St. Sergius and St. Bacchus

St. Sergius and St. Bacchus

May 3rd is the commemoration of the dukhrono of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus +303 according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church.Mor Sergius & Mor Bacchus were officers in the Roman army on the border of Syria, & they were close companions. The two were very close to Roman Emperor Maximian. Tradition states that Sergius & Bacchus were not willing to worship the Roman deity Jupiter for they were Christians. As punishment, they were dressed in female attire & paraded around the city in humiliation. They were then sent to Barbalissos(Beit Bales) where the military commander Antiochus was a friend of Sergius. There the pair was inflicted with great torture but they wouldn't renounce their faith. After Bacchus died from the extreme torture, Antiochus ordered his body thrown into the river. Thus Mor Bacchus attained the crown of martyrdom.Sergius was greatly disheartened, but later that night, Bacchus appeared to him in a dream, telling Sergius to remain steadfast in the faith. Antiochus continued to torture Sergius, driving nails into his feet, tied him up to a horse & ordered him to be dragged to the town of Resafa. There, even after continuous torture, Sergius would not renounce his faith in Christ. He was eventually beheaded. Thus Mor Sergius attained the crown of martyrdom.St. Sergius & St. Bacchus were very popular throughout Late Antiquity. The close friendship between the saints is strongly emphasized in their hagiographies & traditions, making them one of the most famous examples of paired saints. Churches in their honor were built in several cities. In AD431 Bishop Alexander of Hierapolis renovated the church which was built over the tomb of Sergius. The church at Resafa & the tomb are now famous pilgrim centres. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I renamed Resafa as Sergiopolis. Justinian built churches in the name of Sergius at Constantinople & Palestine. The Syriac Orthodox Church had a monastery in Azerbaijan dedicated to their honour. Biography courtesy of, 'Martyrs, Saints and Prelates of the Syriac Orthodox Church' Oh Mor Sergius & Mor Bacchus! Plead for us before God's throne of grace. Amen.Jacob of Serugh's metrical homily on Sargis and Bakhos: https://bit.ly/SergiusBacchusHomilybyJacobhttps://urhotheway.com/2020/10/09/sergius-and-bacchus/BL14504