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Decius, and his soldiers with him, wanted to offer up incense to his idols, but St. Mercurius tarried behind. When they informed the Emperor of what had happened, he called St. Mercurius and expressed his amazement at his abandoning of his loyalty to him. The Emperor reprimanded him for refusing to come and offer incense to the idols. The saint cast his girdle and his military attire down before the Emperor and said to him, "I do not worship anyone except my Lord and my God [[Jesus Christ]]." The Emperor became angry and ordered him to be beaten with whips and stalks.
When the Emperor saw how the people of the city and the soldiers were attached to St. Mercurius, the Emperor feared that they might revolt. So instead, he bound him in iron fetters and sent him to [[Caesarea ]] where they cut off his head. He thus completed his holy fight and received the [[Crown]] of Life in the Kingdom of Heaven on 4 December 250 A.D.
After the end of the first persecution, God wanted to reveal the place of the saint's burial. Mercurius appeared to a poor man in the city, and told him that he was Mercurius the martyr of the Lord. "My body is buried in Cappadocia Gardens, under the old house on the way to the royal palace. My body looks as white as snow, because Jesus was present at the time of my martyrdom," said the saint.
