Saint Carpus
Martyr à Pergame (+ 251)
Évêque de Thyatire et ses compagnons, martyrs à Pergame en Asie Mineure, Papylus, diacre, sa sœur Agathonica, et beaucoup d’autres, qui reçurent la couronne du martyre pour avoir généreusement confessé le Christ. Nous avons cette parole de lui, selon les actes de son martyre, en réponse aux questions du juge: "Mon premier nom est le plus beau, je suis chrétien."
À Pergame en Asie, au IIe siècle, les saints martyrs Carpe, évêque de Thyatire,
Papyle, diacre, sa sœur Agathonique, et beaucoup d’autres, qui reçurent la
couronne du martyre pour avoir généreusement confessé le Christ.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/964/Saint-Carpus.html
ACTES
DE CARPOS, PAPYLOS ET AGATHONICÉ
Pendant le séjour du
proconsul d'Asie à Pergame, on lui amena Carpos et Papylos,
Le proconsul s'assit et commença
l'interrogatoire : « Ton nom?
— Mon nom est Chrétien,
c'est le plus beau ; mais dans le monde c'est Carpos.
— Tu connais les ordres
des empereurs en vertu desquels
vous devez sacrifier aux
dieux tout-puissants. Approche donc et sacrifie.
— Je suis chrétien.
J'adore le Christ Fils de Dieu, qui, de notre temps, est venu sur la terre et
nous a délivrés des pièges du diable. Je ne sacrifie pas. Agis comme bon te
semblera. Je ne puis sacrifier aux simulacres abjects des démons dont les
adorateurs se font les semblables. De même que ceux qui adorent Dieu en esprit
et en vérité se rendent semblables au Dieu de gloire, partagent son immortalité
et participent par le Verbe à la vie éternelle, ainsi ceux qui adorent ces
simulacres se rendent aussi vains que les démons et dignes de leur compagnie
dans l'enfer. Un juste jugement les y retient.
Tu sais maintenant
pourquoi je ne sacrifie pas. — Assez de sottises, sacrifiez.
— Aux dieux qui n'ont
fait ni le ciel ni la terre? dit Carpus en riant.
— Sacrifiez, l'empereur
le veut.
— Les vivants ne
sacrifient pas aux morts.
— Alors, tu crois que ces
dieux sont morts ?
— Veux-tu m'écouter ? Ces
dieux n'ont-ils pas en leur temps été des hommes mortels? Cesse de les adorer,
et tu verras qu'ils ne sont rien, qu'ils sont faits de matériaux périssables et
que le temps détruira.
Notre Dieu à nous, qui
échappe à la limite du temps et qui a fait le temps, échappe à la corruption ;
il est éternel et immuable, on ne peut lui ajouter ni lui retrancher quoi que
ce soit. Ces dieux, au contraire, sont de fabrication humaine et le temps en
vient à bout. Quant au témoignage des oracles, qu'il ne compte pas pour toi.
Dès le commencement le diable, déchu du sommet de sa gloire, inspiré par sa
perversité, porte envie à l'amour de Dieu pour l'homme. Foulé aux pieds par les
saints, il combat contre eux, leur fait la guerre, les tient en haleine et
l'annonce à ses compagnons.
De même, étant plus
ancien que nous, il prévoit ce qui nous arrive quotidiennement, et il lui est
facile de prédire le mal qu'il compte nous faire. Dieu lui-même nous apprend
qu'il fait le mal et — dans la mesure où Dieu le lui permet — il nous tente,
s'efforçant de nous détourner de la piété. Sois bien assuré que tu croupis dans
une profonde erreur.
— Comme je savais que tu
allais accumuler les sottises, je t'ai poussé à des injures envers les dieux et
envers les princes. Min que cela ne recommence plus, sacrifie, ou qu'as-tu à
dire ?
— Impossible ; je ne l'ai
jamais fait. »
Sur-le-champ on le
suspendit et on commença de l'écorcher avec des ongles de fer. « Je suis chrétien
», criait Carpos, jusqu'au moment où, s'évanouissant dans l'excès de la
souffrance, il perdit la voix.
Le proconsul le laissa et
se tourna vers Papylos :
— Tu es sénateur ?
— Je suis citoyen.
— D'où?
— De Thyatire.
— As-tu des enfants ?
— Beaucoup, grâce à Dieu.
