The Holy Martyrs Minos, Hermogenes, and Eugraphos suffered for their faith in Christ under the emperor Maximian (305-313). Saint Minos was sent by the emperor from Athens to Alexandria to suppress the riots that had arisen between the Christians and the pagans. Distinguished for his gift of eloquence, Minos instead openly began to preach the Christian faith and he converted many pagans to Christ. Learning of this, Maximian dispatched Hermogenes to the Alexandria district to conduct a trial over the saints, and moreover was given orders to purge the city of Christians. Hermogenes, although he was a pagan, was distinguished however by his reverent bearing. And struck by the endurance of Saint Minos under torture and by his miraculous healing after the cruel torments, he also came to believe in Christ. Maximian himself then arrived in Alexandria. Neither the astonishing stoic endurance under torture of Saints Minos and Hermogenes, nor even the miracles of these days manifest of God in this city, in any way mollified the emperor, but instead vexed him all the more. The emperor personally stabbed Saint Eugraphos, the secretary of Saint Minos, and then gave orders to behead the holy Martyrs Minos and Hermogenes. The
remains of the holy martyrs, cast into the sea in an iron chest,
were afterwards found (about this see under 17
February) and transferred to Constantinople. The emperor Justinian
built a church in the name of the holy Martyr Minos of Alexandria.
Saint Joseph the Melodist (commemorated 4
April) composed a canon in honour of the holy martyrs. Saint
Joasaph, Bishop of Belgorod: the account about him may
be found under 4 September.
The Martyr Gemellos the Paphlagonian, for his staunch
denunciation of the emperor Juilan the Apostate (361-363) in the
city of Ancyra (Galatia), was subjected to cruel tortures. They
flayed the skin from him and nailed him to a cross.
The Monk Thomas Dethurkinos was born in Bithynia. From
his youthful years he was fond of monastic life and entered one
of the surrounding monasteries. Later in life, when the Byzantine
official Galoliktos had founded at the River Sagarisa a monastery,
the Monk Thomas was already an experienced monk, and the brethren
chose him as head of the new monastery. From there the Monk Thomas
withdrew into the wilderness, where for a long time he asceticised
in solitude. The monk underwent many a snare of the devil in the
wilderness. The Lord glorified him with the gift of healing and
perspicacity. One time, the emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) came
to the monastery to Saint Thomas for advice. Not finding the monk
at the monastery, the emperor sent off his messenger with a letter
for him. And just as the messenger arrived at the hut of the elder,
the saint carried out to him a sealed answer, resolving the quandary
of the emperor. The account about the repose of the monk is not
preserved.
Blessed
Angelina transferred the undecayed remains of her spouse to
Kupinovo. At the end of the XV Century a son of Righteous Stefan
and Angelina, Blessed John, became ruler of Serbia. The undecayed
relics of Righteous John and his parents were afterwards glorified
by many miracles.
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