Память преподобной Анфусы

Saint Anthusa’s father urged her for a long time to get married, but she did not agree to this, and when, after his death in 2515, she became free, she distributed all her property to the poor, as well as to churches and monasteries. She was a mother to many orphans and a protector of widows. The pious Empress Irina 2516 repeatedly asked her to live with her and participate in the administration of the empire, but she resolutely refused this. During her stay in the palace, she wore the rich clothes of the royal daughter outside, and under them a hair shirt 2517, ate meager food and drank only water, and there were always tears in her eyes, and church chants in her mouth. Having then received monastic vows at the Omonia monastery 2518 at the hands of Saint Tarasius, she became a nun and from then on she neither left the monastery nor did any of the other sisters allow this 2519. Without missing a single church service, depriving herself of rest, she did not lose courage in prayer and did not weaken in prayer vigils, and tears of contrition always flowed from her eyes. Her humility was beyond all measure, since she served all the sisters, cleaned the church, carried water, never sat at the table during meals and served others. Having spent her entire life in this way, the saint with a great wealth of virtues departed to the Lord, having been 52 years old 2520. On the same day of remembrance of the venerable martyrs Mina, David and John, pierced by the Saracens with arrows in Palestine. Emperor Constantine Copronymus died in 775, having ascended the throne after his son-in-law Artabazd in 743. Empress Irina, the wife of Leo Khozar, ruled the state during the childhood of her son Constantine the Porphyrogenitus from 780 to 802. Zealous admirer of St. icons, she contributed to the convening of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, which approved the dogma of icon veneration in the Church. Hair shirt is an undergarment woven from horsehair and worn by ascetics on their naked bodies. The Omoni monastery was located in Constantinople. It is known for the fact that the meetings of the Second Ecumenical Council took place in its church. The Monk Anfusa took monastic vows at the Constantinople Monastery of St. Euphemia, and then moved to the Omonia Monastery, where she was abbess. The Monk Anfusa died on April 12, 811. You might be interested in: