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| St. Stachys of Hierapolis (Feast Day - November 14) |
When the Apostles Philip and Bartholomew with Mariamne the daughter of Philip came to preach to the pagans of Hierapolis in Phrygia, there lived in the city a man named Stachys, who had been blind for forty years. With the power of prayer, Stachys received the sight of his physical eyes and was also illumined from his spiritual blindness through the hands of the Apostles. Having baptized Stachys, they lived in his house, and crowds from the city would come there to visit the Apostles, where they counseled the people with words of salvation and healed them both physically and spiritually.
In this manner the house of Stachys became the first church of Hierapolis, and most of the pagans of the city found salvation there, including the wife of the proconsul. Her husband however became enraged, had the Apostles arrested at the house of Stachys, and had the house of Stachys burned to the ground. The most faithful Stachys with all the faithful followed them. After the Apostle Philip was martyred in the city, Stachys was appointed first Bishop of the city of Hierapolis by Bartholomew, and built a church there for the faithful. There he served the flock of Christ till the end.*
Notes:
* This Stachys should not be confused with Stachys the first Bishop of Byzantium ordained by the Apostle Andrew and commemorated on October 31st.
