The Church commemorates Hieromartyrs Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina in Sicily, and Methodius, Bishop of Lampi in Crete, Martyrs Andreas and Probus.
St. Pancratius was from Antioch, Syria. He was introduced to Christianity by Peter the Apostle, who made him Bishop of Taormina.
Then Saint Pancratius travelled to Sicily, where, with his deep Orthodox faith and love for God and the people, he destroyed all the pagan temples and toiled zealously for the Christian enlightenment of the people.
He even baptized the ruler of the region, Bonifacio.
Today, the Church also commemorates Archbishop Kyprianos and the archpriests, priests and laypersons, who martyred by being hung or slaughtered on July 9, 1821.
The martyrdom illuminates the history of Greece, and especially the eagerness of the Bishops to sacrifice themselves, if necessary, for the high ideals they espouse.
The strength and sacrifice of those who martyred for their faith and homeland remind all of us once again that “Mettle and virtue is what freedom wants.”
Source: Church of Cyprus