For faith in Christ in the days of terrible persecution, organized by the wicked Roman emperors, many believers suffered from various executions and torments. During this difficult time for Christians, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138), an Antiochian citizen lived, a girl named Seraphim (or, in other words, Serapia).
Starting to consider the question “Saint Seraphim is the patroness of whom?”, We learn how this saint lived and how she glorified her name.
Life
She was born into a Christian family at the end of the 1st century in Antioch. After the death of her parents, Seraphim sold all her property and distributed to the poor, as she decided to devote her life to her God - Jesus Christ. Many men liked her, and they wanted to marry her, but she refused. And then she completely left for Italy and sold herself into voluntary slavery.
The village where she stayed was called Winden, and she settled in the house of a woman named Savina, who came from a wealthy and noble family, who began to patronize her in everything. The respectable girl Seraphim conquered the heart of Lady Savina with her hard work and charity, and after a while she also led her to the faith of Christ.
Saint Seraphim: patroness, biography
Such an active activity in the confession of faith in Christ of the young Christian Seraphim was very much disliked by the hegemon Berill, and then he sent a detachment of his soldiers to take her into custody. Savina could not stand aside and sharply opposed this, but Seraphim, hoping for her God, fearlessly followed the soldiers, only before that she asked her mistress to pray earnestly for her. But blessed Savina still did not leave her alone with the wicked and also went with her to the hegemon.
He, seeing Savina, a noble and influential person, was embarrassed and confused, and soon released her home with Seraphim.
But three days later, the igemon decided to arrange a trial and ordered the blessed Seraphim to be brought to him. Then the girl was treacherously seized and brought to court. Savina did not want to leave this business like that and again came with her, but now she no longer had the opportunity to help her, she wept, screamed and cursed at the cruel hegemon, but everything was in vain, and she had to return home.
Sacrifice to god
Seraphim, the holy Antiochian virgin, refused to worship and sacrifice to pagan gods, for she believed that they were not gods, but demons, because she was a true Christian. Then the hegemon Beryl offered to bring her the same sacrifice to her to Jesus Christ, but she said that the sacrifice to the Lord is faith in Him, worship and prayer. The hegemon then asked what her sacrifice consists of, and where is the temple of Christ to which she prays? Seraphim said that there is nothing higher than the knowledge of Heavenly God, and her sacrifice is virgin integrity, she brought other girls to this feat with the help of the Lord, and added that the Holy Scripture says: “You are the temple of the living God.”
The miracle of St. Seraphim
After the interrogation, Seraphim, the holy virgin of Rome, was given into the hands of the shameless and wicked Egyptian youths who wanted to stay with her all night. They led her into a dark temple. At this time, Seraphim began to earnestly pray to her Lord. By one in the morning, when the young men wanted to abuse her, suddenly a noise and an earthquake suddenly began, and they fell to the ground, exhausted. Seraphim, seeing that the Lord protected her, prayed to Him all night with tears of gratitude. In the early morning the envoys of the hegemon came and saw that the holy virgin was praying, and the young men were lying dead and could neither get up nor say anything, they only drove crazy eyes. A lot of people gathered to see such a miracle.
The hegemon realized that his plan to seduce the virgin failed, Seraphim is the holy virgin and bride of Jesus Christ, and therefore He did not allow the young men to do their dirty work. She said that the Lord - the keeper and guardian of her - is always with her.
Then the hegemon, seeing all these miracles incomprehensible to him, and thinking that she was a sorceress, asked her to call on her God and to make their bodily strength return to the young men and to tell them themselves what had happened to them at night, and whether she that was able to save her virginity?
Saving prayer
Seraphim replied that she did not know how to conjure, the only thing she could do was to pray to God heartily so that he would send his mercy to them. But she refused to go to them, because it would look indecent, and wanted the miracle to be fulfilled in front of all people in front of her and no one thought that she was a sorceress. Seraphim asked the hegemon to bring these weak, dumb young and relaxed young men to her.
Then the hegemon sent his people for them, and she began to pray, and after the words: “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I command: stand on your feet!” - they stood up and spoke. Everyone who saw this miracle was horrified. The boys who came to their senses began to tell us that when they wanted to do their dirty work, suddenly a beautiful angellike youth appeared between the girl and the young men, after this vision they were attacked by fear, darkness, horror and complete relaxation.
Martyrdom
The hegemon could not believe until the last and asked Seraphim to give him his witchcraft secret, and then again began to force her to make sacrifices to the pagan gods, but she replied that she hated their evil teachings and would not worship demons and would not fulfill Satan's will, because she is a believer Christian.
Then the judge gave her new torment, he ordered her body to be burned with fire torches, but then those who had to commit this torture fell to the ground, and the torches went out. Then they wanted to beat her with sticks, but suddenly a strong earthquake occurred. A whisper bounced from one of the sticks and flew right into the eye of the igemon, and three days later Beryl went blind.
After the incident, he became terribly furious and ordered the seraph hated by him, despising the royal commandments and guilty of various atrocities, to kill with a sword.
And then Seraphim - the holy martyr of Christ - was beheaded. After the execution, her body was taken to her by the pious Savina, who, with great reverence and honor, performed his burial. As a precious pearl and a great treasure, she laid it in her family crypt, sending prayers of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ. In a few years this crypt will become the burial place of Sabina herself. Their common grave will be decorated and consecrated as a place of prayer.
Icon "Seraphim"
The prayer of this saint is given below. And the Orthodox Church honors the day of her memory on July 29 according to the old and August 11 according to the new calendar.
The relics of St. Seraphim of Rome are today in Italy in the church of St. Savina, which was rebuilt on the site of her house on the Aventine hill. This church was founded in the 5th century under Pope Celestine I (422-432) and subsequently became a church at the monastery. This holy monastery is also known for the fact that Saint Dominic (1170-1221), the founder of the monastic order of the Dominicans, is buried in it.
The icon of St. Seraphim depicts her holding a book, and sometimes together with St. Savina.
The holy martyr Savina is also revered by the Roman church and is depicted with a crown and a palm branch. She became the patroness of housewives. Indeed, it was in the house of the widow of Savina that St. Seraphim once settled, who suffered a martyrdom on July 29, 119, and her benefactor Savina was likewise cut off her head through time - August 29, 126.
Canonization
Saint Seraphim is the patroness of all the unfortunate and destitute. She was canonized by the Byzantine church and became revered in the Orthodox clergy.
Prayer to St. Seraphim begins with the words: “Beloved bride of Christ, Seraphim ...” (troparion, voice 8), “Yes you have loved the seraphic love of the Lord ...” (kondak, voice 2).
Saint Seraphim herself prayed with the words: “Lord Jesus Christ, the true keeper and guardian of my virginity, I call for help!” Or “Almighty Lord God! You have created heaven, earth, and the sea, and all that is upon them ... ”