Tuesday, July 24, today, and the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Christina the Great Martyr, Saint Athenagoras the Apologist and Athenian, and Saint Theophilus the Neomartyr of Zakynthos.
According to the calendar, Saints Borisos and Glievos, the Martyrs, are also celebrated.
O Saint Christina, She came from Tyre in Syria and was the daughter of the general Urban (about 200 AD). Her father built a tower for her and placed her in it, while he made statues of the idols and ordered her to sacrifice, nothing more. She denied and confessed her faith in Christ. She was tortured by her own father and then imprisoned. When her father died, a new general, Dion, was appointed, who ordered her to be subjected to further torture.
After Dion, a certain Julian took over, who threw her into a red-hot furnace, into a cage with poisonous snakes, which instead of biting her, licked her feet with mercy. He endured many tortures until he died.
O Agios Athenagoras was a Christian philosopher and apologist of the 2nd century AD. He probably came from Athens, where he studied Middle Platonism and Stoic philosophy. He flourished during the years of the Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius (161–180 AD) and Commodus (180–192 AD). His written work occupies a prominent place in the ecclesiastical literature of the early centuries.
The Holy Martyrs Borisos and Glievos were sons of Saint Vladimir and by holy Baptism were renamed Romans and David. We have no further information about the lives of these Saints.
Who do we say “Happy Birthday” to?
Their name day is:
- Cristina, Christiana, Christiana, Christa
- Athenagoras
- Boris, Boris, Romans