Ten Thousand Martyrs
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Ten thousand martyrs may refer to the ten thousand martyred Fathers in the Deserts and caves of Scete by Theophilus of Alexandria or to the ten thousand martyrs of
Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...
who were, according to a
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
legend,
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
soldiers who, led by Saint Acacius, converted to
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
and were crucified on Mount Ararat by order of the Roman emperor. The story is attributed to the ninth century scholar
Anastasius Bibliothecarius Anastasius Bibliothecarius (c. 810 – c. 878) was the chief archivist and librarian () of the Holy See and also briefly a claimant to the papacy. Early life He was a nephew of Bishop Arsenius of Orte, who executed important commissions a ...
. The ''
Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...
'' contains two separate commemorations. The first is on March 18, corresponding to the very same date in the Greek Orthodox
Synaxarion Synaxarion or Synexarion (plurals Synaxaria, Synexaria; , from συνάγειν, ''synagein'', "to bring together"; cf. etymology of '' synaxis'' and ''synagogue''; Latin: ''Synaxarium'', ''Synexarium''; ; Ge'ez: ሲናክሳሪየም(ስንክ ...
, where it is referred to as the ''"Myriads of Holy Martyrs, by the sword, at
Nicomedia Nicomedia (; , ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocletian who rul ...
"''. Francis Mershman identifies these as those 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia killed during the Diocletianic Persecution. Mershman, Francis. "The Ten Thousand Martyrs." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 5 Jun. 2015
The second entry in the ''Roman Martyrology'' is for June 22 on Mount Ararat; however, this appears to be based on a legend containing "many historical inaccuracies and utterly improbable details". The
Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
Synaxarion Synaxarion or Synexarion (plurals Synaxaria, Synexaria; , from συνάγειν, ''synagein'', "to bring together"; cf. etymology of '' synaxis'' and ''synagogue''; Latin: ''Synaxarium'', ''Synexarium''; ; Ge'ez: ሲናክሳሪየም(ስንክ ...
also has a second entry which is listed on
June 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1252 – Alfonso X is proclaimed king of Castile and León. * 1298 – Residents of Riga and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeat the Livonian Order in the Battle of Turaida. * 1495 – A monk, John Cor, rec ...
, for ''"The Holy Ten Thousand Martyrs"'' in
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
ia, under Emperor
Decius Gaius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius ( 201June 251), known as Trajan Decius or simply Decius (), was Roman emperor from 249 to 251. A distinguished politician during the reign of Philip the Arab, Decius was proclaimed emperor by his troops a ...
.Great Synaxaristes:
Οἱ Ἅγιοι δέκα χιλιάδες Μάρτυρες
'' 1 Ιουνίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
However, it is unclear if this refers to the same event as the ''Roman Martyrology'' entry for June 22. Despite its questionable veracity, the event was extremely popular in
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
art, as seen for example in the painting ''10,000 martyrs of Mount Ararat'' by the
Venetian Venetian often means from or related to: * Venice, a city in Italy * Veneto, a region of Italy * Republic of Venice (697–1797), a historical nation in that area Venetians might refer to: * Masters of Venetian painting in 15th-16th centuries * ...
artist
Vittore Carpaccio Vittore Carpaccio ( , , ; – ) was an Italian painter of the Venetian School (art), Venetian school who studied under Gentile Bellini. Carpaccio was largely influenced by the style of the early Italian Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina ...
, or in the '' Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand'' by the German artist
Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...
.


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External links


''La Passione de Diecimila Martyri Crucifixi di Iesu Christo Dequali Scriue Sancto Girolamo...''
From th
Rare Book and Special Collections Division
at the
Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
People executed by crucifixion People executed by the Roman Empire 4th-century Romans 4th-century Christian martyrs 4th-century executions Groups of Roman Catholic saints Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era Legendary Romans Mount Ararat