St. Anastasius the Persian

Anastasius was a Persian soldier whose interest in Christianity grew through the events surrounding the capture of the Holy Cross. Butler describes his search for instruction, his journey to Jerusalem and his Baptism there. He received the name Anastasius and entered a monastery, exchanging his former service for a life of prayer and obedience.

Reading the accounts of earlier martyrs deepened his desire to remain faithful to Christ. When he later travelled to Caesarea in Palestine, he openly confessed his faith. Arrest and forced labour followed. Attempts to win him back to his former religion failed, and he was eventually sent as a prisoner into Persia.

There he continued to refuse apostasy, despite threats and suffering. He was put to death in 628. Butler says the account was written by the monk who accompanied him, or from that monk’s testimony. Anastasius is remembered on January 22 as a convert, monk and martyr, distinct from the popes and other saints who bear his name.