мъчениците от Кизик

The city of Kyzika is located in Asia Minor at the coast of the Dardenelles (Hellespont) Straits. Christianity there began to spread about already during the time of the preaching of the Apostle Paul. But under the times of persecutions by the pagans events came to this – that some of the Christians fled the city, while others kept their faith in Christ in secret. Therefore by the time of the end of the III сentury Kyzika was still basically a pagan city, although there was also a Christian church there. The situation in the city distressed true Christians, who sought to uphold the Christian faith. From there were also the Nine holy Martyrs: Theognides, Ruphos, Antipater, Theostikhos, Artemon, Magnos, Theodotos, Thaumasios and Philemon. They hailed from various places, and were of different ages: both the young like Saint Antipater, and the very old like Saint Ruphos, and they came from various positions in society: among them were soldiers, countryfolk and city-people, and clergy. But all of them declared their faith in Christ and were all the more intense in their yearning for the spread and strengthening of the True Faith.
Having shown up in the city of Kyzika, the saints boldly confessed Christ and fearlessly denounced the pagan impiety. They were arrested and brought to trial before the city governor. Over the course of several days they were tortured, locked up in prison and again led out from it, and promised their freedom for a renunciation of Christ. But the valiant martyrs of Christ continued to glorify the Name of Christ. All nine martyrs were beheaded by the sword (+ c. 284-292), and their bodies buried nearby the city.

In the year 324 – when the Eastern half of the Roman empire came under the rule of Saint Constantine the Great, and the persecutions against Christians ended, the Kyzika Christians removed the undecayed bodies of the 9 martyrs from the ground and placed them in a church, built in their honour.
Various miracles occurred from the holy relics: the sick were healed, and the mentally aberrant brought to their senses. The faith of Christ grew within the city through the intercession of the holy martyrs, and many of the pagans were converted to Christianity.
When Julian the Apostate (361-363) came to rule, the pagans of Kyzika turned to him with a complaint against the Christians for the destruction of pagan temples. Julian gave orders to rebuild the pagan temples and to lock up in prison bishop Eleusios. Bishop Eleusios was set free after the death of Julian, and the light of the Christian faith shined anew through the assist of the holy martyrs.

In Russia, not far from the city of Kazan, a monastery was built in honor of the Nine Martyrs of Cyzicus. It was built by the hierodeacon Stephen, who brought part of the relics of the saints with him from Palestine. This monastery was built in the hope that through their intercession and prayers people would be delivered from various infirmities and ills, particularly a fever which raged through Kazan in 1687. St Demetrius of Rostov (September 21), who composed the service to the Nine Martyrs, writes, "through the intercession of these saints, abundant grace was given to dispel fevers and trembling sicknesses." St Demetrius also described the sufferings of the holy martyrs and wrote a sermon for their Feast day.

Преподобный Мемнон Чудотворец с юности подвизался в Египетской пустыне. Тяжелыми постническими трудами достигал он победы духа над плотью.
Став игуменом одного из египетских монастырей, мудро и осторожно руководил братией. Помогая им молитвой и советом преподобный не прекращал своих подвигов и в борьбе с искушениями.
Непрестанной молитвой и трудом он получил дар прозорливости: по его молитве в пустыне открылся источник воды, погибла саранча, губившая посевы; терпевшие кораблекрушение, призвав его на помощь, спасались. По смерти святого одно лишь призывание его имени прогоняло саранчу и разрушало любые козни духов злобы. Починал в мир през второто столетие.

Святые мученики Диодор и Родопиан диакон пострадали при императоре Диоклитиане (284-305) в Афродисии Марийской. За распространение христианской веры между язычниками они были побиты камнями.

Святой Василий, епископ Захолмский, родился в ХVI веке в Поповой волости в Герцеговине от благочестивых родителей. В зрелом возрасте он оставил родительский дом и удалился в Требинскую обитель в честь Успения Пресвятой Богородицы. Здесь он принял монашество. За добродетельную жизнь святой был возведен во епископа Захолмья и Скендерии. Он занимал кафедру во 2-й половине ХVI века и был преемником по кафедре епископа Павла и предшественником епископа Никодима. Святитель Василий был добрым пастырем Христовых овец, и Господь подкреплял слово его различными чудесами. Для освещения души мудростью святых отцов-подвижников святитель путешествовал на Афон. Скончался святитель Василий мирно и был погребен в городе Остроге в Черногории на границе с Герцеговиной.

In 1616 the Persian shah Abbas I led his enormous army in an attack on Georgia. Having quenched his thirst for the blood of the Christians, he arranged a hunt in the valley of Gare (Outer) Kakheti. He encamped with his escorts in the mountains of Gareji and spent the night in that place. At midnight the shah’s attention was drawn to a flaming column of lights advancing up the mountain. At first he took it to be an apparition. He was soon informed, however, that a famous monastery was situated in that place and on that night the monks were circling their church three times with lighted candles in celebration of Christ’s Holy Resurrection. Immediately the shah commanded his army to march to the monastery and destroy all those found celebrating. That same night an angel of the Lord appeared to Abbot Arsenius of David-Gareji and told him, “Our Lord Jesus Christ is calling the brothers to His Heavenly Kingdom. On this night great suffering awaits you—you will be killed by the sword. He who desires to prolong his earthly life, let him flee, but he who thirsts to purify his soul for eternity, let him perish by the sword, and the Lord God will adorn him with the crown of immortality. Tell this to all who dwell in the monastery, and let each man choose for himself!” The abbot informed the monks about his vision, and they began to prepare for their imminent sufferings. Only two young monks feared death and fled to a mountain not far from the monastery. At the chanting of the Lord’s Prayer near the end of the Paschal Liturgy, the monastery was completely surrounded by Persian warriors. Abbot Arsenius stepped out of the church and approached their leader to request that the monks be given a bit more time to finish the service and for all the brothers to receive Holy Communion. The Persians consulted among themselves and agreed to honor this request. The fathers partook of the Holy Gifts, encouraged one another, and presented themselves clad in festive garments before the unbelievers. First the Persians beheaded Abbot Arsenius; then they massacred his brothers in Christ without mercy. After the Persians finished killing the monks, they were organized into several regiments and made their way towards the other monasteries of the Gareji Wilderness. Halfway between the Chichkhituri and St. John the Baptist Monasteries the Muslims captured the two young monks who had earlier fled and demanded that they convert to Islam. The monks refused to abandon the Christian Faith and for this they were killed. A rose bush grew up in the place where they were killed and continued to fragrantly blossom through the 19th century, despite the dry and rocky soil.
At the end of the 17th century, King Archil gathered the bones of the martyrs with great reverence and buried them in a large stone reliquary to the left of the altar in the Transfiguration Church of David-Gareji Monastery. Their holy relics continue to stream myrrh to this day. The brothers of the Monasteries of St. David of Gareji and St. John the Baptist received a blessing from Catholicos Anton I to compose a commemorative service for the martyrs and to designate their feast day as Bright Tuesday, or the third day of Holy Pascha.