Holy healer Panteleimon: the life and death of the great martyr

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The holy healer Panteleimon was born in Nicomedia (Asia Minor). His father was a noble pagan Evstorgiy. His parents gave him the name Pantoleon (a lion in everything), as they wanted to raise their son fearless and courageous. His mother was a Christian and wanted to educate him in this religion, but she died early. The father sent his son to a pagan school. Then he studied medicine with the famous doctor Euphrosynus in the city. The young Pantoleon was once introduced to Emperor Maximian, who wanted to leave the young man as a court physician.

At that time, Christian priests Yermipp, Yermolai and Yermocrates secretly lived in Nicomedia. They survived the persecution of 303, when two tens of thousands of Christians were burned. Yermolai somehow drew attention to the young man, invited him to his place and started talking about the Christian religion. The future holy healer Panteleimon began to visit him often. He listened with interest to stories about Jesus Christ.

Once a young man was returning from his teacher and saw that on the road liesa dead child, and a snake that has bitten him wriggles nearby. Pantoleon felt sorry for the child and he began to pray, as Yermolai taught him, and ask God for the resurrection of the deceased and the death of the snake. As a doctor, he understood that it was already impossible to help a child, but the Christian priest said that for the Lord there is no such thing as impossible. The future holy healer Panteleimon decided to himself that if his request was fulfilled, he would accept Christianity. Then a miracle happened. The snake was torn to pieces, and the dead man came to life, to the great surprise of the young man.

After that, Yermolai christened the guy. The Christian Pantoleon then often had conversations with his father, urging him to accept his true faith. Once a blind man was brought to the young man, whom no one could cure. The future holy healer Panteleimon asked God to restore his sight, and the blind man received his sight. The miracle that happened completely convinced Eustrogius, and he became a Christian.

After his father died, Pantoleon devoted himself to the sick, the poor and the poor. He treated for free everyone who turned to him, visited prisoners in prisons. All of his patients recovered. Man is an envious being. Nicomedia doctors were no exception. They informed the emperor that Pantoleon had converted to Christianity. Maximian began to persuade the doctor, whom he greatly appreciated, in order to dispel the denunciation, to make a sacrifice to pagan idols. However, Pantoleon did not do this. Before the emperor's eyes, he healed a paralyzed man in the name of Christ.

Maximian got angry, subjected his doctor to terrible torment and ordered to be executed. The Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was hung on a tree. His body was torn with iron hooks, burned with candles, tortured with molten tin, stretched on a wheel. More than once God appeared to the martyr and strengthened his spirit. Pantolenon, despite torture, remained unharmed. The emperor executed the teacher Yermolai, and ordered him to be torn to pieces in the arena by wild animals for the amusement of the crowd. However, the animals began to lick his feet. People began to shout and ask for mercy on the innocent, and also to glorify Christ. Maximian ordered to kill all those who did the latter. The animals were destroyed too.

Then the emperor gave the order to cut off his doctor's head. When he prayed before the execution, one of the soldiers hit him with a sword, but the metal softened and became like wax. At that moment, God revealed himself to the martyr and named him Panteleimon the most merciful.

With this name he entered the Church Tradition. All this was seen by soldiers and ordinary people. They refused to execute Panteleimon. But the great martyr ordered them to continue. When his head was cut off, the olive tree to which he was tied blossomed. The body of the saint was thrown into the fire, but it remained unharmed. Many churches have been erected in memory of the Great Martyr. There is a source of St. Panteleimon the healer. And not alone. Many springs are named after him, the water of which has healing powers.