May 13th (V - 26)

Icon of the Virgin Martyr Glyceria

VirginMartyr Glyceria and with her Laodicius the Prison-Guard (+ c. 177). Righteous Virgin Glykeria of Novgorod (+ 1522). Monk Makarii, Hegumen of Glushitsk (+ c. 1480). MonkMartyr Makarii, Archimandrite of Kanevsk, Pereslavl' Wonderworker (+ 1678). Martyr Alexander of Rome (+ 284-305). Sainted Pausikakios, Bishop of Synada (+ 606). Saint George the Confessor with his wife Irene and children (IX). Monks: Euthymios the New (+ 1028), John -- father of Monk Euthymios (+ 998), George (+ 1065) and Gabriel (X) of Iveria, Athos. PriestMartyr Alexander, Bishop of Tiberianum. Saint Nicephoros the Presbyter.

Saint Glyceria suffered as a martyr for her faith in Christ in the II Century, during the time of a persecution against Christians under the emperor Antoninus (138-161). She was descended from illustrious lineage: her father Macarius was the city-governor of Rome, and afterwards he resettled to the Thracian city of Trojanopolis. But Saint Glyceria early on lost both her father and mother. Falling in with Christians, she converted to the true faith, and daily she visited the church of God. The Trojanopolis governor, Sabinus, having received the imperial edict about compelling Christians to offer sacrifice to the idols, and so he set the inhabitants of the city a day of general worship of the idol Zeus. Saint Glyceria firmly resolved to suffer for Christ, she told the Christians about her intention, and she besought them to pray that the Lord would send her the strength to undergo the sufferings. On the festal day of Zeus Saint Glyceria, having traced on her forehead the Sign of the Cross, went into the pagan temple; the saint stood on a raised spot in the rays of the sun, and snatched from her head the veil, showing all the holy Cross, traced on her forehead. She prayed heatedly to God, that He should bring the pagans to their senses and destroy the stone idol of Zeus. Suddenly thunder was heard, the statue of Zeus crashed to the floor and smashed into little pieces. In a rage, the governor Sabinus and the pagan priests commanded the people to pelt Saint Glyceria with stones, but the stones that were thrown did not touch the saint. They locked up Saint Glyceria in prison, where the Christian priest Philokrates came to her and encouraged the martyress in the deed before her. In the morning, when the tortures had started, suddenly amidst the torturers there appeared an Angel, and they all fell to the ground, overcome with terror. When the vision vanished, then by order of Sabinus, himself hardly able to speak, they again led off the saint to prison. They securely shut the door and sealed it with the personal ring of the governor, so that no one could get in to her. During all her time of being thus locked in, Angels of God brought Saint Glyceria food and drink. Some many days afterwards Sabinus came to the prison and he himself removed the seal. Going in to the saint, he was shaken, seeing her alive and well. Setting off for the city of Heraclium, Sabinus gave orders to bring along there also Saint Glyceria. From this city there came out to meet her the Christians of Heraclium with the bishop Dometius at the head, and in front of everyone he uttered a prayer to the Lord for strengthening the saint in the act of martyrdom. At Heraclium they cast Saint Glyceria into a red-hot furnace, but the fire in it at once extinguished. Then the governor, in a mindless fury, gave orders to strip the skin from the head of Saint Glyceria. Then they threw the bared martyress into prison onto sharp stones, where she prayed incessantly, and at midnight in the prison there appeared an Angel which healed her of her wounds. The prison guard Laodicius, having come in the morning for the saint, at first did not recognise her, and thinking that the martyress had been hidden away he wanted to kill himself in fear of punishment, but Saint Glyceria stopped him. Shaken by the miracle, Laodicius believed in the True God and he besought prayers of the saint, that he also might suffer and die for Christ together with her. "Follow Christ and thou wilt be saved", -- the holy martyress answered him. Laodicius placed upon himself the chains, with which the saint was bound, and at the trial he declared to the governor and everyone present about the miraculous healing of Saint Glyceria by an Angel and he confessed himself a Christian. The newly chosen one of God was immediately beheaded by the sword. Christians, having secretly taken up his remains, reverently gave them burial, but Saint Glyceria was given over for devouring by wild beasts. She went to execution with great joy, but the lioness set loose upon the saint meekly crawled up to her and, curling up, lay at her feet. Finally, the saint turned with a prayer to the Lord, imploring that He take her unto Himself. In answer she heard a Voice from Heaven, summoning her to the Heavenly bliss. At this moment there was set loose upon the saint another lioness, which pounced upon the martyress and killed her, but did not rend her apart. Bishop Dometius and the Heraclium Christians reverently buried the holy Martyress Glyceria. She suffered for Christ in about the year 177. Her holy relics were glorified with a flow of curative myrh.

Righteous Saint Glykeria, Novgorod Maiden, daughter of Panteleimon, a starosta of Legoscha Street in Novgorod. The saint died in about the year 1522. Her incorrupt relics, based on the testimony of the second Novgorod Chronicle, were uncovered on 14 July 1572 near the stone church in honour of Sts. Florus and Laurus. The Novgorod archbishop Leonid with an assemblage of clergy gave them solemn burial in this church. During the time of interment, healings occurred from the relics of the saint.

The Monk Makarii of Glushitsk: On this day is celebrated the memory of his repose. The Monk Makarii was buried in the Glushitsk Pokrov-Protection monastery. His memory is celebrated a second time on 12 October, amidst other Glushitsk saints. A short account about the Monk Makarii is located under 12 October.

The Relics of the MonkMartyr Makarii, Archimandrite of Kanevsk, were transferred on 13 May 1688 from Kanev to the city of Pereslavl' in connection with the threat of enemy invasion. The celebration of the memory of the repose of the MonkMartyr Makarii is made 7 September.

The Holy Martyr Alexander suffered for Christ at the beginning of the IV Century. He was a soldier, and he served in the regiment of the tribune Tiberian at Rome. He was age 18, when the Roman emperor Maximian Hercules (284-305) issued an edict, that on a designated day all the citizenry was to appear at the temple of Zeus outside the city for the offering of sacrifice. The tribune Tiberian assembled his soldiers and he ordered them to go to this festival, but the youth Alexander, raised from childhood in the Christian faith, refused and he declared that he would not offer sacrifice to devils. Tiberian, out of fear for himself, reported to the emperor Maximian that in his regiment there was a soldier, who was a Christian. Soldiers were immediately dispatched for Alexander. During this time Alexander was asleep. An Angel roused him and announced to the youth about his impending act of martyrdom, and that he would constantly be with him during this time. When the soldiers arrived, Alexander came out to meet them; his face shone with so bright a light, that the soldiers in glancing at him fell to the ground. The saint upbraided them and besought them to fulfill the orders given them. Standing before Maximian, Saint Alexander boldly confessed his faith in Christ and he refused to worship the idols, adding moreover, that he was afraid neither of the emperor, nor of his threats. The emperor tried to persuade the youth with promises of honours, but Alexander remained steadfast in his confession, and he denounced the emperor and all the pagans. They began torturing the holy martyr, but he bravely endured all the sufferings. Maximian remanded Saint Alexander back under the authority of the tribune Tiberian, who was being sent to Thrace for the persecution of Christians there. So they led off the martyr, fettered in chains, to Thrace. At this time the Angel of the Lord made it known to Saint Alexander's mother, Pimenia, about the martyr's deed of her son. Pimenia found her son in the city of Carthage, where he stood before Tiberian at trial and again he steadfastly confessed himself a Christian. They subjected him to torture before the eyes of his mother, and then they ordered the prisoner on the way to his final journey, behind the chariot of Tiberian. The brave Pimenia asked the soldiers to let her go up to her son and she encouraged him to undergo the torments for Christ. The soldiers were astonished at the stoic strength of the martyr and they said one to another: "Great is the Christian God!". The Angel appeared several times to the martyr, strengthening him. By night a fearsome Angel with sword in hand appeared to Tiberian, and commanded the tribune to hasten on his way to Byzantium, since the end was drawing near for the holy martyr. Tiberian continued on his way with haste. In the city of Philippopolis Tiberian made anew the trial over Saint Alexander, in the presence of the city dignitaries gathered for this event. And at this trial Saint Alexander likewise remained steadfast. During the time of his grievous journey the holy martyr had been repeatedly subjected to cruel torments, but strengthened by God, he endured all the torments and he himself provided strength for the soldiers weakened by thirst, having besought of the Lord a spring of water for them. During the time remaining on the journey, the martyr prayed beneathe a tree for strength in his sufferings, and the fruit and leaves of this tree received a curative power. At a place, named Burtodexion, the saint again met up with his mother Pimenia, who with weeping fell down at his feet. The holy martyr said to her: "Weep not, my mother, the morning after the day following the Lord shalt help me finish matters". In the city of Drizipera Tiberian imposed the death sentence on the saint. Before death the holy martyr gave thanks to the Lord, for that the Lord had given him the strength to undergo all the innumerable torments and to accept a martyr's end. The soldier, who was supposed to carry out the execution, besought the forgiveness of the saint and for a long while he could not bring himself to lift his hand with the sword, since he saw Angels coming for the soul of the martyr. Through the prayer of the saint, the Angels became invisible to the executioner, and only then did he cut off the saint's holy head. The body of the saint was cast into a river, but four dogs dragged it out of the water, and they would not let anyone near it, until Saint Alexander's mother Pimenia came. She took up the remains of her martyred son and reverently gave them burial near the River Erigona. At the grave of Saint Alexander healings at once began. Soon the holy martyr appeared to his mother in a dream, in which he comforted her and related, that soon she too would be transported to the Heavenly habitations.

Saint Pausikakios, Bishop of Synada, lived at the end of the VI Century in the Syrian city of Apameia. He had been raised since childhood in the Christian faith by his pious parents, and he began in youth to lead an ascetic life of prayer, vigil and fasting. He was given by the Lord the gift of treating sicknesses of both soul and body. The Constantinople Patriarch Kyriakos (591-606) ordained Saint Pausikakios as bishop of Synada. Saint Pausikakios was zealous in his concern that in his flock there should be neither heretics nor dissolute people. He constantly taught his flock about the virtuous life, and his discourse was always powerful and lively. Having come to Constantinople on affairs of the Church, he healed the emperor Maurice of sickness, and on his return journey he besought of the Lord water for the quenching the thirst of his companions: after the prayer of the saint there issued forth from the ground a spring of pure water. Saint Pausikakios died peacefully in the year 606.The Holy Confessor George suffered for the veneration of holy icons at Constantinople in the first half of the IX Century. The emperor Theophilos demanded that Saint George renounce the veneration of holy icons, but the brave confessor refused the order, and declared to the impious emperor, that in venerating holy icons, we give worship to their eternal Primal-Image {i.e. Christ the Logos]. For his disobedience, the emperor gave orders to take away and seize the property of Saint George, and with a rope about his neck to drag him through the streets of Constantinople and then cast him into prison. After this, Saint George was sent off into exile, together with his wife Irene and their children. Having suffered in exile much affliction, the holy Confessor George died.

© 2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos