4th century
Saint Nicetas the Great Martyr
Gothic Christian martyred in the fourth century.
Biography
Nicetas belonged to the Gothic people beyond the Danube and lived in the time of Constantine the Great. From childhood he was instructed in the faith by the Gothic bishop Theophilus.
When the Gothic ruler Athanaric later seized him during a persecution of Christians and pressed him to deny Christ, Nicetas boldly confessed his faith. He was ordered to have his bones broken and was then thrown into a fire, where he died around 372.
According to tradition the fire left his body untouched, and a pious Christian recovered and kept the relic, which was later transferred to Constantinople. Nicetas is still invoked today for the protection of children.