These were the most terrible times for Christians:they suffered hundreds of thousands of persecutions, they were tortured by martyrdom. Galina, the holy martyr of Corinth, also suffered in the third century for her faith in Christ. It all started with the fact that once a godly woman Rufina, escaping from such persecutors, fled from Corinth to the mountains and there she gave birth to a baby whom she called Kondrat. After the birth, she died almost immediately.
By the will of God, the child was alive and wasnurtured by a cloud of sweet dew, which at the right time fell on him. Kondrat spent all his childhood in the desert. When he became a grown-up boy, he met with Christians who shed light on him the true Christian faith.
Kondrat learned to write and read, and then reachedexcellent success in medical practice. However, all his free time he spent in the desert and in the mountains in complete silence, giving himself to prayer and contemplation. After a few years his friends began to join his deserted solitude, followers and disciples appeared who loved listening to his spiritual instructions. Among these people were Cyprian, Anect, Dionysius, Paul, Criscent and many others.
Corinth in size and population was the second cityafter Athens, it is located in the central part of Greece. There in the first century lived and preached the apostle Paul himself. By the grace of God, Saint Galina was honored to meet with the righteous elder Kondrat, who also led her to faith in Christ.
The Time of the Unholy Emperor Decius(251), who began to fiercely hunt for Christians and executed them, if they did not sacrifice pagan gods. At the behest of the emperor, a cruel warlord, Jason, arrived in Corinth, from which it was impossible to hide to Christians. Once his people seized the elder Kondrat and all his disciples, among whom was Galina, holy and righteous. All of them were thrown into prison and began to torment, but without waiting for them to renounce Christ, they threw them at the behest of hungry wild predators, but they did not touch them. However, this did not stop the persecutors. And then the bodies of one part of the righteous dragged through the city to the place of execution, tied their legs to chariots, and the enraged crowd, meanwhile, threw stones at them.
They were brought barely to the place of execution, where they were to be chopped off, the martyrs asked for time for prayer. Then along the chain they began to approach the executioner, bowing his head before his sword.
The rest of Kondrat's students were also betrayedmartyrdom. Dionysius was stabbed with a dagger. Victor, Victorin and Nikifor were alive crushed in a huge stone stupa. Claudius was quartered. Diodorus was prepared a fire, in which he himself rushed. Seraphion was chopped off. Leonidas and Papia drowned in the sea.
Righteous wives Galina, Theodore, Calis, Hariess,Nunechia, Nick, Gali, Vasilisa had the opportunity to take refuge, but in all imitating their teacher (the Monk Kondrat), keeping in his heart and soul all his instructions, they voluntarily went to execution with the name of Jesus Christ.
One legend tells that they werebeheaded on March 10 in the old style, and where the execution of the martyrs of Corinth took place, a source of clean water broke through, as a reminder to the city of the heavy suffering and innocent blood spilled.
According to another legend, the disciples of the elder Kondrat weretortured on April 16 in the old style in 258 under the reign of Emperor Valerian. It happened on Easter. The holy wives together with Saint Leonid were thrown into the sea, but a miracle happened, they did not drown, but began to walk on water, as if on land, and sing divine hymns.
They were followed by a detachment of soldiers on the ship, who, overtaking, tied a heavy load of stones to the necks of the martyrs and drowned them.
Galina is a holy martyr who brought her cross to God. The days of honoring her memory are celebrated on 10/23 March and 16/29 April.
In addition to St. Galina of Corinth, it is necessary to mention the holy righteous Galina - the daughter of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, who was a pagan and a fierce persecutor of Christians.
Her father, she urged to give up worshippagan idols. Galina became a Christian thanks to miracles, faith and patience of Bishop Harlampy of Magnesia. When he was taken into custody and subjected to martyrdom, she tried to protect him and twice crushed the erected idols in the local Christian church. When St. Harlampios died, she buried his remains. Father did not dare to execute his daughter, so when her term came, she slept peacefully.
Her name in church services is commemorated on February 10 (23).
Every Orthodox Galina in the house is certainhas its own iconostasis with the Theotokos and Christ the Savior. And often you can see a personal icon of the patron saint nearby. "Holy Galina" is an icon that is of great importance, since it allows you to enlist a woman with this name with the support of her holy saint and thereby get rid of all worldly difficulties, sufferings and numerous ills. Praying to heavenly helper Galina is best in the presence of her icon, which will not lose faith in the Lord, even in the most difficult and critical moments.
In prayer to the Monk Galina resorted, whenthere are doubts and cowardice, she is also prayed in the conversion of apostates, in the face of persecution. Galina is a saint who patronizes all those who defend the truth, faith and truth.
