Saint Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna
of Salerno.
Also known as Archelais, Thekla, and Susanna, Archelia, Thecla, and Susanna, Archelais, Thecla and Susanna at Salerno, Archelais and Companions, Thekla, Susanna of Salerno
Three virgin-martyrs commemorated on June 6 who were beheaded at Salerno in 293 under the persecution of Diocletian, after fleeing Rome for Campania to live as ascetics.
- Fell asleep
- 293 (beheaded at Salerno)
- Feast day
- June 6 (New) · June 19 (Old)
Get a reminder on the feast in Orthodox Daily Companion →
Troparion of St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno
Tone 1
The Orthodox Church in America publishes a Tone 1 troparion for this feast, which begins "As reasonable lambs, you were guided by Christ, the Chief Shepherd." The full English text is available on the OCA website at the link cited in this record.
The life of St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno Three Virgins
Who Chose the Desert and Found Martyrdom
Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna lived in prayer and fasting before fleeing persecution into Campania. Their healing ministry brought them to the attention of the authorities at Salerno, where they were tortured and beheaded in 293. The Orthodox Church keeps their memory on June 6.
Early years
The Orthodox sources tell of three women who sought salvation together in a small monastery near Rome, living a shared life of ascetic discipline. Western tradition, by contrast, connects their origin with the Romagna region of northern Italy, and that account has been recorded in Catholic and encyclopedic sources. The Orthodox texts emphasize their chosen life of virginity and prayer rather than their family or birthplace, and no reliable Orthodox source consulted for this page supplies further biographical detail about them before they took up the ascetic life.
In the Church
The three women are described in Orthodox sources as nuns or monastic virgins who lived under an ascetical rule of fasting and prayer. Their gift of healing, which they used for the local population, is presented as a sign of their life in God and a means of drawing many pagans to Christianity. No formal ordination or clerical office is ascribed to them in the sources consulted.
Later years
When the governor of the district learned of their work, he had the women brought to Salerno and pressed them to sacrifice to idols. Archelais was condemned to the lions, but the animals were said to lie down at her feet, and the governor then had them destroyed and the virgins imprisoned. Archelais was tortured with iron tools and boiling pitch, and the accounts describe a stone turned back on her torturers by divine power. All three were beheaded in 293, and the Orthodox texts describe their courage under torment as the fulfillment of their monastic vocation.
Legacy and veneration
The Orthodox Church honors the three martyrs on June 6, and their feast is recorded in the Russian Orthodox Menaion, the Holy Trinity Orthodox calendar, and OrthodoxWiki's listing for June 6. The Prologue of Ohrid includes a full reading for the day, and the Orthodox Church in America provides a Tone 1 troparion and a kontakion for the feast on its website.
The OCA account of Saint Susanna's appearance to a disciple of Elder Boniface in the nineteenth century is one of the more notable later testimonies to their continuing veneration among the faithful. Churches dedicated specifically to these three martyrs were not identified in the sources consulted for this page.
Veneration of St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno How the saint's
memory is kept.
- Patronage
- Patron of Virgins, Virgin-martyrs, Martyrs of Salerno.
- Iconography
- Specific Byzantine or Slavic iconographic conventions for these martyrs were not confirmed in the sources consulted for this record, so no particular Orthodox icon type is described here. In Western painting, the three women are often shown together being led to their martyrdom, as in a late seventeenth-century work by Francesco Solimena that depicts Thecla, Archelais, and Susanna on the way to execution.
Frequently asked Questions about
St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno.
- When is the feast day of Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna?
- The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates the three virgin-martyrs on June 6, the date listed in the Russian Orthodox Menaion and the OCA calendar.
- Where were Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna martyred?
- According to the Orthodox accounts, they were brought to Salerno after the district governor learned of their healing work, and they were beheaded there in 293.
- When did Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna die?
- The Orthodox Church in America and Holy Trinity Orthodox calendar both give the year of their martyrdom as 293.
- Why did Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna flee to Campania?
- They fled during the persecution under Emperor Diocletian, disguising themselves as men and cutting their hair before settling in a remote area of Campania to continue their life of prayer and fasting.
- Who were Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna?
- They were three virgin-martyrs venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church who lived as ascetics before being martyred at Salerno under Diocletian.
- Are Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna in the Western calendar too?
- Yes. Western calendars also commemorate Archelais and companions, though on January 18, while the Orthodox commemoration remains June 6.
- What is St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno the patron saint of?
- St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno is the patron saint of Virgins, Virgin-martyrs, and Martyrs of Salerno.
Kontakion of St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno
A kontakion for this feast is listed by the Orthodox Church in America on the same page as the troparion, but its text was not retrieved for this record, and it is therefore not reproduced here. Readers may consult the OCA page for the full text.
Prayer to St. Holy Virgin-Martyrs Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna of Salerno
No traditional prayer addressed specifically to Archelais, Thecla, and Susanna was identified in the Orthodox prayer books consulted for this record, so none is reproduced here. The troparion and the Prologue reading for June 6 are the principal liturgical texts that honor them.
Carry the tradition with you.
Hand-finished icons, books, and calendars to carry the Orthodox day into your home.
Read a life like this
every morning.
Meet the daily saints through Orthodox Daily Companion on iPhone and iPad, or through the Lives of the Saints web app in any modern browser.
Orthodox Daily Companion
The native Apple app, with a Home Screen widget, prayer reminders, and a private on-device journal.
Download free on the App StoreLives of the Saints Web App
The browser experience for desktop, tablet, or phone, with a seven-day trial of the complete devotional library.
Open the web appGet a life like this one on every new tab - free, no account, from the same catalogue.
References and further reading
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/troparia/2023/06/06/101636-virgin-martyrs-archelais-thekla-and-susanna-at-salerno
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2026/06/06/101636-virgin-martyrs-archelais-thekla-and-susanna-at-salerno
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/06/06
- orthodoxwiki.orghttps://orthodoxwiki.org/June_6
- ochrid.orghttps://www.ochrid.org/june/6th
- orthodox.nethttps://www.orthodox.net/menaion/june.html
- holytrinityorthodox.comhttps://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/June/06-05.htm
- holytrinityorthodox.comhttps://holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/index.php?year=2050&today=19&month=6&trp=1&tzo=0
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archelais_and_Companions
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_6_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics)
- catholic.orghttps://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1521
- har22201.blogspot.comhttps://har22201.blogspot.com/2014/01/saintes-archelae-thecle-et-suzanne.html
- har22201.blogspot.comhttp://har22201.blogspot.com/2014/01/saintes-archelae-thecle-et-suzanne.html
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_7_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics)
- santosepulcro.co.ilhttps://santosepulcro.co.il/en/saints/st-archelais-and-companions/
- catholicsaints.infohttps://catholicsaints.info/saint-archelais-the-martyr/
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convent_of_Saint_Thecla_(Maaloula)
More from the tradition.
Read the Journal
Essays on feasts, fasting, and the rhythm of the Church year.
ExploreOrthodox countries
How the faith is lived and kept across the Christian world.
ExploreThe 2027 Calendar
A saint, a reading, and the day's fasting guideline for every day of 2027.
ExploreMobile & web apps
Carry the daily rhythm on iPhone and iPad or continue in the web app.
Explore