St. Adrian of Nicomedia

St. Adrian of Nicomedia (died c. 306) was, according to his traditional acts, an officer of the imperial guard at Nicomedia in Asia Minor during the persecution of Diocletian. Present at the interrogation of a group of Christians and struck by the courage with which they endured torture for their faith, he asked what reward they expected; hearing of the hope of eternal life, he was moved to declare himself a Christian and had his own name entered among the condemned.

Imprisoned, he was strengthened and consoled by his young wife, St. Natalia, herself a secret Christian, who visited him in chains and encouraged him to persevere. He was cruelly put to death for the faith, and Natalia reverently gathered his relics. Their story was immensely popular in both East and West; Adrian became a favored patron of soldiers, and his cult spread widely, especially through Flanders, where his relics were greatly venerated.