Saint Cyriacus, deacon, and his companions

However, Thrason, a Roman lord to whom God had given great wealth, learning of the cruelties exercised against the Saints and the scarcity of all things they suffered, sent them from time to time the means to find relief in their misery; he used for this purpose Saint Sisinnius, Saint Cyriacus , Saint Largus saint Cyriaque Roman deacon and principal martyr of the narrative. , and Saint Smar saint Large Martyr companion of Saint Cyriacus. agdus, who brought th saint Smaragde Martyr companion of Saint Cyriacus. em alms at the risk of their lives, and also used this opportunity to encourage them to persevere and to strengthen them against the discouragements of nature and the temptations of the devil. The Pope, who according to Baronius was Saint Marcelli nus, although t saint Marcellin Pope contemporary to the beginning of the episcopate of Nectarius. he Acts say Saint Marcellus, being informed of what was happening, recognized the merit of the first two by raising them to the order of deacon. Shortly after, all four were surprised as they were carrying provisions on their shoulders to the blessed confessors, and they were themselves condemned to work at the Baths with those they had intended to relieve. These excellent Christians felt no sorrow; they willingly took up the hod to carry sand, they joyfully pulled the cart to haul stones, and their zeal was so great that, not content with their own task, if they saw another Christian overwhelmed by the weight of his burden, they ran to help him and did part of his work. This is what they did for an old man named Saturninus, who was succumbing under the weight of the labors he was ordered to perform. The officers who presided over the construction, admiring this action and seeing that these Saints, in their greatest exhaustion, did not cease to sing with gladness canticles and hymns in honor of God, gave notice of it to Maximian. But this barbarian prince, far from being moved by any compassion for them, ordered that they be put in a dungeon and that their trial be held as soon as possible. This is not the place to speak of Saint Sisinnius, who was soon after beheaded with the old man Saturninus, whom he had relieved in the rigor of the work on this magnificent edifice.

As for Saint Cyriacus, he remained in prison for a longer time: there he healed the blind and several other sick people who had recourse to him to obtain health through his prayers. However, God, wishing to glorify him on earth before consecrating him by the sword of martyrdom, permitted that Artemia, daughter of the Emperor Diocletian, be seized by a furious demon who tormented her most cruelly. Crying out loudly, she said that she could only be delivered by the means of C yriacus, a deacon of the Christian Chur Cyriaque, diacre de l'Église chrétienne Roman deacon and principal martyr of the narrative. ch. Diocletian, who loved her tenderly, then forgot his natural ferocity and his rage against the Christians, and sent to have Saint Cyriacus taken from prison, along with Largus and Smaragdus, his companions, who were locked up with him. Having come to the princess, he commanded the demon to depart from her body. It departed, and Artemia believed in the most holy Trinity, following the pious exhortations of Saint Serena, her mother, who was a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. Diocletian, to show his gratitude to Saint Cyriacus, gave him a h ouse Rome Birthplace of Maximian. in Rome, where he permitted him to dwell in complete safety.

Some time later, the dau ghter of the King of Persia, named fille du roi de Perse, nommée Jobie Daughter of the King of Persia healed by Cyriacus. Jobie, being also possessed by a demon, cried out like Artemia that she could be delivered by none other than the deacon Cyriacus who was in Rome. This king sent an ambassador to Rome to Diocletian himself, to beg him to send Cyriacus to him. Diocletian asked his wife Serena to persuade the deacon to make this journey. Cyriacus undertook it joyfully with Largus and Smaragdus, his blessed companions. He traveled part of the way by sea, the rest on foot and staff in hand, continually singing the praises of God, and imploring His help and blessing. When he had arrived, the king threw himself at his feet and begged him to have pity on his daughter. Cyriacus promised to deliver her; and, indeed, having adjured the demon by the formidable name of Jesus Christ, he forced him to leave her body and leave her in freedom; which was the cause of her conversion, that of the king, her father, and of four hundred infidels, who received baptism at the hands of the blessed Deacon. This prince wished to acknowledge such a great benefit with rich gifts; but none of these three Saints would accept anything, and they told him that it was a maxim of Christians to give freely what they had received freely, and not to sell the gifts of God. Their expenses were also very minimal, since they ate only bread and drank only water.

Forty-five days later, they re-embarked and returned to Rome, with letters of thanks that the Persian wrote to the emperor. The emperor allowed them to live in peace for a while longer. But when he had left Rome to visit the provinces of his empire, Maximian, not for Maximien Roman co-emperor, instigator of the persecution. getting that they had assisted the Christians during the construction of the Baths, had them arrested as prisoners once again. Carpas ius, vicar of Rome, was Carpase, vicaire de Rome Vicar of Rome who presided over the trial and tortures. charged with examining them, leading them to the worship of the gods, and, in case of refusal, concluding their trial and having them put to death. Never was a refusal more constant and more generous. All three protested that they knew no other divinity than that of Jesus Christ, and that they would die for such a holy and glorious confession. Carpasius ordered the executioners to pour molten and boiling pitch over the head of Cyriacus. The Saint suffered this torment with heroic patience: he was also stretched on the rack and broken with blows from clubs; in the midst of these tortures, he said: "Glory to you, Jesus, my sovereign Lord; have pity on me, who am but a most unworthy sinner." Finally, by an order of Maximian, he was beheaded with his companions Largus and Smaragdus, and twenty other confessors who became, through this torment, most illustrious Martyrs. This execution was carried out outside the city walls, on the Via Salaria, in a place called the Baths of Sallust. The holy bodies were transferred by Saint Marcellinus, Pope, to the field of Lucina on the Via Ostiensis: this occurred on August 8th; thus, the feast of our three saints is celebrated on this day.

The Roman Martyrology makes a very honorable mention of them, and notes that their bodies have since been transferred into the city and deposited with honor in the diaconia of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in via Lata.

In 1049, Pope Leo IX granted the arm of Saint Cyriacus to the Abbey of Altorf in Alsace. l'abbaye d'Altorf en Alsace Alsatian abbey that received a relic of Cyriacus in the 11th century. It is from this that the abbey bears the name of Saint-Cyriacus in ancient titles. The arm of the holy martyr is still honored today in the abbey church.

Acta Sanctorum and Godescard.