Today, the Church commemorates St. Matrona, Venerable Cyricus (Quiricus) of Apros and the martyrs Philetus and Lydia.
Matrona of Thessalonica lived in the 2nd century AD. and was a servant at the home of a Jewish official of the Roman Empire. His also Jewish wife, called Pladilla, trusted Matrona for her hard work and dedication, and used her as a companion whenever she went to pray at the Synagogue.
The Saint took advantage of this opportunity and entered to a temple adjacent to the Synagogue, where she honoured Christ with warm prayer. When Pladilla became aware of her behavior, became furious and led her to her official husband who demanded that Matrona would deny Christ. Her disobedience to her master’s command and her constant confession that she was a Christian resulted in her being tortured and imprisoned for a long time. She finally gave up her spirit in this prison, receiving the martyr’s wreath as a prize.
The martyrdom of St. Matrona proves, for the umpteenth time, that the Greek land and especially Macedonia and Thessaloniki have always been the nursery of Saints, Venerables and Martyrs. It also proves the timeless value that the Church gives to the female sex, when it is distinguished in the path of virtue and in the struggle for gaining God’s kingdom.
Source: Church of Cyprus