3rd century (martyred during the persecutions of Decius and Valerian, 253–259)
A bishop who voluntarily confessed Christ during the persecutions of Decius and Valerian and was tortured and martyred.
The Holy Hieromartyr Coronatus, Bishop of Iconium (Nicomedia)
Coronatus (Greek: Kournoutos) was a third-century bishop and martyr commemorated on September 12. Sources name his see variously as Iconium and Nicomedia, and the two place-names appear interchangeably across different recensions of his commemoration.
According to the tradition recorded by the Mystagogy Resource Center, he was born and raised in Iconium and later became its bishop during the reign of the Emperor Valerian (253–259), a persecutor of Christians. He suffered for Christ during the persecutions associated with Decius and Valerian.
The OCA synaxarion relates that the governor of Iconium, Perennius, drove Christians into hiding through interrogation and persecution, and that Coronatus voluntarily came forward to confess Christ rather than waiting to be arrested. By tradition he was martyred by the sword (beheading).
By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith,
even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Coronatus, entreat Christ God to save our souls.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Both the OCA synaxarion and the OrthodoxWiki calendar for September 12 record his episcopal see under two names, Iconium and Nicomedia, treating them interchangeably. The Greek-language tradition transmitted through the Mystagogy Resource Center identifies him specifically as a native and bishop of Iconium. The dossier does not resolve which name is original; both are preserved in the surviving notices.
This Coronatus, the bishop commemorated on September 12, should not be conflated with a separate group of martyrs named Coronatus, Thyrsus, Leucius, and their companions, who are commemorated on August 17 and who suffered at Bithynian Caesarea and Apollonia under the Emperor Decius. The OrthodoxWiki Timeline of Saints lists these as distinct commemorations.
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