died c. 303, Sebaste
Irenarchus ministered to imprisoned martyrs and, moved by seven women suffering for Christ, confessed Christ and was martyred with them.
The Holy Martyr Irenarchus and the Seven Women Martyrs of Sebaste
Irenarchus was a fourth-century martyr of Sebaste in Armenia who suffered for Christ during the persecution under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). In his youth he ministered to imprisoned Christians, tending the martyrs after they had been tortured. When he witnessed seven Christian women endure their own torments with great courage, his admiration for their steadfastness moved him, by divine grace, to confess Christ openly before his persecutors. He was put to the trial by fire and water and was beheaded together with the seven women. The Orthodox Church commemorates him and his companions on November 28.
Your holy martyrs O Lord,
through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through their intercessions, save our souls!
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
According to the synaxarion, Irenarchus was a native of Sebaste in Armenia and lived under the reign of Diocletian, a period of intense persecution of Christians. While still young he attended to the Christians held in prison, ministering to the confessors after they had been subjected to torture. Through this service he became a close witness to the sufferings of those who bore witness to Christ.
While the persecution continued, Irenarchus saw seven women being tortured for their faith. The accounts relate that, although weak by nature, the women endured their torments bravely and put the tyrant to shame. Irenarchus marveled at their courage, and, illumined by divine grace, he confessed Christ and declared himself a Christian before his persecutors. The seven women are commemorated together with him but are not named in the surviving accounts.
After his confession Irenarchus was subjected to trials by fire and water; the tradition records that he passed through these ordeals unharmed. He was then beheaded with the sword together with the seven holy women. The synaxarion places his martyrdom in the year 303, though some accounts give an earlier date.