A collection of the archive

Martyrs of the Decian Persecution, AD 249–251

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The first persecution that reached everyone: an edict requiring every inhabitant of the empire to sacrifice and obtain a certificate proving it.

28 figures, AD 249 to 251

Decius did not set out to kill Christians so much as to make them disappear administratively, and it very nearly worked. Bishops died — Fabian of Rome in the first weeks — but the lasting damage was the mass of the lapsed: those who sacrificed, or bought a certificate saying they had. The question of whether to readmit them dominated the church for the next decade and produced the Novatianist schism.

Dated by year of death between 249 and 251. Those who lapsed and were later reconciled are in the archive but not on this page; several have entries that record exactly what they did.

Who were the martyrs of the Decian persecution?

  1. 1 Apollonia of Alexandria d. 249 Aged deaconess · Martyr of Alexandria
  2. 2 Metras of Alexandria d. 249 Elderly martyr of Alexandria
  3. 3 Quinta of Alexandria d. 249 Martyr of Alexandria
  4. 4 Serapion of Alexandria d. 249 Martyr of Alexandria
  5. 5 Alexander the Martyr of Alexandria d. AD 250 (burned) Confessor in long imprisonment · Martyr
  6. 6 Ammon the Soldier d. AD 250 (martyr) Soldier of the tribunal guard · Martyr
  7. 7 Ammonarium d. AD 250 (killed by the sword) Holy virgin · Martyr
  8. 8 Ater d. AD 250 (burned) Egyptian layman · Martyr
  9. 9 Besas d. AD 250 (beheaded) Soldier of the guard · Martyr
  10. 10 Cronion Eunus d. AD 250 (burned) Bearer of Julian · Martyr
  11. 11 Denis of Paris d. c. AD 250 (martyr) First bishop of Paris · Martyr
  12. 12 Dionysia of Alexandria d. AD 250 (killed by the sword) Mother of many children · Martyr
  13. 13 Epimachus of Alexandria d. AD 250 (burned) Confessor in long imprisonment · Martyr
  14. 14 Fabian of Rome d. 20 January 250 Bishop of Rome · Martyr of the Decian persecution
  15. 15 Heron the Martyr of Alexandria d. AD 250 (burned) Egyptian layman · Martyr
  16. 16 Ingenes the Soldier d. AD 250 (martyr) Soldier of the tribunal guard · Martyr
  17. 17 Ischyrion of Alexandria d. AD 250 (impaled) Steward · Martyr of the Decian persecution
  18. 18 Isidorus of Alexandria d. AD 250 (burned) Egyptian layman · Martyr
  19. 19 Julian the Confessor d. AD 250 (burned) Gout-stricken layman · Martyr
  20. 20 Macar the Libyan d. AD 250 (burned alive) Libyan layman · Martyr
  21. 21 Mercuria d. AD 250 (killed by the sword) Aged woman · Martyr
  22. 22 Nemesion d. AD 250 (burned) Egyptian layman · Martyr of the double charge
  23. 23 Pionius of Smyrna d. c. 250 Presbyter of Smyrna · Martyr of the Decian persecution
  24. 24 Ptolemy the Soldier d. AD 250 (martyr) Soldier of the tribunal guard · Martyr
  25. 25 Theophilus the Veteran d. AD 250 (martyr) Aged soldier of the tribunal guard · Martyr
  26. 26 Zeno the Soldier d. AD 250 (martyr) Soldier of the tribunal guard · Martyr
  27. 27 Alexander of Jerusalem d. c. 251 AD (in prison at Caesarea, Decian persecution) Bishop of Jerusalem · Founder of the Jerusalem library · Martyr
  28. 28 Saint Agatha d. c. AD 251 (martyr) Sicilian virgin-martyr

Every name links to its profile: the dates, the office, and every primary source that carries the name. 25 of these 28 have no Wikipedia article — for them this archive may be the fullest sourced record online.

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