Seven Sleepers
Seven Sleepers | |
|---|---|
Illustration from the Menologion of Basil II | |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Church Islam |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | 27 July 4 August, October 22 (Eastern Christianity) |
The Seven Sleepers (Greek: ἑπτὰ κοιμώμενοι, romanized: hepta koimōmenoi; Latin: Septem dormientes), also known in Christendom as Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, and in Islam as Aṣḥāb al-Kahf (اصحاب الکهف, aṣḥāb al-kahf, lit. Companions of the Cave), is a late antique Christian legend, and a Qur’anic Islamic story. The Christian legend speaks about a group of youths who hid inside a cave outside the city of Ephesus (modern-day Selçuk, Turkey) around AD 250 to escape Roman persecutions of Christians and emerged many years later. The Qur'anic version of the story appears in Sura 18 (18:9–26).
The Seven Sleepers have been venerated as Christian saints since at least the fifth century as the "Holy Seven Youths" (Άγιοι Επτά Παίδες) in the Orthodox church; in the Catholic Church, they are venerated individually.