Why was Euphemia the All-Praised among the saints? What are they asking her for? Do prayers addressed to her help? The life of Euphemia the All-Praised will be told later.
The Age of Martyrs
The city of Chalcedon was founded in 680 BC. e. in Asia Minor, on the Black Sea, or rather, the Bosphorus. It was one of the cities of Ancient Greece, and later belonged to the Persians for some time. In the Roman Empire, it became the center of one of the provinces, Bithynia, under the control of a proconsul. At the beginning of the 3rd century AD, it was a man named Prisk. Diocletian, who then ruled the empire, is known for his voluntary abdication. But in the history of Christianity, he is, above all, the most cruel persecutor of the adherents of the true faith. During the years of his reign, many Christians became famous as saints. Martyrdom in the name of Christ was perceived by these people as a gift from God. One of them is the Holy Great Martyr Euphemia the All-Praised. More details about her are told in the life compiled by St. Demetrius of Rostov.
Idol Festival
The girl was the daughter of the pious senator Philofron and his wife Theodorosia. To be a Christian in those days meant to expose one's lifedanger by the mere fact that you profess a faith that is objectionable to the authorities. In Chalcedon there was a pagan temple dedicated to Ares (Mars). For the Orthodox, this meant worshiping not just an idol, but the demon that lived in it. The life mentions that, abhorring the ungodly feast that the proconsul wanted to hold in his honor, Christians hid and secretly, out of fear of the wrath of the authorities, held services to the true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. But the holiday in honor of Ares was apparently conceived as a kind of provocation. Whoever did not come to the temple and did not make sacrifices could be punished only for this. Moreover, most likely, this person was a fan of the crucified, as the pagans called it.
Forty-nine Christians
Prisk ordered a strict search for those who did not come to the holiday. In a certain secret place, 49 Christians who brought prayers were found. Among them was Euphemia. The house where the service was held was surrounded, the doors were broken down, and all the people who were there were dragged with mockery to the lord of Chalcedon. None of them began to hide their religion. Neither threats of terrible torture, nor promises of fame and fortune for renouncing the true faith had no effect. Everything that he could offer them, these people have long rejected in the name of Christ. To worship the creature instead of the Creator was worse than death for them. One can only guess what kind of torture they were subjected to for 19 days, but not a single person was deceived. During the last meeting with them, realizing the futility of bullying and persuasion, the proconsul turned his attention to Euphemia. Maybe pity crept into the heart, or maybeconsidered that the young girl could be frightened and broken, but Prisk separated her from the rest of the doomed. However, the all-powerful lord of the province overestimated his abilities.
On the wheel
Trying to seduce the beauty, he promised her gifts that seemed impossible to refuse. But the girl was firm, comparing him with a serpent who had once managed to seduce Eve. The angry ruler ordered the "wheel" to be prepared. Probably not a single inquisitor of later times would have invented such an instrument of torture. It was a wooden wheel with sharp knives. The victim was tied to it and twisted. At the same time, whole pieces of flesh were cut off the body. This is exactly what happened to the young Christian woman. But she did not cry out in pain, but prayed to Jesus Christ. And the monstrous weapon stopped. No amount of minions' attempts could make it spin again. And the Holy Great Martyr Euthymia the All-Praised descended from him completely unharmed, thanking and praising God.
And the flame didn't scorch
What could a pagan think at the sight of such a miracle? To recognize in this the action of God, whom the girl prayed for help and praised? He was no longer capable of this and, of course, thought of magic. Even everything that happened after that did not convince him of the greatness and goodness of the Lord. The flame in the furnace kindled by his order did not frighten the maiden. Remembering in prayer how God protected the three youths in Babylon from the fire, she waited without fear to be thrown into the flaming crater. Those who were supposed to do this were called Victor and Sosthenes. Intending to follow orders, theythey were honored to see angels in the furnace, who "dispersed" the fire. After that, they did not dare to touch the victim of the ruler's wrath. Even after threats addressed to them, they did not submit, believing in Christ, and were imprisoned. The command was carried out by others, and immediately burned in the flames that escaped from the furnace. And Euphemia stood unharmed in the fire and sang a song to the glory of the Lord.
Death in the name of the Lord
Priscus invented a lot of torment for the captive, whom he considered a sorceress. It was not possible to break her, and all the torture did not harm her. The saw, with which they wanted to cut it, became dull, the snakes in the ditch where they threw it did not bite, but carried it on themselves to the shore. Then they took the martyr to the circus to be put to the usual Christian execution, to be torn to pieces by wild beasts. In prayer, she asked God to accept her sacrifice and rest her soul in the villages of martyrs and saints. The lions and bears released into the arena licked the feet of the one that was to be torn to pieces. Only one small wound was bleeding on her body. Finally, the Almighty descended to prayers, and she died, proving with her life "the weakness of demons and the madness of the tormentor." The earthquake started right there. Pagan temples and fortress walls collapsed, burying the wicked under them. Everyone fled, and the parents took their daughter and buried her not far from the city. It was at that place that the first temple in honor of the saint was subsequently erected.
