The Martyr Epimachus, who was from Egypt, had lived the ascetical life
on Mount Pelusium. He came to Alexandria during the reign of Decius, and
was arrested by Apellianus the Governor. He suffered martyrdom in the
year 251.
APOLYTIKION OF EPIMACHUS OF ALEXANDRIA FOURTH TONE
Thy Martyrs, O Lord, in their courageous contest for Thee received as
the prize the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal
God. For since they possessed Thy strength, they cast down the tyrants
and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God,
by their prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.
KONTAKION OF EPIMACHUS OF ALEXANDRIA THIRD TONE
Of thine own accord didst thou go to contend for the right Faith, and
thou, O Epimachus, didst bravely cry to the lawless: I am come to strive
in contest for truth eternal and to mock the graven images of
perdition. And when thou hadst been beheaded, thou wast arrayed in a
crown of glory and life.
Saint Justus, called Barsaba, a son of Saint Joseph the
Betrothed, was chosen with Matthias to replace Judas. He was a bishop
and died a martyr’s death at Eleutheropolis.
The Martyr Anastasia the Roman lost her parents in infancy, and was
then taken to be reared by the abbess of a women’s monastery, named
Sophia. She raised Anastasia in fervent faith, in the fear of God and
obedience.
The persecution against Christians by the emperor
Decius (249-251) began at that time. The city administrator, Probus, on
the orders of the emperor commanded that Anastasia be brought to him.
Blessed by her abbess to suffer for Christ, the young martyr Anastasia
humbly came out to meet the armed soldiers. Seeing her youth and beauty,
Probus first attempted flattery to make her deny Christ.
“Why
waste your youth, deprived of pleasure? What is there to gain by
enduring tortures and death for the Crucified? Worship our gods, marry a
handsome husband, and live in glory and honor.”
The saint
steadfastly replied, “My spouse, my riches, my life and my happiness are
my Lord Jesus Christ, and you will not turn me away from Him by your
deceit!”
Probus subjected Anastasia to fierce tortures. The holy
martyr bravely endured them, glorifying and praising the Lord. In anger
the torturers cut out her tongue.
The people, seeing the inhuman
and disgusting treatment of the saint, became indignant, and the ruler
was compelled to end the tortures by beheading the martyr. In this
manner, Saint Anastasia received the crown of martyrdom.
The body
of the saint was thrown out beyond the city to be eaten by wild
animals, but the Lord did not permit her holy relics to be dishonored.
At the command of a holy angel, Abbess Sophia went to find Saint
Anastasia’s mutilated body. With the help of two Christians, she buried
it in the earth.
TROPARION - TONE 4
Your lamb Anastasia, calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice: / “I
love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You I endure suffering. / In
baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You, / and I died so
that I might live with You. / Accept me as a pure sacrifice, / for I
have offered myself in love.” / Through her prayers save our souls,
since You are merciful.
KONTAKION - TONE 3
Purified by the waters of virginity, / righteous Anastasia, you were
crowned by the blood of martyrdom. / You grant healing and salvation to
those in need, / and who call on you from their hearts, / for Christ
gives you strength, pouring out on you ever-flowing grace!
Saint Steven passed his life in ascetical discipline in the Monastery of
Saint Sabbas, from whence also he received the name Sabbaite. He was
consecrated bishop and reposed about the year 790, bequeathing to the
Church a number of melismatic troparia.
APOLYTIKION OF STEVEN THE SABBAITE
PLAGAL OF THE FOURTH TONE
You are a guide of Orthodoxy, a teacher of piety and modesty, a luminary
of the world, the God inspired pride of monastics. O wise Steven, you
have enlightened everyone by your teachings. You are the harp of the
Spirit. Intercede to Christ our God for the salvation of our souls.
KONTAKION OF STEVEN THE SABBAITE
FOURTH TONE
Planting a paradise of flourishing virtues, which with the streams of
thy divine tears was watered, O all-famed Steven, thou didst gain the
Tree of Life. Wherefore, by thy fervent prayers, save thy flock from
corruption; them that warmly honour thee do thou save from temptation,
for we have all obtained thee, O wise Saint, through faith and love as
our most mighty advocate.
Saint Ignatius, Patriarch of Constantinople (847-857;
867-877), in the world Nicetas, was of imperial lineage. When his
father, the emperor Michael I (811-813), was deposed from the imperial
throne by Leo the Armenian (813-820), the fifteen-year-old youth
Ignatius was imprisoned in a monastery. Life in the monastery
strengthened Saint Ignatius in faith and in piety. Soon he was made
igumen of the monastery, and later he was chosen Patriarch of
Constantinople.
When Michael III (855-867) ascended the throne he
was still a minor, so the country was actually governed by his uncle,
Bardas, an impious and unchaste man. Patriarch Ignatius urged Bardas to
forsake his sinful life and when he refused, Ignatius boldly denounced
him for his iniquity.
Bardas attempted to force Saint Ignatius to
tonsure the holy Empress Theodora, mother of the emperor, in order to
remove her from governance of the realm. Patriarch Ignatius did not
consent to this, and also publicly excommunicated Bardas. Bardas had
Ignatius tortured for fifteen days to force him to resign, and then they
sent him into exile. When the new emperor came to power, Saint Ignatius
was recalled from prison and was Patriarch for another ten years. He
died in the year 877 in a monastery.
Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov founded a monastery at the
River Ust, not far from Rostov, in honor of the holy Martyrs Boris and
Gleb (May 2). Saint Theodore (November 28) first came to the site of the
future monastery from the Novgorod region. Saint Paul came three years
later for ascetic struggles.
Saint Sergius of Radonezh (September
25 and July 5) came to Rostov, his native region, in 1363. Learning of
this, Saints Theodore and Paul went to the great ascetic for spiritual
counsel. Saint Sergius visited their wilderness monastery and blessed
them to build a church there named for the holy Passion-Bearers Boris
and Gleb. Already during the construction of this first church, monks
began gathering around the ascetics. The igumen, Saint Theodore,
joyfully accepted all who came. Soon a second temple was built in honor
of the Annunciation of the Theotokos.
Setting the Borisoglebsk
monastery in order, Saint Theodore entrusted its direction to Saint
Paul. Then he himself took several disciples and withdrew into the
Vologda forest. Here at White Lake, near to the confluence of the River
Kouzha into it, he founded a monastery and lived an ascetic life for
several years. He built a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, set the
monastery in order, and appointed an igumen for it.
After
receiving a revelation about his impending death, he returned to the
Boris and Gleb monastery, where he died on October 22, 1409. Saint Paul
directed the two monasteries for a certain time, then he also died at
the Monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb.
Saint Theophilus and James, Abbots of Omutch in Pskov, lived
the ascetic life on the island of Konev with Saint Arsenius (June 12).
In the year 1396, in the Pskov diocese at the River Omutch, not far from
the city of Porkhov, Saints Theophilus and James established a
wilderness monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy
Theotokos. They fell asleep in the Lord about the year 1412.
Saint Matrona was born in the village of Volissos on Chios of
wealthy and pious parents, Leon and Anna sometime in the fourteenth
century. From her youth she showed an inclination for monasticism. One
day she left her parents and went to live in an unpopulated area, where
she founded a small monastery for women. Soon other nuns joined her in
her ascetical struggles.
Saint Matrona worked many miracles both
during her life and after her death, and was revered throughout Chios
for her virtuous life and holiness. She showed charity to the poor, and
was able to heal the sick.
The service to Saint Matrona was
composed by Metropolitan Niketas of Rhodes. It was found in a codex from
1455, which would indicate that she died sometime before this date.
Saint Matrona is also commemorated on July 15 (the finding of her head).
Saint Julian the Hermit of Mesopotamia lived an ascetic life of fasting and prayer near the River Euphrates.
Once,
as he was praying, he heard a voice saying that the emperor Julian the
Apostate would soon perish. Soon the prophecy was fulfilled. Through the
efforts of Saint Julian, a church was built on Mount Sinai in memory of
the obtaining of the tablets of the Law by the holy Prophet Moses on
the spot where Moses was standing when he received the tablets.
The Hieromartyr Andrew of Crete lived during the reign of the
iconoclast emperor Constantine Kopronymos (741-775), who ordered
Christians, under penalty of death, to remove the holy icons from their
churches and homes. Believers, who fearlessly resisted the impious
iconoclast, and held firmly to the traditions of the holy Fathers, were
locked in prison. When the venerable Andrew heard that the emperor was
throwing virtuous and pious Christians into prison instead of thieves
and robbers, he went to the Church of the Great Martyr Mamas (September
2) in Constantinople and in front of everyone, denounced the heretic for
persecuting the true Faith.
In an attempt to justify himself the
emperor said that it was folly to bestow veneration on wood and paint.
To this the monk replied that whoever suffers for holy icons suffers for
Christ, but whoever reviles the icon upon which Christ is depicted,
offers insult to Christ Himself. The enraged iconoclast gave orders to
torture Saint Andrew without mercy.
As he was being dragged
through the streets to the place of execution, someone cut off the
saint’s feet. As a result, Saint Andrew was freed from his torments by
death. A hundred years later a Canon was written to the saint by Saint
Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). The saint heals those afflicted with
seizures.
TROPARION - TONE 4
Trained in asceticism on the mountain, / with the weapon of the Cross
you destroyed the spiritual assaults of the hostile powers, all-blessed
one; / Again you bravely prepared for combat / and slew Copronymus with
the sword of faith; / for both struggles you have been crowned by God,
monk-martyr Andrew of eternal memory.
KONTAKION - TONE 3
Today the Queen of cities / celebrates the radiant feast of your
light-bearing memory, / and invites every city and country to join her. /
She rejoices for she has gained a great treasure: / your body which
sustained many struggles, martyr Andrew, beacon of Orthodoxy.
The holy fool Saint Domna (Karpovna) was born into a noble family in
the central Ukraine around the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Orphaned at an early age, Saint Domna grew up in her aunt’s house. She
received an excellent education, and was able to speak several
languages. She was a beautiful girl, and therefore she had many suitors
who hoped to marry her. The righteous one, however, desired to preserve
her virginity for the Lord’s sake. When she discovered that her
relatives wished to force her to be married, she left the house in
secret, dressed in plain clothing, and she went on pilgrimage to the
holy places. Since she had no documents to prove her identity, she was
arrested and exiled to Siberia, where she settled in the city of Tomsk.
There she undertook the exploit of foolishness for the sake of Christ.
Saint
Domna had no permanent home, and she often spent her days and nights in
the open air. Her clothes consisted of various items in different
sizes, which hung from her almost naked body. Saint Domna often counted
them instead of the knots on a prayer rope, thereby concealing her
unceasing prayer from human sight. When compassionate people gave her
coats during the severe winters, she accepted them with gratitude, but a
few hours later she would give them to some other beggar, while she
continued to suffer from the cold. Knowing about the difficult stay of
the prisoners in the Tomsk police station, Domna began to walk among
them and sing spiritual songs, for which she herself was detained. Upon
learning of this, the Tomsk merchants, who revered Domna, carried
loads of her cakes, bliny, tea and sugar, which she meted out to the
distressed prisoners.
Remembering the words of Holy Scripture: “A
righteous man pities the lives of his animals” (Proverbs 12:10,
Septuagint), the saint also took care of stray animals and watchdogs.
She often fed them, and she was fond of the dogs, about whom the owners
did not care, turning them loose at will. Animals also loved the
righteous one and by night a multitude of them surrounded her. But even
among dumb animals Domna Karpovna did not forget about God. The
residents of Tomsk, amid the howling of dogs, often heard her prayer in
the darkness: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us!”
The Eldress began
to dress in rags and assumed the ascetical life of holy foolishness.
Bags of all sorts hung from her body, filled with bits of glass,
incense, bread, sugar, shoes, ropes, stones, and other things. The local
people loved her. She loved animals and they loved her in return,
following her as she walked.
The blessed one prayed intensely and
fervently in the temple, but only when there were just a few people
present. One eyewitness described her prayer: “Once I glanced into the
side chapel of the church, and there I saw Domna Karpovna, kneeling, and
praying. Oh, how she prayed! And the tears, the tears! They flowed from
her eyes in two streams.” But as soon as she noticed someone was
looking at her, she began to behave like a fool again, moving from place
to place, talking, and extinguishing candles.
Through her
exploit of foolishness Saint Domna preserved her virginity, voluntarily
enduring poverty, suffering from the heat and cold, and putting the
sinful passions to death. At the end of her life she received the gift
of clairvoyance from the Lord, which served for the spiritual benefit of
others. She surrendered her soul to God on October 16, 1872, and she
was buried in the convent of Saint John the Baptist in Tomsk.
The
Church of Russia glorified Saint Domna in 1984. She is also commemorated
on June 10, the Synaxis of All Saints of Siberia. Some sources give
December 16 as the day of her repose. Today, not far from Saint Domna’s
burial place, a chapel was built and dedicated to her.
TROPARION - TONE 1
Hearing the voice of Thine Apostle Paul say: “We are fools for Christ;”
/ Thy handmaiden Mother Domna, O Christ God, was a fool on earth for
Thy sake; / therefore, honoring her memory, / we entreat Thee: “O
Lord, save our souls!”
Today the Church remembers the 350 holy Fathers of the Seventh
Ecumenical Council under the holy Patriarch Tarasius (February 25).
The
Synod of 787, the second to meet at Nicea, refuted the Iconoclast
heresy during the reign of Empress Irene and her son Constantine VI.
The
Council decreed that the veneration of icons was not idolatry (Exodus
20:4-5), because the honor shown to them is not directed to the wood or
paint, but passes to the prototype (the person depicted). It also upheld
the possibility of depicting Christ, Who became man and took flesh at
His Incarnation. The Father, on the other hand, cannot be represented in
His eternal nature, because “no man has seen God at any time” (John
1:18).
In Greek practice, the holy God-bearing Fathers of the
Seventh Ecumenical Council are commemorated on October 11 (if it is a
Sunday), or on the Sunday which follows October 11. According to the
Slavic MENAION, however, if the eleventh falls on Monday, Tuesday, or
Wednesday, the service is moved to the preceding Sunday.
TROPARION - TONE 8
Most glorious are You, O Christ our God! / You have established the Holy
Fathers as lights on the earth! / Through them you have guided us to
the true faith! / O greatly Compassionate One, glory to You! KONTAKION - TONE 6
The Son who shone forth from the Father / Was ineffably born, two-fold
in nature, of a woman. / Having beheld Him, we do not deny the image of
His form, / But depict it piously and revere it faithfully. / Thus,
keeping the True Faith, / The Church venerates the icon of Christ
Incarnate. SOURCE:
Saint Paraskeve was born in Thrace in the eleventh century. In her youth
she went to Constaninople, and thence journeyed to the Holy Land in
pursuit of the ascetical life. After struggling for many years in the
wilderness of the Jordan, she was moved by God to return to her
homeland. She continued her monastic labours there for a few more years,
and then reposed in peace.
