08 works, Today, August 19th, is Saint Andrew Stratelates' day, his story illustrated #231

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St. Andrew Stratelates (left) and St. Theophanes of Naousa (right)

Saint Joseph Melkite Greek Catholic Church

Andrew Stratelates, also known as Andrew the Tribune, or Andrew the Commander is a 3rd-century Roman soldier who is commemorated with his 2,593 soldiers as martyrs by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church on 19 August.

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Andrew the Tribune

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Little is known about his early life except that he was a Syrian by birth and a military commander in the Roman army during the reign of emperor Maximian (284–305). 

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Emperor Maximinus Thrax

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Emperor Maximinus Thrax was a very large man, and he was also largely hated. In direct contrast to Emperor Diocletian, he's often considered to be the ruler who caused the Crisis of the Third Century. He brought Rome to near ruin with his exhaustive military campaigns, overextending his soldiers by dispatching them to multiple fronts at once.

When a large Persian army invaded the Syrian territories, the governor Antiochus entrusted St. Andrew with the command of the Roman army, giving him the title of "Stratelates" ("Commander"). 

His soldiers were pagans, and Saint Andrew himself had still not accepted Baptism, but he believed in Christ. Before the conflict he persuaded the soldiers that the pagan gods were demons and could not help them in battle. 

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St Andrew proceeded against the adversary

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St Andrew proceeded against the adversary and routed the numerous host of Persians. Although he gloriously returned to Antioch, having gained a total victory, certain men denounced him to the governor Antiochus, saying that he was a Christian who had converted the soldiers under his command to his faith.

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Saint Andrew was summoned to trial

Christ Before Pilate,  C. 1290.

Church of St. Nicholas in Prilep, Macedonia. C. 1290.

Saint Andrew was summoned to trial, and there he declared his faith in Christ. For this they subjected him to torture. He laid himself upon a bed of white-hot copper, but as soon as he sought help from the Lord, the bed became cool. 

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They crucified his soldiers on trees

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They crucified his soldiers on trees, but not one of them renounced Christ. 

Antiochus sent the report of charges to the emperor to decide whether to impose the death sentence upon the imprisoned commander. The emperor, who knew how the army loved St. Andrew, feared a rebellion, thus freeing them, while secretly ordering their execution on different pretexts. 

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Diadem head of Seleucus I with bull’s horn

Reverse: Apollo with bow seating on omphalos.

After being freed, Saint Andrew went went to the city of Tarsus with his fellow soldiers. There the local bishop Peter and Bishop Nonos of Beroea baptized them. Then the soldiers proceeded on to the vicinity of Taxanata. Antiochus wrote a letter to Seleucus, governor of the Cilicia region, ordering him to overtake the company of Saint Andrew and kill them, under the pretext that they had deserted their military standards.

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The steadfast martyrs were beheaded with swords

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St. Andrew with his faithful soldiers fled towards mount Taurus after local persecutions in the Cilician city. In a deep gorge inside the mountains, the Roman army ambushed them, slaughtering St. Andrew and all of the 2,593 soldiers that were with him on that day. More on Andrew Stratelates

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 Andrey Stratilat with his life

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