Praise the Lord for sending us such bright saints who, through the example of their godly and righteous lives, showed people a great and saving faith in Christ. And that there is no more reliable and faithful hand that is always ready to support and guide the poor and infirm people on the path of truth. Further we will talk about two holy men glorified in the face .
One of them, Artemy of Antioch, is a great martyr, while Artemy Verkolsky is considered a holy righteous youth, but not a great martyr. You need to know this so that you don’t get confused and correctly address them in your prayers. Their life is impressive enough to feel the strength of their faith and feat, we will get acquainted with it.
The Life of the Great Martyr Artemy
The future saint Artemy was born in a noble Roman family and belonged to the senatorial estate. He was a participant in the battle of Emperor Constantine with Emperor Maxentius, which was held at the Mulvian Bridge in 312. At this time, the Cross suddenly appeared in heaven, inscribed: “Sim conquer!”. This divine sign made a great impression on the warrior Artemy and converted him to Christianity.
The great martyr Artemy was a celebrated military leader during the reign of the Roman emperors Constantine I (306-337) and his son Constantius (337-361). With them, he was a close adviser and confidant. For loyal service, he was awarded with diplomas and appointed chief of Egypt, endowed with special powers. On behalf of the governor Constantius, with great honors, he transferred from Patras to Constantinople the relics of the holy apostles Andrew the First-Called and Luke.
Julian the Apostate
But after the reign of the emperor Constance, Julian the Apostate ascended the throne (361-363) - a pagan who began to wage a fierce and implacable struggle with Christianity. Executions everywhere began, hundreds of Christians were doomed to painful death. In Antioch, he ordered the torture of two bishops who did not renounce their faith in Christ. It was at this time that the Great Martyr Artemy came to the city, the widespread execution of Christians could not leave his noble heart indifferent. And he openly began to denounce the ruler Julian of dishonor, cruelty and pagan errors. Then the angry emperor accused him of complicity in the murder of his older brother Gall. He was immediately arrested, then for a long time cruel abuse was mocked at him, and after that he was imprisoned.
When the holy great martyr Artemy once again prayed to his Lord, Jesus Christ himself came to him with the angels and said that he would be husband, because He would relieve him of all the pain that his tormentors had caused him and that a crown of glory was prepared for him. For as he preached Christ to the people, He will also confess it to the Heavenly Father. And Christ added that he should be courageous and rejoice, since he will soon be with him in his kingdom. And healed him, for he, wounded by torture, was for a long time without food and food, fed only by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Execution
After this, the Great Martyr Artemy, delighted with such news, began ardently to praise and thank the Lord. The next day he was again brought to Julian to make a strong and glorious warrior bow and offer a sacrifice to the pagan gods. But, having achieved nothing, he again subjected him to terrible and painful tortures. But the great ascetic suffered all suffering without a single cry and groan.
The great martyr Artemy of Antioch predicted to Julian that a just punishment of God would soon overtake him for the many evils that he had done to Christians. From these words, the emperor became even more fierce and again ordered to torture a faithful Christian, but could not break his will.
At this time, in Antioch, a pagan temple, the sanctuary of Apollo in Daphne, burned down from a fire falling from heaven. Julian, taking the opportunity, immediately blamed the Christians for this. And he ordered the execution of St. Artemy (362). First he was crushed with a stone, and then his head was chopped off with a sword.
Retribution
Soon after, the Roman ruler was defeated. The prophecies of St. Artemy came true exactly one year later. Julian with the army, leaving Antioch, went to war with the Persians. Approaching the city of Ctesiphon, they met an old Persian who asked to be a guide for Julian, who promised to betray his fellow citizens for a small fee. But as it turned out later, he tricked them and led the soldiers into the wild impassable Karmanit desert, where there was neither water nor food. The Greco-Roman troops, hungry and exhausted from the heat, entered into a forced battle with the Persian forces well prepared for the meeting. In the battle with the Persians, a cavalry spear cut his arm, pierced his ribs and stuck in the liver. As a result, Julian, struck by an invisible hand, moaned heavily and uttered before his death the words: "You won, Galilean!"
