gold made one of the soldiers take courage and strike the
saint's head off.
Having beheaded him, the soldiers went away,
leaving him where he fell. Soon after that, the Faithful heard
the news and came rushing, in tears, and carried away the
remains of their blessed Patriarch back to St. Mark's Church.
There they donned him in his complete ritual vestment and
seated him on the Evangelist's Chair – that Chair on which he
had refused to sit all during his lifetime, because of his great
humility and his admiration for that Apostle.^6
- They then celebrated the Rite for the burial and laid
him to rest with his predecessors. The martyrdom of Abba
Petros inaugurated a period of peace-hence he is called
"Ieromartyros", or "the seal of the martyrs". This appellation
was given to him because he was the last person to have
been martyred by Diocletian. Other persecutions overtook
the Copts in later years and times. But this seventh
persecution, because of its fierceness, its length of duration,
and the number of those martyred, is recognised as has
already been explained as the starting point of the Coptic
calendar – the Era of the Martyrs. The name of Era of
Martyrs and the History of the Saints read regularly in
church are the only reminder the people have of all their
martyrs across the ages. There is not a single picture or
painting in any Church – or anywhere else – depicting the
scenes of agony and terror the martyrs went through. No
monuments were ever erected in memory of them. Although
epics could have been written about those giants of the Faith,
who held the Torch of Christianity high and kept its light
shining ever so bright, the Copts were content to commend
both persecutor and persecuted alike, into the Hands of
God.^7