SAINT DEMETRIUS OF SIRMIUM
Martyr
(† c. 306)
St. Demetrius was born to a wealthy, noble, Christian family. He was a soldier and a Deacon.
Appointed Duke of Thessaly by the Emperor Maximian, St. Demetrius lost his rank when they discovered he was Christian. He was speedily arrested, imprisoned in a bath-house, and run through with spears in Sirmium, modern Serbia, in 306.
St. Demetrius was popular in the Middle Ages and was reported to have appeared during a battle in 586, centuries after his death, to help defend Thessalonika.
Over 200 churches in the Balkans are known to have been dedicated to him. His relics are kept in veneration at the Hagios Demetrios Basilica in Thessaloniki.