»
Une voix dans la foule :
« Ce sont les chrétiens qu'il nomme ses enfants. »
Le proconsul : « Pourquoi
mentir et me dire que tu as des enfants ?
— Apprends que je ne mens
pas, je dis la vérité. Dans chaque province, dans chaque ville, j'ai des enfants
en Dieu.
— Sacrifie ou qu'as-tu à
dire ?
— Je sers Dieu depuis ma
première enfance, je n'ai jamais sacrifié aux idoles. Je suis chrétien, je n'en
dirai pas plus. D'ailleurs je n'ai rien de meilleur ni de plus agréable à dire.
»
Suspendu à son tour, il
lassa trois bourreaux armés des ongles de fer. Loin de perdre connaissance, il
semblait redoubler de vigueur. A cette vue, le proconsul ordonna de les brûler
vifs. Aussitôt on se mit en route pour l'amphithéâtre.
Papylos fut d'abord
attaché au poteau, puis on le dressa debout, mais à peine le feu avait-il été
allumé, que le martyr rendit l'âme dans une douce prière.
Tandis qu'on liait Carpos
au poteau, il se mit à rire. Bourreaux et spectateurs demeurèrent stupéfaits. «
Pourquoi ris-tu ? dirent-ils.
— J'ai vu la gloire du
Seigneur et je me suis réjoui, me voilà maintenant délivré de vous et de vos
crimes. »
Au soldat qui rangeait le
bois du bûcher, Carpos, déjà dressé en l'air, dit ces mots : « Nous sommes nés
d'une même mère, Eve, nous avons une chair semblable, mais quand nous fixerons
les yeux sur le tribunal suprême, nous supporterons tout. »
On alluma le feu, Carpos
se mit à prier : « Sois béni, Seigneur Jésus-Christ, Fils de Dieu, qui as
daigné me faire, moi pécheur, compagnon de ton héritage.» Puis il mourut.
Parmi les spectateurs,
une femme nommée Agathonicé avait vu la gloire du Seigneur dont parlait Carpos
(quelques instants auparavant) ; comprenant l'appel divin, elle dit à haute
voix : « Moi aussi j'ai aperçu le glorieux festin. il faut que je m'y assoie et
que j'y prenne part. »
On lui cria de tous côtés
: « Aie pitié de ton enfant.
— Dieu, qui veille sur
tous, la gardera. Je le confie à Celui pour qui je suis (1).»
Elle enleva son vêtement
et toute joyeuse, monta dans le bûcher.
On s'apitoyait autour
d'elle : C'est une cruauté, c’est une injustice.
Mais elle, dès qu'elle
sentit la flamme courir sur son corps, cria à trois reprises :
« Seigneur, Seigneur,
Seigneur, aidez-moi, je me suis réfugiée près de vous. »
Puis elle rendit
l'esprit. Son corps acheva de brûler avec les deux autres.
Les fidèles dérobèrent
les reliques et les mirent en lieu sûr pour la gloire du Christ et l'honneur de
ses saints.
Au Père, au Fils, au
Saint-Esprit gloire et puissance dans tous les siècles des siècles. Amen.
(1) Il y a ici évidemment
une lacune dans les actes.
SOURCE : https://www.bibliotheque-monastique.ch/bibliotheque/bibliotheque/saints/martyrs/default.htm
Papylus, Carpe, Agathodorus et Agathonike
Les martyrs Papylus, Carpe, Agathodorus et Agathonike ont soufferts à Pergame pendant
la persécution de Dèce, au troisième siècle.
Le Gouverneur du district où les saints ont
vécu a découvert
que Carpe et Papylus ne célèbrent
pas les fêtes païennes. Il a ordonné que les
coupables soient arrêtés et amenés à accepter la
Religion Romaine païenne. Les saints ont répondu
qu'ils n'auraient jamais adoré de faux dieux. Le juge a
ensuite ordonné qu'ils soient liés à des chaînes de fer et conduits
à travers la ville, puis d'être lié aux chevaux et traîné dans
la ville voisine de Sardes.
Agathodorus et Agathonike ont
volontairement suivi après Carpe et Papylus. St Agathonike a
été étranglé à mort avec un nerf de boeuf
et saints Carpe, Papylus et Agathodorus ont été
décapités à Sardes.
Au cours de sa vie Saint Papylus était connu pour son don
de guérir les malades. Depuis son Martyre, il a
accordé la guérison à tous ceux qui prient avec foi.
SOURCE : http://cosaque.over-blog.net/article-fete-le-13-octobre-saint-martyr-papylus-a-pergame-116036500.html
Book
of Saints – Carpus, Papylus, Agathonica and Agathodorus
Article
CARPUS, PAPYLUS,
AGATHONICA and AGATHODORUS (Saints) Martyrs (April 13) (3rd century) A group of
Martyrs of Pergamus in Asia Minor. Probably they suffered in the persecution
under Decius (A.D. 250), though some ante-date them by a century to the time of
the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Carpus was the Bishop of Thyatira, Papylus, his
deacon, Agathonica, the latter’s sister, and Agathodorus, their servant.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Carpus, Papylus, Agathonica and Agathodorus”. Book
of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 28
September 2012.
Web. 2 June 2026.
<http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-carpus-papylus-agathonica-and-agathodorus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-carpus-papylus-agathonica-and-agathodorus/
Agathonica, Papylus
(Pamfilus),
Carpus & Companions
MM (RM)
Died at Pergamum c. 170
or 250. Eusebius (History of the Church, iv, 15) records that during the Decian
persecution, Carpus, bishop of Gordus in Asia Minor; Papylus, deacon of
Thyatira; Agathonica, the sister of Papylus; and Agathodorus, their servant, were
arrested. They were brought before Valerius, the Roman governor at Pergamos in
Asia Minor, examined three times, and required to sacrifice to the gods. The
third time, Agathodorus, was scourged to death in front of his masters.
Still the Christians remained
resolute. Carpus answered the proconsul Optimus:
"I am a Christian, I
worship Christ, the Son of God, who came in these latter times for our
salvation and delivered us from the snares of the devil. I will not sacrifice
to such idols. The living do not sacrifice to the dead . . . (the gods) look
like men, but they are unfeeling. Deprive them of your veneration . . . and
they will be defiled by dogs and crows."
When the proconsul
insisted, Carpus said:
"I have never before
sacrificed to images that have no feeling or understanding . . . I have pity on
myself, choosing as I do the better part."
Carpus was hung up to be
tortured with iron claws that flayed the skin from his sides. He continued to
answer steadfastly until the pain overcame his voice.
The attention of the
judges turned next to Papylus, a wealthy father of many children according to
his testimony. A bystander interpreted his words as "He means he has
children in virtue of the faith of the Christians." Papylus agreed that
this was correct. Like Carpus, he continued to refuse and was treated in the
same fashion as the bishop. After a time of silent endurance, he said:
"I feel no pain
because I have someone to comfort me: one whom you do not see suffers within
me." The last words of Carpus were:
"Blessed are You,
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, because You judged me, a sinner, worthy to have
this part in You!"
They refused to offer the
oblations, and no arguments or ill treatment could overcome their resistance.
They were therefore burnt alive in the amphitheater.
Saint Agathonica, a
married woman, was admired by the crowd for her physical beauty. When they
urged not to make her children motherless by her obstinacy, she replied,
"God will look after them, but I will not obey your commands nor will I
sacrifice to demons." She, too, went to the stake to be burnt to death. As
the flames consumed her, she cried out: "Lord, Lord, Lord, help me, for I
fly to You." The Christian witnesses came and took away the remains of the
martyrs to cherish them.
Another version of the
story relates that Agathonica was simply a woman in the crowd at the death of
Carpus and Papylus, who was moved to share in their martyrdom, rather than the
sister of the latter (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Farmer,
Husenbeth).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0413.shtml
April 14
SS. Carpus, Bishop of Thyatira, in Asia Minor, Papylus, His Deacon, and Agathodorus Their Servant, Martyrs
IN the persecution of Decius, in 251, they were apprehended and
brought before Valerius, governor of Lesser Asia, who resided sometimes at
Thyatira, sometimes at Sardis. The martyrs suffered much in dungeons in both
those cities, and underwent three severe examinations; in the third, to
intimidate the masters, Agathodorus was, in their presence; scourged to death
with bull’s sinews. When the proconsul went to Pergamus, which city was the
birth-place both of the bishop and his deacon, the two saints were dragged
thither, and first the bishop, then the deacon, was beaten with knotty clubs,
their sides burnt with torches, and the wounds rubbed over with salt. Some days
after they were laid on iron spikes, their sides were again torn, and at length
both were consumed by the flames, together with Agathonice, a sister of
Papylus. See their acts, quoted by Eusebius, b. 4, c. 15. Tillemont, t. 3, p.
