Sts Athanasius the Reader and Demetrian the deacon suffered martyrdom along with St Aristocles during the persecution under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311).
Arriving in the city of Salamis, all three began to preach to the people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and denounced the folly of idol-worship. The pagans arrested them, and the governor, seeing that they were steadfast in their faith in Christ, gave orders to behead St Aristocles, and to burn Sts Demetrian and Athanasius. But even in the fire, the martyrs remained unharmed. After this they were beheaded by the sword in the year 306.