest of their lives, requesting that they be buried in the same vault as the martyrs at the end of theirs.Butler, Alban. "SS. Tarachus, Probus, and Andronicus, Martyrs", ''The Lives of the Saints''. 1866
/ref> There are two accounts of their martyrdom, the first account being held by Thierry Ruinart to be entirely authentic. Harnack, however, expressed doubts as to the genuineness of the account, and Hippolyte Delehaye puts the martyrdom in the class of legends of martyrs that he calls "historical romances". Their feast is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on October 11, and in the Greek Orthodox Church on October 12.

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Provos, Andronicus, and Tarachos

Lives of the Saints
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andronicus, Probus, And Tarachus 239 births 304 deaths Saints from Roman Anatolia Saints trios Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era 4th-century Christian martyrs 3rd-century Romans 4th-century Romans

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