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The Holy and Great Martyr Irene She lived in the Balkans in apostolic times, in the town of Magedon where her father Licinius was governor of a small region. Some think that she was a Slav.* She was born a pagan of pagan parents. Penelope - for that was her pagan name - learned the Christian faith from her teacher, Appelianus. St Timothy, the disciple of the Apostle Paul, baptised her and her lady-in-waiting, and brought her a letter from the Apostle Paul to read. She infuriated her father by her refusal to marry, and he intended to torture her, but she brought him to Christianity in a miraculous way. She was tortured in different ways by four kings, other than her father, but God saved her through His angels. King Sedechias buried her up to the neck in a pit full of snakes and scorpions, but an angel of God neutralised the poison of the reptiles and preserved the holy maiden untouched. Then the same king attempted to saw her in two, but the sword broke against her body as against stone. This same king once again bound her to the wheel of a water-mill, then let the water in to drown her, but the water would not flow, but stood still, and the maiden remained whole and alive. King Sapor, Sedechias's son, shod her with nails, loaded a sack of sand onto her, put a bridle on her and commanded that she be led like an animal far outside the city. 'Truly I am as a beast before Thee, 0 Lord!', said the holy martyr as she ran bridled behind her torturers. But an angel of God caused an earthquake, and the earth opened and swallowed up her tormentors. Surviving all these tortures, by which an enormous number of pagans were brought to Christianity, Irene went to the city of Kallinikos, where she preached the Christian faith. The local king, Numerian, tried to kill her, throwing her into three burning metal oxen one after the other. But the maiden was preserved and remained alive, and many saw and believed. The Eparch, Vaudon, took her to the city of Constantina, where he thought to kill her by putting her onto a burning grid. But this did not harm St Irene, and many were brought to the true Faith. Finally, Irene came to the city of Mesembria, where the king killed her but God restored her to life. And the king, seeing this, together with many of the people, believed in Christ and was baptised. And thus St Irene, by her sufferings and miracles, brought over 100,000 pagans to faith in Christ. At last she laid herself in a grave and commanded Appelianus to close it. After four days, when the grave was opened, her body was not in it. Thus God glorified forever the maiden and martyr Irene, who had sacrificed all and endured all, that God should be the more greatly glorified among men.
*Author's Note: Archbishop Philaret thinks that St Irene was of Serbian birth. See his 'Lives of the Saints'.Ss Martin and HeracliusSlavs, they were persecuted by heretic Arians in Illyria. Sent into exile, these knights of Orthodoxy finished their earthly course in the 4th century, and went to the Lord. Venerable Euthymius, the Wonderworker (11th c.)Bishop of Maditos in Thrace. Sts. Martin and Heraclius, of Illyria (4th c.)Свети преподобни Михеј Martyrs Neophytus, Gaius, and GaianusVenerable Adrian, abbot of Monza Monastery (1619) The Monk Adrian of Monzensk lived during the XVI and beginning of the XVII Century, and was a native of the city of Kostroma. In the world he had the name Amos. Upon coming of age he was obligated on the wishes of his parents to enter into marriage, but beforehand became grievously ill. During the time of illness he had a vision of a solitary church amidst two rivers and he heard a voice: "Here is thy place"... |
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