Martyr Anastasius the Fuller

Anastasius the Fuller was a Christian tradesman martyred at Salona in Dalmatia during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. By trade he was a fuller, a worker who cleaned and finished cloth. According to the tradition he came originally from Aquileia in northern Italy and moved his business to Salona, where he openly professed the Christian faith.

The defining act of his confession was that he painted a cross on the door of his house, declaring himself a Christian for all to see. He was arrested on account of his witness and missionary activity in Salona and brought to trial, where he confessed Christ without fear as the true God and Creator of all. The court sentenced him to death by drowning: his executioners tied a stone around his neck and cast his body into the sea. His death is dated to the year 304.

After his martyrdom a wealthy Christian woman named Ascalopia is said to have recovered his body from the sea and to have buried it reverently in the church on her estate. His relics were afterward honored, and the tradition relates that they were glorified by many miracles.