4th century
Saint Callistratus of Carthage
Soldier from Carthage who was martyred in Rome together with forty-nine fellow soldiers under Diocletian.
Biography
Callistratus came from Carthage, from a family of devout Christians, and enlisted as a recruit in the Roman army without giving up his religious habits, such as praying at night. Fellow soldiers reported him to the general Persentinus, who tortured him and ordered him thrown into the sea sewn inside a sack.
According to tradition, the sack tore open and two dolphins saved Callistratus, a miracle witnessed by forty-nine soldiers who then believed in Christ. The enraged Persentinus ordered them all beheaded together with Callistratus, around 300.