Why was Saint Euthymius the All-Praised be counted among the saints ? What are they asking her for? Do prayers addressed to her help? The life of Euphemia the All-Glorious will be told further.
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 for some time belonged to the Persians. The Roman Empire became the center of one of the provinces, Bithynia, under the control of the proconsul. At the beginning of the III century AD, he was a man named Priscus. Diocletian, who ruled then in the empire, is known for his voluntary abdication. But in the history of Christianity, he is primarily the most cruel persecutor of the adherents of the true faith. During the years of his rule, many Christians became famous in the form of saints. Martyrdom in the name of Christ was perceived by these people as a gift of God. One of them is the holy great martyr Euthymius the All-Praise. More details about her are told in a life compiled by Saint Demetrius of Rostov.
Idol celebration
The girl was the daughter of the pious Senator Philofron and his wife Theodoros. To be a Christian in those days meant to endanger your life by the mere fact that you profess faith undesirable 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 a demon who lived in it. It is mentioned in the life that, while disdaining the godless holiday that the proconsul wanted to arrange in his honor, the Christians hid and secretly, out of fear of the wrath of the authorities, performed services to the true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. But the celebration in honor of Ares was apparently conceived as a kind of provocation. Those who did not come to the temple and did not make sacrifices could only be punished for this. Moreover, most likely, this man was a fan of the crucified, as the pagans called it.
Forty nine christians
Priscus ordered a strict search for those who did not come on holiday. In some secret place, 49 Christians who brought prayers were discovered. Among them was Euphemia. The house where the service was held was surrounded, the doors were broken down, and all the people there were dragged to the ruler of Chalcedon with mockery. None of them began to hide their religion. Neither the threat of terrible torture, nor the promise of glory and wealth for renouncing the true faith had no effect. All that he could offer them, these people have long rejected in the name of Christ. Worshiping the creature instead of the Creator was worse for them than death. One can only imagine what torture they were subjected to for 19 days, but not a single person was seduced. During the last meeting with them, realizing the futility of bullying and persuasion, the proconsul drew attention to Euphemia. Maybe pity crept into my heart, or maybe I thought that a young girl could be scared and broken, but Priscus separated her from the rest of the doomed. However, the omnipotent ruler of the province overestimated his capabilities.
On the wheel
Trying to seduce the beauty, he promised her such gifts that it seemed impossible to refuse. But the girl was firm, comparing him to the serpent, who 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. A victim was tied to it and twisted. In this case, whole pieces of flesh were cut off from the body. This happened to the young Christian. But she did not scream in pain, but prayed to Jesus Christ. And the monstrous weapon stopped. No attempt at the minions could make him spin again. And the holy great martyr Euthymius the All-Praise descended from him completely unscathed, thanks to praising God.
And the flame didn’t scorch
What could a pagan think at the sight of such a miracle? Recognize in this the action of God, whom she prayed for help and praised the girl? To this he was already incapable 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 flames in the furnace that was kindled by his order did not frighten the lad. Remembering in prayer how God protected three youths in Babylon from fire, she waited without fear when she was thrown into a flaming vent. Those who were supposed to do this were called Victor and Sosphen. Intending to fulfill the order, they were honored to see angels in the furnace who “scattered” the fire. After that, they did not dare to touch the victim of the ruler’s anger. Even after the threats, they did not submit to them, having believed in Christ, and were imprisoned. Others carried out the command, and immediately burnt in a flame bursting out of the furnace. And Euphemia stood unharmed in fire and sang a song for 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 was dull, the snakes in the ditch where they threw it were not bitten, but carried it on themselves to the shore. Then they led the martyr to the circus to betray the usual execution for Christians, to be torn to pieces by the beasts. In prayer, she asked God to accept her sacrifice and rest her soul in the villages of martyrs and saints. Lions and bears released into the arena licked the legs of the one they were supposed to tear to pieces. Only one small wound was bleeding on her body. Finally, the Almighty condescended to prayers, and she died, proving with her life "the weakness of demons and the madness of the tormentor." An earthquake immediately began. Pagan temples and ramparts collapsed, burying the wicked underneath. Everyone ran away, and parents took their daughter and buried near the city. It was on that spot that the first temple was erected in honor of the saint.
