The Holy Martyrs Cyprian and Ustinya are depicted on Orthodox icons together. Of course, this is not an accident. These people lived in the same city, and according to one version, they were spouses, although the essence of their relationship is not known for certain. There is also a version according to which Ustinya took the tonsure, but it also has no confirmation. Be that as it may, these people went through martyrdom in the name of faith together. St. Cyprian, depicted on such an icon, is called Antioch. This is also important to know.
If the icon of Cyprian is not complemented by a female image, then believers see a completely different saint on it. The namesake is depicted alone - Carthaginian, bishop, Christian theologian and philosopher. However, in Orthodox churches, his image is a rarity. The saint is more famous in the West than here. Which is logical, because the bishop adhered to the Latin rite, although nominally herevered in Orthodoxy.
Also, another saint with this name is depicted alone. The icon of Cyprian of Kyiv is present in many churches. However, he is not as famous among believers as his namesake, who was an early Christian martyr.
Who were you when you were alive?
The Holy Great Martyrs Cyprian and Ustinya accepted a terrible death in 304 in Nicomedia. This is a small city located near Constantinople. This is known to almost all believers who read prayers in front of their icon. But how did these people live? What were they doing? Not every parishioner will be able to answer these questions. Meanwhile, the meaning of the icon-painting image and what it is customary to pray for before it is largely determined by the lives of the saints represented on it.
At the time of his martyrdom, Cyprian was Bishop of Antioch, the city in which he was born and lived. He was a highly educated and respected man. Before becoming a Christian, Cyprian was one of the most influential priests and city sorcerer, who was approached by local residents with various needs. This man received his education in Babylon, Argos, Memphis and Targopol. Of course, it was directly related to divination. It also indicates that he came from a very we althy family.
Ustinya was the daughter of one of the city's priests. She accidentally heard a street Christian sermon and became interested in this creed. Soon Ustinya accepted the sacrament of baptism and was able to convince her parentsdo the same thing. And after meeting Cyprian, she also contributed to his conversion to the Christian faith.
The story of the Holy Great Martyr Ustinya
The icon of Cyprian depicts not only the saint himself, Ustinya is also represented on it. However, this woman's name was Justina. Ustinya it is called exclusively in Russia, among the people. During worship, priests pronounce the name correctly. This woman was a Christian, and it was thanks to her, her influence that Cyprian turned to the Lord, rejecting paganism.
What is known about her? Unfortunately, not so much. Only fragmentary descriptions of individual stages of her life have survived to our time. But thanks to this woman, many people learned about Christ, it is unlikely that her missionary work was limited to family members.
After Ustinya and her parents became Christians, matchmakers from one of the local rich, whose name was Aglaid, came to their house. He was refused, but the man was not going to give up. He turned to a local magician for help, ordering a love spell for a girl. This sorcerer was none other than Cyprian.
He did not refuse the "suffering groom" and began to tell fortunes. But, to his great bewilderment, the girl was able to oppose all the charms of prayer. At the same time, an epidemic of an incomprehensible disease broke out in Antioch. Rumors spread around the city that the pestilence had been sent by an annoyed priest and sorcerer. People came to the house of Ustinya's parents to beg her to accept her fate and accept the marriage proposal. The future saint reassured them, promising to pray for an end to the disaster. The Lord took thisprayer, the epidemic has ended.
After this miracle, many townspeople, including the failed magician Cyprian himself, converted to the Christian faith.
On the martyrdom of the saints
These events took place during the reign of Emperor Diocletian, known for his cruel attitude towards Christians. Despite the fact that the future saints lived far from the capital, the fame of their deeds reached Rome.
Of course, the reaction of the authorities followed immediately. The future martyrs were seized and given a terrible death through "beheading with a sword." That is, they simply cut their bodies into small pieces. During the execution, one of the soldiers dropped his weapon and declared himself a Christian. This man's name was Feoktist. The legionnaire was executed immediately, along with the future saints.
The execution took place in Nicomedia, where Cyprian and Ustinya were brought on purpose. This happened because the emperor Diocletian himself was in this city at that time. The governor of the province, Eutholmius, tried in this way to earn the favor of the ruler, to get into the favorites.
About the burial of the remains
The martyrdom of these people continued after death. The remains remained unburied for a long time. Local residents were simply afraid to approach what was left of the bodies.
However, a few days later, the bodies were picked up by sailors who professed the Christian faith. And by an incredible coincidence, secretly from the shipowner, they were brought not just anywhere, but to Rome. Here the remains were handed over to a certain Rufina, a Christian. She buried them, of course, notsharing.
Where are the relics of the saints?
Many of those who were helped to cope with the disaster by the icon of Cyprian and Ustinya are interested in the whereabouts of their relics. The remains of the saints were solemnly reburied in 1001. Their new resting place was the Italian city of Piacenza. But the bones of the martyrs did not stay there for long.
The bones are divided nowadays. Part of the relics is in the church in the village of Meniko in Cyprus. The other part is in Greece, in the monastery of Saints Cyprian and Justina. In 2005, the ark with the relics of the martyrs was available for worship in Moscow, the bones were brought to the Conception Monastery.
What do they refer to the face with?
What does the Cyprian and Ustinya icon look like? What do they pray for before this image? These questions are usually of interest to people who are not particularly versed in the intricacies and nuances of Orthodoxy. That is, those who were not brought up in accordance with religious traditions.
The icon of St. Cyprian and Ustinya, or rather, the prayer before it, helps people cope:
- with witchcraft;
- with damage or evil eye;
- with diseases;
- with the machinations of ill-wishers.
That is, the meaning of this image fully corresponds to the life of the saints represented on it.
How to contact?
Prayer to Cyprian from corruption and witchcraft can be uttered both in your own words and with the help of ready-made texts. The most important thing when asking is not what words are pronounced, but how it is done. That is, you should turn to the saints if you havesincere and unshakable faith in the power of the Lord and with full hope in his help and protection, with humility in heart and without any hidden intentions.
The text of the prayer could be:
“Priest Martyr Cyprian! Martyr Ustinya! Hear my prayer, for I trust in you and ask for protection and help. May I, a slave (proper name), be covered by your intercession from all the intrigues of the wicked, slander and other evil, we save them. I ask you for protection from the evil eye and human envy, from unknown diseases, from ailments large and small, from human machinations and demonic intrigues. Save, holy martyrs, and my relatives, friends and all good people, young and old. Amen.”
How should the icon look like? When are these saints remembered in the church?
Commemoration Day of Cyprian and Ustinya - October 15th. As for how the iconographic image looks like, they do not adhere to a single canon when presenting these saints.
As a rule, their figures are depicted side by side, written out in the same proportions. The background can be just gold or partially filled with fragments with scenes from the lives of the saints. Often in online stores you can find single images of St. Cyprian of Antioch. Before acquiring such an image, you need to go to church and consult with a priest, since both in the Orthodox tradition and in Western Christianity, these saints are only presented together on icons.
