The Hieromartyr Januarius and others with Him (305)
This saint was the Bishop of Benevento in Italy. At the time of the persecution under Maximian, Januarius was brought before the court and tortured in various ways, which he blamelessly and patiently endured. When they cast him into the fire, the fire was cooled by an invisible dew, and the martyr stood unharmed amidst the flames, singing praises to God. Then they scraped his body with iron brushes until the bones showed white, which the martyr innocently and patiently endured. His deacon, Festus, and his reader, Desiderius, witnessed the suffering of the martyrand wept for their spiritual father. Then they too were bound and, together with Bishop Januarius, were brought to the city of Pozzuoli [near Naples] and cast into prison. The Pozzuoli deacons Proculus and Sussos and two Christian laymen, Eutychius and Acutius, were in this same prison for the sake of Christ. The next day all seven of them were thrown to wild beasts, but the wild beasts did not touch them. They were all beheaded, and the Christians of the city of Naples secretly carried the body of St. Januarius to their city and buried it honorably in church. To the present day numerous miracles have occurred at the grave of this saint. Among the many miracles one is particularly remembered: A poor widow, whose only son had died, removed the icon of St. Januarius from the church and placed it on the body of her dead son, sobbing and praying to the saint, and her son returned to life. St. Januarius suffered honorably in the year 305.
