Eumenius the Wonderworker, Bishop of Gortyna

Saint Eumenius was noted for his virtuous life from his youth. He strove to serve the One God, and therefore, he shunned worldly temptations. Concerned for the salvation of his soul, he distributed all his substance to the poor.

By the blessing of God, Saint Eumenius was chosen as Bishop of Gortyna on the island of Crete. Like a compassionate father, the saint comforted his flock in their sorrows and cared for the orphaned and disadvantaged. His prayers were so strong before God that once, during a drought, he called forth abundant rain upon the earth.

Saint Eumenius wisely and zealously defended the Orthodox Faith against the Monophysite heresy. For his opposition to the heresy, the saint was banished to the Thebaid, where he died in the seventh century. His body was then transferred and buried in Gortyna.

This Saint took up the monastic life from his youth and later became Bishop of Gortynia in Crete. He traveled to Rome, and to Thebes in Upper Egypt, where through his prayers he ended a drought; there also, after working many miracles, he reposed in deep old age. His holy relics were returned to Gortynia and buried at the place called Raxos.

From his youth, Eumenius…