The Holy Martyrs Carpus, Papylus, and Agathonica: Carpus was the bishop of Thyatira; Papylus, a deacon; Agathonica, sister of the same Papylus. There were many others at Pergamum in Asia, who were crowned with martyrdom for their blessed confession of Christ in the year 250. Troparion Your martyrs, O Lord our God, in their […]
Tag Archives: martyrs
Oct. 12 The Holy Martyrs Probus, Tarachus, and Andronicus; Our Venerable Father Cosmas of the Holy City, Bishop of Maiuma, the Hymnographer
The holy martyrs Probus, Tarachus, and Andronicus were persecuted under the emperor Diocletian, and gave their lives confessing for Christ at Anazarbus in Cilicia in the year 292. Our venerable father Cosmas, bishop of Maiuma, the hymnographer, was born in Jerusalem. He was a friend to St. John Damascene, whose parents took him in as […]
Oct. 10 The Holy Martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia
The holy martyrs Eulampius and Eulampia were brother and sister. They lived at the beginning of the 4th century in the city of Nicomedia. Eulampius became upset after reading the decree of the emperor Maximian (284-305) sentencing all Christians to execution. Eulampius was horrified that the emperor was taking up arms against his own subjects […]
Oct. 7 The Holy Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus
The holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus were nobles of the court of the emperor Maximian. The emperor valued them for their courage, wisdom, and zeal. When they refused to offer sacrifice to pagan Gods, the emperor turned against them, dressing them in women’s clothing and paraded them through the city of Rome. They were sent […]
Sept. 10 The Holy Martyrs Menodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora; Sunday before the Exaltation of the Cross
The holy martyrs Menodora, Mitrodora, and Nymphodora were sisters from Bythinia. Brought up as Christians, they withdrew from the city into the desert to live for Christ alone, and gave themselves up to fasting, prayer, and work. They became famous as a source of healing illness, which brought them to the attention of the governor. […]
Sept. 1 The Beginning of the Church New Year; Our Venerable Father Simeon the Stylite and his Mother; The Synaxis of the most holy Theotokos of Miasena; The Holy Martyr Aeithalas; The Forty Holy Women martyred with their Instructor Ammon the Deacon; The Holy Martyr Callista and her two brothers, Evodius and Hermogenes; Joshua the Just, Son of Nun
The First Ecumenical Council (325) decreed that the Church’s year should begin on September 1. The lunar month corresponding to September on the Jewish calendar was the beginning of the civil year (cf Exodus 12:2); it was at this time that our Lord Jesus went into the synagogue at Nazareth and read the words of […]
Aug. 23 The Holy Martyr Lupus; The Holy Martyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons
The martyr Lupus was a servant of St. Demetrius of Salonica. When his master was beheaded by the emperor Maximian, Lupus dipped the hem of his garment and his ring into his master’s blood. Through these relics he worked many miracles, even though he was not yet baptized. Having miraculously received the Holy Mysteries, he […]
Aug. 19 The Holy Martyr Andrew the Centurion and his Companions
The holy martyr Andrew Stratelates was a military commander in the Roman army during the reign of the emperor Maximian (284-305). They loved him in the Roman army because of his bravery, invincibility, and sense of fairness. When a large Persian army invaded the Syrian territories, the governor entrusted St. Andrew with the command of […]
Aug. 18 The Holy Martyrs Florus and Laurus
The martyrs Florus and Laurus were brothers by birth not only in flesh but in spirit. They lived in the 2nd century in Byzantium, and afterwards they settled in Illyria [now Yugoslavia]. By occupation they were stone masons. The prefect of Illyria, Likaion, sent the brothers to a nearby district for work on the construction […]
Aug. 4 The Holy Seven Children of Ephesus; The Holy Venerable Martyr Eudoxia
The holy seven children of Ephesus: During the persecution of the emperor Decius, seven young soldiers refused to sacrifice to idols. Tradition says that their names were: Maximilian, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus, and Antoninus. They concealed themselves in a cave outside of Ephesus, and the emperor sealed them into that cave to kill them […]