Память святых мучеников Валериана, Кандида, Евгения и Акилы

These holy, illustrious martyrs suffered during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian from the ruler Lysias. First of all, Valerian, Candide and Aquila were captured in the mountains of Trebizond, since with the onset of severe persecution they left their homes, and all their property, and the whole vain world and wandered in the mountains, preferring to live better with beasts than with godless idolaters. The wicked, who had captured the three martyrs, were first of all sent to the country of Lassia, to one town named Pina, into severe confinement in a prison there, and then, after some time, they were brought to Trebizond 882 and presented to the ruler Lysias. When the saints, interrogated about the faith of Christ and encouraged to offer idol sacrifices, disobeyed, they were first beaten naked with sinews, and then hanged and whittled with iron claws, while being scorched with burning candles. The holy sufferers were strengthened by the Divine power that invisibly abided within them amidst torment. She suddenly frightened the tormentors so much that they fell on their faces as if dead. Seeing this, Lysias was horrified and ordered the martyrs to be taken to prison. A few days later, Saint Eugene was also captured and subjected to a severe beating for confessing the name of Jesus Christ. When the ruler then went to the idol church, the martyr Eugene was led along with him. Entering the church, the saint prayed to God, and immediately the idols fell and crumbled to dust. Then, at the order of the tormentor, his servants surrounded the saint’s hands and feet with ropes and, stretching him out on the ground, beat him for a long time with thick sticks. Then they hung him naked, whittled his body with iron claws, burned him with candles, and poured strong vinegar mixed with salt on his wounds. After this, all four holy martyrs were thrown together into a fiery furnace, and when they emerged from there without any harm to themselves, they were beheaded with a sword 883. Thus the suffering of these saints ended. Trebizond is a city in the eastern part of Pontus, the defense region of Asia Minor, on the seashore. You might be interested in: