Church of Saint Anastasios the Persian on the Panagiotopoulos Estate of Salamis

The Panagiotopoulos estate occupies an area of over 40 acres at the western end of the Bay of Paloukia in Salaminos on the Greek island of Salamis. It was acquired by Panagiotis (Takis) Panagiotopoulos, a wealthy man of Piraeus, who served as Mayor of Piraeus (1925-31). He had two children, the great choreographer Maria Hors (1921-2015) wife of the architect Michael Hors, and the chemist and hero of the National Resistance Anastasios (Tasos) Panagiotopoulos (1923-2015).

Saint James the Persian Resource Page

St. James the Persian (Feast Day - November 27)

Verses

Dismembered and slain the Persian announces,

"My soul will I save, for my members are gone" he said.

On the twenty-seventh the Persian was slain by dismemberment.

 

Synaxarion of the Holy Great Martyr James the Persian 

 

Holy Great Martyr James the Persian 

 

Saint James the Persian as a Model for our Lives  

 

November: Day 27: Teaching 4: Holy Martyr James the Persian

 

Saint James the Persian in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

The Monastery of Saint James the Persian in Deddeh, Lebanon

 

How Saint James the Persian Became the Patron Saint of the Deaf in Cyprus

 

 

Saint Milos and the Miracle of the Paschal Egg (Two Testimonies)

Saints reveal themselves in marvelous ways, and in the Fall of 2004, while in Patras, Greece, researching an interview on St. Andrew’s journeys, Road to Emmaus staff had coffee with Mrs. Smaragda Pavlou, a Patras native, whose surprising Pascha story was a highlight of their visit. Hesitant at first to have the story recorded, at the urging of her spiritual father, Smaragda agreed:

It was Great Thursday, 1939, and my sister Photini and I were young girls. Great Thursday was the day we dyed our Pascha eggs, and we had saved many eggs during the fast. Patras was not crowded in those days; we had land behind our house for chickens, and that year we had a new young hen among our brood. On the morning of Great Thursday, she laid her first egg and immediately died. We were very surprised and felt great pity for her, so we took the egg and included it with the others we were dying red for Pascha. On Great Saturday, the eggs were blessed in church, the parish of St. Dionysios on Astings Street, and after the Pascha liturgy, one egg was selected to be put into the icon corner as a blessing for the year. That Pascha we chose the egg from the little hen that had died, and set it in the icon case. A few months later, on the morning of November 10, for no obvious reason, the egg fell from the icon case and broke with a loud crack. Amidst the fragments of the shell, we found a tiny black wax-like oval medallion, with a figure in a phelonion and omophorion with the Holy Gospel in his hand [typical of an icon of a Bishop], and the name “Agios Milos” [Saint Milos] etched around the figure in capital letters. On the opposite side, without words, was the familiar image of St. Stylianos, holding an infant [feast day on November 26]. It seemed to us that the dried up contents of the egg had shaped themselves into an Icon-Not-Made-By-Hands. I asked everyone I knew who St. Milos was, but no one had ever heard of him, not even the priest. Everyone in our family saw this wonderful icon from the egg. We knew that St. Milos had come to us, and we all prayed to him. For a whole year afterwards, people came to our home to venerate the tiny icon; our house became like a public shrine. Then, Greece was invaded.

Holy Hieromartyr Milos the Bishop from Persia in the "Ecclesiastical History" of Sozoman

 

Saint Milos and his two disciples are commemorated together in the Orthodox Church on November 10th. In the Synaxarion of Constantinople, Sozomen (Eccl. Hist. 2:14) and in their Acts, there are both differences and similarities than what is recorded about them in the Paradise of the Fathers. Though his name is usually recorded as Milos, he is also known as Milesios or Milles. He was also a Bishop in Persia who sought to spread the Christian faith, and suffered for it. The martyrdom accounts, however, are very similar despite differences, confirming that they are not different people, but these are accounts with different yet similar traditions. Below is the passage about him from Sozomen (Eccl. Hist. 2:14):

 

Holy Martyrs Isaac, Symeon and Bachthisoes of Persia

Sts. Isaac, Symeon and Bachthisoes (Feast Day - May 16)

Verses

In the fire expired three who were like-minded,
Isaac, Symeon and Bachthisoes.

The Holy Martyrs Isaac, Symeon and Bachthisoes were from Persia and lived during the reign of King Shapur II (309-379). Fire-worshiping Persians arrested them for being Christians and brought them before King Shapur, who urged them to deny their faith in Christ and offer up a sacrifice to the sun and to fire. They replied: "We will not deny Christ, who is the true God, and the Creator of all that has been made. We turn away from the sun and fire, for they are among the things He has made."

Saint James the Persian as a Model for our Lives

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint James lived in the fourth century. He came from Persia and lived in the city of Bethlava. Being of noble lineage, he was friends with King Yazdegerd of Persia. Unfortunately, however, this friendship proved fatal for James, for it became the cause for which he changed his faith. Following pressure from his "friend" the King, he renounced his faith in Christ and worshiped idols. This brought great sadness to his mother and his wife, who truly loved him, which caused them to be hard on him, in order to lead him to repentance. They told him that after what he had done, they no longer wanted to see him. "We will receive you only if you sincerely repent," they told him in a letter. The attitude of his loved ones shocked him and led him to repentance. He sensed his great error and wept bitterly. Then, armed with spiritual courage, he went to the king and confessed boldly his faith in Christ. With this the king put him to be horribly tortured. He cut into little pieces the feet and hands of his "friend", and finally he beheaded him. Thus, James with the blood of his martyrdom sealed his confession, but also corrected the error of his renunciation.

Synaxarion of the Holy Five Canonical Virgins Thekla, Mariamna, Martha, Maria and Ennatha

The Holy Five Virgin Martyrs (Feast Day - September 26 and June 9)

Verses

For June 9.

For the love of money the Canonicals,
Were slain by the sacrificer; O unfortunate sacrificer!

For September 26.

The Five Virgins longed only for Christ,
For the love of money the father killed them all together.

During the reign of King Shapur of Persia in the year 330, there was a Priest named Paul near the village called Aza, who being rich, he had with him five Canonicals, namely Virgin Nuns, who were adorned with the brilliance of the virtues. He served as a priest and chanted with them, while whatever money the Canonicals had they would give to him, and he would treasure them. The devil, who is a hater of good, being unable to behold the progress according to God of the Canonicals, which every day and hour was increased, and extended before him, what did the most-wicked one devise? Through a certain Persian named Nirse, news about this passed on to the arch-magi who in turn passed it on to the King, namely that "there is a certain wealthy Christian Priest, and if you want, O master, to gain his wealth, have him stand before you with the Virgins he has. And because they will not deny their faith, you will gain all his wealth."

Acts of the Martyrs of Bezabde

Saints Heliodoros and Dosa (Dausa, Dawsa) are commemorated in the Orthodox Church on August 20th. Below is the text of the Acts of the Martyrs of Bezabde, which is followed by an analysis of the text. The first is taken from the book The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars AD 226-363: A Documentary History, and the second is taken from the book Constantine and the Captive Christians of Persia: Martyrdom and Religious Identity in Late Antiquity.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyrs Heliodoros and Dosa

Sts. Heliodoros and Dosa of Persia (Feast Day - August 20)

Verses

Heliodoros and Dosa, the nobles,
Both contested bravely by the grace of Christ.

In the fifty-third year of his reign, King Shapur of the Persians went out with many soldiers to a Roman fort, and began to demolish the churches of the Christians, breaking the sacred and holy icons, and burning with fire the relics of the Saints. It was at this time that Saint Heliodoros and Saint Dosa presented themselves before the king, and rebuked his impiety, proclaiming the true faith of Christ (Saint Heliodoros was ninety-five years old at the time). For this the blessed ones endured many and various tortures, and lastly, their noses were cut off and their heads were burned. Hence, the Saints thanked God, delivered their souls, and ascended crowned into the heavens.*

Notes:

* For more details about these Saints, and greater details, see the Acts of the Martyrs of Bezabde. There we are told that Heliodoros was a Bishop, and when he died he made Dosa (Dausa or Dawsa) his successor.

Holy Martyr Eleutherios the Persian

St. Eleutherios of Persia (Feast Day - April 13)

Verses

Eleutherios was not enslaved to error,
Freely he stood before the edge of the sword.

Saint Eleutherios was from Persia, who was taught the word of truth by Bishop Symeon. As he was traveling along the road on his way home, he began to teach others about salvation in Christ. Many were converted through his preaching and were baptized. The fire-worshiping Persians however did not like this, so he was arrested and brought before the arch-magis to persuade him to abandon his faith in Christ. Since they could not convert him, even after much torture, they had him beheaded, and in this way he received the unfading crown of martyrdom.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyrs James the Presbyter and Aza the Deacon

Sts. James and Aza of Persia (Feast Day - April 10)

Verses

To James.

