Nikephoros of Antioch
Feast: 22 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
In Antioch there lived two close friends, the learned priest Sapricius and a plain citizen, Nicephorus, whose friendship turned into bitter enmity; Nicephorus tried many times to be reconciled, but the priest refused. When the persecution came, Sapricius was condemned to death, yet at the last moment he denied Christ, while Nicephorus, who had begged his forgiveness on the way, cried out to the executioners: "I too am a Christian, behead me in place of Sapricius!" The judge ordered Sapricius released and Nicephorus beheaded; this happened in the year 260, in the time of the Emperor Gallienus.
Summary translated from the Serbian Wikipedia article Нићифор Антиохијски (CC BY-SA 4.0), until this page is written up in full.
The miracles
Limited information is available on this saint so far.
Why that counted as sanctity
Limited information is available on this saint so far.
- Butler's Lives of the Saints — St Nicephorus, martyr (Antioch) — 'ST NICEPHORUS, Martyr — There dwelt in Antioch a priest called Sapricius and a layman named Nicephorus, who were close friends...' Also in the Roman Martyrology and the Dominican martyrology ('At Antioch, St. Nicephorus
- Wikidata Q25552821 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Not yet written up in full. The Catholic source above names this person; the name, dates and step come from Wikidata and are not yet checked against Church records.