The miracle worker Artemy. The name Artem in the Orthodox calendar (Saints) Artemy Orthodox name day

Praise the Lord for sending us such bright saints who, by the example of their pious and righteous lives, showed people the great and saving faith in Christ. And that there is no more reliable and faithful hand, which is always ready to support a poor and weak person and guide him on the path of truth. Next we will talk about two famous men.

One of them - Artemy of Antioch - is a great martyr, while Artemy of Verkolsky is considered a holy righteous youth, but not a great martyr. You need to know this so that you don’t confuse them later and correctly address them in your prayers. Their lives are impressive enough to feel the power of their faith and deeds, let’s get acquainted with it.

Life of the Great Martyr Artemy

The future Saint Artemy was born into a noble Roman family and belonged to the senatorial class. He was a participant in the battle between Emperor Constantine and Emperor Maxentius, which took place at the Milvian Bridge in 312. At this time, a Cross suddenly appeared in the sky with the inscription: “With this conquer!” This divine sign made a huge impression on the warrior Artemy and converted him to Christianity.

Great Martyr Artemius was a famous military leader during the reign of the Roman emperors Constantine I (306-337) and his son Constantius (337-361). With them, he was a close adviser and confidant. For his faithful service, he was awarded certificates and made the head of Egypt, endowed with special powers. On behalf of the ruler Constantius, with great honors, he transported the relics of Luke from Patras to Constantinople.

Julian the Apostate

But after the reign of Emperor Constantius, Julian the Apostate (361-363) ascended the throne, a pagan who began to wage a cruel and irreconcilable struggle against Christianity. Executions began everywhere, hundreds of Christians were doomed to a painful death. In Antioch, he ordered two bishops who did not renounce their faith in Christ to be tortured. It was at this time that the Great Martyr Artemy came to the city; the widespread executions of Christians could not leave his noble heart indifferent. And he openly began to denounce the ruler Julian for dishonor, cruelty and pagan errors. Then the angry emperor accused him of complicity in the murder of his older brother Gall. He was immediately arrested, then they cruelly mocked him for a long time, and after that they imprisoned him.

When the holy Great Martyr Artemy once again prayed to his Lord, Jesus Christ himself appeared to him with the angels and said that he should take heart, since He would deliver him from all the pain that his tormentors had caused him, and that a crown of glory was prepared for him. For just as he preached Christ before the people, so He will also confess him before the Heavenly Father. And Christ added that he should be courageous and rejoice, since he would soon be with Him in His Kingdom. And he healed him, because he, wounded by torture, had been without food or nourishment for a long time, fed only by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Execution

After this, the Great Martyr Artemy, delighted by such news, began to fervently glorify and thank the Lord. The next day he was again brought to Julian to force the strong and glorious warrior to bow and sacrifice to the pagan gods. But, having achieved nothing, he again subjected him to terrible and painful torture. But the great ascetic endured all the suffering without a single cry or groan.

The Great Martyr Artemy of Antioch predicted to Julian that he would soon be overtaken by the just punishment of God for the numerous evils that he had caused to Christians. From these words, the emperor became even more fierce and again ordered the faithful Christian to be tortured, but he could not break his will.

At this time, in Antioch, a pagan temple - the sanctuary of Apollo in Daphne - burned down from fire that fell from the sky. Julian, taking advantage of the opportunity, immediately blamed the Christians for this. And he ordered execution for Saint Artemy (362). First they crushed him with a stone, and then cut off his head with a sword.

Retribution

Soon after this, the Roman governor was also struck. The prophecies of Saint Artemy came true exactly one year later. Julian and his army, leaving Antioch, went to fight the Persians. Approaching the city of Ctesiphon, they met an old Persian who asked to be Julian’s guide, promising to betray his fellow citizens for a small reward. But as it turned out later, he deceived them and led the soldiers into the wild, impassable Karmanite desert, where there was neither water nor food. The Greco-Roman troops, hungry and exhausted from the heat, entered into a forced battle with the Persian forces, which were well prepared for the meeting. In a battle with the Persians, a cavalry spear cut his arm, pierced his ribs and lodged in his liver. As a result, Julian, struck down by an invisible hand, groaned heavily and uttered the words before his death: “You have won, Galilean!”

Finding the relics

After the death of the tyrant, the relics of the holy great martyr Artemia were taken from Antioch along with the Christians by the deaconess Arista and took them to Constantinople. Later they were buried in the Church of St. John the Baptist, which was built by Emperor Anastasius I, which later received a second name in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Artemy.

Today the name of the saint is held in special esteem in the city of Patras. The Day of the Great Martyr Artemy is celebrated on October 20 (November 2). He is considered the patron saint of the city and the founder of the monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Girokomiou. On this day, a solemn commemoration is always performed, prayers and an akathist to the Great Martyr Artemy are read. Numerous miracles are performed from his holy relics.

Icons and prayers

On icons, the Great Martyr Artemy is traditionally depicted with long hair and a forked short beard, wearing military armor and a himation. But there are other interpretations.

The prayer to the Great Martyr Artemy begins with the words: “Holy servant of God, Artemy the Righteous!” The second is “Holy Martyr Artemis!”

For the first time, the life of the holy great martyr and warrior Artemius was described by John of Rhodes at the end of the 10th century, then it was processed and supplemented by Simeon Metaphrastus. The ancient Byzantine historians Ammianus Marcellinus and Philostorgius also reported on Saint Artemia of Antioch.

In 1073, a particle of his relics was found by the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. It is also known that holy relics were found in the reliquary cross of the Russian Emperor Mikhail Fedorovich, which became the blessing of Patriarch Philaret.

Saint Artemy Verkolsky

In 1532, in the pious family of villagers Cosmas (nicknamed Maly) and Apollinaria in the village of Verkole, near the Pinega River in the Dvina District, a son was born, who was named Artemy. His parents raised him in good Christian traditions. He was an obedient, meek and God-fearing child, who from the age of five did not like all kinds of children's pranks and fun. He diligently, as much as he could at his young age, helped his father with the housework.

On June 23, 1545, twelve-year-old Artemy was working with his father in the field, when suddenly lightning flashed nearby and thunder struck, at which time the boy fell to the ground dead. The frightened, superstitious peasants considered this incident to be a punishment from Heaven, and therefore Artemy’s body, covered with brushwood and birch bark, was left untreated and unburied in the forest called Sosonia.

Holy relics

A little over thirty years after Artemy’s death in 1577, Deacon Agafonik, who served in the local church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, saw an unusual glow in the forest exactly above the place where Artemy’s remains were once left. This is how the holy youth Artemy was found, which the people brought and placed on the porch of the church of St. Nicholas in Verkola. The Lord glorified him with miracles, as a result of which in 1639 he sent an order to the “local” clergy to compile obvious evidence, which was soon delivered to the metropolitan. And the next year he sent the “created festival” - stichera, litia, poems, glory books, troparion, ikos, kontakion, luminaries, praises and singing under the banner.

Prayers and miracles

Through the prayers of Saint Artemy, many sick people were healed, and especially those who suffered from eye diseases. One day, a resident of Kholmogory, Hilarion, came to the temple, having lost his sight and completely despairing of getting it back. And so the righteous Artemy appeared to the sufferer with a cross in his right hand and a staff in his left, overshadowing the sick man with the cross and telling him that Christ had healed him by the hand of His servant Artemy. And he sent the townsman to go to Verkola to bow to his coffin and tell the priest and peasants about what had happened.

The patient recovered immediately. In 1584, admirers of the holy youth transferred his holy relics from the porch of the temple to the built area.

The Mezen governor Afanasy Pashkov, for the healing of his sick son, in gratitude to the saint, built a temple in honor of the holy great martyr Artemy - the heavenly patron of the holy and righteous youth. In 1619, the relics of the saint were examined and on December 6 transferred to a new church, which burned down 30 years later, but in 1649, on the site of the found relics, a monastery was built under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, where the relics were also delivered.

There is a legend that the holy youth had a sister, the righteous wonderworker Paraskeva of Piriminskaya.

Now the memory of Saint Artemy is celebrated on June 23 (the day of presentation) and the memory of the namesake Great Martyr Artemy).

His life is especially amazing. The saint’s birthplace was the village of Verkola. From an early age, Artemy Verkolsky led a pious life and was known as a meek and humble boy. He did not like noisy and loud games. When he was 12 years old, the boy was killed by a lightning bolt.

Unfortunately, the villagers believed that this was how the Lord punished Artemy, and they did not bury him or perform a funeral service for him, but carried him into the forest, laid him on the ground and covered him with brushwood.

Many in Verkola had already forgotten about this incident, but one day the deacon of the local church went into the forest, and at the place where Saint Artemy was laid, he saw the light, and as he came closer he discovered the incorruptible relics of Artemy Verkolsky. The news of such a miraculous discovery reached the village residents, but the peasants, due to their cowardice, did not understand the providence of God shown on the boy. They laid the body of the saint on the porch, near the temple and, just as in the forest, covered the body of the deceased with birch bark.

Immediately, miraculous healings began to occur from the relics. They multiplied day by day, people from everywhere began to flock to Verkola just to venerate the relics.

Under the name Artemy, the Christian Church glorifies two saints: the great martyr Artemy of Antioch and the holy righteous youth Artemy of Verkolsky. Both of them fervently believed in the Lord, although many centuries separated them.

Great Martyr Artemios of Antioch

Artemy of Antioch was a noble Roman and belonged to the class of senators. A brave warrior, he took part in 312 in one of the battles of Emperor Constantine. During the battle, a cross suddenly appeared in the sky with the inscription: “With this conquer!” Impressed by this divine sign, Artemy converted to the Christian faith.

Having won glory in battles and becoming a military leader, Artemy was appointed governor of Egypt with special powers. It was he who was entrusted by Emperor Constantius, the son of Constantine, to deliver the relics of the holy apostles Andrew the First-Called and Luke from Patras, where they were located, to Constantinople.

When Emperor Julian, nicknamed the Apostate, began to rule, he tried to restore paganism, brutally persecuting adherents of the true faith. In Antioch, by order of Julian, two Christian bishops were tortured for refusing to renounce the Lord. Having learned about this, Artemy came to their defense. He was immediately arrested and, after painful torture, thrown into prison. There he prayed continuously, and Jesus himself appeared to him, who supported his strength and promised that a crown of glory was already prepared for him.

The next day he was again tortured before Julian, demanding his renunciation, but Artemy not only did not renounce, but also predicted quick divine punishment for Julian the Apostate for his persecution of Christians. This prophecy came true a year later, in 363, when Julian was mortally wounded and, as legend says, died with the words: “You have won, Galilean!”

Artemy was executed in 362 with a terrible execution: first, his body was crushed with a heavy stone, after which his head was cut off. Arista, a deaconess from Antioch, brought his body to Constantinople, where the great martyr was buried in the Church of John the Baptist. Later this temple received a second name after the holy great martyr Artemy.

What do people pray for to the icon “Artemios of Antioch”

The Great Martyr Artemy of Antioch showed unparalleled firmness of spirit in defending his faith in the True God, so people often pray in front of the icon of Artemy of Antioch for warriors, soldiers and officers, to strengthen their faith, to be healed of physical and spiritual ailments, and to arrange their earthly affairs in justice.

Holy Righteous Youth Artemy Verkolsky

Memorial Days:

• June 17 (movable) – Cathedral of Novgorod Saints
• June 3 – Cathedral of Karelian Saints
• July 6
• November 2

Artemy Verkolsky was born in the village of Verkol on the territory of what is now the Arkhangelsk region. His parents were simple but pious peasants, and they raised their son in piety, obedience and hard work.

Once 12-year-old Artemy helped his father in the field. Suddenly there was a clap of thunder, lightning flashed, and the boy fell lifeless to the ground. His fellow villagers considered such a death a sign of God’s wrath and did not bury him according to Orthodox custom, but left him in the forest, simply covering him lightly with earth and throwing branches at him.

32 years have passed. In 1577, Agathonik, a local deacon, noticed an unusual glow emanating from the forest. When he approached, he saw that the glow indicated the remains of a youth killed by lightning, which remained in their original form, untouched by decay. The deacon, amazed by this miracle, spoke about it in the village and ordered Artemy’s body to be transferred to the parish church. The incorrupt remains were placed in a coffin, placed near the outer porch and covered with birch bark.

After a short time, an epidemic of fever engulfed the surrounding lands, but many of the local residents who venerated the relics of the youth Artemy found healing, and soon the epidemic itself subsided. Then there were many more miraculous healings, after which the fame of the miracle worker Artemia spread far beyond the borders of the region. The first such miracle was described in 1584, and in 1610 the remains of the righteous youth were placed in a special reliquary in the temple itself.

In 1619, the veneration of the righteous youth Artemy was given a blessing from Macarius II, Metropolitan of Novgorod, and in 1648, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the St. Artemyev Verkolsky Monastery was established, where the relics of the saint were placed with honor. Soon the first icons “St. Artemy” appeared, some of them depicted episodes from the life of the holy youth and subsequent miraculous healings.

What do they pray to the righteous youth Artemy Verkolsky for?

The icon “Artemy Verkolsky” contains enormous power; turning to it works true miracles of healing. There are many cases where prayer in front of the Artemy icon saved sincere believers from serious, sometimes fatal, illnesses. Especially many healings are associated with eye diseases, when even people who had completely lost their vision returned it.

If you have relatives or friends named Artem, give them an icon of one of these saints, or better yet, both at once - such an icon for Artem will become a powerful protection on the path of life, will help maintain steadfastness, courage and health.

Prayer to the Great Martyr Artemy of Antioch:

Holy servant of God, Artemy the righteous! Look mercifully at the fervent prayer of us sinners (names), and through your compassionate intercession ask the Lord for forgiveness of our sins, and grant us success in faith and piety and protection from the machinations of the devil. Most of all, pray to the Lord, that after our Christian death He will grant us all the opportunity to receive the Kingdom of Heaven, where all the righteous together with you glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer to the miracle worker Artemy Verkolsky for healing from illnesses:

Holy servant of God, Artemy the Righteous, close protector of the Holy Orthodox Faith and the entire northern region of the Russian country! Look mercifully at the fervent prayer of us sinners, and through your compassionate intercession ask the Lord for forgiveness of our sins, advancement in faith and piety, and protection from the wiles of the devil. Pray to the Lord, may He keep Orthodox Christians in health, may He grant peace, silence and unhypocritical obedience to all people, our country, and may He grant us all the benefit of the death of Christians. The Kingdom of Heaven, where all the righteous are with you, always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

About the holy martyr Artemia, ancient legends say that he was from a noble Roman family, had the rank of senator, and under Emperor Constantius was in charge of all the royal property.

Artemy began his service under Constantine the Great, in the troops of this pious emperor. When he, together with Constantine, saw the miraculous sign of the holy cross in the sky, he was confirmed in the Christian faith and became a faithful servant of Emperor Constantine and his house 1.

After the death of Constantine, he remained with his son, Constantius 2, all the time, as his best friend, and the king gave him the most honorable assignments. So, when Constantius learned from one bishop that the bodies of Christ’s apostles Andrew and Luke were buried in Achaia 3, he instructed Artemy to transfer these precious treasures to Constantinople. Artemy, fulfilling the royal command, with great honors transferred the relics of the holy apostles to the reigning city, and for this he received from the king an promotion, which he was fully worthy of: it was the king who made him dux and Augustal of 4 Egypt, and Artemy lived there, pleasing God. Spreading the honor and glory of the name of Jesus Christ, he overthrew and crushed many idols in Egypt.

When King Constantius, the son of Constantine the Great, died, the power over the entire Roman Empire was assumed by the wicked apostate Julian 5, who had previously secretly, but now openly rejected our Lord Jesus Christ and openly began to worship idols. He sent a decree to all the countries of his kingdom, eastern and western, that those temples that had been taken from the pagans by Christians during the reign of Constantine the Great should now be given back to the pagans; at the same time, he ordered that idols be placed in these temples again and sacrifices made to the gods.

Thus, this wicked king restored everywhere the polytheism that had fallen under the holy king Constantine, and subjected Christians to severe oppression, torturing and killing them, plundering their property and spewing blasphemy against the holy name of Jesus Christ.

To humiliate Christianity, the wicked Julian, taking from the reliquary the bones of the holy prophet Elisha and the relics of St. John the Baptist - except for his venerable head and right hand, which lay in Sebaste - and mixing them with the bones of animals and wicked people, burned them, and scattered the ashes throughout air; Christians collected those ashes and bones remaining from the burning and kept them in a place of honor.

Then he learned that in the city of Paneada 6 there is a statue of Christ the Savior, made by a bleeding woman who was healed by touching the hem of Christ’s robe (Matthew 9:20). The king overthrew this statue and ordered it to be dragged around the square until it was all broken; Only the head of this statue was stolen and preserved by one Christian. In the place where this statue stood, the king ordered to erect his own statue, which, however, was broken by a lightning strike.

Having gathered a large army, the wicked Julian decided to go against the Persians, and during this campaign, arriving in Antioch, here, according to his custom, he initiated a persecution of the Church of Christ, killing the believers.

At that time, two Antioch presbyters, Eugene and Macarius, were brought to him - learned men. Julian argued with them for a long time about the gods, citing various words of pagan Greek writers to prove his wicked thoughts, but he could not force the god-speaking lips of the wise elders to silence; on the contrary, he himself was struck by them, put to shame and convicted of wickedness. Unable to bear his shame, Julian ordered to beat the saints mercilessly, having previously exposed them, and Eugene was given five hundred blows, and Macarius - without number.

When these saints were subjected to severe torture, the great Artemy happened to be at the place of execution. Hearing that Julian had reigned and that he was going on a campaign against the Persians - in view of which a decree was sent to him to arrive with all his troops in Antioch - Artemy came here with his troops, paid Julian the respect befitting a king, offering him with these gifts, and stood near the king at the time when the holy confessors, Eugene and Macarius, were subjected to torture. Hearing how the wicked Julian blasphemed the Lord Jesus Christ with his foul lips, Artemy was filled with jealousy and, approaching the king, said:

- Why do you, sir, so inhumanly torture innocent and dedicated men to God and force them to deviate from the Orthodox faith? Know that you too are a weak person; even if God made you king, you can still be tempted by the devil; I think that the first culprit of evil is the crafty devil. Just as he once asked God for permission to tempt Job 7 and received it, so he raised you up against us and brought you against us, so that with your hands you could destroy Christ’s wheat and sow your tares. But his efforts are in vain and his strength is insignificant; for since the Lord came and the cross was erected on which Christ was lifted up, demonic pride has fallen and demonic power has been crushed. So, do not be deceived, O Tsar, and do not persecute, to please the demons, the Christian people preserved by God. Know that the strength and power of Christ are invincible and irresistible.

Hearing this, Julian was inflamed with anger and shouted in a loud voice:

– Who and where is this wicked man from, who so boldly addresses us and dares to insult us to our faces?

Those present to the king answered:

- Tsar! This is Dux and Augustalius of Alexandria.

- How? - said the king, - this is the vile Artemy, who participated in the killing of my brother Gall 8?

“Yes, sovereign king, this is him,” answered those present.

The king said:

“I must thank the immortal gods, and most of all Daphnian Apollo 9, for delivering this enemy, who himself came here, into my hands. So, let this worthless one be deprived of his dignity; let them remove the belt from him 10 and punish him now, and tomorrow, if the gods please, I will pronounce judgment on him for the murder of my brother. I will avenge innocent blood on him and destroy him not with one execution, but with many executions, for he shed the blood not of an ordinary person, but of a king.

When the king said this, his squires immediately took Artemy and, having removed from him the military belt and other signs of dignity, they stood him naked. And the saint was given into the hands of the executioners, who, having tied his hands and feet, stretched him on four sides 11 and beat him on the back and belly with ox sinews for so long that from fatigue four pairs of executioners replaced him. But the saint showed truly superhuman patience, and seemed to everyone to be completely insensitive: he did not utter a single sound, did not groan, did not make a single movement and did not show any sign of suffering, as people suffering torment usually show. The earth was watered with his blood, but he remained unshakable, so that everyone was surprised at him, even the wicked Julian himself. Then the king ordered to stop beating him, and the saint was taken to prison with the holy martyrs Eugene and Macarius. The passion-bearers sang at this time: “You have tested us, O God, you have refined us, as silver is refined. You brought us into a net, you put shackles on our loins, you put a man on our head. We entered into fire and into water, and You brought us out to freedom" (Ps. 65:10-12) 12.

Having finished singing, Artemy said to himself:

- Artemy, here are the wounds of Christ marked on your body - all that remains for you is to give your very soul for Christ with the blood remaining in you; and he remembered the prophetic word: " I have given My back to the smiters and My cheeks to the smiters."(Is. 50:6) 13. But have I, the unworthy, suffered more than my Master? He was covered with wounds all over his body: from his feet to his head there was no healthy place in Him, His head was pierced with thorns, my hands and feet were nailed to the cross for my sins, while He Himself did not know sin and did not even say a single unrighteous word. Oh, how great, in comparison with mine, are the sufferings of my Master and how far away am I, a pitiful man. , from His patience and kindness! I rejoice and am glad, because I am embellished by the sufferings of my Master: this eases my torment. I thank You, Master, for crowning me with Your sufferings, do not let me carry me to the end along the path of confession; I must prove unworthy of this deed that I had intended; for I have placed my trust in Your bounty, O most kind Lord, Lover of mankind!

Thus, having prayed within himself, the saint reached the prison and remained there for the whole night together with Saints Eugene and Macarius, praising God.

When morning came, Julian the Apostate again ordered the martyrs to appear at the trial, and here, without interrogation, he separated them: he kept Artemia with him, but sent Eugene and Macarius into captivity in Oasim of Arabia 14. That country is extremely unhealthy: disastrous winds blow there and none of those who come there can survive for more than a year, for they will certainly fall into a severe illness that ends in death. So, Saints Eugene and Macarius, having been sent there, after some time reached a blessed death 15, and Saint Artemy endured much suffering. But first, Julian, like a wolf putting on sheep’s clothing, meekly, as if condoling Artemy and pitying him, began to say this:

“With your reckless audacity, you forced me, Artemy, to dishonor your old age and damage your health, which I regret.” Now I ask you, come and make a sacrifice to the gods, first of all to the Daphnian god, Apollo, who is especially revered by me. If you do this, then I will forgive you the crime against my brother and reward you with an even more glorious and honorable rank: I will make you the high priest of the 16 great gods and the chief over the priests of the entire universe; I will call you my father, and you will be second in command to me in my kingdom. You, Artemy, know yourself that my brother, Gall, innocently, out of envy, was killed by Constantius. Our family had more rights to the throne than the family of Constantine, for my father, Constantius, was born to my grandfather, Constantius, from the daughter of Maximian, while Constantine was born from Helen, a woman of simple rank 17. Moreover, my grandfather was not yet Caesar when his son was born to Helen, and my father was born to him when he had already ascended the throne. But Constantine boldly stole royal power. His son, Constantius, killed my father and his brothers, and recently killed my brother, Gallus. He wanted to kill me too, but the gods saved me from his hands. In hopes of them, I renounced Christianity and turned to the Hellenic religion; I know well that the Hellenic and Roman faith is the most ancient faith, but the Christian faith appeared recently, and Constantine accepted it, rejecting the ancient and good Roman rules of life, only out of his ignorance and unreason. And the gods hated him as wicked and unworthy of their trust. The gods hated and rejected him from themselves, and his wicked offspring were destroyed from among the living 18. Am I not telling the truth, Artemy? You are an old and sensible man - judge, am I telling the truth? So, admit the truth and be ours, for I want you to be my friend and assistant in managing the kingdom.

Hearing this and hesitating a little, Saint Artemy began to speak like this:

“First of all, regarding your brother, I will tell you, king, that I am innocent of his death, and in general I have never harmed him by deed or word; No matter how much you investigate, you will not be able to prove in any way that I was guilty of his death. I knew that he was a true Christian, pious and obedient to the law of Christ. May heaven and earth and the whole face of the holy angels and my Lord Jesus Christ, Whom I serve, know that I am innocent of the murder of your brother and did not contribute in any way to his murderers. I was not with King Constantius at the time when there was a discussion about your brother: all the time until this year I remained in Egypt. And to your proposal that I renounce Christ, my Savior, I will answer you with the words of the three youths who were with Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:18): let it be known to you, O king, that I do not serve your gods or a golden image I will never bow to you, dear Apollo. You humiliated blessed Constantine and his family, calling him an enemy of the gods and a madman. But he was converted to Christ from your gods, through a special calling from above. Listen to me about this, as a witness to this event. When we went to war against the fierce tormentor and bloodthirsty Maxentius 19, around noon a cross appeared in the sky, shining brighter than the sun, and on that cross the stars depicted Latin words that promised victory to Constantine. We all saw that cross that appeared in the sky and read what was written on it. And now there are still many old warriors in the army who remember well what they clearly saw with their own eyes. Find out if you want and you will see that I am telling the truth. But why am I talking about this? Christ was foretold by the prophets long before His coming, as you yourself know well. There is a lot of evidence that He really came to earth, and even your very gods often prophesied about the coming of Christ - the Sibylline books and Virgil spoke about the same thing.

And the saint further spoke about how demons often living in idols, being forced by the power of God, against their will, confessed Christ as the true God. Julian, unable to bear Artemy’s truthful speeches, ordered that the martyr be stripped and his sides pierced with red-hot awls, and sharp tridents pierced into his back. Artemy, as before, as if not feeling any pain, did not scream or let out any groan, being wonderfully patient in suffering. After these tortures, Julian again sent him to prison, ordering him to starve the saint with hunger and thirst, and he himself went to a place called Daphne to make sacrifices to his god Apollo and asked him about the outcome of his war against the Persians 21 . He stayed there for quite a long time, every day sacrificing a large number of animals to the nasty Apollo, but still did not receive the desired answer. For the demon, which was in the idol of Apollo and gave answers to people, fell silent from the time when the relics of Saint Babyla (bishop and martyr of Antioch) were transferred to that place, along with the remains of three infants who suffered with Babyla 22. So Apollo did not answer Julian. When the king learned, after a long investigation, that Apollo was speechless because the relics of Babyla were placed not far from him, he immediately ordered the Christians to take the relics from there; but as soon as the holy relics were taken from their place, fire fell from heaven on the temple of Apollo and burned it along with the idol that was in it.

Artemy, while in prison, was visited by the Lord Himself and His holy angels. When Artemy was praying, Christ appeared to him and said:

- Take courage Artemy! I am with you and will deliver you from all the pain that your tormentors inflicted on you, and I am already preparing for you a crown of glory. For just as you confessed Me before people on earth, so I will confess you before My Father in Heaven. So be courageous and rejoice: you will be with Me in My Kingdom.

Hearing this from the Lord, the martyr immediately began to praise Him; not a single wound or ulcer remained on his holy body, his soul was filled with Divine consolation and he sang and blessed God. Meanwhile, since he was thrown into prison, he did not eat or drink anything, and this continued until his death. Artemy was nourished from above, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Returning in shame from his sacrifices, Julian blamed the burning of the Temple of Apollo on the Christians, saying that it was they who lit it at night, and, having taken away the holy churches from the Christians, turned them into idolatrous temples and began to inflict great oppression on the Christians. Having then ordered Artemy to be brought to him from prison, he told him:

“You, of course, heard what happened in Daphne - how wicked Christians set fire to the temple of the great god Apollo and destroyed his beautiful image. But let the wicked not rejoice in this, let them not laugh at us, for I will repay for this seventy times seven, as you say 23 .

Saint Artemy answered:

“I heard that, by the permission of an angry God, fire came down from heaven and destroyed your god and burned his temple. But if your Apollo was a god, then how did he not rid himself of the fire?

The king said:

“And you, unfortunate one, laugh and rejoice at the burning of Apollo?”

“I laugh at your madness,” answered Artemy, “that you serve a god who could not save himself from the fire.” How can he deliver you from eternal fire? I am consoled by his fall and rejoice in everything that my Christ miraculously performs. And if you boast to repay seventy times seven to innocent Christians who have not done you any harm, then you will receive for this when you are cast into unquenchable fire and eternal torment, which will soon come for you. For your destruction is already close and soon your memory will perish with a noise 24.

The torturer, angry, ordered the stonemasons to cut one large stone and then push it from above onto Artemy, who was tied up and placed on a stone slab under this stone. When this was done, the entire body of the martyr was covered by a stone that fell on him and crushed him so much that he broke all his bones; his insides fell out, the joints of his body were broken and his eyeballs came out of their places. And what a great miracle! Being flattened between the stones, the saint remained alive and called on God, his Helper, and spoke in the words of David:

– "He took me to a rock that was inaccessible to me, for You are my refuge, You are a strong defense from the enemy."(Ps.60:3-4) 25." He set my feet on a rock and established my steps" (Ps. 39:3) 26. Accept now, O Only Begotten, my spirit, for You know my difficult situation, and do not leave me in the hands of the enemy.

Thus, being crushed by a stone, the saint spent the whole day. Then Julian ordered the stone to be removed, considering the saint already dead, but the saint, to everyone’s surprise, turned out to be alive and stood up and walked. And everyone was scared to look at him: before them was a naked man, crushed like a board, with crushed bones, with his entrails falling out; his face was crushed, his eyes were out of their sockets, but life still clung to him, his legs could move and his tongue was still able to speak clearly. The tormentor himself, seeing such a miracle, was horrified and said to his entourage:

– Is this a person or a ghost? Did this wizard avert our eyes? For before us is a terrible sight that goes beyond the limits of nature. Who expected him to still be alive? And now, when his insides have fallen out and all his joints are broken and weakened, he still moves, walks and talks. But, apparently, our gods kept him alive to admonish others, so that the one who did not want to recognize their power would remain a terrible monster for those who looked at him.

And Julian said to the martyr:

“Now you, unfortunate one, have already lost your eyes and all the members of your body are completely spoiled - how can you still have hope in the One on whom you have hitherto hoped in vain? But ask for mercy from the merciful gods, so that they have mercy on you and so that they do not give you over to hellish torment.

