Seven Martyred Brothers of Georgia

Martyrdom

The brothers are said to have died separately as they were taken into exile, and their tradition preserves a distinct place and day for each. Eros (Erotas) died first, on June 22, at Parembol. Orentius, the principal martyr, was drowned, cast into the sea with a stone tied around his neck; his commemoration is kept on June 24, and one account places his death near Riza (Rize). Pharnacius died on July 3 at Kordila. Firmus and Firminus received their crowns together on July 7 at Aspara (Apsaros), on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Cyriacus died on July 14 at Ziganeia (Zigania). Longinus, the last to die, reposed on July 28 while aboard a ship; the vessel ran aground at Pitinda (Pitsunda), where he was buried.

Although each brother has his own place and date of death, they are venerated collectively, with a shared feast on June 24.

Veneration

The brothers are commemorated together in the Eastern Orthodox Church on June 24. The account of Orentius and the Seven Brothers was included in the Menologion of Basil II, and their veneration has been understood as part of the wider effort to draw the Laz and Abkhazian peoples of the eastern Black Sea region into Orthodox Christianity. In this database the group is grouped under the saints of Georgia.