Saints of 16 March

St Cyriacus of Rome

At Rome, the martyrdom of the deacon St. Cyriacus, who, after a long imprisonment, was covered with melted pitch and stretched on the rack, to have his limbs distended with ropes, was beaten with clubs, and finally beheaded with Largus, Smaragdus, and twenty others, by order of Maximian. Their feast, however, is kept on the 8th of August, the day on which their bodies were taken up by the blessed pope Marcellus and reverently entombed.

St Hilary of Aquileia

At Aquileia, in the time of the emperor Numerian and the governor Beronius, the birthday of the holy bishop Hilary, and the deacon Tatian, who terminated their martyrdom with Felix, Largus, and Denis, after being subjected to the rack and other tortures.

St Papas of Lycaonia

In Lycaonia, the holy martyr Papas, who was scourged for the Christian faith, torn with iron hooks, then compelled to walk with shoes pierced with nails, and finally bound to a barren tree. In leaving this world to go to God, he rendered the tree fruitful.

St Julian of Anazarbus

At Anazarbum, in Cilicia, under the governor Marcian, the martyr St. Julian, who was a long time tortured, then put into a sack with serpents, and cast into the sea.

St Agapitus of Ravenna

At Ravenna, St. Agapitus, bishop and confessor.

St Heribert of Cologne

At Cologne, St. Heribert, a bishop, celebrated for sanctity.

St Patrick of Clermont

At Clermont, in Auvergne, the demise of St. Patrick, bishop.

St Abraham of Syria

In Syria, St. Abraham, hermit, whose life has been written by the blessed deacon Ephrem.