Martyr2nd century

Martyrs Hermes Serapion, and Polyaenus of Rome

2nd century

Also known as Hermes · Serapion · Polyaenus

Three Christians of Rome who suffered for Christ in the early persecutions.

August 18New Calendar

Feast Day

August 31Old Calendar

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Commemorated as

The Holy Martyrs Hermes, Serapion, and Polyaenus of Rome

Life

Hermes, Serapion, and Polyaenus are three early Christian martyrs venerated as a single group, commemorated together on August 18. According to the records of their commemoration, they were Christians of Rome who suffered death for the faith during the persecutions of the pre-Nicene era, traditionally assigned to the 2nd century.

Little firm historical detail survives about the three. The Eastern synaxaria remember them as zealous in spreading the faith and in refuting the arguments of the pagans, for which they were arrested and, remaining steadfast in their confession, put to death. The Roman Martyrology likewise lists them under August 18 as martyrs who suffered at Rome.

Troparion & Kontakion2 hymnsReadHide

TroparionTone 4

(Podoben: “Be quick to anticipate...”) Your Holy Martyrs, O Lord,
through their contests have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God;
for possessing Your strength, they laid low the tyrants,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
By their supplications, O Christ God, save our souls.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

KontakionTone 8

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) O divine Martyrs, you appeared as bright lamps,
enlightening all of creation with the radiance of your miracles,
always entreating Christ God on behalf of us all,
thereby releasing us from our maladies,
and ever driving away the most profound darkness of ignorance.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Contributions & Legacy

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Their Witness

The Orthodox synaxarion summary records that Hermes, Serapion, and Polyaenus distinguished themselves by their zeal in spreading the faith and in answering the polemics of the pagans. They were subsequently arrested and brought before the authorities, where they remained firm in their profession of faith and so suffered martyrdom.

The Roman Martyrology, in its entry for August 18, names 'the holy martyrs Hermas, Serapion, and Polyaenus' and states simply that they suffered death at Rome for the faith. A traditional detail preserved in that source relates that, being dragged through narrow, stony, and craggy places, they yielded up their souls to God. Some sources give the first name as 'Hernias' rather than 'Hermes,' reflecting variation in the manuscript tradition.

A Question of Date and Identity

The historical notices for these three martyrs are sparse, and reference works caution that nothing in them provides reliable detail about the precise circumstances or timing of the martyrdoms. The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia raises the possibility that the August 18 group may in fact be identical with martyrs commemorated on August 28.

The August 28 commemoration honors a Roman martyr named Hermes, buried in the catacomb of Hermes and Basilla, together with the Alexandrian martyrs Polienus and Serapion. On this theory, the appearance of the same three names under the earlier August date could have arisen from a simple clerical transposition of the Roman calendar notation — XV instead of V Kal. Septembris. The Encyclopedia cites the Acta Sanctorum, the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, and various ecclesiastical calendars of Constantinople and the Eastern Church in connection with the question, which remains unresolved.

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints