The life of St Hyacinth
One day, while the emperor and his court went to offer sacrifice to the idols, Hyacinth stayed behind and withdrew to a small room to pray; a servant overheard him and reported him to Trajan. Brought before the emperor and urged to sacrifice, Hyacinth confessed himself a Christian and would not be moved, so he was scourged and thrown into prison, where his captors gave him only meat that had already been offered to idols, hoping hunger would break his resolve.
Hyacinth would not eat it, choosing to go without food entirely rather than share in what he considered a denial of Christ, and after more than a month without eating he died in his cell. Tradition holds that in his final days he was seen comforted by angels, who clothed him in bright garments and set a crown on his head. He died still young, in the city of Rome, and his relics were later carried back to his native Caesarea.
