Житие и страдание святой мученицы Агнии девы

The Holy Martyr Agnia was born in Ancient Rome and was raised by her parents in the Christian faith. In the thirteenth year of her life, by a temporary death she was delivered from eternal death and gained endless life, since she loved the only Giver of life and became attached to Him from her youth. She was young in years, but old in perfect mind; young in body, but the grayness of her soul was wisdom (Wisdom 4:9), beautiful in face, but even more beautiful in the depth of her faith. Inflamed with love for the Sweetest Jesus, born of the Most Pure Virgin, she became engaged to Him through her virginity and, besides Him, did not want to have anyone else as her groom. Noble by birth and beautiful in face, with her beauty she so captivated the eyes and heart of one young man, the son of the regional governor Symphronius, that when he saw her returning from a girls’ school, he was immediately inflamed with love for her, and then, having asked about her and learned the house of her parents, began to send abundant gifts to her, promising even more and asking her to agree to become his bride and marry him. Saint Agnes rejected all these gifts, as if they were rubbish, without valuing them at all; about herself she said that she was betrothed to the best Bridegroom and had better and more valuable gifts from Him: being His bride, she could not leave him and change her devotion and love for Him. But this young man, from day to day, was inflamed with ever greater love for her and recognized himself as more honorable and more worthy, in comparison with all other noble young men. Believing that the girl wanted better gifts from him, he prepared larger quantities and more valuable stones and pearls, precious vessels and clothes, and brought them to her himself, begging him personally, then through acquaintances, friends and neighbors, so that she would not prefer anyone to him. He pointed to his noble origin, to the wealth, houses, and hereditary lands that she would own if she agreed to become engaged to him. Then the saint began to speak more clearly: “Get away from me, instigator of the sinful flame, passionate lover of filth, food destined for eternal death!” Depart from me, since you have already been warned by another Bridegroom, Who gave me much greater jewelry and betrothed me with the ring of His faith. You cannot compare with Him either in origin or in rank. He placed upon me other distinctions of spiritual beauty. He covered my right hand and neck with valuable stones, gave me earrings made of priceless emeralds in my ears, girded me with brightly shining pearls, put a sign on my face so that I would not prefer any other groom to Him, dressed me in gold-woven clothes and adorned me with countless necklaces; Moreover, He showed me the priceless treasure that He promised to give me if I kept my faith in Him. That is why I cannot look at anyone else, lest I dishonor my first Bridegroom, nor leave Him with whom I am firmly bound by a bond of love. His nobility is the highest, his power is the strongest, his beauty is the most magnificent, his love is the sweetest, surpassing all grace; They have already prepared a palace for me. His voice is pleasant to me; His mouth has already poured out honey and milk for me; With His pure embrace I have already sincerely become attached to Him; His flesh had already united with my flesh, and His blood painted my face. His Mother is a Virgin, and His Father did not know His wife. He is served by Angels; the sun and moon marvel at His beauty; at His command the dead are raised; by touching Him the sick are healed; His riches never fail, and His treasuries are never empty. In Him alone I keep faith and I entrust myself entirely to Him. Having Him as my husband, I will remain a virgin; loving Him, I will be blameless; touching Him, I will remain pure; there are no children from this marriage; Childbearing in it is painless, and the fruits of cohabitation multiply every day. After these words, the crazy young man became even more inflamed with ardent love for her and, suffering in his heart from a love wound, fell into a serious illness from grief and sadness. When he lay down on his sick bed and sighed heavily from the depths of his heart, his heart wound became clear to the doctors. His father, having heard about all this and learned from questioning about the cause of the illness, immediately sent to the girl and her parents, wanting to betroth her to his son as a bride. She, like the first time, refused, saying: – I will never cheat on my first Groom. The angry head of the region tried to thoroughly investigate who could compare with his son and humiliate the nobility of his family? Then one of those present explained that Agnia had been a Christian since childhood and had been so seduced by Christian magic that she considered Christ, Whom Christians recognize as God, to be her Bridegroom. Having learned about this, the head of the region rejoiced, since he could, being a judge, recognize her as worthy of execution for insulting his gods; moreover, he hoped with his own power to force her into a marriage with her son. Immediately he sent his servants to bring her and began his wicked