The martyr of Christ, hearing about the torment, grinned and said to the king:

“Will your gods hand me over to torture?” They themselves cannot escape the torment prepared for them, and with them you, being thrown into eternal fire, will suffer forever, for you denied the Son of God and trampled underfoot His holy blood, shed for us, and mocked the grace of the Holy Spirit, obeying destructive demons. For the minor pain you caused me, I hope from my Lord, for Whom I suffer, to have eternal peace in His heavenly chamber.

Julian, having heard this, pronounced the following sentence to the martyr:

- Artemy, who blasphemed the gods, trampled on Roman and our laws, recognized himself not as a Roman, but as a Christian and called himself, instead of dux and Augustal, a Galilean - we put him to death and command that his vile head be cut off with a sword.

After such a sentence, the saint was taken to the place of execution and walked there with unspeakable joy, wishing " resolve and be with Christ" 27. Arriving at the place where the execution was to take place on him, he asked himself time for prayer and, turning to the east, knelt down three times and prayed for a long time. After this, he heard a voice from heaven that said:

- Come in with the saints to receive the reward prepared for you.

And immediately the blessed one bowed his head and was beheaded by one soldier, on the twentieth day of the month of October; the day on which he committed martyrdom was Friday. One woman named Arista, a deaconess of the Antiochian Church, begged his honest and holy body from the torturer and, anointing it with precious aromas, put it in an ark and sent it to Constantinople, where it was buried with honors. From his relics many wondrous miracles were performed and various healings were given to the sick, which Saint Artemy still gives to all who come to him with faith.

After the death of Artemy, the prophecy that he expressed to Julian directly in the eyes regarding his death soon came true: “you will soon perish and it will not be long before the memory of you perishes with noise.” For Julian, having killed Saint Artemius, set off with his troops from Antioch and went against the Persians. When he reached the city of Ctesiphon 28, he met a Persian, an old, respected and very sensible man. He promised Julian to betray the Persian kingdom and volunteered to be a guide to Persia for the lawless king and his entire army. But this did not serve the evil bloodsucker’s benefit, for that Persian deceived him and, pretending that he was leading him along the straight and true road, led the villain into the Karmanitsky desert 29, into impassable places, where abysses were constantly encountered, where there was no water at all and no food. , so that all the warriors were exhausted from hunger and thirst, and the horses and camels all fell. After this, the guide admitted that he had deliberately led the Romans into such empty and terrible places in order to weaken their strength. “I did this for this reason,” he said, “so as not to see my fatherland captured by enemies, and it is better for me here alone than for my entire fatherland to perish at your hands.” And immediately after this confession the Persian was cut into pieces by the soldiers. Wandering through the desert, the Greeks and Romans, against their will, encountered the Persian army and, during the battle that took place here, many Julian warriors fell. Divine retribution here befell Julian himself, for he was pierced in the side by an invisible hand from above and an invisible weapon that passed down his stomach. He groaned heavily and, grabbing a handful of blood with his hand, threw it into the air and exclaimed:

– You have won, Christ! be satisfied, Galilean!

And then he, dying in agony, cast out his villainous and nasty soul and died noisily, according to the prophecy of Saint Artemy 30. The Roman army, after the death of Julian, installed Jovian as king, who was a Christian, and who, having made peace with the Persians, returned back. So Julian suffers in hell with Judas 31, while Artemy rejoices in heaven with the saints 32, standing before the One God in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, to Him be glory forever. Amen.

Kontakion, voice 2:

The pious and crowned martyr, who overcame the enemies of victory with dignity, let us praise Artemy with songs, the greatest among martyrs, and the rich giver of miracles: he prays to the Lord for all of us.

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1 Constantine was not yet a Christian when he had to oppose his strong rival Maxentius. He did not know whom to pray to for help, and so, when the sun sank to the west, Constantine saw a shining cross in the sky and under it the inscription: “with this conquer”; His troops also saw this sign. In a dream at night, Christ Himself appeared to Constantine and ordered him to arrange a banner in the form of a cross and depict the cross on the shields and helmets of his soldiers. Constantine did this - and soon completely defeated the troops of Maxentius. After this, he openly declared his sympathy for Christianity.

2 Reigned from 337 to 361.

3 Province in Greece.

4 Dux is a military leader. Augustalius is a title equal to the modern title: Highness.

5 Julian, nephew of Constantine the Great, during the lifetime of Constantius, was co-ruler of this emperor, governing the western provinces of the Roman Empire.

6 A city in northern Palestine (otherwise known as Caesarea Philippi).

7 Job is the great righteous man of the Old Testament; guardian of true revelation and worship of God in the human race, during the strengthening of pagan superstition after the dispersion of nations; known for his piety and integrity of life; was tested by God with all the misfortunes, among which, however, he remained unshakable in faith and virtue. The story of Job is detailed in the book named after him.

8 Gall, Julian's brother, was made heir to the throne by Emperor Constantius - who had no children, but then aroused Constantius' anger against himself by clearly beginning to strive to overthrow Constantius from the throne. The latter sent his trusted people to deprive Gall of power over the eastern provinces, and these sent, out of a desire to please their sovereign, killed Gall.

9 Daphne is a suburb of Antioch. It was an extremely beautiful area, where many different trees grew, where clear streams flowed everywhere, and where there was an image of the sun god, Apollo, whom Julian revered more than all other gods.

10 The belt is a special distinction of a military leader.

11 The hands and feet of those being tortured were tied to four stakes driven into the ground so that those being punished could not interfere with the punishment.

12 In this place we are talking about the Jews, for whom being in captivity in Babylon was the same as having silver in a fiery furnace or being a bird in a net. Sorrows on the ridge, beatings on the back. Head people are tormentors who have our lives in their power.

13 The Prophet actually speaks about the future sufferings of the Savior, but his words can also be applied to believers who take upon themselves the yoke of Christ’s sufferings.

14 Oasim is one of the oases in Arabia. Oases in the Arabian Desert are places supplied with vegetation and water.

16 How important the position of the high priest was is evident from the fact that the title “high priest” was one of the titles of the Roman emperor. This priest had the right to condemn lower priests who disobeyed him to death. He lived in the ancient royal palace of Numa.

17 Emperor of the Western Empire Maximian Herculus reigned from 284 to 305 AD. - Constantius, surnamed Chlorus, his successor, was first married to Helen (St. Helen of the Apostles), then, at the request of Emperor Diocletian, he divorced her and married Theodora, daughter of Maximian Herculus. Constantine the Great, after all, as his eldest son, was made heir to the throne.

18 Constantine the Great had three sons: Constantine, Constantius and Constance. The eldest took for himself upper Gaul, Britain, Germany and Spain, the younger - lower Gaul, Italy, Illyria and Africa, and the middle - the countries of the east and Egypt. Soon Constantine was killed in the war, and Constance was killed by his close associate Magnentius during a hunt.

19 This military campaign against the Roman Emperor Maxentius was undertaken by Constantine in 312.

20 Sibyls were the name given to soothsayers by the Romans in ancient times. Their predictions were combined into three books, which were kept in the temple of Jupiter Capitoline, and then in the temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill. Christian writers also paid attention to their predictions, finding in them some hints about the coming of the Kingdom of Christ. – Virgil Maro is a famous Roman poet (born in 70 BC). – Artemy obviously means here his poems – “Bucolics”.

21 The pagans thought that the gods, out of their concern for people, wanted to reveal their will to them. Therefore, they believed in dreams that the gods supposedly sent them. In addition, the pagans had special oracles - places and temples where priests or persons who were capable of entering a special state of frenzy spoke on behalf of the gods and then uttered various words, from which the priests composed more or less coherent sayings. The god Apollo was primarily considered the leader of these oracles.

23 Julian distorts the meaning of the text from Matthew 18:22. Here we are not talking about retribution or punishment, but about forgiving a brother who has sinned seventy times seven times.

24 That is your death will be extraordinary and will cause great stir among people.

25 That is “You, O Lord, set me on a rock as a place of safety; You became for me a strong pillar or tower where I could find salvation.

26 Correct your feet - put them on a real, straight road.

27 Phil.1:23. To resolve is to depart from earthly life.

28 Persian city on the left bank of the river. Tiger; During Roman rule it was a strong fortress, which, however, fell into the power of the Romans several times.

29 Karmania - the current Persian region of Kerman. Its northern part (steppe Karmania) was almost entirely barren desert, and the southern part was very sandy, although several rivers flowed in the latter.

30 Julian died in 363 AD.

ARTEMA. (ARTEMY), ARTEM. Dedicated to Artemis, Greek. goddess of fertility and childbirth.
January 17 (January 4)- Apostle Artem.
February 26 (February 13)- righteous Artema of Palestine.
April 6 (March 24)- Saint Artema, Bishop of Thessalonica.
May 12 (April 29)- Martyr Artem Kizichesky.
July 6 (June 23)- righteous youth Artemy Verkolsky (Russian).
November 2 (October 20)- Great Martyr Artemy and Righteous Youth Artemy Verkolsky (Russian).
November 12 (October 30)- Apostle Artem.
November 13 (October 31)- righteous Artema.

The Holy Great Martyr Artemy was one of the outstanding military leaders during the reign of Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine the Great (306 - 337, commemorated May 21), and then his son and successor, Constantius (337 - 361). Emperor Constantius was replaced on the throne by Julian (361 - 363). The apostate emperor, wanting to return paganism, waged an irreconcilable struggle against Christianity, sending hundreds of Christians to death. In Antioch, he ordered the torture of two bishops who did not want to renounce the faith of Christ. At this time, Saint Artemy came to the city and publicly denounced Julian for his wickedness. The angry Apostate subjected the saint to cruel torture. After this, the great martyr was thrown into prison.

The next day, Julian demanded that the Great Martyr Artemy recognize the pagan gods. Having met a decisive refusal, the emperor resorted to torture. The ascetic endured everything without a single groan. The saint predicted to Julian that he would soon receive just retribution for the evil he had caused to Christians. The apostate became enraged and resorted to even more severe torture, but they did not break the will of the great martyr, and then Saint Artemy was beheaded (+ 362).