The Hieromartyrs of Cherson were a group of early 4th-century bishops who were martyred in Cherson, at the time in the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (; ), was an ancient Greco-Scythians, Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus, centered in the present-day ...

in Taurica (Crimea) under the Roman client king

Tiberius Julius Rhadamsades Rhadamsades (), also known as Radamsad, Rhadamsadius or Rhadampsadius, was the king of the Bosporan Kingdom, a Roman client state, from 309 to 322. For the last five years of his reign he ruled together with Rhescuporis VI, who became the sole ki ...

, during the Diocletian persecution (303–313). They are commemorated by the Orthodox church on

March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cobl ...

. The group consists of seven saints. They were not killed on one occasion, but in succession, as they were sent to Crimea by Hermon, the 38th bishop of Jerusalem (r. c. 302–314).Who is Who in the Early Jerusalem Church
The first two were Basil and Ephraim (''Ephrem''). After they were killed, they were followed by Eugene, Elpidius, and Agathodorus, who were in turn replaced by Aetherius (''Etherius'') and Capiton (''Capito''). Capiton was killed, but Aetherius avoided martyrdom, as

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

placed him under his protection. Aetherius travelled to Constantinople to thank the emperor, and he died from illness on the return journey. Also associated with the group are saints Nestor and Arcadius, who were possibly martyred in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

References

{{reflist

External links

orthodoxwiki.org
Hieromartyrs 4th-century bishops 4th-century Christian martyrs Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian