- THE THIRD FINDING OF THE HEAD OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
In the eighth century, during the bitter violence of iconoclasm, the head of St. John was brought to Comana, the place of exile of St. John Chrysostom. When iconoclasm ended in the year 850 A.D., during the reign of Emperor Michael and the Patriarch Ignatius, the honorable head of St. John was translated to Constantinople and there was placed in the chapel of the imperial court.
- THE PRIESTLY-MARTYR THERAPONTUS, BISHOP OF CYPRUS
Therapontus was a monk and an ascetic on the island of Cyprus. He was found worthy of the episcopal rank, but during the time of the persecution of Christians, he was found worthy of an even greater wreath, the crown of martyrdom. His body reposed in a church on Cyprus. When, during the reign of Emperor Nicephorus in the year 806 A.D., the island of Cyprus was attacked by the Hagarenes, the saint appeared to the sexton of that church and told him that the infidels will attack Cyprus and ordered him to remove his relics to Constantinople. The sexton did this immediately. While the boat was traveling on the sea with the reliquary, a great storm arose but the sea was calm around the boat and a sweet-smelling fragrance emitted around the entire boat in all directions. The sexton opened the reliquary and everyone witnessed that it was filled with myrrh [oil] which flowed from the saint’s relics. By rubbing themselves with this oil, many of the sick were healed. A church was built in Constantinople over the relics of this miracle-worker, who continued to grant healing to all those who with faith touched them. By the Grace of God, the gravest illness of possession, of cancer, of hemorrhaging, of insanity, of blindness, of barrenness and of various other maladies were cured by the relics of St. Therapontus.
- THE HOLY MARTYRS PASICRATES, VALENTIAN, JULIUS AND OTHERS
They were all Roman soldiers. They all suffered for Christ in Macedonian Dorostol about the year 302 A.D. When Pansicrates’ brother Papian, who apostatized from Christ because of fear, began to persuade him to deny Christ and remain alive, St. Pansicrates answered him: “Depart from me, you are not my brother!” Pansicrates and Valentian were beheaded together. At the trial, St. Julius said: “I am a veteran; for twenty-six years I have faithfully served the emperor and since I was faithful to a lesser one, how can I not be faithful to a greater one?” i.e., to the Heavenly King. After that, Nicander was brought before Maximus the Perfect. Nicander’s wife encouraged her husband to die for Christ. “Foolish old woman” Maximus said to her angrily, “You just want a better husband.” The woman answered him: “If you think that of me, give the order and let them kill me now before my husband!” Marcian was also slain with Nicander. Marcian’s wife approached the scaffold carrying her son in her arms. Marcian kissed his son and prayed to God: “O All-powerful Lord, You take care of him!” Following that, they were beheaded and were translated into the kingdom of Christ.