On the icon - with a cross and a scroll
There are not so many icon-painting images of Euphemia the All-Praised. The earliest knowndates from the second half of the 11th century. Also known is a diptych of the end of the 11th century, located in the monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine. On another Sinai icon, Euphemia the All-Praised is depicted together with the Great Martyr Marina. Other images of the saint are in the temples of Cappadocia. All of them belong to the time of early Byzantium. The oldest text describing her life and martyrdom, whose author is known, is “The Word for the Suffering of the Military Center. Euphemia the All-Praised by Metropolitan Asterios of Amasia. He mentions the images of the saint's torment. They could be seen in the temple, which was located at her tomb. Starting from the 10th century, they began to write it not only with a cross, but also with a scroll in hand. This is connected with the miracle, which St. Demetrius of Rostov also writes about.
Posthumous miracle
In the 5th century after the Nativity of Christ, the Monophysites entered into great power, denying the human nature of Jesus Christ. In order to precisely formulate the dogma, the IV Ecumenical Council was convened in Chalcedon. Heresy had become so established by that time that there was a real danger of perverting the true faith. There were 630 people who represented all the local Christian churches. Among them were outstanding representatives of Orthodoxy, later glorified as saints. But a very long debate did not yield any result. Then Anatoly, Patriarch of Constantinople, proposed that the decision be left to the Holy Spirit. The holy martyr, of course, was its bearer. The confession of faith of the Monophysites and the Orthodox was recorded on two scrolls. Opened the tombsaint, they put them on her chest, and in the presence of the emperor, who was then Marcian, they closed it, and guards were placed nearby. After three days of intense fasting and prayers, the tomb was opened. The Monophysite confession lay at the feet of the saint, while she held the true one in her right hand, with which she presented the scroll to the patriarch. Thus the heretics were put to shame.
Reverence in Russia
If we talk about Ancient Russia, then it is assumed that the image of Euphemia the All-Praised was still in the church of St. Sophia of Kyiv, and this is the first half of the 11th century. The end of the XV century dates from her image in the church of St. Simeon the God-Receiver of the Zvenigorod Monastery in Veliky Novgorod. With a scroll - on a tablet icon from the beginning of the 16th century, which is called “The Nativity of Christ. The conception of St. John the Baptist and St. Euphemia the All-Praised”, she is located in the same city on the shores of Lake Ilmen.
The image of the saint followed the Byzantine tradition. In Western Europe, she often appears to believers as a young girl holding a lily, symbolizing purity, or a palm branch, which is a symbol of martyrdom. A cloak and a diadem on the head complete the look. The saint made many icons for pilgrims by the Monk Paisios the Holy Mountaineer. He told one of his guests about his meeting with Euphemia. Most of all, the elder was amazed at how such a fragile girl could endure inhuman torments. She answered. She said that if she knew about the glory that awaits the saints, she would pray for even greater torment.
If you ask withfaith
Euphemius the All-Praised was revered in Chalcedon, where she lived. The temple with her relics stood in the same place where the saint was buried by her parents after her death in the arena of the Roman circus. In the marble tomb there was an ark with relics, and on the side there was a small hole. Every year on the day when she suffered for Christ, it was opened after Vespers, and the bishop took out a previously dry sponge, saturated with holy blood. She was fragrant and healed any disease. Numerous cases are known when the saint helped the sick, and in Russia. For some reason, it is generally accepted that each saint has his own “specialization”. But in fact, they, living in the glory of God, can beg him for any mercy for us, if we ask in faith. The miraculous icon was found in one of the Russian villages in July 1910. People who prayed to her got rid of toothache, blindness, she saved the village and the district from dysentery, which at that time threatened death, and often was its cause. The drought caused the locals to demand that a well be dug at the place where the icon was found. A dream about the need for this was seen by one of the peasants. And only after the requirement was met, the weather improved.
The posthumous wanderings of Euphemia
The Great Martyr was not left alone even after her death. In the 7th century, Chalcedon was sacked by the Persians. After their departure, the relics, fearing that this was not the last attack, were transported to Constantinople. But even there they did not find peace. In the era of iconoclasm in Byzantium (7th-early 9th centuries), heretics struggled with the veneration of notonly the icons themselves, but also the relics of saints. The relics of Euphemia the All-Praised were defiled and thrown into the sea. The ark was miraculously picked up by merchants passing by, who delivered the shrine to the island of Limnos. They stayed on this piece of land, built a small church at their own expense and served "their" saint all their lives. When the local bishop wanted to transfer the holy remains to a church more appropriate for them, she herself opposed this, appearing to him in a dream. There they remained until the dominion of the iconoclasts ended. Then the relics returned back to Constantinople. Now it is, as you know, Istanbul, and Chalcedon has become part of the metropolis. But there, to this day, the temple is intact, which was built not far from the resting place of the great martyr. And people who ask for help receive it if they really believe in Jesus Christ and the martyrs who died for his glory.
