He was born in Syria. During the reign of Emperor Maximian, he led the Roman army in the fight against the Persians and was then given the rank of duke, stratilat. A secret Christian, he chose only the best soldiers and told them that if they all call to the help of one God, they will win. So it would. But the envious accused him of being a Christian. The imperial governor put him to torture and threw him in prison, but the emperor, knowing Andrei's reputation among the people, ordered him to let him go and wait for another opportunity to kill him. Upon learning of this, Duke Andrei took his faithful soldiers, 2,593 of them, and went to Tarsus of Cilicia, where Bishop Peter baptized them all. Then they took refuge in the Armenian mountain of Tavros, where all of them, like innocent lambs, were handed over to the Roman army for slaughter.

Venerable Theophanes. Holy Martyrs Timothy, Agapia and Thecla.