A soldier martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, around the year 250, during a period of empire-wide persecution of Christians.

Saint Besa was a layman and soldier martyred in Alexandria, Egypt, around the year 250, during the persecution under the Roman emperor Decius. The surviving record identifies him simply as a soldier who died for his faith, one of many such martyrs from this especially severe wave of persecution.

Quick Facts

• Died: circa 250, in Alexandria, Egypt
• Occupation: Soldier
• Venerated as: Lay martyr

Who Was Saint Besa?

Besa was a Roman soldier in Alexandria, Egypt, martyred around the year 250. Beyond his military occupation and the place and approximate time of his death, no further personal details survive; he belongs to the large number of Christians who died in this one especially intense empire-wide persecution.

Historical Setting

The year 250 marked the beginning of the persecution ordered by the emperor Decius, the first systematic, empire-wide attempt to compel all Roman subjects to sacrifice to the state gods, with refusal punishable by death. Alexandria, a major center of Christian population, saw many such martyrdoms recorded in this period, often with only fragments of detail preserved.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Besa

He is remembered as a martyr whose military status did not exempt him from the demand to sacrifice, and who chose death over apostasy. His story represents the many Roman soldiers who faced the same choice as ordinary citizens during Decius’s persecution.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process for Besa is recorded, as is standard for martyrs of this ancient period. His veneration rests on the Church’s ancient and continuous liturgical memory of the Alexandrian martyrs of the Decian persecution.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Besa’s brief record is a reminder that ordinary Roman soldiers, not only bishops or notable Christians, faced the full weight of imperial persecution, and that fidelity under such pressure was demanded of people in every walk of life.

A Prayer to Saint Besa

Saint Besa, soldier and martyr, give courage to those who must choose fidelity to Christ over the demands of the powers around them. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology
• New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the Decian persecution