Martyrs
Martyrs Marcian and Martyrius the Notaries
Saints Marcian and Martyrius served as notaries and secretaries to Saint Paul the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople. Educated men, they used their learning in the service of the Church and defended the Orthodox confession during the fourth-century Arian controversy.
Core account checked against Orthodox Synaxarion (Greek). Additional ecclesiastical references appear below.
Life and Witness
Servants of the Church
Saints Marcian and Martyrius served as notaries and secretaries to Saint Paul the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople. Educated men, they used their learning in the service of the Church and defended the Orthodox confession during the fourth-century Arian controversy.
Faithful after Exile
When Paul refused to accept Arian teaching, he was exiled to Armenia, where he was killed. His two faithful assistants continued to confess the faith they had received. Neither the loss of their shepherd nor the pressure of imperial authority persuaded them to abandon it.
Their Martyrdom
The Greek Synaxarion recounts that Marcian and Martyrius were arrested and openly confessed their belief in Christ. They were condemned to death and killed by the sword. Their common feast on October 25 remembers two servants whose loyalty to the truth endured beyond their daily work of writing and administration.
Biographical information on this page is based exclusively on the Orthodox ecclesiastical sources listed below.
Orthodox Synaxarion (Greek)