Venerable Martyr Andrew

Life

A Christian by birth and a Christian priest. In the time of the persecution of icons he showed himself a great champion of the veneration of icons. In order to expose the wicked Emperor Copronymus for his iconoclasm, Saint Andrew went to Constantinople. One day the emperor was in the church of the Holy Martyr Mamas. Andrew entered the church, stood before the emperor, and openly rebuked him before all: "It would be better for thee, O Emperor, to attend to military affairs and to govern the people, than to persecute Christ and His servants." For this Saint Andrew was severely beaten, tortured and dragged through the streets. A certain heretic struck him with an axe and killed him. Thus Andrew surrendered his holy soul to God in the year 767. His relics gave healing to the sick.