trial against her. First he tried with caresses and then with threats to turn her away from Christ and the virginity promised to Christ. However, the Virgin of Christ was not seduced by caresses and was not afraid of threats, but, being courageous in spirit, she equally mocked both caresses and threats. The regional governor Symphronius, seeing such courage of the girl, turned to her parents and talked a lot with them about the betrothal, and since they were of noble origin, not daring to allow violence against them, he only advised in every possible way to convince his daughter to marry. But they refused, saying: - Ruler, we will not be able to convince her, because as far as we know her will from childhood, she will never do this and will never give up her intention. Then the ruler again ordered the girl to be presented to him for trial, telling her a lot about carnal love and marriage; when all kind and flattering speeches proved powerless, he finally said: - Choose one of two things: either marry my son, or, if you want to preserve your virginity, devote yourself to the constant service of the goddess Vesta 880, for she demands such maidens. Blessed Agnia answered these words: “If I despised your son, although corrupted by mad passion, but a living man, moreover, having reason, capable of hearing, seeing, walking and enjoying the blessings of this world, if I cannot even look at him, in view of my vow to Christ, then all the more I cannot honor an idol that is deaf and dumb, soulless and unreasonable. In order not to offend Almighty God, I will not bow my head before an insensitive stone, for I undoubtedly know that there is no other God except Him who created heaven and earth through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, for us for the sake of Him who was incarnate, suffered and buried, on the third day He rose again and now reigns in heaven with an endless kingdom. I worship and serve Him alone as the True and Living God, and I curse your lying goddess and all your vile gods. After listening to this, Governor Symphronius said: - Sparing your youth, I forgive you the blasphemies that you uttered against our gods, for I see that you have an imperfect mind; So spare yourself and do not anger the gods. “Why do you despise my youth, which seems unreasonable, and why do you think that I am looking for some kind of mercy from you?” Know that the dignity of faith does not depend on the years of life and not on bodily age, but on the mind, and Almighty God exalts a person more in mind than in years, and does more good through reason than through longevity. And leave your gods, from whose wrath you warn me; let them themselves be angry with me, let them speak for themselves, let them themselves command me to honor them and worship them. The ruler of the region said to this: - Choose one thing for yourself: either with other girls, to save the honor of your house, make a sacrifice to the goddess Vesta, or, to the eternal shame of your family, you will go to an indecent house with shameless women. Saint Agnes courageously answered him: “If you knew who my God is, you wouldn’t say this.” But I, knowing the power of my Lord Jesus Christ, do not attach any importance to your threats, for I am quite sure that I will not worship your gods, and my virginity will remain pure and undamaged. I have a guardian for my body, an Angel of God. My Lord, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, whom you do not know. For me, he is an indestructible fortress, a tireless guard, a constant protector - not like your gods, who are either pieces of copper suitable for making cauldrons useful in household use, or stones with which to pave the streets. The deity does not dwell in stone, but has heaven as its throne, and does not dwell in copper, or any more valuable thing, but in the kingdom above, being glorified and revered by every creature. But you and those like you, if you do not turn from idolatry to the True God, then together with your gods, who are cast by sculptors in fire and melt in fire, you will be tormented in eternal fire. The head of the region became very angry, ordered to strip the saint and lead her naked into an indecent house, and the herald had to exclaim: - Agnia, the wicked virgin who blasphemed the gods, is led into an indecent house like a harlot. But while the holy maiden was naked to be mocked, God did not abandon her in her hope and did not allow His bride to be mocked and put to shame. By God's will, her hair immediately grew so long on her head that it covered her entire body, like some thick clothing, and no one could see her nakedness. When she entered the house of harlots, she saw the Angel of God, ready to guard her virginal purity, who covered her with such an indescribable brilliant radiance that, due to the strong shine, the eyes of shameless and wicked young men could not look at her. The whole room shone with light, like the sun shining in all its glory, and when anyone tried to look at it with a curious eye, his eyes immediately became greatly darkened by the invisible, because of that light, saint. When the girl began to pray, she saw before her a white robe, woven not by human hands, but by Angelic hands. Having dressed