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Themistocles
martyr and saint
SaintFull write-upPre-congregation
Feast: 21 December (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
—
unknown
Died
251
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
In Lycia, in present-day Turkey, Saint Themistocles, martyr, who, it is told, offered himself under the emperor Decius in place of Saint Dioscorus, who was being sought to be put to death, and, tortured on the rack, dragged through the streets and scourged, won the crown of martyrdom.
The miracles
There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.
Why that counted as sanctity
The Roman Martyrology remembers him on 21 December as a martyr in Lycia who, it is told, gave himself up in place of Saint Dioscorus under Decius.
Sources
- Roman Martyrology, 21 December (Italian Bishops' Conference, Santo del giorno)
- Wikidata Q11610882 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
Checked against the sources listed on 22 September 2026. Corrections welcome.