346.
Rev. Alban Butler
(1711–73). Volume IV: April. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
Also
known as
Carpo
13 April (Roman
Catholic; Armenian; Syrian Orthodox)
4 April (Orthodox)
Profile
Bishop of
Thyatira. Martyred in
the persecutions of Decius.
c.250 at
Pergamus, Asia Minor
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Carpus of
Pergamus‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 April 2023. Web. 2 June 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-carpus-of-pergamus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-carpus-of-pergamus/
St. Carpus
Feastday: April 13
Death: 150
Martyr with Papylus, Agathonica, Agathodorus, and companions. Carpus was
the bishop of
Gurdos, Lydia. Papylus was a deacon. Agathonica was a mother and Papylus’
sister, and Agathodorus was their servant They were martyred in Pergamos.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2608
Also
known as
Papilo
Profile
Brother of Saint Agathonica
of Pergamus. Deacon. Martyred in
the persecutions of Decius.
c.250 at
Pergamus, Asia Minor
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Papylus of
Pergamus‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 April 2023. Web. 2 June 2026. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-papylus-of-pergamus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-papylus-of-pergamus/
Also
known as
Agatonica
Profile
Sister of Saint Papylus
of Pergamus. Martyred in
the persecutions of Decius.
c.250 at
Pergamus, Asia Minor
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Agathonica of
Pergamus‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 April 2023. Web. 2 June 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-agathonica-of-pergamus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-agathonica-of-pergamus/
Profile
Servant of Saint Papylus
of Pergamus and Saint Agathonica
of Pergamus. Martyred in
the persecutions of Decius.
c.250 at
Pergamus, Asia Minor
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Agathodorus of
Pergamus‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 3 June 2020. Web. 2 June 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-agathodorus-of-pergamus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-agathodorus-of-pergamus/
The Holy Martyrs Carpus and Papylus
Carpus was Bishop of
Thyateira and Papylus was a deacon. They were born in Pergamum where they
finally suffered for the Christian Faith at the hands of the evil proconsul
Valerius, during the reign of Decius. Valerius tied them to horses and dragged
them to Sardis, where he subjected them to harsh tortures. Then an angel of God
appeared to them, healed them of their wounds and encouraged them. Carpus’s
servant, Agathadorus, followed his master with great sorrow. Valerius then
condemned him to torture as well. The saints were again tied to horses, and
were dragged from Sardis to Pergamum. They tied holy Carpus to a tree and
flogged him so that his body was covered with wounds, and his blood flowed like
a stream, soaking the ground; but Carpus smiled in the midst of these horrible
tortures. When they asked him why he was smiling, the holy martyr replied that
he saw the heavens opened and the Lord seated on His throne, surrounded by
Cherubim and Seraphim. As Papylus was being tortured, by prayer he healed a man
blind in one eye, and many who witnessed this came to believe in Christ the
Lord. Thrown to wild beasts, the martyrs remained unharmed. Then they were
thrown into a fiery furnace. Agathonica, Carpus’s sister, also leaped into the
fire, but the fire did not consume them. Finally, they were all beheaded with
the sword, in the year 251. Thus, after their righteous endeavors, they
received a wreath of glory in the Kingdom of Christ.
SOURCE : http://www.omhksea.org/2012/10/the-holy-martyrs-carpus-and-papylus/
Saints Carpus, Papylus
(and Agathonice/Agathonike, and Agathodorus)
Saints Carpus, Papylus
(and Agathonice/Agathonike, and Agathodorus), 13 April (and 13 October in some
Jurisdictions)
Martyrs of Pergamum, in
Asia Minor, in 170, victims of a persecution by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. In
the longer "Acts" (Accounts) (see below) Carpus is said to be a
bishop (of Gordion in Phrygia region of Turkey, and also Gordion was the King
Midas' city), Papylus a deacon, and Agathonice the latter’s sister. The shorter
" Acts" (see below) sinply state they are Christians.
