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| Saints Sergius and Bacchos. Byzantine icon, Monastery of Saint Catherine, Sinai. |
Saints Sergius and Bacchus, were officers of high rank in the
"Schola Gentilium" which was an equestrian body of men from all
races. Sergius was one of the commanding officers of that equestrian body, and
Bacchus was his second in command. According to their official functions and to
their direct relation with the Emperor whose trust they had gained, these two
young officers of high rank enjoyed great influence at the palace, and their
prestige was felt in all the Orient, so much so that Antiochus, the commanding
officer had been appointed to his post thanks to the influence of Saint
Sergius.
We do not know whether Saints Sergius and Bacchus were born
Christians; but it is certain that they were so when they commanded that
equestrian body. They had news about the martyrs, and listened to their stories
with emotion. They may have seen martyrs being tormented, condemned and put to
death; and it is possible that some of these military martyrs were their
comrades.
It is certain that there were many jealous fanatic pagans, or weak
people paid by the authorities, who were ready to denounce the Christians to
their persecutors. The Emperor learned that his devoted friends, these faithful
military chiefs, these noble figures so familiar to him, whom he fully trusted,
were Christians.
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| Sergios and Vachos, by Theophanis the Cretan (1545). Monastery of Dionysiou Mount Athos. |
Maximin-Daia became furious, and ordered that there should be taken
off immediately from them the insignia of their dignity as officers of high
rank, their golden collars, and their girdles. He dressed them in women's
clothes and ordered that they should be mocked by being taken in parade through
the whole city in this attire, with heavy iron chains around their necks. They
suffered this humiliation joyously, blessing God.
Having failed to convince Saint Sergius and Saint Bacchus by means
of threats, or promises, Maximin-Daia sent them to Antiochus who was in command
of the region of the Euphrate River (Euphratesia). Saint Sergius had been his
chief and had obtained for him his rank of commanding-officer thanks to his
influence with the Emperor.
Maximin-Daia intended in this way to avoid personally the
unpleasant task of dealing severely with faithful friends. He wished also to
humiliate them the more, by forcing them to appear in front of the court of one
of their subordinates, the more so, because the latter was known for his
cruelty throughout the Empire. He hoped also to shake their firmness by means
of the fatigue of the way and by the insults which they would receive on their
long journey from Nicomedia to Sura where Antiochus resided. The total distance which they had to travel was about a thousand
kilometers. The way was rugged, the nature was hostile, and often the traveler
would meet with wild beasts. We can imagine the clamorous procession of the two
officers of that equestrian body, in chains, stripped of their insignia, driven
along by soldiers to be judged, bearing patiently all the vicissitudes of their
long journey, and blessing God, without paying any heed to all the insults and
all the fatigues which they endured joyfully for the love of our Lord
Jesus-Christ.
When they arrived, Antiochus threw them at first into prison, then
on the following day he made them appear before him. He tried by every means to
make them sacrifice to the idols, but they refused categorically. Antiochus
then condemned Saint Bacchus to be scourged by four tormentors, and he was so
severely scourged that he died from this torment at Sura.
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| Saints Sergius and Bacchus' martyrdom, Menologion of Basil II. 12 century. |
His body was thrown into a cave, and wild beasts miraculously guarded it until some pious persons came and buried it with due veneration. The next night, Bacchus appeared to Sergius in the prison and encouraged him to endure courageously the torments of martyrdom.
The cruel Antiochus invented for Saint Sergius a cruel torture
which had never been heard of. He made him wear boots fitted inside, with
pointed nails, and forced him to run in front of his chariot for fifteen
kilometers as far as Tetrapyrgia.
The military post of Tetrapyrgia was situated mid-way between Sura
and Rusafah. It was a platform surrounded by a double wall which was reinforced
by a tower at each corner. Tetrapyrgia means "four towers".
The following night, an angel appeared to Saint Sergius and healed
all his wounds. Antiochus was surprised, and finding that all his efforts were
of no avail, he made him endure the same torture by running from Tetrapyrgia to
Rusafah. Then he sentenced him to death by decapitation. The place, where his
blood was shed, opened and formed a chasm that still exists.
The inhabitants of Sura wished to take the body of Saint Sergius,
but the saintly martyr prevented them from doing so by lighting a fire which
alerted the people of Rusafah who came and expelled the intruders.
Rusafah
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| Ruins of Rusafah (Sergiopolis) city. |
A magnificent church was built in the fifth century over the same place
where Saint Sergius suffered martyrdom. The relics of his body were preserved
there. It was one of the most beautiful churches of all the East.
A great wall, 3 meters large, was built around the town during the
6th century under the rule of the Emperor Justinian of Constantinople, in order
to safeguard the churches, the monasteries, and all the riches which they
contained, which the pilgrims, becoming more and more numerous, generously
offered, in honor of Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
The cisterns which contained water that was carefully collected
still exist. They had a capacity of about thirty thousand cubic meters, and
made it possible to deliver twenty liters of drinkable water to each of the six
thousand inhabitants every day.
Rusafah was an important station on the caravan’s route along the
River Euphrate. It was also the starting-point of a track which led to
Palymyra, and which was one hundred and fifty kilometers long. Its name was
changed into Sergiopolis in honor of the Saint. Inside its surrounding walls
there were five churches and a monastery; it was an animated city, where crowds
of pilgrims came from every place, to visit the Saint's tomb.
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| The cisterns of water. |
A few monuments still exist. The large church was almost entirely
destroyed during an earthquake in 1068 AD. The tomb of Saint Sergius was then
moved into the basilica of the monastery. It was rebuilt out of the materials
of the first shrine. What remains of it is a small court surrounded by small
white marble walls, with rose porphyry columns. The upper parts of the elegant
columns are inscribed with Greek writing. There are some remains of the columns
of the apses; one is decorated with mural-paintings, a cross ornamented with
rays. The large icon of the Saint is entirely destroyed; but a very beautiful
copy of this still exists in the church of Saint Demetrius at Thessalonica.
The feast of the great martyrs Sergius and Bacchus is celebrated in
our Orthodox Church in the 7th of October.
Lord Jesus Christ through the intercessions of your martyrs Sergius
and Bacchus have mercy upon us and save us. Amen.
Monuments of Rusafah city.
Monuments of Rusafah city.
Reference:
The Saints Martyrs SERGIUS & BACCHUS with a description of
their church. Compiled by Meleka Habib Youssef. (1971 or 1972, the book has not
been printed)
http://www.zeitun-g.net/members_contrib/Saints_Sergius_and_Wacchus.pdf