Hieromartyr Cornelius the Centurion

Life

A Roman and a Roman officer in Caesarea of Palestine. He was baptized by the Apostle Peter according to a heavenly revelation (Acts 10:1). He was the first of the pagans to enter the Church of God. Until then, some had thought that the Church of Christ was only for Jews and for those who accepted Jewish circumcision. Having been baptized, Cornelius left everything and followed the Apostle Peter. This apostle later ordained him bishop and sent him to the pagan city of Scepsis, where the holy Cornelius endured many insults and torments for the sake of Christ, but by the power of God he demolished the temple of Apollo and baptized the prince of that city, Demetrius, along with 277 pagans. Having foreknown from God the day of his death, he summoned all the Christians, counseled them, prayed to God for them, and peacefully reposed in the Lord in honorable old age. In time, his grave was forgotten and neglected. But the saint appeared to Silvanus, Bishop of Troas, and revealed to him his grave, and commanded that a church be built there. The bishop carried this out with the help of a wealthy citizen named Eugenius. From the relics of Saint Cornelius many miracles took place.