The longer
"Acts" of their martyrdom at the hands of the proconsul Optimus has
survived and is full of heroic and stirring words of defiant faith. Carpus:
“The gods are unfeeling; deprive them our your veneration and they will be
defiled by dogs and crows. I have never before sacrificed to images which have
no feeling or understanding”. Papylus: “I have many children, in virtue of the
faith of the Christians; spiritual children in every province and city. I feel
no pain because I have someone to comfort me; one whom you do not see suffers
within me”. Agathonice: “If I am worthy I desire to follow the footsteps of my
teachers. My children have God, who watches over them”.
They were sentenced to be
tortured with clawing instruments and then burnt alive for refusing to worship
the "gods".
Another account relates:
The Martyrs Carpus, Papylus, Agathodorus and Agathonike, at Pergamun, suffered
during a time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius in the
third century. The governor of the district where the saints lived became aware
that Carpus and Papylus did not celebrate the pagan festivals. He gave orders
to arrest the transgressors and first to try to persuade them of the veracity
of the Roman pagan religion. The saints replied that it would be improper to
worship false gods. The judge then ordered them to be bound and led through the
city in iron chains, and then to be tied to horses and dragged to the nearby
city of Sardis. Agathodorus and Agathonike voluntarily followed after Carpus
and Papylus. In Sardis they choked Agathonike to death with ox sinews, and
beheaded Carpus, Papylus and Agathodorus. During life St. Papylus was known for
his gift of treating the sick; after his martyr's death, he invariably gives
healing to all who pray to him with faith.
A detailed account of the
martyrdoms of Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonice is extant in numerous mss., and
has been published more than once. It has, however, long been recognized as
spurious and entirely untrustworthy. But in 1881 Aubè published in the Revue
Archavalogique (Dec., p. 348 sq.) a shorter form of the Acts of these martyrs,
which he had discovered in a Greek ms. in the Paris Library. There is no reason
to doubt that these Acts are genuine and, in the main, quite trustworthy. The
longer Acts assign the death of these martyrs to the reign of Decius, and they
have always been regarded as suffering during that persecution. Aubè, in
publishing his newly discovered document, still accepted the old date; but
Zahn, upon the basis of the document which he had also seen, remarked in his
Tatian's Diatessaron (p. 279) that Eusebius was correct in assigning these
martyrdoms to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and Lightfoot (I. p. 625) stated
his belief that they are to be assigned either to that reign or to the reign of
Septimius Severus. In 1888 Harnack (Texte und Unters. III. 4) published a new
edition of the Acts from the same ms. which Aubè had used, accompanying the
text with valuable notes and with a careful discussion of the age of the
document. He has proved beyond all doubt that these martyrs were put to death
during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, and that the shorter document which we
have contains a genuine account related by an eye-witness. These are evidently
the Acts which Eusebius had before him. In the spurious account Carpus is
called a bishop, and Papylus a deacon. But in the shorter account they are
simply Christians, and Papylus informs the judge that he is a citizen of
Thyatira.
SOURCE : http://www.reu.org/public/saints/CARPPAPY.HTM
Martyr Carpus at Pergamum
The Martyrs Carpus,
Papylus, Agathodorus and Agathonike suffered at Pergamum during the persecution
of Decius in the third century.
The governor of the
district where the saints lived discovered that Carpus and Papylus did not
celebrate the pagan festivals. He ordered that the transgressors be arrested
and persuaded to accept the Roman pagan religion. The saints replied that they
would never worship false gods. The judge then ordered them to be bound in iron
chains and led through the city, and then to be tied to horses and dragged to
the nearby city of Sardis.
Agathodorus and
Agathonike voluntarily followed after Carpus and Papylus. St Agathonike was
choked to death with ox sinews and Sts Carpus, Papylus and Agathodorus were
beheaded in Sardis.
During his life St
Papylus was known for his gift of curing the sick. Since his martyrdom, he has
granted healing to all who pray to him with faith.
Martyr Papylus at
Pergamum
The Martyrs Papylus,
Carpus, Agathodorus and Agathonike suffered at Pergamum during the persecution
of Decius in the third century.
The governor of the
district where the saints lived discovered that Carpus and Papylus did not
celebrate the pagan festivals. He ordered that the transgressors be arrested
and persuaded to accept the Roman pagan religion. The saints replied that they
would never worship false gods. The judge then ordered them to be bound in iron
chains and led through the city, and then to be tied to horses and dragged to
the nearby city of Sardis.