On the icon - with a cross and a scroll
There are not so many iconographic images of Euphemia the All-Praise. The earliest known dates back to the second half of the 11th century. The diptych of the late 11th century, located in the monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine, is also known. On another Sinai icon, Euthymius the All-Praise is depicted together with the Great Martyr Marina. Other images of the saint are in the temples of Cappadocia. All of them date back to early Byzantium. The oldest text describing her life and martyrdom, whose author is known, is “The word for the suffering of the VIC. Euphemia All-Praised "Metropolitan of Amasia Asteria. He mentions images of the torment of the saint. 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 due to the miracle, about which St. Dimitry of Rostov writes.
Posthumous miracle
In the fifth century BC, the Monophysites, who denied the human nature of Jesus Christ, entered into great power. In order to accurately formulate the dogma, the Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in Chalcedon . The heresy was so established by that time that there was a real danger of distorting the true faith. 630 people gathered, representing all the local Christian churches. Among them were prominent representatives of Orthodoxy, later glorified in the form of saints. But a very long debate did not produce a result. Then Anatoly, the patriarch of Constantinople, proposed that a decision be provided to the Holy Spirit. The holy martyr, of course, was his bearer. The confession of the faith of the Monophysites and the Orthodox was recorded on two scrolls. They opened the tomb of the saint, put them on her chest, and in the presence of the emperor, who was then Marcian, closed it, and set guard next to it. After three days of fasting and prayer, the tomb was opened. The Monophysite confession lay at the feet of the saint, and she held the true one in her right hand, with which she handed the scroll to the patriarch. Thus the heretics were put to shame.
Honoring in Russia
If we talk about Ancient Russia, it is assumed that the image of Euthymius the All-Savior was still in the church of St. Sophia of Kiev, and this is the first half of the XI century. The end of the 15th 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 the tablet icon of the beginning of the XVI century, which is called "Christmas. Conception of St. John the Baptist and St. Euphemia All-Praise ”, she is in the same city on the shores of Lake Ilmen.
In the image of the saint followed the Byzantine tradition. In Western Europe, she more often appears as a believer as a young girl holding a lily symbolizing purity, or a palm branch, which is a symbol of martyrdom. The appearance of a cloak and a diadem on the head. Many icons of the saint were made for the pilgrims by the Monk Paisius Svyatorets. He talked about meeting with Euphemia to one of his guests. Most of all the elder was amazed how such a fragile girl could endure inhuman torment. 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 in faith
Euphemia All-Praise was revered in Chalcedon, where she lived. The temple with its 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 was an ark with relics, and on the side there was a small hole. Every year on the day when she suffered for Christ, they opened it after the Vespers, and the bishop took out a previously dry sponge filled with holy blood. She smelled 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 reality, they, living in the glory of God, can pray for him any mercy for us, if requested in faith. A miraculous icon was found in one of the Russian villages in July 1910. People praying to her, got rid of toothache, blindness, she saved the village and the district from dysentery, which at that time threatened with death, and often was its cause. The drought became the reason that local residents began to demand digging a well at the place of the icon. One of the peasants saw a dream about the need for this. And only after the requirement was met, the weather improved.
The posthumous wanderings of Euphemia
The Great Martyr was not left alone after death. In the 7th century, Chalcedon was plundered by the Persians. After their departure, the relics, out of fear 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 (VII — beginning of IX centuries), heretics fought with veneration not only of the icons themselves, but also of the relics of saints. The relics of Euthymius the All-merciful were desecrated and thrown into the sea. Miraculously, the ark was picked up by merchants who passed by, delivering the shrine to the island of Limnos. They remained on this piece of land, built a small church at their own expense and served their “own” saint all their lives. When the local bishop wanted to transfer the holy remains to a temple more appropriate for them, she herself opposed this, appearing to him in a dream. There they were, until the rule of the iconoclasts ended. Then the relics returned back to Constantinople. Now, as you know, this is 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 pray for help receive it if they really believe in Jesus Christ and the martyrs who died in his glory.