6 July Old Style / 19 July New Style

The suffering of the holy martyr Lucia the virgin and with her Rixus and others

Photorealistic image, The Passion of the Holy Martyr Lucia and with her the Virgin Rix and others, Orthodox calendar, 2026-07-19, martyrdom

St. Lucius was a martyr from Sicily 1 and Cappadocia 2. She was taken captive by the vicar Rixus III, who began to force her to sacrifice to idols, but she refused and expressed a strong desire to remain a slave of Christ.

When he went to war, he asked her to pray for him, and on her prayer he returned victorious. Twenty years after this, St. Lucius asked the vicar to let her go to Campania to suffer for Christ, but he did not want to let her go alone and, leaving his kingdom, wealth, wife and children, went with her.

When they arrived in Campania, they were captured by the then Egemon 4 and beheaded on his orders. Along with them, other holy martyrs were tortured, namely: Antony, Lucian, Isidore, Dion, Dior, Kutony, Aronos, Papic and Saturn 5 and among these tortures ended 6.

1 The Holy Martyr Lukija is produced here from Sicily by mixing with another Lukija, whose memory is celebrated on December 13.

2 There is no such country in Sicily. Apparently, the country is called Cappadocia instead of Campania, which was located on the Apennine peninsula to the southwest of Samnium, on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea, between Latium and Lucania.

4 The city of Rome was the site of the martyrdom of Saints Lucius and Ricus, as recorded in the book of Acts.

5 The Acts of the Saints lists the following holy martyrs who were martyred after Lucius and Rixus: Antony, Irenaeus, Theodorus, Dionysius, Apollonius, Apomius, Proenius, Cotius, Orion, Papicus, Saturn, Victor and 9 are not named, so that all but Lucius and Rixus were martyred 21, and the Synagogues of Nicodemus lists 15 persons and names besides Rixus who suffered with Lucius.