Our Church today commemorates Saint Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza, Martyr Photine (Photina), the Samaritan woman in the Gospel, and those with her, and Martyr Theoclitus.
Saint Porphyrios was born in Thessaloniki to wealthy and pious parents. After abandoning both parents and wealth, during the reign of Emperors Arcadius and Honorius, he traveled to Egypt, which was then a large monastic center, and became a monk in a skete.
After a five-year stay, he came to Jerusalem and preached the Holy Gospel to the Jews and Greeks. There he became seriously ill. Despite his illness, he visited on a daily basis the Church of the Resurrection and other sacred pilgrimages, prompting the admiration of other pilgrims.
In order to protect his flock from the injustices of the gentiles and nobles, Saint Porphyrius traveled to Constantinople and sought the assistance of Emperor Arcadius (395-408 AD) and Empress Eudoxia. He took the intiative to demolish the Marneion, that is, the famous temple of the gentiles living in Gaza, and in its place built a fabulous temple sponsored by Empress Eudoxia, who sent the Antioch architect Rufino to Gaza for this purpose. This temple, called Eudoxian, had 32 large Karystian marble columns and was consecrated at Easter in 407 AD.
He fell asleep in the Lord in 420 at the age of 72 years.
Source: Church of Cyprus