St. Martyress Theodosia of Tyre (IV) and St. Venerable Martyress Theodosia of Constantinople (VIII)

11 June, 2015

St. Martyress Theodosia of Tyre11 June is the Remembrance Day of St. Martyress Theodosia of Tyre (†308) and St. Venerable Martyress Theodosia of Constantinople (†730).

St. Theodosia lived at the end of III –the beginning of IV centuries in Tyre (modern Lebanon). It was a period of cruel persecution of the followers of Christ by the Roman Empire. Her life is described by Eusebius of Caesarea – the witness of those events.

During the time of persecution, young seventeen years old Theodosia came to visit Christians, condemned to execution. It was a feast of Resurrection of Christ and prisoners spoke about Heavenly Kingdom. The Saint bowed to prisoners and asked them to pray for her in a front of Throne of God.

Soldiers who guarded Confessors, saw it and brought the girl to local ruler, who began to force her to make sacrifice to pagan gods. Theodosia refused to do it and was condemned to cruel tortures. Her body was mutilated to bones. The Martyress peacefully suffered and for the second time refused to governor to make sacrifice. She said: “You are insane! I was honored to join to martyrs”! Then a stone was tied around young girl’s neck and thrown into the waters of the sea, but God’s angels brought her out. Thereafter the torturers threw the Saint to wild beasts to be eaten, but they did not touch her. When pagans saw all of that, they decapitated St. Theodosia. During her execution the white pigeon flew out of her mouth.

After the death of a martyr, the Saint appeared to her parents in a dream together with other holy girls, in snow-white clothes, with wreath upon her head and with shining cross in her hands. It was a manifestation of God’s glory for parents because they dissuaded Theodosia to go for tortures.

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St. Venerable Martyress Theodosia lived in VIII century in righteous family of Constantinople. After her parents’ death the youth brought up in Anastasia convent. The Saint has distributed parental legacy and was tonsured to a monk.

The new-enthroned Byzantine Emperor Leo III the Isaurian was an iconoclast and ordered to destroy the holy icons everywhere.

In 730, the believers headed by Theodosia and other monks started to struggle for defense of the icons. Then Emperor gave a command to kill the monks, and Theodosia was imprisoned.

She was flagellated by hundred lashes for seven days. On the eighth day she was led through the city, while brutally beating. After some lash the St. Venerable Martyress passed away.

Her abandoned corpse later was buried by faithful Christians in one of Constantinopolitan monasteries, and her grave was glorified by wonders of healing those who sick.

St. Martyress Theodosia of Tyre (IV) and St. Venerable Martyress Theodosia of Constantinople (VIII) обновлено: September 28, 2015 автором: maximus