St. Artemius the Great Martyr (d. 362)

A general of Constantine the Great, who made him a patrician, and of his son Constantius, under whom he commanded in Egypt: a papyrus of 360 names Flavius Artemius as its dux. In 357 Constantius sent him to Patras for the relics of the Apostle Andrew, and his Passion adds those of Luke and Timothy, all laid in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. When Julian, who had turned back to the gods, persecuted the Church, Artemius went to him at Antioch, confessed Christ to his face and rebuked him, and in 362 he was tortured and beheaded. The deaconess Ariste carried his body to Constantinople, where his shrine became known for healing: a book of forty-five of his miracles, written down late in the seventh century, is chiefly of men cured of hernias, and he is asked for help with them still. Feast: October 20.