It’s holiday! We celebrate the memory of the holy martyrs… – Curious

Pre-celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord. St. Martyr Eusignius

On August 5, the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of St. Martyr Eusignius.

The memory of the holy martyrs Cantidius and Cantidianus, stoned to death in Egypt, and Sibelius, also killed by arrows in Egypt, is also commemorated.

On the same day, the memory of the holy and righteous Nona, the mother of Saint Gregory the Theologian, is celebrated.

Life of Saint Eusignius

St. Eusignius, a native of Antioch, was a soldier and served under the kings Diocletian, Maximian, Constantine the Great and his sons. He was an adviser to the martyr Basilisk and described his death. He spent 60 years in the army. He left the office in the reign of Constantius. Then he returned to Antioch and lived until the time of Julian the Apostate.

When Julian came to Antioch, it happened that two pagans, in dispute with each other, asked Eusignius to reconcile them. The old man considered the dispute fairly, but being recognized as wrong, Eusignius accused the king of being a Christian. The king called Eusignius to him and Eusignius denounced him for his apostasy from Christ. He glorified Christianity and King Constantine. Julian ordered his beheading.

In memory of Saint Eusignius

Saint Eusignius was a native of Antioch. Throughout the reigns of Diocletian, Maximian, Constantius Chlorus, and Constantine the Great, he and his sons served in the army.

He is known as the interlocutor of the holy martyr Basilisk and the narrator of his sufferings which he endured under Maximian. After the beheading of Saint Basilisk, Saint Eusignius, together with other faithful present at that place, was honored with a wonderful vision: he saw many angels taking the soul of the martyr to heaven, where it was received from them by the Lord Jesus Christ standing in heaven.

During the reign of Constantine the Great, being in his regiments, St. Eusignius saw with him the Cross depicted by the stars in the sky, and armed with the power of the cross, manfully fought with the adversaries.

Having served in the army for sixty years, he left it with Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, because he was already too old. After his return to Antioch, he dedicated his life to God, spending all his time in prayer and fasting, constantly visiting God’s temples; thus he lived to the time of Julian the Apostate, the persecutor of the Christians.

When this impious king arrived at Antioch, Saint Eusignius was detained for torture because of the following circumstance. One day he was going to the church and on the way he met two pagans, between whom a dispute arose that turned into a fight. When St. Eusignius leveled with them, they stopped him with the words – “We know, valiant man, that you have been a warrior for a long time and therefore know the laws – we ask you to consider our dispute and pronounce your just judgment”.

Saint Eusignius complied with their request and considered their case as justice demanded; one turned out to be right and the other wrong. The latter was offended, went to the king and told him that Eusignius was a Christian. The king ordered to arrest the saint and bring him to his court. Standing before the tormentor, Saint Eusignius fearlessly denounced him for not following the example of Constantine the Great, but for having denied Christ and, turning to paganism, had replaced the worship of the true God with the worship of idols. At the same time, Saint Eusignius praised the faith and piety of Constantine the Great, telling successively how he saw the Cross in heaven and with His power defeated the enemies, how, leaving paganism, he clung to the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart, enlightening with faith and holy baptism no only yourself, but also the whole universe.

Blaming Constantine the Great in this way, St. Eusignius at the same time denounced the apostate and rebuked him for his wickedness. Unwilling to listen to these reproaches, Julian ordered that the head of Christ’s warrior be cut off. Thus Saint Eusignius died a martyr for Christ in the one hundred and tenth year of his life and moved to eternal life, where time does not exist.

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