APOLYTIKION OF PARASKEVE OF SERBIA FOURTH TONE
Thou didst love a silent and solitary life, and didst fervently follow
Christ thy Bridegroom. And having taken His easy yoke in thy youth, and
having courageously armed thyself with the sign of the Cross against thy
spiritual enemies, thou didst extinguish the coals of passions with thy
tears, with ascetic labours, fasting, and prayer, O glorious Paraskeve.
And now, as thou standest in the heavenly bridal chamber with the wise
virgins in the presence of Christ, pray for us who venerate thine
honourable memory.
KONTAKION OF PARASKEVE OF SERBIA
PLAGAL OF THE SECOND TONE
Let us all piously praise most honourable Paraskeve, the holy
intercessor for those in affliction. For she gave up her earthly life
and received an incorruptible life for ever. Wherefore, she hath won
glory and the grace of wonderworking by the command of God.
Saint Nicetas the Confessor of Paphlagonia was a patrician at
the imperial court during the reigns of the empress Irene and her son
Constantine. He represented the empress Irene at the Seventh Ecumenical
Council in 787, though his name does not appear in the Acts of the
Council. He also assisted at the transfer of the relics of Saint
Euphemia (September 16).
Renouncing all positions and honors,
Nicetas decided to become a monk. At the request of the emperor, he did
not go into the wilderness, but rather remained in a monastery in the
capital. When the Iconoclast Theophilus occupied the imperial throne,
the venerable Nicetas was banished from the monastery by the heretics
for opposing the heresy. He wandered for a long time throughout the
country.
Saint Nicetas died at the age of seventy-five about the year 838. During his life and after his death he worked many miracles.
The Translation from Malta to Gatchina of a Portion of the
Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, together with the Philermos Icon of the
Mother of God, and the right hand of Saint John the Baptist took place
in the year 1799. These holy things were preserved on the island of
Malta by the Knights of the Catholic Order of Saint John of Jerusalem.
In 1798, when the French seized the island, the Maltese knights turned
to Russia for defense and protection. On October 12, 1799 they offered
these ancient holy things to the emperor Paul I, who at this time was at
Gatchina. In the autumn of 1799 the holy items were transferred to
Saint Petersburg and placed in the Winter Palace within the church
dedicated to the Icon of the Savior Not-Made-by-Hands. The Feast for
this event was established in 1800.
By ancient tradition, the
Philermia Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the holy Evangelist
Luke. From Jerusalem it was transferred to Constantinople, where it was
situated in the Blachernae church. In the thirteenth century it was
taken from there by crusaders, and from that time was kept by the
Knights of the Order of Saint John.
In the year
1274 at the Council of Lyons (in France), the Byzantine emperor Michael
VIII Paleologos decided to buttress his waning power by forming a union
with Catholic Rome. This step evoked universal discontent. In 1278, the
emperor issued a decree to introduce the Union at Constantinople by
forceful measures, if necessary.
Mt. Athos stood in firm
opposition to the Union. The Athonite monks sent a letter to Michael
pointing out that the primacy of the Pope, his commemoration in the
churches, celebrating the Eucharist with unleavened bread, the insertion
of the “filioque” [“and from the Son”] into the Creed, could not be
accepted by Orthodox, and they asked the emperor to change his mind. “We
clearly see,” the letter said, “that you are becoming a heretic, but we
implore you to forsake all this and abide in the teachings that were
handed down to you.... Reject the unholy and novel teachings of a false
knowledge, speculations, and additions to the Faith.”
The
Crusaders pushed out of Palestine and finding refuge in the Byzantine
Empire, declared to the emperor their readiness to affirm the power of
the Pope by fire and sword, if necessary. In addition, Michael had hired
mercenaries, both Turks and Tatars, to enforce his decree.
The
emperor despised the monks of Mt. Athos for their opposition. Since he
did not want to provoke the Greeks, he decided to vent his spite upon
the Athonite Slavs. By Michael’s order, the servants of the Pope
descended upon the Bulgarian Zographou monastery. When the demand to
accept the Union was presented before the Zographou monks, they refused
to listen. They adhered to the doctrines of the Fathers, and fearlessly
censured those who accepted the Latin teachings. The majority of the
Zographou monks left the monastery, but the most steadfast, twenty-six
in number, remained within the monastery tower. These were:Igumen
Thomas, and the monks Barsanuphius, Cyril, Michael, Simon, Hilarion,
James, Job, Cyprian, Sava, Jacob, Martinian, Cosmas, Sergius, Menas,
Joasaph, Joannicius, Paul, Anthony, Euthymius, Dometian, Parthenius, and
four laymen.
The holy martyrs for their Orthodox Faith, were burned in the monastery tower on October 10, 1284. (also September 22).
Martyrs Juventinus and Maximus at Antioch were bodyguards of
the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Having arrived in Antioch,
the emperor gave orders to sprinkle all the foodstuffs in the
marketplace and the water in the wells with blood offered to idols.
Saints Juventinus and Maximus opposed this edict, and Julian ordered
them executed.
Saint Pelagia the Penitent was converted to Christianity by Saint
Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa (Saturday of Cheesefare Week). Before her
acceptance of Christianity through Baptism, Pelagia was head of a dance
troupe in Palestinian Antioch, living a life of frivolity and
prostitution.
One day Pelagia, elegantly dressed, was making her
way past a church where Saint Nonnus was preaching a sermon. Believers
turned their faces away from the sinner, but the bishop glanced after
her. Struck by the outer beauty of Pelagia and having foreseen the
spiritual greatness within her, the saint prayed in his cell for a long
time to the Lord for the sinner. He told his fellow bishops that the
prostitute put them all to shame. He explained that she took great care
to adorn her body in order to appear beautiful in the eyes of men.
“We... take no thought for the adornment of our wretched souls,” he
said.
On the following day, when Saint Nonnus was teaching in the
church about the dread Last Judgment and its consequences, Pelagia
came. The teaching made a tremendous impression upon her.With the fear
of God and weeping tears of repentance, she asked the saint for Baptism.
Seeing her sincere and full repentance, Bishop Nonnus baptized her.
By
night the devil appeared to Pelagia, urging her to return to her former
life. The saint prayed, signed herself with the Sign of the Cross, and
the devil vanished.
Three days after her baptism, Saint Pelagia
gathered up her valuables and took them to Bishop Nonnus. The bishop
ordered that they be distributed among the poor saying, “Let this be
wisely dispersed, so that these riches gained by sin may become a wealth
of righteousness.” After this Saint Pelagia journeyed to Jerusalem to
the Mount of Olives. She lived there in a cell, disguised as the monk
Pelagius, living in ascetic seclusion, and attaining great spiritual
gifts. When she died, she was buried in her cell.
TROPARION - TONE 4
Like a fragrant rose growing from thorns, / You were revealed to the
Church through your virtuous deeds / Becoming a source of joy for the
faithful. / You offered your life in sweet-smelling fragrance / To him
who made you wonderful. / Entreat him to deliver us from every
soul-destroying passion, / O righteous Pelagia!
TROPARION - TONE 8
The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Mother, / for you took up
the Cross and followed Christ. / By so doing you taught us to disregard
the flesh for it passes away / but to care instead for the soul, since
it is immortal. / Therefore your spirit, venerable Pelagia, rejoices
with the angels.
KONTAKION - TONE 2
You wore out your body through fasting, vigils, and prayer / beseeching
the Creator to completely forgive your deeds. / You achieved this, holy
Mother Pelagia, / thereby showing us the way to repentance.
The Martyr Julian the Presbyter suffered martyrdom for Christ
with Saint Caesarius the Deacon at Terracina, Italy in the first
century.
Saint Caesarius was thrown into prison for insulting the
pagan gods. They later took him in bonds to the temple of Apollo, but
before they got him near the pagan temple it collapsed, killing the
pagan priests and many of the people.
About the same time the
idolators arrested the Christian priest Julian. At the empreor’s orders,
the holy martyrs were cast into the sea, but their bodies floated to
the surface, and Christians buried the sufferers.
Saint Evdemoz led the Georgian Orthodox Church in the mid-17th
century during the reign of King Rostom-Khan (1632-1658), a Georgian who
had converted to Islam.
Having murdered King Luarsab II of Kartli
and chased out King Teimuraz I of Kakheti, the Persian shah Abbas I had
declared Rostom-Khan ruler of a unified Kartli-Kakheti kingdom.
Rostom
tried to be accommodating in his policies and protect the beliefs and
traditions of both the Persian shah and the Georgian people: he set a
standard salary for the Georgian clergy and even built churches, but
society deteriorated rapidly nevertheless. Human vices became
commonplace, and sins like those of Sodom and Gomorrah were multiplied.
The nation was so overtaken by sin that even the clergy ceased to
conduct themselves in a manner befitting their God-given role.
But
the chief shepherd of the Georgian nation would not yield to the moral
decline of his flock, and he confronted this crisis with conviction and
fearlessness. Several times he led his most valiant military leaders in
revolt against Persia. Following the example of Catholicos Evdemoz,
several Georgian princes rebelled against the pro-Persian policies of
Rostom-Khan and cast out the Islamic influence from their territories.
Catholicos
Evdemoz resisted the Islamic custom of raising the king’s heirs in the
shah’s court from a young age. He was never too intimidated by the king
to expose his wrongdoing and tell him at every convenient opportunity:
“You are the natural father of the Muslims, but the stepfather of the
Christians!”
Evdemoz was the spiritual father of Rostom-Khan’s
wife, the faithful Queen Mariam, the daughter of Manuchar Dadiani,
Prince of Samegrelo.
As a result of the holy labors of Catholicos
Evdemoz and Queen Mariam, the Christian soul of the Georgian people was
not entirely extinguished. The Georgians built churches, wrote spiritual
literature, and gradually regained their national consciousness.
Catholicos Evdemoz preached throughout the country and developed and
implemented a plan to bring King Teimuraz, who had been driven out by
Shah Abbas, back to the throne.
Naturally Rostom-Khan felt
threatened by the strong influence Catholicos Evdemoz had on the people.
In 1642 he arrested the chief shepherd of the Georgian people and tried
to win him over, but neither his feigned tenderness nor his threats
could break the firm will of the man who loved Christ and his motherland
above all else. After his arrest, Saint Evdemoz criticized the king
even more harshly and called on the people to rise up against him.
Finally Rostom-Khan ordered that Catholicos Evdemoz be strangled to
death in his prison cell, and as a further insult, his body was cast off
Nariqala Fortress (in Tbilisi) in the direction of the Turkish baths.
That
night, a group of Christians stole the body of the holy hieromartyr
Catholicos-Patriarch Evdemoz and buried it in the northwest corner of
Anchiskhati Church in Tbilisi.
Saint Damaris was the first Athenian woman to believe in
Christ, through the preaching of the Apostle Paul. She is mentioned in
Acts 17:34: “Some men joined him and believed; among whom were both
Dionysios the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with
them.”
The name Damaris (“heifer”) is not Greek, but may be a
Hellenized form of the Hebrew name Thamar (“palm tree”). The name Thamar
appears in both the Old and New Testaments (Genesis 38:6, and Matthew
1:3). From her name, it may be inferred that Saint Damaris was not a
Greek by nationality, but she may have been a Jewish woman who moved to
Athens.
After Saint Paul left Beroia and visited Athens in the
year 52 AD, Saint Damaris had the opportunity to hear him preach
Christianity to the Athenians on the Areopagus. Only a few people
accepted Saint Paul’s message, but Saint Damaris was one of them. We do
not know anything for certain concerning her life beyond that. Some have
speculated that she came from a wealthy Jewish family of social
prominence, but there is no documentation of this. Neither is there any
concrete evidence for the opinion of some patristic writers, and of
Saint Dimitry of Rostov, that she was married to Saint Dionysios the
Areopagite, or that they were baptized by Saint Paul, together with
their two sons, and their entire household.
Hieromartyr Cyprian, Virgin Martyr Justina and Martyr Theoctistus suffered for Christ at Nicomedia in the year 304.
Saint
Cyprian was a pagan and a native of Antioch. From his early childhood
his misguided parents dedicated him to the service of the pagan gods.
From age seven until thirty, Cyprian studied at the most outstanding
centers of paganism: on Mount Olympus, in the cities of Argos and
Tauropolis, in the Egyptian city of Memphis, and at Babylon. Once he
attained eminent wisdom in pagan philosophy and the sorcerer’s craft, he
was consecrated into the pagan priesthood on Mount Olympus. Having
discovered great power by summoning unclean spirits, he beheld the
Prince of Darkness himself, and spoke with him and received from him a
host of demons in attendance.
After returning to Antioch, Cyprian
was revered by the pagans as a prominent pagan priest, amazing people by
his ability to cast spells, to summon pestilence and plagues, and to
conjure up the dead. He brought many people to ruin, teaching them to
serve demons and how to cast magic spells.
The holy virgin Justina
lived in Antioch. After turning her own father and mother away from
pagan error and leading them to the true faith in Christ, she dedicated
herself to the Heavenly Bridegroom and spent her time in fasting and
prayer. When the youth Aglaides proposed marriage to her, the saint
refused, for she wished to remain a virgin. Agalides sought Cyprian’s
help and asked for a magic spell to charm Justina into marriage. But no
matter what Cyprian tried, he could accomplish nothing, since the saint
overcame all the wiles of the devil through her prayers and fasting.
Cyprian
sent demons to attack the holy virgin, trying to arouse fleshly
passions in her, but she dispelled them by the power of the Sign of the
Cross and by fervent prayer to the Lord.
Even though one of the
demonic princes and Cyprian himself, assumed various guises by the power
of sorcery, they were not able to sway Saint Justina, who was guarded
by her firm faith in Christ. All the spells dissipated, and the demons
fled at the mere mention of the saint’s name.
Cyprian, in a rage,
sent down pestilence and plague upon Justina’s family and upon all the
city, but this was thwarted by her prayer. Cyprian’s soul, corrupted by
its domination over people and by his incantations, was shown in all
the depth of his downfall, and also the abyss of nothingness of the evil
that he served.
“If you take fright at even the mere shadow of
the Cross and the Name of Christ makes you tremble,” said Cyprian to
Satan, “then what will you do when Christ Himself stands before you?”
The devil then flung himself upon the pagan priest who had begun to
repudiate him, and attempted to beat and strangle him.
Saint
Cyrian then first tested for himself the power of the Sign of the Cross
and the Name of Christ, guarding himself from the fury of the enemy.
Afterwards, with deep repentance he went to the local bishop Anthimus
and threw all of his books into the flames. The very next day, he went
into the church, and did not want to leave it, though he had not yet
been baptized.
By his efforts to follow a righteous manner of
life, Saint Cyprian discerned the great power of fervent faith in
Christ, and made up for more than thirty years of service to Satan.
Seven days after Baptism he was ordained reader, on the twelfth day,
sub-deacon, on the thirtieth, deacon. After a year, he was ordained
priest. In a short time Saint Cyprian was elevated to the rank of
bishop.
The Hieromartyr Cyprian converted so many pagans to Christ
that in his diocese there was no one left to offer sacrifice to idols,
and the pagan temples fell into disuse. Saint Justina withdrew to a
monastery and there was chosen Abbess.
During the persecution
against Christians under the emperor Diocletian, Bishop Cyprian and
Abbess Justina were arrested and brought to Nicomedia, where after
fierce tortures they were beheaded with the sword. Saint Cyprian,
fearful that the holy virgin’s courage might falter if she saw him put
to death, asked for time to pray. Saint Justina joyfully inclined her
neck and was beheaded first.
The soldier Theoctistus, seeing the
guiltless sufferings of Saint Justina, fell at Cyprian’s feet and
declared himself a Christian, and was beheaded with them.
TROPARION - TONE 4
By sharing in the ways of the Apostles, / you became a successor to
their throne. / Through the practice of virtue, / you found the way to
divine contemplation, O inspired one of God; / by teaching the word of
truth without error, / you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of
your blood. / Hieromartyr Cyprian, entreat Christ God to save our souls
TROPARION - TONE 4
You abandoned ungodly darkness, becoming a light of truth; / You were
illustrious as a pastor; / You were glorified in contest: / O righteous
Father Cyprian together with godly Justina, / Intercede for us before
God the Creator of all!
KONTAKION - TONE 1
You turned from the art of sorcery to the knowledge of God, / and were
shown forth as a skillful healer for the world, Cyprian, inspired by
God. / Together with Justina you grant cures to those who honor you; /
with her, pray to the Master who loves mankind that He may save our
souls.
During the
reign of King Aderki of Kartli, the Jewish diaspora in Mtskheta learned
that a wondrous Child had been born in Jerusalem. Then, thirty years
later, a man came from Jerusalem to deliver this message: “The youth has
grown up. He calls Himself the Son of God and preaches to us the
New Covenant. We have sent envoys to every Jewish diaspora to urge the
scholars of the religion to come to Jerusalem and judge what measures
should be taken in regard to this matter.”
In response to the
envoy’s request and at the recommendation of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Elioz
of Mtskheta and Longinoz of Karsani were chosen to journey to
Jerusalem. Elioz of Mtskheta was born to a pious family, and as his
mother prepared him for the journey, she tearfully begged him not to
take any part in the spilling of the blood of the Messiah.
When
the Roman soldiers were nailing our Savior to the Cross on Golgotha,
Elioz’s mother miraculously heard each strike of the hammer. She cried
out in fear, “Farewell majesty of the Jews! For inasmuch as you have
killed your Savior and Redeemer, henceforth you have become
your own enemies!” With this she breathed her last.
After
the soldiers had cast lots for the Robe of our Lord, it was acquired by
Elioz and Longinoz, and with great honor they carried it back with them
to Mtskheta. Upon their arrival, Elioz met his sister Sidonia, who took
from him the Sacred Robe. With much grief she listened to the story of
our Savior’s Crucifixion, clutched the Robe to her breast, and
immediately gave up her spirit.
Many miracles were worked by the
Robe, and news of this flashed like lightning throughout Mtskheta. King
Aderki had a great desire to possess the Robe but, frightened by the
miracles, he did not attempt to free it from Sidonia’s embrace. Elioz
was obliged to bury his sister and the Precious Robe together. A cypress
tree grew up on Sidonia’s grave. When the disciples of Christ cast lots
after Pentecost, the lot for evangelizing Georgia fell to the Most Holy
Theotokos. But Christ revealed to His Mother that it was not His will
for her to preach there. “You have been entrusted to protect the
Georgian nation,” He said, “but the role of evangelizing that land
belongs to My disciple Andrew the First-called. Send him with an image
of your face “Not-Made-By-Hands” to protect the Georgian people to the end of the ages!”
According
to the will of God and the blessing of the Theotokos, Saint Andrew the
First-called set off for Georgia to preach the Christian Faith. He
entered Georgia from the southwest, in the region of Atchara, and
subsequently preached in every region of the nation. He established a
hierarchy for the Georgian Church and then returned to Jerusalem for
Pascha. When he visited Georgia for the second time, the Apostle Andrew
was accompanied by the Apostles Matthias and Simon the Canaanite.
Years
passed and, under threat from Persian fire-worshippers and other pagan
communities, the memory of Christ faded from the minds of the Georgian
people.
Then, at the beginning of the 4th century, according to
God’s will and the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos, the holy virgin
Nino arrived in Kartli to preach the Christian Faith. She settled in the
outskirts of Mtskheta, in the bramble bushes of the king’s garden.
Saint Nino inquired as to the whereabouts of our Lord’s Robe, but no one
could remember where it had been preserved. In her quest for the
Precious Robe, she became acquainted with Elioz’s descendants, the
Jewish priest Abiatar and his daughter, Sidonia. Saint Nino converted
them to Christianity.
Saint Nino was blessed by God with the gift
of healing. She healed the afflicted through the name of our crucified
Savior and through the grace of the cross formed from grapevines by the
Theotokos and bound with strands of Saint Nino’s hair.
At that
time King Mirian ruled Kartli. Following in the footsteps of his
ancestors, he worshiped the idol Armazi, but in the depth of his heart
he was drawn to the Faith that the holy virgin was preaching. Mirian’s
wife, Queen Nana, was the daughter of a famous military leader of
Pontus. Thus, the king had received some prior knowledge of the Faith of
the Greeks.
