By Bishop Grigorios of Mesaoria
Our Church commemorates today the Great-martyr Minas.
Saint Minas was born in Egypt in the 3rd century AD to pagan parents. When he was adolescent, he was converted to Christianity and joined the Roman army, in which he was distinguished for his wisdom and valour. When Diocletian and Maximian ordered the persecution of all Christians, Saint Minas removed his soldier’s belt and withdrew to a mountain, where he lived an ascetic life of fasting and prayer.
At the age of fifty, Saint Minas saw in a revelation that the time had come for his martyrdom. So he went to a pagan feast day and bravely confessed his faith in Christ as the true God. He was then taken to prison, tortured and beheaded. Saints Victor and Vicente were martyred on the same day, after taking courage and strength from him.
It is well known that Saint Minas is highly honoured in Crete, especially after the miracle he performed in Heraklion in the Easter of 1826, saving Christians who were in fear of torture or persecution by the Ottoman conquerors. Thus, a cathedral was built in the centre of Heraklion dedicated to his memory.
SOURCE: Church of Cyprus
