Artist Unknown, “Saints Sergius and Bacchus”, Date Unknown, Religious Icon, Tempera Paint and Gilding

Sergius and Bacchus were fourth-century Roman Christian soldiers who are revered as martyrs and military saints by Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christian Churches. October 7th is held as their feast day. 

The story of Sergius and Bacchus is found in the Greek text known as “The Passion of Sergius and Bacchus”. Dating of the text is difficult; however, it most likely dates to the middle of the fifth=century as there is no other existing historical evidence for the cult of Sergius and Bacchus before 425 AD, a century after the date of their deaths. The basic account of their martyrdom follows:

Sergius was a primicerius, or commander, and Bacchus, a secundarius or subaltern officer, in the army of Roman Emeror Galus Valerius Maximianus, who ruled from 258 to 311 AD. Since the earliest accounts of their martyrdom, their close bond to each other has consistently been emphasized; the earliest record of the martyrdom described them as “erastai”, which is Greek for lovers. 

Held in high favor by the Emperor, Sergius and Bacchus were arrested after they refused to attend sacrifices to Zeus, an act which revealed their secret Christianity. Arrested in what is now Syria circa 303 BC and paraded through the streets, they were separated and tortured. Bacchus was so severely beaten that he died; early manuscripts state that he appeared to Sergius at night and told him not to despair as they would be reunited in heaven as lovers, a statement unique in the history of Christian martyrs. Over the next several days, Sergius was tortured and finally beheaded. 

For nearly one thousand years, Sergius and Bacchus were revered as the official patrons of the Byzantine army. The tomb of Sergius became a famous shrine and many early churches were named after either Sergius or Bacchus. Recognized as martyrs, the pair was venerated throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Latin American and the Slavic nations. In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed Sergius and Bacchus from the liturgical calendar, on the basis of lack of historical evidence. Sergius and Bacchus, however, continue to be popular saints among Christian Arabs and, now, have gained popularity among LBGTQ Christians and others.

One of the newest images of the third-century saints is a stained=glass window, dedicated in September of 2011, at St. Martha’s Church in Morton Grove, Illinois. A gift donated by its LBGTQ members, it is part of a project in which the church’s diverse congregation are selecting and installing twenty windows of saints from their various homelands.