From the Prologue of Ochrid
These holy and wondrous martyrs and heroes of the Christian faith were at first the foremost noblemen at the court of Emperor Maximian. The emperor himself esteemed them greatly for their bravery, wisdom and loyalty. But when the emperor learned that these two noblemen of his were Christians, he turned his love for them into wrath. And once, when there was a great sacrifice to the idols, the emperor summoned Sergius and Bacchus to offer sacrifices together with them, but they openly refused the emperor obedience in this. Beside himself with fury, the emperor ordered that their military attire be stripped from them, along with their rings and decorations, and that they be dressed in women's garments; iron collars were also placed around their necks, and thus they were led through the streets of the city of Rome to the mockery of all and sundry. After this, the emperor sent them to Asia, to his governor Antiochus, for torture. And this Antiochus had been raised to his position with the help of Sergius and Bacchus, who in their time had recommended him to the emperor. When Antiochus began to counsel them to renounce Christ and thus save themselves from the disgrace of torture and death, these saints replied: "Both honor and dishonor, both life and death -- all is one to him who seeks the Kingdom of Heaven." Antiochus cast Sergius into prison and ordered Bacchus to be tortured first. The servants took turns beating holy Bacchus until they crushed his entire body. From the crushed and bloody body of Saint Bacchus his holy soul departed and was borne on the hands of angels to the Lord. Saint Bacchus suffered in the city of Barbarissus. Then holy Sergius was brought out and shod in iron sandals studded with nails, and thus driven to the city of Resapha in Syria, and there beheaded by the sword; and his soul went to Paradise, there together with Bacchus, his companion, to receive the crowns of immortal glory from Christ the King and Lord. These splendid knights of the Christian faith suffered around the year 303.
