A young Christian of Iconium who turned many to Christ by his preaching and, after refusing to deny the faith, received the martyr's crown.
The Holy Martyr Marcian of Iconium
Marcian of Iconium was an early Christian martyr of Asia Minor, commemorated by the Orthodox Church on July 13. According to the synaxarion he was a native of Iconium in Lycaonia (a city in the interior of Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey), and while still a young man he drew many to the Christian faith through his ardent preaching.
His zeal brought him to the notice of the local pagans, who first subjected him to bodily punishment and then sent him to Cappadocia to be tried before the governor Perennias. The synaxarion records that, despite the governor's attempts to sway him by persuasion and by threats, Marcian openly confessed the truth of the Christian faith and reproached Perennias for worshipping lifeless idols. He was subjected to severe torments and, remaining steadfast, was beheaded while at prayer. His martyrdom is traditionally dated to about the year 258.
The account of Marcian's life and death survives as a brief synaxarion notice rather than a detailed vita, and little is recorded of him beyond his youth, his preaching at Iconium, his trial before Perennias in Cappadocia, and his beheading. Western martyrological summaries identify the same figure (as Marcian of Lycaonia) but differ on details such as the year and the commemoration date; the Orthodox synaxarion's July 13 feast and the date of about 258 are followed here.