Saint Parthenius

Saint Parthenius (died 3rd century) was an early Christian saint and martyr from Rome of Armenian origin. He is venerated in both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. He is the patron of Galicia and included in their list of Orthodox saints.

Narrative The Martyrdom of *Calocerus, Parthenius, Victoria, Anatolia and Audax was written presumably in Picenum, probably before the late 7th c.

Parthenius and his brother Calocerus were eunuchs who served in the palace of the wife of Roman emperor Decius. They were charged with embezzlement, and with the capital crime of Christianity. Ignoring the financial accusations, Parthenius and his brother defended the Christian faith. The court took their defense as an admission of their Christianity and sentenced them to death. Parthenius was thrown into a bonfire but did not burn. In order to carry out his sentence, guards took flaming brands from the fire and beat him to death. He was buried in the catacombs under Saint Callixtus.

Relics In the 18th century, relics of St. Parthenius were moved to Vienna. In 1784, with the permission of Pope Pius VI, the relics were moved to Zhovkva in Eastern Galicia (then Austrian Empire, nowadays western Ukraine). They are now preserved in the Basilian Ukrainian Greek-Catholic monastery of Holy Jesus Heart in Zhovkva.

Memorial day

19 May