Once Queen Nana fell deeply ill, and only through the
prayers of Saint Nino was she spared from death. After this miraculous
healing, King Mirian became intrigued by the Faith that Saint Nino was
preaching, and he began asking the newly enlightened Abiatar about the
Holy Scriptures.
Once, while he was hunting on Mt. Tkhoti near
Mtskheta, King Mirian was suddenly gripped by an evil spirit, and he
burned with a desire to destroy the Christian people of his land
and—above all others—the virgin Nino. But suddenly the sun was eclipsed,
and the king was surrounded by darkness. The frightened Mirian prayed
to the pagan gods to save him from this terror, but his prayers went
unanswered. Then, in utter despair, he began to pray to the Crucified
God-man and a miracle occurred: the darkness scattered and the sun shone
as before. Raising his hands to the east, Mirian cried out, “Truly Thou
art the God preached by Nino, God of gods and King of kings!”
Having
returned to the capital, King Mirian went immediately to the bramble
bushes where Saint Nino dwelt. He greeted her with great honor and spent
several hours seeking her counsel. Upon her recommendation, he sent
messengers to Emperor Constantine in Byzantium, requesting that he send
priests to baptize the people of Kartli and architects to build
churches.
This happened on June 24 of the year 324, which was a
Saturday. King Mirian began to construct a church so that the priests
arriving from Constantinople would have a place to serve. Seven columns
to support the church were formed from the wood of a cypress tree that
had grown in the king’s garden. Six of the columns were erected without a
problem, but the seventh could not be moved from the place where it had
been carved. Saint Nino and her disciples prayed through the night, and
at dawn they watched as a youth, encompassed by a brilliant light,
descended from the heavens and raised the column. The miraculous column
began to shine and stopped in mid-air at a height of twelve cubits.
Sweet-smelling
myrrh began to flow from under the Holy Pillar’s foundations, and the
entire population of Mtskheta flocked to that place to receive its
blessing. Approaching the Life-giving Pillar, the sick were healed, the
blind received sight, and the paralyzed began to walk.
By that
time a certain Bishop John and his suite had arrived from
Constantinople. Saint Constantine the Great sent a cross, an icon of the
Savior, a fragment from the Life-giving Cross of our Lord (from the
place where His feet lay), and a nail from His Crucifixion as gifts to
the newly enlightened King Mirian and his people.
At the
confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi Rivers in Mtskheta, the king and
queen, the royal court, and all the people of Kartli were baptized into
the Christian Faith. After the glorious baptism, Bishop John and his
retinue from Constantinople set off toward southern Georgia, for the
village of Erusheti. There they built churches and presented the
Christian community with the nail from our Lord’s Crucifixion. Soon
after, they began to construct Manglisi Church and placed the fragment
from the Life-giving Cross inside.
King Mirian wanted to keep some
of the newly obtained sacred objects in the capital city, but St.Nino
informed him that one of the holiest objects, the Robe of our Savior,
was already located in Mtskheta. The king summoned the priest Abiatar
and inquired about the Robe, then rejoiced greatly after Abiatar
confirmed Saint Nino’s words that the Robe of the Lord was held in the
embrace of Sidonia, who was buried under the stump of the cypress tree
which now served as the pedestal for the Life-giving Pillar.
At
that time a lush, sweet-smelling, wonder-working tree grew up on a
mountain over Mtskheta and, at Bishop John’s suggestion, Prince Revi,
the son of King Mirian, ordered that the tree be chopped down and a
cross formed from its wood. The tree was chopped down and replanted,
without its roots, next to a church that was under construction. For
thirty-seven days the tree retained its original appearance—even its
leaves did not fade or wither. Then, after thirty-seven days had passed,
three crosses were formed from its wood.
For many days after this
miracle the people of Mtskheta saw a vision: during the night a fiery
cross shone above the church, surrounded by stars. When morning came,
two of the stars had moved away from the cross in opposite
directions—one to the west and the other to the east. The fiery cross
headed to the north, stopped for some time over the hill on the other
side of the River Aragvi, then disappeared.
Saint Nino advised
King Mirian to erect one of the three crosses in the west, on Tkhoti
Mountain, and another in the east, in the village of Ujarma. But it was
unclear where the third cross should be erected, so King Mirian
prayerfully beseeched the Lord to reveal to him the place.
The
Lord heard his prayers and sent an angel to show him the place: a rocky
hill to the north of the capital, at the confluence of the Aragvi and
Mtkvari Rivers. Today this hill is called Jvari (Cross) and upon it
towers the magnificent church of Jvari Monastery. At the moment the
cross was erected on this hill, all the idols in Mtskheta fell and
shattered to pieces.
Prior to his death King Mirian blessed his
heir, Prince Bakar, and urged him to dedicate his life to the Holy
Trinity and fight ceaselessly against idolaters. Then he peacefully
reposed in the Lord.
According to his will, Holy
Equal-to-the-Apostles King Mirian was buried in the upper church at
Samtavro, where today a convent in honor of Saint Nino is located. The
king was too modest to be buried in the lower church, the Svetitskhoveli
Cathedral, in which the Life-giving Pillar had been preserved.
Queen Nana reposed two years later and was buried next to her husband.
SOURCE:
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