A company of early Christian martyrs of Constantinople whose names are unknown but written in the Book of Life; their relics were discovered near the Gate of Eugenius and were the source of many healings.
Feast Day
February 22
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The Holy Martyrs whose Relics were Uncovered at the Gate of Eugenius in Constantinople
Life
The Holy Martyrs at the Gate of Eugenius are a company of early Christian martyrs of Constantinople whose individual names are not recorded. According to the Church's tradition their names, though unknown to history, are written in the Book of Life. They are commemorated on February 22, the day associated with the uncovering of their relics near the Eugenius quarter of the city.
The commemoration centers not on a single recorded passion but on the discovery of the martyrs' relics. The relics were found at Constantinople near the gates and tower of the district called Eugenios, and their sanctity was made manifest through healings that drew the veneration of the faithful.
Timeline 2 moments
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607-610 (by tradition)Uncovering of the relicsBy one synaxarion account, the relics of unknown martyrs were discovered in the district of Eugenius during the patriarchate of Thomas I of Constantinople, and exposed for public veneration; healings followed.
12th century (1183-1185)Domed church built on the siteA large domed church was raised at the place of the discovery, undertaken by the Emperor Andronikos, whose patron was the Apostle Andronikos identified among the relics.
Contributions & Legacy
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Discovery of the Relics
The relics were uncovered near the Eugenios Gate and tower in Constantinople. The martyrs' identities were unknown when the relics came to light, and the tradition holds that their names remain known only in the Book of Life. By one synaxarion account the discovery occurred during the patriarchate of Thomas I of Constantinople (607-610), who exposed the relics for the veneration of the people who gathered from across the city; this attribution is not given in every account and is best received as tradition.
Healings began to occur at the place where the relics were found, and it was through these signs that the relics were recognized and honored. The relics were then transferred to a church with great honor, where, according to the sources, further miracles of healing took place and those who were possessed were delivered.
The Apostle Andronikos and Junia
A clergyman named Nicholas the Calligrapher (Nicholas Kalligraphos) is said to have received a divine revelation that among the relics discovered at the Gate of Eugenius were those of the holy Apostle Andronikos of the Seventy and his fellow worker Junia. These are the same pair greeted by the Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, where he names Andronicus and Junia as his kinsfolk and fellow prisoners, well known among the apostles (Romans 16:7).
Church and Veneration
In the twelfth century a large domed church was built on the spot where the relics of the holy martyrs had been discovered. The sources relate that this church was undertaken by the Emperor Andronikos, who reigned 1183-1185 and whose patron saint was the Apostle Andronikos. The site thus became a place of veneration linking the unnamed martyrs to the apostle identified among them.
