DEMETRIUS

DEMETRIUS, martyr, St. (?–306). Later tradition holds that he was a soldier of the Roman army slain during the persecution of Galerius (A.D. 303–308), though he was originally portrayed as an urban aristocrat. Although his cult began in the ancient city of Sirmium, near modern Belgrade (q.v.), by the 6th c. he was indissolubly connected with Thessalonica (q.v.) to the south. His basilica in the latter city has been a pilgrimage center ever since, and the Slavs have a particular devotion to his cult. His feast day on 26 October is an occasion to remember departed Christian soldiers. Some twenty other saints on the Orthodox calendar are listed under this name, in part a singular attestation to his popularity.