Martyrs Trophimus, Theophilus, and Companions

Trophimus and Theophilus, with thirteen companions whose names the synaxarion does not entirely preserve, were Christians of the province of Lycia in southwestern Asia Minor during the persecution of Diocletian. They were arrested in their own towns under the imperial edict of 303 — which required every subject of the empire to offer sacrifice to the gods on pain of death — and brought together to the local governor for examination.

The governor, hoping to make examples of them as a warning to the surrounding population, ordered them tortured publicly with peculiar cruelty: the bones of their hands and feet were broken so that they could not walk, and they were dragged behind horses through the streets of the city before being thrown into prison. There they remained for many days without food or water, repeatedly questioned and offered freedom in exchange for sacrifice; all fifteen held firm.

On the day appointed for their execution they were brought out together and beheaded with the sword. Their relics were honored at the place of their suffering and translated in part to Constantinople in later centuries. Their feast is kept together on July 23.