Wednesday, 7 October 2026

Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus in Syria

Wednesday of the 19th week after Pentecost

178 days after Pascha · Tone 1 · Black squigg (6-stich typikon symbol) · Fast

Saints commemorated

Holy Martyr Osyth, Abbess of Chich

Saint Osyth (Osgyth) was an Anglo-Saxon princess of the seventh century, daughter of Frithuwald, sub-king of Mercia in Surrey, and his wife Wilburh, who was of the royal house of Mercia. She was raised in the care of her devout aunts, Saint Edith of Aylesbury and Edburga of Bicester, and from childhood desired to consecrate her virginity to Christ in monastic life. Her family, however, judged her too valuable for political alliance and gave her in marriage to Sighere, King of the East Saxons. Tradition tells that on the day of the wedding feast a magnificent white stag appeared and Sighere went after it; in his absence Osyth went to two passing bishops and received from them the veil. When her husband returned and saw what had happened he gave way to her vocation and granted her a portion of land at Chich on the Essex coast near Colchester, where she built a monastery and ruled as its first abbess. About the year 700 the place was attacked by sea-borne raiders, and Osyth was beheaded for refusing to deny Christ. Her cult flourished in medieval England, and the village in Essex still bears her name.

Holy Martyr Polychronius the Presbyter

Saint Polychronius was born in the district of Gamphanitus in the early fourth century, the son of pious country folk who raised him in the love of God and a life of honest labour. As a young man he made his way to Constantinople and took employment as a day-labourer in the vineyard of a wealthy citizen, where he combined the toil of the day with severe ascetic practice, eating only bread and water, sleeping little and giving over the night to prayer. His master, marvelling at his bearing, more than doubled his wages, and Polychronius used the money to build a small church. About the time of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 he became a reader, and on account of his zeal for Orthodoxy and his learned defence of the homoousios against the Arians he was ordained presbyter. He continued to oppose the heresy with all his strength. While celebrating the Divine Liturgy at the holy altar a band of armed Arians broke into the church, struck him down where he stood and crowned him with the death of a martyr.

Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus

“These holy and wonderful martyrs and heroes of the Christian faith were at first nobles at the court of the Emperor Maximian. The Emperor himself valued them greatly for their courage, wisdom and zeal, but, when he heard that these great nobles of his were Christians, his love for them turned to fury. And once, when there was a great offering of sacrifices to idols, the Emperor summoned Sergius and Bacchus to offer sacrifice together with him, and they openly refused to obey him in this. Beside himself with anger, the Emperor ordered that their robes, rings and marks of eminence be stripped from them and they be dressed in women’s clothing. He then put iron yokes on their necks and led them thus through the streets of Rome, to be mocked by each and all. The Emperor then sent them to Asia, to Antiochus the governor, for torture. Antiochus had achieved his distinguished rank with the help of Sergius and Bacchus, who had at one time recommended him to the Emperor. When Antiochus began to urge them to deny Christ and save themselves from dishonourable suffering and death, the two saints replied: ‘Both honour and dishonour, both life and death — all are one to him who seeks the heavenly Kingdom.’ Antiochus threw Sergius into prison and ordered that Bacchus be tortured first. The servants took turns beating holy Bacchus until his whole body was broken into fragments. His holy spirit went forth from his broken and bloodstained body and was borne to the Lord by angels. St Bacchus suffered in the town of Varvallis. Then holy Sergius was led out. Iron shoes studded with nails were put on his feet, and he was driven out into the Syrian town of Resapha, and there beheaded with the sword. His soul went to Paradise where, together with his friend Bacchus, he received the wreath of immortal glory from Christ his King and Lord. These two glorious knights suffered for the Christian faith in about 303.” (Prologue) The Great Horologion gives 296 as the date of their repose. One of the most beautiful churches in Constantinople, still standing, is dedicated to Sts Sergius and Bacchus.

Venerable Sergius, Abbot of Nurma

1412

Saint Sergius of Nurma was a Greek by birth who in the fourteenth century left Mount Athos to come to Russia in search of holy men of his own age. He came to Saint Sergius of Radonezh and, although already an experienced elder, he placed himself under his obedience for several years, learning from the great wonderworker the discipline of cenobitic life and the inner work of unceasing prayer. With his teacher's blessing he then withdrew north into the wilderness of the Vologda region, settling beside the Nurma River, a tributary of the Obnora, where he built a hermit's cell and a small wooden chapel. Twice he was attacked by robbers; the first time he was beaten almost to death, but the second time the band fled at the sight of an angel standing beside him. Disciples gathered around him, and when their number reached forty he organised them into a coenobium, building a larger church dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord. He governed the community in the spirit of his master and was granted the gifts of clairvoyance and healing. He reposed in 1412 and is honoured as one of the great northern lights of Russian monasticism.

Holy Hieromartyr Polychronius

4th c.

The son of peasants, he was known from his childhood for his piety and asceticism. Once, by his prayers, a spring of water sprang up near his village, where it was needed for the town’s survival. When he came of age, Polychronius went to work in some vineyards near Constantinople. Even though he labored all day, he would eat only every two or three days. The master of the vineyard, seeing his strict and prayerful way of life, gave him a large sum of money and said ‘Man of God, go home and pray for me.’ With the money, Polychronius built a church, settled near it, and a few years later was ordained to be a priest in the church he had built. Polychronius appeared at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 as a fervent defender of Orthodoxy. Because of this, some Arian heretics determined to take revenge. One day, after the death of the Emperor Constantine, the Arians attacked Polychronius at the altar as he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, thus mingling his blood with the very blood of the Savior.

The Ninety-nine Fathers of Crete

Saint John the Hermit and thirty-five companions lived in Egypt, but took ship as a group for Cyprus in order to practice ascesis in exile. At Cyprus they met a party of thirty-nine others who also sought to live the ascetic life more fully, and the two groups joined. “In order that these ascetics, too, might taste of the graces of voluntary exile” (Synaxarion), they travelled to Attalia in Pamphylia. There, twenty-four more monks joined them, so that their company now numbered ninety-nine. (This number was ordained by God, so that Christ Himself, their Head, would complete their number at one hundred.) After some time they took ship again for Crete, where they lived in two caves in a remote, deserted area, living only on the plants that grew wild there. Saint John sought his brothers’ blessing to live as a hermit. On the day of his departure they prayed that they all might repose on the day of John’s death, and enter together into the Kingdom of God. John’s asceticism was so severe that after awhile he could no longer walk, but crawled from his cave to gather the small quantities of food he allowed himself. A shepherd, seeing him from a distance, thought that he was some animal, and shot him with an arrow. Finding the dying John, the shepherd was stricken with horror and grief, and threw himself at the hermit’s feet, begging forgiveness. The saint only lived long enough to give the young man his pardon and blessing before surrendering his soul to God. The prayer of his ninety-eight brethren was mysteriously granted: between the third and seventh hour of that day, they all, one after another, fell asleep in peace.

Daily readings

Epistle

weekly cycle

Philippians — Philippians 1.12-20

¹²But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; ¹³So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; ¹⁴And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. ¹⁵Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: ¹⁶The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: ¹⁷But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. ¹⁸What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. ¹⁹For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ²⁰According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

Gospel

weekly cycle

Luke — Luke 6.46-7.1

⁴⁶And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? ⁴⁷Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: ⁴⁸He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. ⁴⁹But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

¹Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.