Today is Saturday, July 27, and the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saint Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Healer.
According to the calendar, the feast of the Venerable Anthousa the Confessor is also celebrated.
The Life of Saint Panteleimon
Saint Panteleimon was born around the middle of the 3rd century in Nicomedia of Bithynia, in Asia Minor.
His former name was Pantoleon, and he came from a wealthy family of the city. His father was a pagan (idolater), while his mother Euboule had embraced Christianity (she is venerated as a Saint) and began teaching him Christianity at a very young age. However, she did not live long enough with her son, as she passed away while Pantoleon was still very young.
He acquired general education from an early age and after completing it, he studied medicine, but he also distinguished himself in rhetoric[3]. In fact, his family’s relations with the palace were very good, and it would soon bring him as a physician to the court of Emperor Diocletian. However, he ultimately embraced Christianity.
The conversion to Christianity happened after his acquaintance with Saint Hermolaus during a persecution against Christians, and from the following miraculous event: The Saint was walking, troubled after his meeting with Saint Hermolaus, when he came across a child lying dead on the ground next to a coiled viper; then he thought, if God truly exists, let something happen. Then the child was resurrected and the viper burst like a balloon.
Saint Hermolaus knew about Pantoleon as he was the spiritual leader of his mother while she was alive. Shortly thereafter, he would be secretly baptized as a Christian and would try to convince his father to become one too, as happened with a miracle he performed himself.
After a while, his father passed away, resulting in him becoming the owner of a significant fortune. He then sold his property to help the poor and offered his medical services free of charge to those who could not afford medical care.
However, this practice led many doctors to denounce him and indicate to the palace that he was a Christian. In particular, his own teacher harbored significant envy towards him. Thus, he was arrested and brought before the Emperor. There, he was asked to sacrifice to the idols in order to be released. However, he refused, saying that he would not sacrifice to false gods. Then, they sent a paralyzed man before him to see if he would heal him, either by himself or by the priests of the palace, to show who the true God is.
The Healing of the Paralytic
Saint Panteleimon healed the paralytic, which caused great astonishment. Nevertheless, the Emperor once again wanted to persuade him. Panteleimon refused and was led to martyrdom. At times they burned his body with torches, at other times they whipped him, and at other times they poured hot oil on him. However, in many of these cases, the tortures did not cause him pain. Thus, to kill him, they threw him to the beasts, but they did not harm him.
The Martyr’s End
Finally, it was decided to behead him. While they were taking him to the place of his execution, he was constantly praying, and then a voice was heard from heaven calling him Panteleimon, instead of Pantoleon. When they beheaded him, milk instead of blood flowed from the wound, and the olive tree on which he had been tied immediately bore fruit.
What We Know About Venerable Anthousa
Venerable Anthousa was the daughter of the iconoclast king Constantine Copronymus and his third wife Eudocia.
In vain, her father (741 – 775 AD) wanted to marry her off to a young man who had all the advantages of lineage, beauty, and wealth. She harbored deep sorrow in her heart that her father was an enemy of icons and did not want a husband who shared the same views as him. Therefore, she remained unmarried and spent her time on works of charity and philanthropy.
After her father’s death, she distributed her possessions to the poor, charitable institutions, and churches, and she became a nun by the Patriarch Tarasius.
She died in the year 809 AD at the age of 52.
To Whom Do We Say “Many Years” Today
Today, the following people celebrate their nameday:
- Panteleimon, Panteleimona, Pantelis, Panteleimonia, Pantelitsa, Pantelina, Panteleousa
- Anthousa.