The Ten Holy Martyrs of Megara, the period of their reappearance and the remnants of their martyrdom in Early Christian Times

Abstract

In Megara of Attica the relics of the Ten Martyrs, who had lived during the third century, were miraculously found in the 18th century. At the site of discovery two churches were built and the veneration of these forgotten saints was revived. This occurrence is tied to the Orthodox Church’s attempt to oppose Islamization, through the promotion of the example of the lives of these saints of the early church. This trend is already evident in the 15th century with the publication ofsaints’ lives, which are presented as models to the new martyrs. These saints were already venerated in Megara since the 5th century. The archaeological remains (basilica, sculpture, mosaics) attest to this, especially a fragment from an inscribed early Christianslab with the names of some of these saints. Already in the 5th century there were two martyria in the city dedicated to the saints.