The GreatMartyr Anastasia the Alleviatrix-of-Captives (Uzoreshitel'nitsa)
Commemorated on December 22
The
GreatMartyr Anastasia the Alleviatrix-of-Captives (Uzoreshitel'nitsa), a Roman by birth, suffered for Christ during the time
of the persecution against Christians under Diocletian. Her father was a pagan,
her mother – secretly a Christian. The teacher of Saint Anastasia in her youth
was an educated and pious Christian named Chrisogenes. After the death of her
mother, her father gave Saint Anastasia in marriage to a pagan named Pomplius,
but under the pretext of a contrived illness, she preserved her virginity.
Clothing
herself in the garb of a beggar, and accompanied by only one servant, she
visited the prisons: she fed, doctored and often ransomed captives that were
suffering for their faith in Christ. When her servant told Pomplius about
everything, he subjected his wife to a beating and locked her up at home. Saint
Anastasia then began secretly to correspond with Chrisogenes, who bid the saint
to be patient, to conform all thoughts to the Cross of Christ and prepare
herself to serve the Lord; he foretold also the impending perishing of Pomplius
in the sea. And after a certain while Pomplius did indeed drown, having set out
with a delegation to Persia. After the death of her husband, Saint Anastasia
began generously to distribute her property to the poor and suffering.
A
report was made to Diocletian that the Christians, who filled the prisons of
Rome, stoically endured the tortures. He thereupon gave orders in a single
night to kill them all, and for Chrisogenes to be dispatched to him at
Aquileia. Saint Anastasia followed her teacher at a distance.
The
emperor personally interrogated Chrisogenes, but being unable to incline him to
a renunciation of faith, the emperor then gave command for him to be beheaded
and thrown into the sea. The body and severed head of the holy martyr were
carried by the waves to shore. There by a Divine prompting they were found by a
certain presbyter named Zoilus who, having put them within a coffin, concealed
them at his home. Chrisogenes appeared to Zoilus and informed him that
martyrdom was near for Agapia, Chiona and Irene – youthful Christians living
not far away, and bid him to send Saint Anastasia to them. For Zoilus himself,
Chrisogenes foretold a quick and peaceful death. Chrisogenes likewise in a
vision guided Saint Anastasia's path to Zoilus. Having come to the presbyter,
she prayed at the relics of Saint Chrisogenes, and afterwards she spiritually
strengthened the three maidens before their tortures. When these three martyrs
gave up their souls to the Lord, she herself buried them.
Having
carried out the bequest of her teacher, the saint began her wanders. And having
gained proficiency in the medical arts of the time, she zealously cared for
captives far and wide. Through her exploits, Saint Anastasia earned for herself
the name Aleviatrix-of-Captives (Uzoreshitel'nitsa), since by her many efforts
she delivered from agony of long-time suffering many a confessor of the Name of
Christ.
One
time she made the acquaintance of the pious young widow Theodotia and found in
her a faithful helper. Both soon suffered persecution. They arrested Saint
Anastasia when she was in Illyria. This occurred just after all the Christian
captives there had been murdered in a single night by order of Diocletian.
Saint Anastasia had come to one of the prisons, and finding no one there, she
began to weep loudly. The jailers realised that she was a Christian and led her
off to the governor of the district, who tried to persuade the saint to recant
Christ by threatening torture.He then handed her over to the Capitolian
pagan-priest Ulpian. The cunning pagan offered Saint Anastasia the choice
between luxury and riches, or grievous sufferings. He set before her on the one
side gold, precious stones and clothing, but on the other side – fearsome
tools of torture. The pagan guile was put to shame by the bride of Christ –
Saint Anastasia refused the riches and chose the tools of torture. But the Lord
prolonged the course of the earthly deeds of the saint. Charmed by the beauty
of Anastasia, the pagan-priest decided to profane her purity, but during his
first yearnings to touch her he suddenly became blind. Losing his wits under
this affliction, he dashed to run off to a pagan temple to appeal to the idols
for help, but along the way he fell down and died. Saint Anastasia was set free
and together with Theodotia she again devoted herself to the care of imprisoned
Christians. Before long, Saint Theodotia and her three sons accepted a martyr's
death. Her eldest son, Evodus, stood bravely before the judge and without
protest endured beatings. After lengthy torture, they threw all of them into a
red-hot oven.
Saint
Anastasia was caught again and condemned to death by starvation. She stayed in
prison without food for 60 days. Saint Theodotia appeared to the martyr every
night and gave her courage. Having seen that hunger caused Saint Anastasia no
harm whatsoever, the judge sentenced her to drowning together with condemned
criminals. Among these people also was Eutykhian, condemned for his Christian
faith.
When
the ship went out into the open sea, the soldiers bored holes in it and
transferred themselves into a boat. Saint Theodotia appeared to the captives
and commanded the ship to shore. Having come to dry land and being saved by the
miracle, the 120 men believed in Christ and were baptised by Saints Anastasia
and Eutykhian. All were soon captured and given over to a martyr's death. They
stretched Saint Anastasia between four posts cross-shaped over a red-hot
bon-fire. A certain pious woman Apollinaria buried in a garden her body,
unharmed by the fire. In the V Century the relics of Saint Anastasia were
transferred to Constantinople, where a church in her name was built. They later
transferred the head and an hand of the GreatMartyress to the monastery of
Saint Anastasia Uzoreshitel'nitsa (Alleviatrix-of-Captives), located near holy
Mount Athos.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.
