During the time of the persecution of Christians, many of the faithful fled to the mountains and into the caves. So did the mother of Codratus. She was pregnant at the time, gave birth to Codratus in the forest, and died shortly thereafter. Growing up alone in the wilderness, Codratus was nurtured, fed, and guided by divine providence and a guardian angel.
He Who gave manna from heaven to the Israelites in the wilderness dropped a sweet dew from the clouds onto the mouth of the child Codratus. At the age of twelve, he entered town where a benevolent man provided him with an education. He studied medicine and healed the sick with natural cures and the spiritual power of prayer, which had been present with him from childhood. When a new persecution arose under Decius, Codratus was brought to trial and cast into prison. Five companions joined him and confessed the name of Christ.
These companions were Cyprian, Dionysius, Anectus, Paul, and Crescens. They were all dragged through the streets by the pagans, especially by their children. They were beaten with rods and stoned until they were eventually dragged to the scaffold. There, the martyrs prayed to God and were beheaded. A spring of water gushed out of the ground at that spot, which is called “Codratus” even today and is a reminder of the heroic deaths of these six holy innocents of Christ. They honorably suffered for the truth in the year 250 A.D., in Corinth, during the reign of Emperor Decius and his governor, Jason.