Agathodorus and
Agathonike voluntarily followed after Carpus and Papylus. St Agathonike was
choked to death with ox sinews and Sts Carpus, Papylus and Agathodorus were
beheaded in Sardis.
During his life St
Papylus was known for his gift of curing the sick. Since his martyrdom, he has
granted healing to all who pray to him with faith.
Martyr Agathodorus at
Pergamum
The Martyrs Carpus,
Papylus, Agathodorus and Agathonike suffered at Pergamum during the persecution
of Decius in the third century.
The governor of the
district where the saints lived discovered that Carpus and Papylus did not
celebrate the pagan festivals. He ordered that the transgressors be arrested
and persuaded to accept the Roman pagan religion. The saints replied that they
would never worship false gods. The judge then ordered them to be bound in iron
chains and led through the city, and then to be tied to horses and dragged to
the nearby city of Sardis.
Agathodorus and Agathonike
voluntarily followed after Carpus and Papylus. St Agathonike was choked to
death with ox sinews and Sts Carpus, Papylus and Agathodorus were beheaded in
Sardis.
During his life St
Papylus was known for his gift of curing the sick. Since his martyrdom, he has
granted healing to all who pray to him with faith.
Martyr Agathonike at
Pergamum
The Martyrs Agathonike,
Carpus, Papylus, Agathodorus and suffered at Pergamum during the persecution of
Decius in the third century.
The governor of the district
where the saints lived discovered that Carpus and Papylus did not celebrate the
pagan festivals. He ordered that the transgressors be arrested and persuaded to
accept the Roman pagan religion. The saints replied that they would never
worship false gods. The judge then ordered them to be bound in iron chains and
led through the city, and then to be tied to horses and dragged to the nearby
city of Sardis.
Agathodorus and
Agathonike voluntarily followed after Carpus and Papylus. St Agathonike was
choked to death with ox sinews and Sts Carpus, Papylus and Agathodorus were
beheaded in Sardis.
During his life St
Papylus was known for his gift of curing the sick. Since his martyrdom, he has
granted healing to all who pray to him with faith.
SOURCE : https://oca.org/saints/all-lives/2015/10/13
Martirio
di Carpo, Papilo e Agatonica. Miniatura tratta dal Menologio di Basilio II (Costantinopoli,
985). Roma, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana.
Мученики
Карп, епископ Фиатирский, диакон Папила, Агафодор и Агафоника, сестра Папилы Константинополь.
985 г. Миниатюра Минология Василия II. Ватиканская библиотека. Рим.
Santi Carpo, Papilo,
Agatonica e compagni Martiri
m. Pergamo (Asia), 170 o
250 circa
Emblema: Palma, Rogo
Martirologio Romano: A
Pergamo nell’Asia, nell’odierna Turchia, santi martiri Carpo, vescovo di
Tiatira, Pápilo, diacono, Agatoníca, sorella di Papilo, e molti altri, che per
la loro beata professione di fede ricevettero la corona del martirio.
Gli “Acta” relativi ai
santi martiri Carpo, Papilo, Agatonica e loro compagni sono sicuramente tra i
più attendibili nella storia della cristianità, anche se purtroppo non è ben
chiara la datazione della persecuzione di cui rimasero vittime, cioè sotto il
regno di Marco Aurelio (161-180), piuttosto che sotto Decio (249-251). Carpo
era vescovo di Gurdos in Lidia, mentre Papiro era diacono di Tiatira, nella
medesima provincia, ed Agatonica sua sorella: furono portati davanti al
governatore romano di Pergamo ed invitati a mangiare la carne che era stata
offerta agli idoli.
Carpo però replicò: “Io
sono un cristiano, venero Cristo, Figlio di Dio, che è venuto nel mondo negli
ultimi tempi per la nostra salvezza […] ma a questi idoli non offro sacrificio”.
Subiti ulteriori interrogatori fu infine condannato alla flagellazione.
Anche Papilo rispose in
modo simile al governatore: “Fin dalla giovinezza servo il Signore e non ho mai
offerto sacrifici agli idoli: sono cristiano e nient’altro puoi sentire da me
all’infuori di questo, poiché non c’è parola più grande e più bella di questa
che io possa dire”.
Dopo che anche Papiro fu
torturato, venne nuovamente chiesto loro di consumare la carne utilizzata per i
sacrifici pagani ed al loro rifiuto furono condannati a morire bruciati sul
rogo. Ancora in punto di morte Carpo affermò: “Sii benedetto, o Signore Gesù
Cristo, Figlio di Dio, che ti sei degnato di far partecipe della tua gloria
anche me peccatore”.
