Martyrs Alexander
Acta Sanctorum, May 14
Source text: Public Domain. English translation/apparatus/encoding: CC BY-NC 4.0, Wroot Press.
https://actasanctorum.org/may/day-14/martyrs-alexander.html
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ON THE HOLY MARTYRS ALEXANDER, COLUTHUS, AND BARBARUS
HONORED AT CONSTANTINOPLE.

[Commentary]

Alexander, Martyr, honored at Constantinople (S.)

Coluthus, Martyr, honored at Constantinople (S.)

Barbarus, Martyr, honored at Constantinople (S.)

G. H.

Of these three Martyrs there have made mention various
Fasti of the Greeks, and first the MS. Synaxarion
of Constantinople, preserved at Paris in the
Clermont college of the Society of Jesus,
has these things on this XIV of May:
On the same day the contest of the holy Martyrs Alexander,
Coluthus, and Barbarus. Their solemnity is celebrated
in the temple of S. Irene at the sea. The same are read in the MS.
Menaea of Milan of the Ambrosian library marked
with the letter O and the number 148, and others of Dijon of Peter
Francis Chifflet. In these is added a distich, by which it is indicated
that to them the heads were cut off.

Τρῶν συνάθλων τετμημέναις κάραις
Τρία Τριὰς τίθησιν ἄξια στέφη

The heads being cut off of the three contending,
the Trinity conferred three worthy crowns.

We subjoin some Acts of a certain S. Barbarus the soldier,
whose body at Methone in the Peloponnesus was buried. But
whether that one be the same who with these companions, of whom there is no
mention, is venerated at Constantinople, we cannot for certain judge,
therefore from this one we separate him. But we suppose
that the Venetians, among whom the Menaea were printed, since they knew not a proper
day for this Saint, took this one, on which they learned from them
that some Martyr of this name was commemorated by the Greeks.
