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Holy martyrs Mina, Ermogen and Evgraf Mina, an educated and eloquent Athenian who secretly professed the faith of Christ, was sent by Emperor Maximin to Alexandria to tame the unrest that arose between Christians and pagans, and with the instructions to expel Christians from the city and promote the restoration of the veneration of pagan gods, managed to reconcile and calm the warring parties, but at the same time took advantage of this opportunity to openly preach the truth of the Christian faith. Preaching with captivating eloquence, he converted many pagans to Christ. Having learned about this, Maximin sent the eparch Hermogenes to Alexandria to try his former close associate, the governor Mina, and with the strictest order to clear the city of Christians. Hermogenes, also an Athenian, and although a pagan, but gifted with a high soul, which was characterized by Christian feelings and concepts, having begun to carry out the trial of Mina, was so amazed by his answers and then by the patience with which Mina endured the tortures to which he was obliged to subjected him to the fact that he himself understood the truth and dignity of the Christian faith, was finally enlightened by the martyr Mina and, having received baptism from him along with many people, was installed as bishop of Alexandria. Then Maximin himself arrived in Alexandria (c. 311) and, despite the amazing miracles shown during the cruel tortures to which Mina and Hermogenes were subjected, he did not understand the truth, did not soften in his bitterness, and even with his own hands killed the one who believed in the Christian God during these miracles - one pagan, in the name of Evgraf, who publicly began to glorify the name of the Lord, working miracles. The relics of these holy martyrs were subsequently transferred to Constantinople. Emperor Justinian the Great built a church here in the name of St. much Mines of Alexandria. St. Joseph the hymn writer in the 9th century wrote a canon in honor of these martyrs, which also talks about healings from their relics 154. The Holy Church sings to them: “Let us all honor the wonderful Mina, Hermogenes the Divine and Evgraf with sacred sweet singing, as they honored the Lord and suffered for Him, and reached the faces of the disembodied in heaven and performed miracles!” † Memory of the blessed despots John and his parents Stefan and Angelina Brankovich It is not easy to find in the history of rulers where life would be as full of vicissitudes and troubles as the life of the blessed one. Despot of Serbia Stefan Brankovich and his family 155. In 1457 the Turks captured Serbia, and the despot George Brankovich died a wanderer in Belgrade. The youngest son Lazar, having driven out the elder and poisoned his mother, assumed the rights of a despot, but died a month later. Stefan was the middle son of the despot George. From his youth he was distinguished by meekness, was respectful to his parents, loved his brothers, was well educated, and especially knew St. Scripture. When the father, for the peace of Serbia, was forced to give his daughter to Sultan Murat, he and his sister went to the court of the Sultan and Stefan. - Here Stefan was strongly seduced by both a luxurious life and indulgences of ambition and vanity; but Stefan remained firm. Then court envy managed to arouse political suspicion against the sons of the despot. Such brave people as the sons of a despot are dangerous for the Turkish government, they told the Sultan. - And the Sultan, who swore an oath to his father not to touch either the life or health of the despot’s children, ordered them to be blinded; Stephen was sent to Cappadocia. After the death of his brother, Stefan, hearing that the Turkish fanatics had burned the beautiful Milesevsky monastery and were preparing to ruin Serbia to the end, decided to regain his inheritance. The Serbs, who retired with him to Srem and Banat under the protection of Hungary, proclaimed (1460) Stephen a despot. He entered into marriage with Angelina, the daughter of the Albanian Prince George and the granddaughter of St. the sufferer Prince Lazar. He had two sons and a daughter. In Kupinovo he built a beautiful church of St. Luke the Evangelist. He lived quite quietly. But the Turks did not like this very much: they feared the power of the despot. The Serbian hired servants captured him and sent him in chains to Dalmatia. Freed from his bonds, he returned again to Serbia; but with sorrow he saw that the capital city of his ancestors, Smederevo, was in the strong hands of the Mohammedans, and his compatriots had lost heart, and it was impossible to enter into any agreements with the fanatical Turks. The last Bosnian ban surrendered to the Turks on the word of an oath not to take his life; but the fanatic sheikh killed him with his own hands: “no,” he said, “there is no need to keep the word given to a Christian 156.” Therefore Stefan retired to Skenderia. But the Turks did not give him peace in Albania either: they sought his death there too, trying to exterminate the name of the Brannovich despots. He was forced to flee with his wife and children to Italy 157. The sad wanderer, feeling the proximity of his death, wrote on October 1, 1476 to the Ragusians, with whom his ancestors were in a special union: “I see that my end is near. “I don’t grieve over my death, but I worry about my Angelina and my children George, Mary and John... I entrust you before God, before the Most Pure One and the saints, my Angelina and my children: what you do for them, God will do for you.” Do not leave them - show the love for them that you had for our ancestors... I have nothing to write about wills - I do not leave Angelina and my children neither silver, nor gold, nor populated estates... I entrust them to your dominion” 158. – The despot died far from his homeland. 