Saint Demetrius of Sirmium
Statue depicting Saint Demetrius from early 20th century, before revival of his cult as deacon
Born	270 Sirmium, Roman Empire
Died	9th April, 304 Sirmium, Roman Empire
Venerated in	Roman Catholicism
Major shrine	Cathedral Basilica of St. Demetrius, Sremska Mitrovica
Feast	9th April (martyrdom) & 26th October
Attributes	depicted wearing the deacons dalmatic or roman toga, usually carrying a palm branch or crucifix, sometimes portrayed with scorpion next to him
Patronage	Sremska Mitrovica, Diocese of Syrmia; Crusades; Deacons; Persecuted; Pannonia; University of Zadar;

Saint Demetrius of Sirmium (around 270, Sirmium, Roman Empire–9th April, 304 Sirmium, Roman Empire) was a Roman deacon and martyr of the early 4th century.

He is commonly confused for a Greek saint from Tessaloniki of the same name and who lived in the same period.^[1][2]

Life

He was born around 270 AD in Sirmium, present-day Sremska Mitrovica, as the son of a high-ranking officer. He was a deacon to the city's bishop, Irenaeus, who entrusted with safeguarding sacred texts. He was sentenced to death, tortured, and executed (most probably by decapitation) alongside his fellow deacons Donatus and Fortunatus, close to main city's gate on Easter Sunday, 304.^[3] He is most known among the so-called martyrs of Syrmia.^[4]

Basilica

The Basilica of St. Demetrius was erected by the Roman prefect Leontius between 426 and 441 as a three-nave basilica of the Greek type at the site believed to be where Demetrius was martyred. It was destroyed during the Avar siege of the city of Sirmium in 505. St. Demetrius is also believed to have been a co-patron saint of the small Romanesque chapel near the entrance to the city's imperial palace.^[5]

Iconography

Iconographically, St. Demetrius is depicted as a deacon or lector, vested in white toga with red deacons stole. According to later Thessalonikian tradition, he is wrongly portrayed as a young legionary, vested in Roman armour.^[6]

References