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Holy martyrs Thirsa, Lovkiya and Callinika Originally from Caesarea Bithynia, these martyrs suffered during the persecution of Christians by the emperor Decius. Unable to bear indifferently the exquisite cruelty with which the ruler of the region Kumvrikiy persecuted Christians, Levkiy fearlessly reproached him; For this he was tortured and beheaded. Then Firs appeared to the tormentor and boldly accused him of madness, which infuriated him so much that he ordered to trample this Christian underfoot, gouge out his eyes, knock out his teeth and tied him by the arms and legs and pull him in different directions, causing all his trains to come out of their places. But by the miraculous help of God, Firs remained unharmed even after melted tin was poured onto his body. The martyr endured all the tortures with indestructible firmness and prayed only to God to grant him St. baptism, since until that time he was only a catechumen. God fulfilled his prayer and gave the martyr the opportunity, while he was imprisoned, to receive baptism from the Bishop of Caesarea. Torment of St. The firs continued in the city of Apollonias in Bithynia, near Caesarea, where the ruler took him with him, who went there on the occasion of the holiday that had come there. The manifestation of amazing miracles continued during his suffering; so eg at a time when he was forced to take part in making a sacrifice to the idol, and he resisted and stood deep in prayer, a strong thunderclap followed, crushing the idol... After that, lowered into boiling water, the already exhausted confessor still remained alive. Seeing such miracles and the courage of St. Thirsa, the idol priest himself, Callinicus, was so amazed by them that he recognized the power of the true God operating in them and confessed Him, for which he was immediately beheaded. Saint Thirsus, who was again committed to prison, but received freedom after the death of Decius, died in Apolloniad due to frustration from cruel torture. Around 397, Flavius ​​Caesar built a magnificent church of Thirsu outside the walls of Constantinople, in which his relics were placed. The holy martyr appeared in a vision to Queen Pulcheria, commanding that the relics of Sts. be placed near him. 40 martyrs who were hidden in the ground and, on his instructions, were found in 450. Another church was built by Justinian near the Elenianovs, not far from the Theodosius market 182. “A month. Vost.”, archim. Serg. vol. II, part 2, p. 388.