These men served as soldiers in the Roman legions under Emperor Vespasian. Leontius, a Greek by birth, openly declared his Christian faith. In the Phoenician city of Tripoli, his courage and devotion earned him deep respect from many soldiers and citizens alike. Yet not everyone shared this view. Some who clung to the old gods denounced him to Adrian, the new provincial governor. Adrian had come to Phoenicia with orders to force Christians to worship idols — or, should they refuse, to have them killed. He commanded Hypatius, a tribune, to take a group of soldiers, find Leontius, and bring him in for questioning.
As fate would have it, the tribune became gravely ill while on the march. In a dream, an angel came to him with a message: "If you wish to be well again, call out three times with your men: 'God of Leontius, help me.'" When Hypatius awoke, he saw the angel — but in an instant, it vanished. The tribune recounted this wondrous dream to his friend Theodulus and the other soldiers. Together, they obeyed — and the tribune’s health was restored.
Now, Theodulus and Hypatius went to seek Leontius on their own. Leontius welcomed them warmly. After teaching them the core truths of the Christian faith, he baptised them both. As Leontius called upon the Holy Trinity, a gentle rain fell from a sunlit cloud, blessing the newly baptised.
When word of these events reached Adrian, he flew into a rage. He had all three men dragged before him and demanded they renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. When threats failed to sway them, he ordered brutal torture. Theodulus endured a savage beating; Hypatius, suspended from a pillar, was flayed with iron hooks. After this, they were beheaded. Saint Leontius spent that night in chains, but spoke boldly of his faith the next morning. Offers of reward and favour could not convince him. At the command of the ruthless governor, the saint was then hung upside down from a pillar. A heavy stone was fastened around his neck. Leontius was then bludgeoned to death, and his remains were cast out beyond the city walls of Tripoli.
The martyrdom of these saints — Leontius, Hypatius, and Theodulus — occurred sometime between AD 70 and 79. A scribe carefully recorded the details of Leontius's questioning, his suffering, and his final moments. These accounts, inscribed on tin plates, were laid in his coffin, and the saint received an honourable burial close to the city.
