Страдание святого мученика Мелетия Стратилата и с ним 1318 воинов

The holy martyr Meletius lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus in 3435, held the position of stratelate in 3436 and came from the southern countries of the Galatian region in 3437. Being a Christian, he prayed to God that pagan error would completely disappear. Then the demons, seeing their destruction, entered the dogs and began to mourn their death. They walked everywhere, howled and thereby instilled fear in people, but Saint Meletius and the soldiers under his command beat them and destroyed the pagan temples. For this, Maximian 3438, the ruler of the city where the holy martyr 3439 was, ordered him to be seized and began to force him to sacrifice to idols, but the saint did not want to hear about it. The torturer then ordered to beat him with iron hammers and subject him to other tortures. After this, Saint Meletios was hanged on a pine tree and nailed to it, from which he died. Comites 3440 Stefan and John, as well as all the soldiers who were under their power, together with their wives and children, cut off their heads with a sword. And so the holy martyrs of 3441 died for Christ. Nicodemus in the Synaxarist and others under the name Antoninus mean the Roman emperor Antoninus Heliogabalus, who reigned from 218 to 222. Stratilates means commander, military leader. Galatia was located almost in the center of the Asia Minor Peninsula. In the north it bordered with Paphlagonia, in the west with Bithynia and Phrygia, in the south with Lycaonia and Cappadocia, and in the east with Pontus. Hegemon Maximian or Maxim was first the ruler of Egypt, and then Antoninus sent him to Galatia to torture Christians. This city was called Tavia. He was in eastern Galatia near its borders with Pontus. Comite - the royal bodyguard, tax collector for the royal treasury, mayor, but here the word “comites” refers to military tribunes, i.e. mayors. The suffering of Saint Meletios and the other holy martyrs who suffered with him is dated back to the year 218. You might be interested in: