I was born in Lycaonia. He was a shepherd, and in all things he kept the law of God and taught his peers and companions in piety. Through a vision he learned that he would have to suffer martyrdom for Christ. At that time there was a great persecution of Christians in the nearby city of Pompeii by a Maximian ruler from Cilicia. There was a golden idol in the city to which the pagans worshiped. Sozont left his sheep, went to the city, entered the pagan temple, broke the hand of the golden idol, broke it and distributed it to the poor. As a result, the city became alarmed and the pagans began to search for the culprit. In order not to hurt anyone else for his deed, Sozont went to the governor and declared himself a Christian and the perpetrator of that deed. The tormentors first beat him, then hung him on a tree and scraped him with iron brushes, and when he was already dying they put him on fire, where Saint Sozont surrendered his soul to God. He suffered around 304. His relics proved miraculous and a temple dedicated to the saint was erected above them.