Agatonica era una madre
cristiana che patì la persecuzione nel medesimo periodo: a chi la esortava a
salvare la propria vita per il bene dei suoi figli rispose: “Mio figlio ha Dio
che può avere pietà di lui, perché è lui che provvede a tutte le creature”. Fu
così destinata a subire la stessa sorte di suo fratello Papilo e del vescovo
Carpo, con la medesima motivazione.
L’antichità del culto dei
tre martiri è attestata dalla “Storia ecclesiastica” del celebre Eusebio di
Cesarea e dal Breviario Siriano. Il Martyrologium Romanum accolse in seguito
tale memoria ponendola al 13 aprile ed aggiungendovi dei presunti numerosi
compagni di martirio.
Autore: Fabio
Arduino
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92743
Священномученики
Карп и Папила Фиатирские
Hiéromartyrs
Carpe et Papille de Thyatire
Karpus und Gefährten
irrtümlich auch: Cyrill
für Papylus auch: Babylas
Gedenktag katholisch: 13.
April
Gedenktag evangelisch:
10. Januar
Gedenktag orthodox:
4. April, 13. Oktober
Gedenktag armenisch: 13.
Oktober
Gedenktag
syrisch-orthodox: 13. Oktober
Name bedeutet: der
Frucht Bringende (griech. - latein.)
Bischof von Gordos (?), Märtyrer
† um 165 (?) in Pergamon, heute Bergama in
der Türkei
Karpus hat nach den
Märtyrerakten zusammen mit dem Diakon Papylus den römischen
Kaiserkult verweigert und wurde deshalb in Pergamon unter
Kaiser Mark Aurel zum Tod auf dem Scheiterhaufen verurteilt. Mit ihnen starb
nach manchen auch Karpus' Diener Agathodorus. Agathonike, die
Schwester von Papylus, soll daraufhin freiwillig in den Feuertod gegangen sein.
Zusammen mit Karpus und
seinen Gefährten starben viele weitere als Märtyrer, nämlich Martialis, Isaak und 44
oder noch mehr weitere.
Eusebius
von Cäsarea kannte noch den ursprünglichen Bericht über das Martyrium,
von dem heute verschiedene überarbeitete Fassungen vorliegen. Die lateinische
Überlieferung tituliert Karpus als Bischof von Gordos - wohl Gordos Iulia in
Lydien, das heutige Gördes -
und nimmt wie die armenische Tradition das Martyrium erst unter Kaiser Decius -
also um 195 - an, was aber als unwahrscheinlich gilt; realistischer als in den
Märtyrerakten ist aber, dass Agathonike hier nicht freiwillig den Feuertod
erlitt. Andere Tradition nennt Karpus Bischof von Thyatira - dem heutigen Akhisar.
Die Tradition der
Stadtgeschichte von Konstantinopel - dem heutigen Ístanbul -
berichtet von einer durch Helena zu
Ehren von Karpus und Papylus erbauten Kirche; diese stand wohl am Platz der
heutigen Menas-Kirche.
Die Märtyrerakten
der Heiligen Karpos, Papylos und Agathonike auf Deutsch gibt es in der
Bibliothek der Kirchenväter der Université
Fribourg.
Die Rote
Halle in Bergama kann wieder besichtigt werden - jeden Tag von 8.30
Uhr bis 19 Uhr im Sommer und bis 17 Uhr im Winter - wenn die
Restaurierungsarbeiten demnächst abgeschlossen sein werden - geplant ist das
für Januar 2014. (2013)
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Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 11.03.2026
Quellen:
• Klaus-Gunther Wesseling. In: Friedrich-Wilhelm Bautz †, Traugott Bautz † (Hg.): Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, Bd. III, Herzberg 1992
• Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, begr. von Michael Buchberger. Hrsg. von
Walter Kasper, 3., völlig neu bearb. Aufl., Bd. 2. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau
1994
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Karpus und Gefährten, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienK/Karpus.htm, abgerufen am 2. 6. 2026
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienK/Karpus.htm
The Holy Martyrs Carpus
and Papylus : http://www.orthodox.net/menaion-october/13-holy-martyrs-carpus-and-papylus.html
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