Sergius and Bacchus


Sergius and Bacchus
Detail of a 7th-century icon of Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Martyrs
Died4th century
Bacchus in Syria; Sergius at Resafa, Syria
Venerated inChurch of the East
Eastern Orthodox Church
Catholic Church
Oriental Orthodox Church
Major shrineBasilica of St. Sergius, Rasafa
Feast7 October
AttributesRoman soldiers bearing palm branches[1]
PatronageArabs,[2] Arab Christians,[3] Ghassanids,[2] Syria, army, soldiers

Sergius (or Serge[4][5]) and Bacchus (Greek: Σέργιος & Βάκχος; Classical Syriac: ܣܪܓܝܤ ܘܒܟܘܤ, romanized: Sargīs wa Bākūs; Arabic: سركيس و باخوس, romanizedSarkīs wa Bākhūs, also called Arabic: سرجيس و باكوس, romanizedSarjīs wa Bākūs)[6] were fourth-century Syrian Christian soldiers revered as martyrs and military saints by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches. Their feast day is 7 October.

According to their hagiography, Sergius and Bacchus were military officers in the army of the Roman Emperor Galerius and were held high in his favor until they were exposed as secret Christians. They were then severely humiliated and punished, forced to wear both feminine and commoner garments, with Bacchus dying during torture to his feet, and Sergius eventually decapitated.

Sergius and Bacchus were very popular throughout Late Antiquity for their fraternal and pious relationship, and churches in their honor were built in several cities, including Constantinople and Rome. The close friendship between the two is strongly emphasized in their hagiographies and traditions, making them one of the most famous examples of paired Christian saints.

  1. ^ Husenbeth, Frederick Charles. Emblems of Saints: By which They are Distinguished in Works of Art, Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1860, p. 149
  2. ^ a b Shahîd, Irfan (1995). Byzantium and the Arabs in the Sixth Century. Dumbarton Oaks. p. 202. ISBN 9780884022848.
  3. ^ الشهيدان سركيس وباخوس Archived 2017-09-15 at the Wayback Machine، مطرانية حلب للسريان الأرثوذكس، 30 نوفمبر 2011.
  4. ^ Palmer Monk And Mason On The Tigris Frontier.
  5. ^ https://ia801506.us.archive.org/21/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.13564/2015.13564.History-Of-The-Arabs_text.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  6. ^ "القدّيسان سرجيوس وباخوس العظيمان في الشهداء". Antioch. Retrieved 2023-09-16.