An Egyptian by birth, he served as a high-ranking commander under Emperor Constantine the Great. Having beheld the victorious Cross—which had appeared to the Emperor—he was baptized. He oversaw the translation of the relics of Saint Andrew from Patras and Saint Luke from Thebes to Constantinople. When Julian the Apostate set out on a campaign against the Persians, he ordered Artemius—who was then the imperial governor in Egypt—to arrive in Antioch with his troops. There, the Emperor subjected the priests Eugenius and Macarius to torture; Saint Artemius spoke out against this and prophesied the Emperor’s imminent death. Enraged, the Emperor had the commander Artemius subjected to torture. While in prison, he was visited and healed by the Lord. Subsequently, he was laid upon a stone, pressed down by another large stone, and his body was completely crushed. Finally, he was beheaded. Saint Artemius suffered for the Lord in the year 363.

Saint Righteous Artemius. Venerable Gerasimus the New. Venerable New Martyr Ignatius.