8 years after the death of Blessed. Stefana, the good Angelina, carried the incorruptible remains of her husband to Kupinovo, near Srem 159. Vuk Brankovic, Angelina's nephew, then ruled Serbia and spread terror and death in the army of Mohammed when it attacked him. Angelina and her sons, out of respect for the name of the Brankovich despots, enjoyed the respect of their fellow tribesmen. After the death of Vuk Branković, George was the ruling despot; but he soon transferred his right to brother John, and he himself accepted monasticism with the name Maxim and became an archbishop. John, married to the daughter of Stefan Jaksic and the niece of the brave Dimitri Jaksic, assumed the rights of a despot. The Jakšićs bravely fought the Turks for the freedom of the Serbs. The despot was engaged in the affairs of internal government and lived as an ascetic. In 1496, “the autocratic lord of the land of Serbia, John the Despot,” donated several lands to the Krušedolu monastery, including Kupinovo, where the relics of his father lay 160. Due to frequent attacks by barbarians, the despot moved further from the borders, to the town of Berkasovo; here he lived for a short time and died Christianly in 1503, leaving one daughter 161. Good Angelina continued to do good to the poor and monks, although she herself lived almost poor. This is what she wrote to the leader. to Prince Vasily of Russia with Elder Eugene: “The humble nun Angelina bows to the ground of your mercy. She prays to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother, and the holy despot John, her son, that you may be granted long-term health, salvation and victory over your enemies, for the joy of Christians and for lasting consolation, and after a long life, an eternal reign with Christ, where there is inexplicable joy and unwavering light. Your Grace, of course, heard about my son, Despot John, how he went over to God. After his death, all the property we had was taken by the Hungarians; Now we have nothing but hope in God and your mercy. Therefore, we sent our elder, Hieromonk Eugene, to you with some speeches, and you deigned to listen to him and trust. With it I sent your grace the armor of the son of my despot John. One more word, sir! I bought a place for a hundred gold pieces and want to build a church in the name of St. John Chrysostom Fr. Therefore, I bow to you and ask, please, give us your alms to build that church, so that it will be your church in eternal remembrance. In that church I want to wait for my husband, St. Despot Stephen, and St. John my son. May the all-merciful God grant you health.” She asked for another letter to lead. the prince at the same time for the Athos Panteleimon Monastery 162. Wonderful wife! “For the sanctity of her life, people still call her Mother Angelina,” says a Serbian historian, and another writes that she was adorned with “all sorts of virtues” 163. The third says: “after the death of her husband, she created a church near Krushedol and took monastic vows, I gathered my sisters to myself, lived in a manner pleasing to God, and I gave up my spirit to God and was quickly buried near my husband” 164. Description of the martyrdom of St. George († 1515) reports the following news: “Here God is creating in our days. When I, a sinner, came to my senses, I heard from my life about the despot Stephen: he died and was buried, leaving a wife and two children, and 8 years later he manifested himself with signs and wonders; Having dug up the coffin, they found it whole and unharmed, just as it had been buried, and a fragrance still emanated from its body; placed in cancer remains to this day. Then his son John owned the land of Srem; he also died and was buried, leaving a wife and one daughter; three years later, he also manifested himself, like his father, and is also honored” 165. The relics of the righteous despot John and his righteous parents, Stefan and Angelina, rested in the Krushedol monastery, on Fruška Mountain, but the fanatics did not give them peace either 166 . "Poly. month. East", archim. Sergius, vol. II, part 2, p. 382. Life of St. Stefan Brankovich and his children can be seen in the life of his son, Archbishop. Maxim: “this life was published in Glasnik XI, 125–130. Negri at Hammer's in the East. Osmanov 11, 552. Service and Synaxarion to Righteous Stephen the New, Despot of Serbia, in Serblk on October 9. Chronicle of Glasnik V, 93, 108–111. – Others mistake Angelina for one with Militsa, the prince’s wife. Lazarus; but this is a gross mistake. Miklosic monum. Serb. No. 442. The Raguzian diploma, which despot Brankovic hopes for, is in Miklosic No. 203. A later chronicle (Safariq memory 2, 82) says that “the relics of the holy passion-bearer Stephen, son of the despot Gyurg, were transferred to the city of Kupinik” on February. 15th 1466 But the describer of the suffering of St. George, who saw the relics, writes that they were transferred 8 years after death. Diploma ed. in Miklosic: monum. Serb. No. 463. Charter of 1495. John promised the Pavlov Monastery to give out everything that was promised by the ancestors. Monum. Serb. No. 462, in Glasnik V, 224. 225. Raicha ist. 3, 243–247. 312–324. Letop. in Glasnik V, 111. 112. I, 169. XI, 154. In the memorial of the Gračanica monastery it is written: “Remember, Lord, the pious and Christ-loving nun Angelina, Archbishop Maxim and his brother despot John” (Izv. academician VIII, 57). In the Athos Protat memorial: “we also pray for the ever-memorable servants of God Demetrius the King and John the Despot and with them the slain Orthodox Christians” (Record of a devotee of the holy mountain, p. 126). “Dimitri the King” - Prince Dimitri Yaksich, a brave fighter against the Turks, the son of the King of Rash, the uncle by wife of John the Despot (Raich ist. 3, 288–292). Relations between Russia and the East, St. Petersburg. 1858 18. 19. Letop. in Glasnik V, 111. Martyrdom of St. George - in the summer. archaeol. total St. Petersburg 1864. The Serbian Chronicle is in Safarik’s memory. 2, 63. Rajic 3, 324–325 – inaccuracies about the relics. In 1716, the savage vizier ordered the burning of the relics of St. Stephen, Angelina and John; only parts of them remained. Glasnik V, 112. 93. Serbljak, in Belgrade, 1861, l. 85–94. There is also a special service for Angelina on July 30th. But the service is right. Both Angelina and Stephen are praised to John.