Память преподобной Платониды

Saint Platonida was originally a deaconess 2444. Then, striving for the exploits of a solitary life, she left the world and retired to the Nisibian desert 2445, where she founded a monastery for virgins. With her pious and truly ascetic life, the Monk Platonida set a good example for the sisters of the monastery to follow. The rules of the monastery founded by Platonida were particularly strict: the sisters ate food only once a day and spent all their free time from prayer in various kinds of work and activities, especially in needlework. But on Friday, as the day of remembrance of the Lord’s saving suffering and death on the cross for us, all activities in the monastery stopped and the entire day was devoted only to prayer and contemplation of God. On this day, the sisters stayed in the church from morning to evening, where, in the intervals between prayers, they listened to the reading and explanation of the Holy Scriptures. Teaching everyone not only in word, but also in deed, and having pleased God with her virtuous life, the Monk Platonida died and departed to the Lord from this temporary life, in order to rejoice forever in the heavenly abodes 2446. On the same day, the memory of Saint Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Archbishop of Moravia (life see May 1). On the same day, the memory of one hundred and twenty martyrs in Persia, burned by King Sapor in the 4th century. On the same day, the memory of the holy martyrs Jeremiah and Archilius the priest. Deaconesses (I serve, I serve) in the ancient Christian Church were female persons who observed order in the church during worship and served the bishops when performing the sacrament of baptism over women. The duties of the deaconesses were as follows: they prepared women for baptism, teaching them how and what they should answer the questions of the baptizer, and how they should behave after baptism; helped the bishop with the baptism of women; monitored order in the female half of the church (ancient churches were divided into two halves fenced off from each other, one of which was intended for men and the other for women), and also observed the door through which women entered the church, not allowing unworthy persons to enter; were present at conversations of bishops or presbyters with women, etc. Deaconesses were counted among the clergy and therefore were appointed to their positions through special ordination. Women of honest, holy life were usually chosen as deaconesses - usually virgins or widows and, moreover, no younger than forty years of age. Nizibia was located in Mesopotamia and lay along the Mygdonia River. The death of the Venerable Platonida followed around 308. You might be interested in: