Saints Galaktion and Epistemius
Celebration date: 05/11
Saints Galaktion and Epistemius lived in the 3rd century AD, when Decius was emperor.
Galaktion’s Greek parents, Cleitophon and Leucippus, were first pagans. However, a hieromonk, called Unufrios, attracted them to the Christian faith. From then on, they allocated their wealth to every charity. And their son Galaktion was brought up “in the education and admonition of the Lord”. That is, with pedagogy and admonition, in accordance with the Lord’s will. And this pedagogy did not take long to bear its wonderful fruits. When Galaktion grew up, he married a beautiful daughter, Science, whom he himself attracted to Christ.
Their lives were devoted to the service of the word of God and the ministry of the neighbor, until the persecution of Decius broke out. At that time, Galaktion went to a monastery on Mount Sinai, while Epistimi went to a women’s convent.
But the heat of the persecution reached those places as well, with the result that Galaktion was arrested by the lord Ursus. When Science was informed of this, she ran and begged the persecutors to arrest her as well in order to support her husband. Lord Ursos, unable to convince them to convert, after torturing them cruelly in the end beheaded them (around 250 AD).
