The Church commemorates Saint Emmelia, the mother of Saint Basil the Great, who reposed in the Lord in a monastery, where she was with her daughter Makrina. The Church also commemorates Saint Isaac the Confessor, Abbot of Dalmatian Monastery.
Saint Isaac came from Syria and lived under the reign of King Valens, who was a supporter of the heresy of Arianism and an opponent of the Orthodoxy.
One of the harsh imperial decisions was the ban on the Orthodox from using their churches.
Around 364 AD, Valens was preparing for a campaign against the Goths, who were threatening Constantinople.
Enlightened by God, Isaac went before the king and asked him to hand over the churches to the Orthodox to have the blessing of God and to defeat the enemies.
He even warned him that, otherwise, he too would be killed by the barbarians. The saint’s appeals were not heeded and Valens was killed.
In this monastery, which was named Dalmatian Monastery, by his successor Dalmatus, Saint Isaac reposed in the Lord in old age.
Source: Church of Cyprus
