died c. 308
Brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, with Basiliscus the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, confessed Christ and suffered together at Amasea in Pontus under Diocletian.
The Holy Martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus, and Basiliscus of Amasea
Eutropius, Cleonicus, and Basiliscus were martyrs who suffered at Amasea in Pontus (Asia Minor) during the persecution under the emperor Diocletian, traditionally dated to about the year 308. The brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, together with Basiliscus, who is identified in the tradition as the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, were companions of Theodore. They are commemorated together on March 3.
According to the synaxarion, after the martyrdom of Saint Theodore the three were imprisoned, and during their confinement their preaching brought a number of the pagan prisoners held with them to the Christian faith. They were then brought before the governor and interrogated concerning their belief. The earlier governor, named Publius, is said to have died during Theodore's torture; his successor, Asclepiodotus, is described as more severe than his predecessor and presided over the questioning and torture of the three.
The account relates that the martyrs firmly confessed Christ and were severely beaten. After Eutropius and Cleonicus were crucified at Amasea on March 3, Basiliscus was kept in prison and was put to death separately on May 22 at Komana.
Eutropius, Basiliscus and Cleonicus,
bound together in unity of faith,
by their noble contest speedily destroyed the enemies’ ranks!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Let us praise Eutropius, Basiliscus and divine Cleonicus,
the three holy athletes of Christ.
They surpassed human endurance in their contests
and professed the supremacy of the Trinity.
Now they ceaselessly intercede that we all may be saved!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
The tradition places the three martyrs in the circle of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit (the Tiro), commemorated on February 17, with Basiliscus named as his nephew and all three counted among his comrades. Their imprisonment is presented as a consequence of Theodore's own martyrdom, and the synaxarion relates that during their sufferings the Lord appeared to them together with angels and with Saint Theodore to strengthen them.
The synaxarion describes a series of tortures endured by the martyrs, including beatings that bruised their bodies, boiling tar that is said to have flowed away without harming them, iron rakes, and a caustic mixture of salt and vinegar poured upon their wounds. By tradition, when the martyrs were taken to a pagan temple and ordered to sacrifice, Eutropius prayed and an earthquake occurred in which the temple walls collapsed and a statue of the goddess Artemis was destroyed, after which a voice declared that a Christian house of prayer would stand on the site.
Eutropius and Cleonicus were crucified at Amasea on March 3. Basiliscus, left in prison, was executed afterward on May 22 in the city of Komana, where he is separately commemorated.
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