CYRUS, a physician of Alexandria, who by the opportunities which his
profession gave him, had converted many sick persons to the faith; and
John, an Arabian, hearing that a lady called Athanasia, and her three
daughters, of which the eldest was only fifteen years of age, suffered
torments for the name of Christ at Canope in Egypt, went thither to
encourage them. They were apprehended themselves, and cruelly beaten:
their sides {318} were burnt with torches, and salt and vinegar poured
into their wounds in the presence of Athanasia and her daughters, who
were also tortured after them. At length the four ladies, and a few days
after, Cyrus and John, were beheaded, the two latter on this day. The
Syrians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Latins, honor their memory. See their
acts[1] by St. Sophronius commended in the seventh general council, and
published with remarks by Bollandus.
Footnotes:
1. St. Cyrus is the same as Abba-Cher, mentioned in the Coptic calendar
on this day, which is the 8th of their month Mechir. He is called
Abbacyrus in the life of St. John the Almoner, written by Leontius,
in many ancient Martyrologies, and other monuments of antiquity.
Abbacyrus is a Chaldaic word, signifying the Father Cyr. As this
saint was an Egyptian, it is probable he was originally called
Pa-Cher, or Pa-Cyrus, the Egyptians having been accustomed to prefix
the article Pa to the names of men, as we see in Pa-chomis,
Pa-phantis, Pa-phantis, &c.
It is said in the acts of our two martyrs, that they were buried at
Canopus, twelve furlongs from Alexandria, and that their relics were
afterwards translated to Manutha, a village near Canopus, which was
celebrated for a great number of miracles wrought there. These
relies are now in a church at Rome called Sant' Apassara: this word
being corrupted by the Italians from Abbacyrus. Formerly there were
many churches in that city dedicated under the invocation of these
two holy martyrs. See Chatelain, notes on the Rom. Mart, p. 469, et
seq.