2nd–3rd century
Bishop Alexander preached the Gospel and was martyred with several companions who confessed Christ.
The Holy Hieromartyr Alexander, Bishop of Adrianopolis, and those with him
Alexander was a bishop of Adrianopolis (Adrianople, in Thrace; modern Edirne, Turkey) who, with several companions, was martyred for his Christian faith. Sources place him in the pre-Nicene period, variously dated to the 2nd–3rd century.
He proclaimed the Gospel at a time when Christianity was expanding among populations that worshipped idols. He and his companions were put to death for confessing Christ and refusing to worship pagan idols.
The commemoration is preserved as a named group: Alexander the bishop together with Heraclius, Anna, Elizabeth, Theodota, and Glyceria. They are commemorated on October 22.
The martyrdom is commemorated as a group rather than as a single saint. Alongside Alexander the bishop, the sources name Heraclius, Anna, Elizabeth, Theodota, and Glyceria.
One liturgical formulation identifies Heraclius as a soldier, suggesting he may have held a military rank, though sources do not elaborate further.
Surviving sources give very little biographical detail. No birthplace, year of birth, year of death, or specific manner of martyrdom is recorded, and no information about relics has been preserved.
The OCA Synaxarion situates the events in the third century and notes that this was a period of significant growth for Christianity among those who worshipped idols. Other calendars date the group more broadly to the 2nd–3rd centuries.
This is a genuinely obscure pre-Nicene commemoration: the calendar listings themselves constitute nearly the whole of the recoverable record.
Named group kept as one row.