The Suffering of the Holy Martyr Paul the Russian

(on Great Friday, April 4, 1683). This blessed Paul was Russian by birth. Even as a child, he was taken into slavery from his fatherland by the Tatars, from whom a Christian later bought him, and after keeping him in his service for many years, he was set free. Paul entered into marriage with one of his compatriots, who was also taken into slavery from Russia, and then set free: and he lived piously with her. For some natural reason, or due to the action of a demon (which also happens often), he fell into a state of mental insanity; and since the illness continued, attacks of insanity were repeated daily, to heal this insanity, his wife or neighbors came up with the idea of ​​taking him to the church of the Most Holy Theotokos, called Mugluniyskaya; because many others who suffered from a similar illness were restored to a sound state of mind in this church of Our Lady. The blessed one did not know why they were taking him there, so he resisted a lot and did not want to go; it was necessary to carry him almost in his arms. Several Hagarians met on the road and they asked: “Where are they going with him?” Paul, in a state of madness, seeing the Hagarites, began to ask them for help, and shouted: “I am a Hagarene, and I was a Hagarene.” But the Hagarites did not say or do anything about this. Therefore, those who carried the sick man brought him to the Church of Our Lady. After two days, the damned Hagarians, recalling the words spoken by the martyr, began to reason among themselves: “How did we not pay attention to our Mohammedan brother, who, being in the hands of our enemies, shouted and asked for our help? Such an act of ours is contrary to our faith.” One of them was especially jealous of his faith, and so inflamed the others that these Mohammedans said to each other: “let’s go to the Vizier, we will report to him how here, in the very city where our faith reigns, the unfaithful Greeks dare to force a man who was a Mohammedan into their church (for they heard that they went to church with a sick person), and they also invented that he was out of his mind and crazy.” So, they went to the Vizier and presented the matter in writing. The vizier, enraged, immediately gives the order to bring this man to him as soon as possible, and to imprison the priests of that Church and other Christians who are found there. By the providence of God, one of the dockers, in the hope of receiving money, immediately went and notified the priests and other parishioners of the church about the order given from the Vizier; then the martyr was hastily taken out of the church. And suddenly an unexpected miracle happened over him: he suddenly turned out to be sound and in full consciousness. Therefore, they began to advise him not to tell the Vizier at all how he came to church. But before they had time to finish this word, the one sent by the Vizier came with his guards, without pity, tied up the martyr and the priests, and presented them to the Vizier. The vizier ordered the priests to be immediately thrown into the darkest and most fetid dungeon, and blessed Paul affectionately asked: “Was he really a Mohammedan?” But he loudly exclaimed that he did not know such a lawless deed was behind him. The informers testified that on the day when they carried him, he himself shouted about himself that he was a Mohammedan. The martyr said: “You are liars, and you invented this slander.” The vizier tells him: “Why did the Christians take you to church?” Paul answered: “No, Mr. Vizier; they didn’t take me to church; but since I suffer from epilepsy, and I made a mess, they carried me home 1; I was a Christian, and now I am a Christian, and I will be a Christian.” The vizier tells him: “according to the testimony of these Mohammedans, who show that they heard from your lips how you called yourself a Mohammedan, either you must now confess the Mohammedan faith and become a Turk, or I will immediately put you to death. Make up your mind quickly and choose one of the two. If you become a Turk, I will make you rich and a great man; and if not, then a painful death awaits you.” Behind the martyr stood his blessed wife, who followed him from the church to the Vizier; and she supported her husband, telling him in Russian: do not be afraid, my husband, do not be afraid of death, but stand firm for the faith of Christ? You will accept the cup of death in the twinkling of an eye, and then you will rejoice and rejoice with the martyrs of Christ; Yes, and I will consider myself blessed when I become the wife of a martyr.” The vizier asked: “Who is this woman and what is she saying to him?” One of the Hagarians standing there, who knew Russian, said: “This is his wife, Mr. Vizier; she convinces him not to be afraid of death and not to renounce his faith.” Then the Vizier angrily orders the blessed one to be taken, tied to a post and mercilessly beaten with sticks. When this was done, he sent the martyr to prison. Three days later he again orders him to be brought to him, and again tells the martyr the same thing as before. But the martyr courageously resists his temptations and repeats only: “I am a Christian.” Then the Vizier gives the order to cut off his holy head; and the executor of this command, taking the martyr, takes him to the hippodrome, called atmendan in Turkish, and there cuts off his holy and honorable head. Thus, the illustrious Paul, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, received the crown of martyrdom. The priests were released a few days later for money. Through the prayers of the martyr, may we all be delivered from eternal torment and be worthy of eternal bliss with him! Amen. This response of the martyr is explained, in part, by his previous painful condition, and in part by the desire to protect his fellow believers from torture by the Mohammedans. You might be interested in: