Today we celebrate the Holy Great Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus. Saints Sergius and Bacchus were appointed to high military positions in the Roman Emperor Maximian's army in Syria. Envious people reported the saints to Maximian as Christians, which was considered a crime at the time. The emperor ordered them to sacrifice to the idols, which they adamantly refused to do. He stripped them off their military insignia, dressed them in feminine clothes, and paraded them in chains in the streets as a form of mockery. The emperor again asked them to forsake their faith, which they once again refused. He then sent them to the Emperor Antiochus, a fierce persecutor of Christians, however he received his position from the help of these saints. He implored them to deny their faith, but the saints remained steadfast. The Emperor Antiochus beat the holy Bacchus to death and sent off the venerable Sergius, after having been tortured, to another city to be beheaded. May the Great Martyrs intercede for us always + #saint #saints #sergius #bacchus #sergiusandbacchus #greatmartyr #greatmartyrs #martyr #martyrs #syria #emperor #roman #romanemperor #maximian #antiochus #faith #orthodox #saintoftheday (at Al-Rusafa, Syria) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjYsPi2rNt_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=