3rd century
Saints Zenobius and Zenobia
Brother and sister from Aegae in Cilicia — Zenobius was a physician who treated the sick without payment — who were beheaded for their faith in the late 3rd century, in the reign of Diocletian.
Biography
Zenobius and his sister Zenobia came from Aegae in Cilicia, from a wealthy and devout family. Zenobius was a physician who practised medicine without payment; the two siblings were known for their charitable work, which provoked the anger of the pagans.
The local governor Lysias ordered the arrest of Zenobius, and Zenobia voluntarily gave herself up to the authorities to be martyred together with her brother. Both were tortured and beheaded around 285-290, during the persecution under Diocletian. According to another version of his Life, Zenobius later became bishop of Aegae.