Hieromartyr3rd century

Martyr Myron of Cyzicus

3rd century; died 250

Also known as Myron the Presbyter

A gentle and courageous priest of Achaia who defended his flock during the persecution of Decius and was arrested during worship and martyred in 250.

August 17New Calendar
Feast Day
August 30Old Calendar
Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus

Life

Myron was a presbyter in the region of Achaia in southern Greece during the third century, remembered as a gentle and courageous priest who defended his congregation during the persecution of the Roman emperor Decius.

According to his commemoration, he was seized during Christian worship and, after advocating for his suffering flock, was tortured and beheaded in the year 250. The Church commemorates him on August 17. On the Orthodox Church in America's calendar he is listed as Martyr Myron the Presbyter of Cyzicus, the metropolitan see of the Roman province of Hellespontus.

Troparion & Kontakion2 hymnsReadHide
TroparionTone 4

Your holy martyr, Myron, O Lord,
through his suffering has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God.
For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through his intercessions, save our souls!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 2

From childhood you longed for Christ, all-glorious one,
keeping His divine commandments and running to Him with all your being, all-honored Myron.
Now you zealously pray with the angels,
asking remission of sins
for those who celebrate your memory.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline3 momentsReadHide
  1. Late 249Decian edict of sacrificeThe emperor Decius issued an edict requiring all inhabitants of the empire to sacrifice for its welfare, exposing Christians who refused to torture and execution.
  2. 250Arrest and martyrdomMyron, a presbyter in Achaia, was seized during Christian worship; after defending his flock he was tortured and beheaded. He is commemorated on August 17.
  3. 251End of the persecutionThe Decian persecution eased following the emperor's death after roughly eighteen months.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Life and Ministry

Myron served as a presbyter in Achaia, the Roman province encompassing southern Greece, where a Christian community had existed since the apostolic preaching of Paul in the mid-first century. He is remembered for his gentle character and his spiritual devotion to his congregation, who in turn deeply respected him.

By the account preserved at the Mystagogy Resource Center, a local governor named Antipater arrested worshippers during a celebration of the Nativity. When Myron spoke out in defense of his suffering flock, he was subjected to torture while the church building was destroyed. The OCA Synaxarion likewise records that he was arrested during worship and martyred. The sources present his defense of his spiritual children as an act of both kindness and spiritual fortitude under persecution.

Martyrdom

Myron suffered martyrdom in the year 250, during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Decius. According to the narrative account, he was beheaded with a sharp sword on the seventeenth day of the month, the date on which his feast is kept.

Decius had issued an edict in late 249 requiring all inhabitants of the empire to make sacrifices for its welfare, with those who refused by a specified date facing torture and execution. The persecution, which also claimed prominent Christians elsewhere — Pope Fabian was put to death in 250 — lasted roughly eighteen months and eased after Decius died in 251.

Relics & Shrines

No information about the saint's relics or shrines is preserved in the available sources.

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints