Maruthas was a fifth-century bishop of Tagrit, also known as Maypherkat (Mayperkat) in Mesopotamia, on the frontier between the Byzantine Empire and Persia. He is remembered above all for gathering the relics of Christians martyred during the Persian persecutions, which he brought into his episcopal city in such numbers that it came to be called Martyropolis, the "city of martyrs." He reposed around the year 422, and is commemorated on February 16.
Tradition records that Maruthas was learned in many branches of knowledge, and especially skilled in medicine, a reputation that carried weight at the Persian court. He served the Church both as a pastor and as a diplomat, twice intervening with imperial and royal authorities on behalf of the persecuted Christians of Persia. His standing with both the Roman emperor and the Persian shah allowed him to work for peace and understanding between the two empires.
Beyond his diplomatic and pastoral labors, Maruthas was a writer in the Syriac language. He is credited with works including a commentary on the Gospel, liturgical and hymnographic compositions, and an account of the canons and acts of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea. He also compiled records of the Persian martyrs whose memory he had preserved. After his death his relics were later transferred to Egypt.
