Ten Holy Martyrs of Crete
group of saints
Feast: 23 December (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
At Gortyna on the island of Crete, the ten holy martyrs Theodulus, Saturninus, Euporus, Gelasius, Eunician, Zoticus, Pontius, Agathopus, Basilides and Evaristus, who, during the persecution of the emperor Decius, for publicly refusing to obey the order to offer sacrifices on the day of the dedication of the Temple of Fortune, suffered torments and finally died by beheading.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: they have been honoured as saints since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers them on 23 December as ten martyrs of Gortyna beheaded under Decius for refusing to sacrifice.
- Roman Martyrology, 23 December (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q3592726 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.