July 22: Saint Martyr Markella Hiopolitida is celebratedtranslated

Today, the Church honors the memory of Saint Mary Magdalene, the Myrobearer and equal apostle, the holy martyr Markella, the Martyr Theophilos the Younger and Saint Menelaus, who was born in Presignier, France, around 700 AD, and came from an eminent aristocratic family.

By LAMBROS K. SKONTZOU, Theologian - Professor

Saint Parthenomartys Markella the Hiopolite Chios highlighted a multitude of saints of our Church. This beautiful and fragrant island of the Aegean is decorated with many of the imaginable and fragrant flowers of piety. One of them is the glorious Martyr Markella, who preferred death to dishonor.

He was born in the historic village of Volyssos, northwest of Chios. As to the time he lived there is confusion. Her biographer Saint Nikiforos of Chios mentions that she lived around 1500 AD. But the events and persons mentioned in her holy synaxari clearly refer to the early Christian centuries. He most likely lived in the 3rd or 4th century AD. At the time when idolatry was dying out and becoming, like a wounded beast, dangerous for the believers of Christ. Then when the pagans, flooded with demonic…