John B. Manos

Noble scholar-priest shelters secret Christian girl, writes martyr pep talks, boldly tells off the Muslim court, gets slapped and beheaded. Leocritia joins him in glory four days later.

Forty soldiers stripped and left to freeze on an icy pond. One cracks and runs to the warm bath — dies instantly. Guard sees 39 crowns, takes the 40th spot. Final boy’s mom pushes him onto the corpse cart so he dies a martyr.

Model wife who never argued once in forty years of marriage, lived like a nun in the palace, constantly saw her embarrassed guardian angel, then became barefoot superioress of her own order.

Ex-soldier John lives wild, sells holy pictures, then a sermon breaks him so hard they lock him up as insane. He gets out, builds hospitals, carries Christ in disguise, and dies saving a drowning kid.

Family kidnaps 19-year-old Thomas to kill his Dominican vocation. After two years of failed pressure and a seduction attempt, he gets angel-girded for purity and becomes the greatest theologian in history.

Demons swarm Colette with corpses, bugs, and seduction. She prays harder. Reforms the whole Franciscan Order, tells schismatic popes to step down, dies begging mercy for sinners.

Adrian and Eubulus walk right into the death trap to encourage the imprisoned. Caught, tortured, fed to beasts. Last martyrs standing as the evil governor loses his head.

Royal teen Casimir fasts like a monk, sleeps on stone, wears hair shirt, writes love song to Mary, then at 25 picks virgin death over doctors’ “just get married” cure.

Vowed-virgin empress survives miracle fire-walk, proves innocence, then dramatically renounces throne, cuts hair, and lives as lowliest sister in her own convent.

476: Odoacer takes Rome. Empire gone. Pope Simplicius holds the Church together amid total collapse, cares for the poor, battles sneaky patriarchs. Crisis pope legend.