2nd century
Saint Phocas the Hieromartyr, Bishop of Sinope
Bishop of Sinope on the Black Sea who was martyred under Trajan in the early 2nd century.
Biography
Phocas came from Sinope on the Black Sea, son of the shipbuilder Pamphilus and Maria, pious parents who from childhood instilled in him a love of Scripture and of his fellow man.
He became bishop of Sinope and carried out vigorous missionary work in the region, and according to tradition he also had the gift of working miracles.
His activity angered the pagans, and the governor Africanus ordered his arrest; he was thrown into a hot bath, where he died a martyr's death around 117, in the reign of Emperor Trajan. His relics were later moved to Constantinople, and he is especially venerated as a protector against fires and a helper of those in danger of drowning.