3,628 Martyrs who suffered at Nicomedia

The 3,628 Martyrs in Nicomedia suffered under the emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (305-311). These were Christians who had come from Alexandria. They had come to believe in Christ following the martyrdom of Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria (November 25).

Taking their wives and children with them, they arrived in Nicomedia and voluntarily presented themselves for martyrdom, exclaiming, “We are Christians.” At first, Diocletian tried to persuade them to renounce Christ, but seeing their resolve, he ordered them all to be beheaded, and for their bodies to be thrown into a fiery pit.

Many years later, the relics of the holy martyrs were discovered through various manifestations of grace.