Saints Alexander and Antonina
Feast date: 10/06
The holy martyr Antonina was a Christian virgin, who was a rising star of the town of Kardamos (or Krodamos), where she was born. Endowed with external and internal beauty, she lived with restraint, modesty and exerted and placed all her energies and savings in the ministry, care and relief of her poor and unfortunate fellow human beings.
Her Christian conduct and behavior was reported to the prefect Phystos, who arrested and interrogated her. Antonina, with an indomitable spirit and divine pride, confessed her faith in Christ and called the Prefect to repent and be baptized a Christian. Disappointed, the prefect, because all his efforts were in vain and knowing that the Saint attached great importance to her virginity, ordered that she be thrown into a brothel. The fervent prayer of the virgin caused a terrible earthquake in this house, with the result that the women themselves expelled her from it. Phystos captured her again and threw her into some other shelter.
But a Christian named Alexander visited the brothel and eloped by lending her his own clothes. Fystos was enraged when he was informed of the event and ordered their immediate arrest. After their apology he ordered their cruel torture. And indeed after they had mutilated them, they anointed them with tar and threw their bodies into the fire, giving them wreaths of martyrdom. It was the year 313 AD.
Their remains were later transferred to Constantinople and placed in the Maximinos monastery, where they were buried.
