See also: Forty martyrs

The Forty martyrs of Rosefish were soldiers of XIIe legion in Roman garrison in Arménie (current Turkey). They refused to disavow their Christian faith. Festival the March 9th in the East and the 10 in Occident.

Decrees in March 324, they were obliged to spend the night, naked, on a cold pond, in full winter with Sébaste (today Sivas). Hot baths were promised to them if they disavowed. But they supported the ones the others so that none is lost. The only one which went died at once in the bath because of the too violent change of temperature. One of the guards, converted in front of such an amount of piety, went to replace it on the lake, so as to maintain the number crowned of forty. They all were died the next morning.

The memory of their forty names was preserved under several alternatives which differ rather little from/to each other: Acace, Aétius, Alexandre, Angias, Athanase, Ingenuous (or Claude), Cyrille, Dométien, Domnus, Ecdikios, Élie, Eunoïque, Eutychius, Flavius, Gaïus, Gorgonius, and second Gorgonius, Hélien, Héraclius, Hésychius, Jean, Khoudion, (Leonce), Lysimaque, Mélèce, Méliton, Nicolas, Philoktimon, Priscus, Quirion, Sacerdon, Sévérien, Sisinius, Smaragde, Théodule, Theophilus, Valens, Valère, Vivien, Xanthias, and the Aglaïos guard.

This persecution had been ordered by Licinius, emperor in the East, whereas it was agreed with Constantin Ier, emperor in Occident, to leave to the Christians their freedom of conscience (Édit of Milan). To make respect the end of persecutions, Constantin took the weapons against Licinius, overcame it and became only Roman Emperor.

A city of the South of the Albania bears the name of these martyrs, very venerated in everyone Christian, Sarande, of the Greek word " Saranda" who means " Quarante".