Gaining relics
After the tyrant’s death, the relics of the holy great martyr Artemius from Antioch took with him the deaconess Aristos and brought them to Constantinople. Later they were buried in the church of St. John the Baptist, which was built by Emperor Anastasius I, after which he received the second name in honor of the holy great martyr Artemy.
Today the name of the saint is in special honor in the city of Patras. The Day of the Great Martyr Artemy is celebrated on October 20 (November 2). He is considered the patron saint of the city and the founder of the monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary Girokomi. On this day, solemn commemoration is always performed, prayers and akathist are read to the great martyr Artemy. Numerous miracles are performed from his holy relics.
Icons and prayers
On the icons, the Great Martyr Artemy is traditionally depicted with long hair and a forked short beard in military armor and hematia. But there are other interpretations.
Prayer to the great martyr Artemy, begins with the words: "Holy servant of God, righteous Artemy!" The second is “Holy Martyr Artemie!”
The life of the holy great martyr and warrior Artemy was first described at the end of the 10th century by John of Rhodes, then it was processed and supplemented by Simeon Metafrast. Ancient Byzantine historians Ammianus Marcellinus and Philostorgius also reported about St. Artemia of Antioch.
In 1073, a particle of his relics was acquired by the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery. It is also known that the holy relics were found in the cross-reliquary of the Russian emperor Mikhail Fedorovich, which became a blessing to Patriarch Filaret.
Saint Artemy of Verkolsky
In 1532, Cosmas (nicknamed Malyi) and Apollinaria were settled in a pious family in the village of Verkole, near the Pinega River of the Dvina District, a son was born, who was named Artemy. His parents raised him in good Christian traditions. He was an obedient, meek and God-fearing child who, from the age of five, did not like all kinds of childish pranks and amusements. He diligently, as far as he could at his young age, helped his father with the housework.
On June 23, 1545, the twelve-year-old Artemy worked with his father in the field, when suddenly lightning flashed nearby and struck thunder, at which time the lad fell to the ground dead. Frightened superstitious peasants considered this incident a punishment of Heaven, and therefore the body of Artemy, covered with brushwood and birch bark, was left unburnt and unburied in a forest called Sosonia.
Holy relics
Thirty-odd years after the death of Artemy in 1577, Deacon Agafonik, who served in the local church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, saw an unusual glow in the forest exactly over the place where the remains of Artemy were once left. So the incorruptible body of the holy lad Artemy was found, which the people brought and laid on the porch of the church of St. Nicholas in Verkola. The Lord glorified him with miracles, as a result of which in 1639 Metropolitan Cyprian sent a command to the “local” clergy to draw up obvious evidence, which was soon delivered to the Metropolitan. And the next year he sent the “created festival” - stichera, lithium, poems, glorifiers, troparia, ikos, kondak, luminaries, praises and raspev under the banner.
Prayers and Miracles
Through the prayers of St. Artemy, many patients were healed, and especially those who suffered from eye diseases. Once, a resident of Kholmogor Hilarion came to the temple, having lost his sight and was completely desperate to return him. And on the day of St. Nicholas the righteous Artemy appeared to the sufferer with a cross in his right hand, in his left - with a staff, having overshadowed the sick person with a cross, he told him that Christ had healed him with the hand of His servant Artemy. And he sent the townsman to go to Verkola to bow to his tomb and tell the priest and peasants about what had happened.
The patient recovered immediately. Admirers of the holy lad in 1584 transferred his holy relics from the church porch to the arranged limit.
The Mezen governor Pashkov Athanasius for the healing of his sick son in gratitude to the saint built a temple in honor of the holy great martyr Artemy, the heavenly patron saint of the holy and righteous youth. In 1619, the relics of the saint were examined and on December 6 transferred to a new church, which burned down 30 years later, but in 1649 a monastery was built on the site of the relics acquired under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, where the relics were delivered.
There is a legend that the holy lad had a sister, the righteous miracle worker Paraskeva Piriminskaya.
Now, the memory of St. Artemy is celebrated on June 23 (the day of presentation) and October 20 ( memory day of the namesake great martyr Artemy).