in it and seeing herself dressed in accordance with her age, the saint said: “I thank You, my Lord Jesus Christ, that You, including me among Your servants, gave me this clothing!” Then the house of sin became a house of prayer, the place of demonic pleasures became the village of the glory of God, the unclean house of harlots became a magnificent palace, where the bride of Christ with the Angel who appeared to her glorified and sang praises to God. Many came here, corrupted in mind and inflamed by passion, but fearing the glory that surrounded the maiden, and seeing the Divine power protecting her virginity, they became chaste and, bowing, left. The young man himself, the culprit of evil, filled with unclean passion, came with his peers. He wanted to commit violence against the holy maiden and, seeing others who had entered and left before him without any success, he laughed at them, calling them insignificant and weak. He entered with bold intention into the room in which the saint was praying, and, seeing the heavenly radiance, did not honor the glory of the Lord and shamelessly rushed towards the bride of Christ. But before he touched her with his hand, a demon instantly took possession of him, threw him to the ground with force and, strangling him, made him lifeless. The young men who came with him, seeing that he lingered for a long time in the room, thought that he was doing a sinful deed. Then one of his closest friends, wanting to praise him and congratulate him on the fulfillment and achievement of his desire, entered the room and, finding him lifeless, began to shout loudly: - Men of Rome, help! This sorceress killed the ruler’s son with her sorcery. Immediately a multitude of people came running. Seeing what happened, some called her a sorceress, while others recognized her as innocent in the death of the young man. Having learned about this, the father of the deceased hastily appeared in the crowd and, seeing his son lying lifeless, turned to the saint with a sob: - O inhuman and cruelest of all women! Why did you kill my son? Couldn't you show the power of your sorcerer's art on someone else? Woe is me! What have you done? Tell me how you killed him? The saint meekly answered him: - The one whose will he wanted to fulfill, the primordial enemy of the human race, who has power over fornicators and those who do not fear God, and especially over the corrupters of virginity, he killed him. For everyone, no matter how many of them entered here before him, remained alive and healthy, since they gave honor to God, who sent His Angel to clothe me with this robe of mercy and preserve intact my virginity, bequeathed to Christ from the cradle. Seeing the brilliance of the Angel's radiance, they all worshiped and left without harm, and your son, being shameless and not fearing God, as soon as he entered, began to rage and rage, and when he shamelessly extended his hand to touch me, the Angel of God immediately handed him over to Satan to this bitter and shameful end that you see. Thus, not by my sorcery, as you believe, but by the authority and command of the Angel of God, he was killed. “Then it will only become clear that you did not do this by magic when you beg your Angel to resurrect my son.” “Although you are unworthy for your unbelief of such a miracle, but since the time has come for the power of my Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed and glorified, then get out of here, everyone, and I will make the usual prayers to my God.” And while she was praying, lying prostrate on the ground, an Angel of God who appeared to her raised her crying and resurrected the dead young man. The latter, leaving the house, began to exclaim in a loud voice: – There is one God in heaven and on earth and on the sea, the Christian God; other gods are nothing, but only deception and delusion, bringing eternal destruction to those who believe in them!” Seeing and hearing this, many of the people believed that day, numbering one hundred and sixty people, and were baptized. After some time, the pagans cut off the heads of them and the resurrected young man. The pagan priests and sorcerers were greatly embarrassed about such a miracle. Having spread the word about the miracle and causing great excitement among the people, they shouted loudly, turning to the judge: - Destroy this sorceress from our midst, kill the sorceress who not only kills bodies, but also produces a revolution in souls and hearts! Symphronius, seeing this miracle, was perplexed: he wanted to release the saint, but, fearing the indignation of the priests against him and even expulsion from the fatherland, he left his governor, named Aspasia, to pacify the popular unrest, and he himself left, grieving that he could not free the holy maiden after the resurrection of his son. Aspasius, having assumed power, ordered a fire to be lit in the middle of the city and Saint Agnes thrown into it to be burned. When the saint was thrown into the fire, the flame immediately divided into two parts and gave her a spacious and cool place in the middle; on the contrary, it rushed towards those standing around and scorched them. The people, seeing the maiden unburned, attributed this not to the omnipotence of