I write of the decapitation of James,
And the decapitation brought the crown as a reward.

To Aza.

The head of Aza the Levite of Christ was cut off,
Shaming Leviathan the enemy of Christ.

Holy Martyr Narses the Persian

St. Narses the Persian (Feast Day - December 9)

Verses

Narses the Persian offers his head to you Christ,
Which is better than the gifts of myrrh, gold and frankincense.

The Holy Martyr Narses the Persian met his end by the sword.

He may be the same Persian Martyr Narses as the one commemorated on March 29th with his eight other companions.

Holy Hieromartyr John of Persia

St. John of Persia (Feast Day - November 29)

Verses

And John the sacrificer of Christ,
Had his wages counted making him rich.

This is probably the same Hieromartyr John the Bishop commemorated with James the Presbyter on November 1st. They suffered torture and martyrdom by beheading in fourth century Persia under King Shapur, after having converted many to the faith of Christ.

Venerable Silos, Bishop of Persia

St. Silos of Persia (Feast Day - November 26)

Verses

You departed Father from the earth and the earthly,
Now you dwell in heaven blessed Silos.

We have no information about the Venerable Silos, Bishop of Persia.

Life and Sayings of the Holy Abba Milesios

Saint Milos and his two disciples are commemorated together in the Orthodox Church on November 10th. In the Synaxarion of Constantinople, Sozomen (Eccl. Hist. 2:14) and in their Acts, there are both differences and similarities than what is recorded about them in the Paradise of the Fathers. Though his name is usually recorded as Milos, here he is known as Milesios. He was also a Bishop in Persia who sought to spread the Christian faith, and suffered for it. The martyrdom accounts, however, are very similar despite differences, confirming that they are not two different people, but these are two accounts with different yet similar traditions. Thus, in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, the following two sayings are given for him.

Holy Martyrs Ebora and Enoa

Sts. Ebora and Enoa the Martyrs (Feast Day - October 20)

Verses

With stones Ebora and her fellow athlete Enoa were slain,
By the athlete-killing worshipers of stone.

The Holy Martyrs Ebora and Enoa met their end by stoning.

Some consider them to be the two male disciples of Saint Milo commemorated on November 10th, who there are known as Eboras the Presbyter and Senoas the Deacon, and are sometimes translated in English with the names Aborsam and Senoe.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Mamelchtha of Persia

St. Mamelchtha of Persia (Feast Day - October 5)

Verses

"Do now receive me washed O Christ,"
Mamelchtha declared, and she was struck with stones.

She was a Persian priestess of the Temple of Artemis, who had a sister that was a Christian. After seeing an Angel of God in a dream, who showed and taught her the Christian mysteries, she awoke frightened, and narrated what happened to her sister. Her sister brought her to the Bishop, who in turn baptized her.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Goudelia of Persia

St. Goudelia the Martyr (Feast Day - September 29)

Verses

Goudelia by the sword hastened with her head,
To you Christ the head of all.

She lived during the reign of King Shapur of Persia (309-379), and because she converted many unbelieving Persians to the faith of Christ, she was apprehended by the king, and the blessed one was punished with many torments. Unable to be persuaded to sacrifice to the fire, she was put in prison. There she remained for many years, where she starved for lack of food.

Holy Martyr Syra of Persia (+ 558)

St. Syra of Persia (Feast Day - August 24)

The Virgin Martyr Syra lived during the sixth century in Persia and was the daughter of an illustrious pagan priest of the fire-worshippers (i.e. Zoroastrians) from Karkh-Seleucia in Elimiade (Abizarde). Syra’s father, fearing the influence of Christianity on his daughter, sent her to the city of Tharsis after the death of her mother to be educated as a pagan priestess.

Syra became a priestess at the heathen temple of fire, and occupied herself with honorable activity. But once, after speaking with some Christian beggars, Syra believed in Christ the Savior and began to live as a Christian. She began to learn prayers and Psalms, to fast and to read Christian books.

Church of the Holy Five Canonical Virgins in Crete

The Church of the Holy Five Canonical Virgins in ancient Lappa, now Argyroupoli of Rethymno, is one of the most important shrines of western Crete, with a long tradition of worship. The church is dedicated to the Holy Five Canonical Virgins Thekla, Mariamna, Martha, Maria and Ennatha, who are believed to have lived and died there.