Holy Great Martyr Menas

Life

An Egyptian by birth and a soldier by profession, Saint Menas, as a true Christian, could not behold the abhorrent sacrifice to idols, so he left both the army and the city and the people and everything, and went into a barren mountain. For it was easier for Saint Menas to live with wild beasts than with godless men. One day Saint Menas saw from afar a pagan festival in the city of Cotyaeum, so he descended into the city and before all proclaimed his faith in Christ the Living God, and denounced idolatry and paganism as falsehood and darkness. The governor of that city, a certain Pyrrhus, asked Menas who and what he was. The saint answered him: "My homeland is Egypt, my name is Menas, I was an officer, but seeing idolatry I renounced your honors. Now I have come to proclaim before all my Christ as the true God, so that He also might proclaim me as His servant in the Heavenly Kingdom." Hearing this, Pyrrhus subjected holy Menas to great tortures. They flogged him, scraped him with iron combs, burned him with candles, and tortured him with various other torments, and finally they beheaded him with a sword. They threw his body into the fire so that Christians would not take it, but Christians nevertheless saved some parts from the fire. These remains they reverently buried, and later they were transferred to Alexandria and buried there, and a church was built over them. Saint Menas suffered around the year 304 and departed to the Kingdom of Christ. Yet he was and remains a great wonderworker in both lives, on earth and in heaven. Whoever glorified Saint Menas and invoked him with faith for help in distress, to him he gave aid. Many times he appeared as a warrior on horseback to help the faithful or to punish the unfaithful.

From the Hymn of Praise

Tortured and persecuted, holy King DechanskiBore tortures and persecutions in Christian manner,And when it seemed by all he was defeatedHe was the victor, mighty, unharmed.