God, but to the power of sorcery and, reasoning about this, they were worried and cried out to the clouds with blasphemous voices. Meanwhile, the holy martyr, standing in the middle of the fire and raising her hands up, prayed: - Glory to You, Almighty, confessed and glorified Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom You delivered me from the hand of wicked people, kept my soul from defilement and kept my body clean! And now, with heavenly dew from the Holy Spirit, the fire is cooled for me, the flame is divided, and all the power of the fire rushes towards the servants who are trying to burn me. I thank You, worthily glorified God, for even in the midst of the flames You give me a fearless path to You. I already see what I believed in fulfilled; I have what I hoped for, and I got what I wanted. I confess You with my lips and heart; I rushed to You with all my feelings and now I am coming to You, the Living and True God, with our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who lives and reigns forever, amen. When this prayer was said by the saint and all the fire of the fire had died out completely, Aspasius, fearing the continuation of popular unrest, ordered a sword to be thrust into the saint’s larynx. Thus, the martyr of Christ Agnia, stained with her own blood, went to the marriage of the Immortal Bridegroom 881. The parents of Saint Agnes joyfully took the honest body of their daughter and laid it in their field, not far from the city, along the road called Numentana. Here many faithful gathered for prayer, especially at night, due to fear of the pagans, who, lying in wait both there and on the way, caused much oppression to the believers. One day, attacking by accident, they injured many with thrown stones and dispersed everyone; only one girl remained, the same age as Saint Agnes, named Emerentiana. She, filled with boldness, reviled the robbers, saying: – Why do you, hard-hearted people, stone innocent people? What guilt have you found in those who glorify the One God and with their prayers ask for many benefits for you? The pagans, enraged, stoned her. Thus, she, praying at the tomb of Saint Agnes, gave up her spirit to the Lord. And immediately a strong earthquake, lightning and terrible thunder began; Most of the killers fell dead, struck down from above. From that time on, the pagans no longer dared to oppress the believers going to the tomb of the Martyr of Christ. The parents of Saint Agnes, having come at night with the elders, washed the bloody, honest body of Saint Emerentiana and buried them near Saint Agnes, while they themselves were constantly at the tomb of their beloved daughter, awake and crying at night. One night they saw the faces of maidens walking past them, adorned with light gold-woven clothes and shining with heavenly glory, and among them they saw their daughter, Saint Agnia, shining like them and having on her right side a Lamb - whiter than snow. She turned to her friends to stop and wait a little, and said to her parents: - Do not cry for me as if I were dead, but rather rejoice and triumph with me, since I, together with these virgins, moved into the bright abodes and now I am united in heaven with Him whom I loved with all my heart on earth. Having said this, she became invisible. Many years later, Constantine the Great assumed the kingdom. His daughter Constance became seriously ill. Her whole body was covered with purulent scabs, and there was no healthy place on her body from head to toe. The doctors could do nothing to help her. Following good advice, she went at night to the tomb of the holy martyr Agnia and there, having prayed with firm faith and with tears, she fell asleep and saw in a sleepy vision Saint Agnia, who said to her: - Be bold, Constance, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by faith in Whom you are now being healed of your wounds. When Constance woke up, she felt as healthy as if she had never been sick. Returning home, she told her father and brothers how Saint Agnes had healed her. There was great joy in the royal house; The whole city rejoiced, glorifying God for this great miracle. Many began to come to the tomb of the holy martyr and received various healings. After this, Princess Constance begged her father to build a church in the name of the holy martyr Agnes at the site of her burial. There, having arranged a home for herself, she remained a maiden with many other noble and noble maidens until her death. Thus a nunnery was founded at the church of the maiden and bride of Christ, Saint Agnes, in honor and praise of her, for the glory of Christ our God, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Vesta (among the Greeks - Hestia) was revered by the ancient Romans as the goddess of the hearth, domestic harmony, peace and happiness; she herself, according to their beliefs, was a virgin. In her honor, a special sanctuary was built with her statue and a hearth, in which an unquenchable fire was maintained, which was taken care of by her attendants, the so-called vestals, chosen from pure virgins who took a vow of eternal virginity, and enjoyed great respect and honor among the Romans. The Holy Martyr Agnia suffered in the year 304. You might be interested in: