Holy Martyr Matrona

Life

As a poor girl she became a servant in the household of a Jew in Thessalonica. The wife of that Jew continually mocked Matrona for her faith in Christ, and drove her to renounce Christ and to go to the synagogue. But meek Matrona conscientiously went about her work and answered her mistress nothing, and in secret prayed to Christ God. One time the Jewess learned that Matrona had gone to the church without her knowledge, and in great anger asked her why she had gone to the church and not to the synagogue. To which Matrona answered: "Because in the Christian Church God dwells, but from the Jewish synagogue He has departed." Enraged at so courageous an answer, the Jewess beat her and locked her in a dark room, where, beyond all this, she also bound her. But the next day she found her unbound by the power of God, kneeling in prayer and praising God. Twice more after this she locked her away, until at last she killed her by starvation. Then the wicked woman took the body of the holy girl and threw it from the height of her house to the ground. The Christians took the body of the martyr and buried her with honor; and Bishop Alexander, having learned of the many miracles that occurred through the holy martyr, built a church over her grave. And the wicked Jewess was soon overtaken by righteous punishment: from that very same spot on the house from which she had thrown down the body of Matrona, she herself slipped, fell onto the pavement, and was killed.

From the Hymn of Praise

### VENERABLE JOHN THE CLAIRVOYANT