Agatha of Nicomedia

Saint Agatha of Nicomedia, Venerable Martyr and abbess, suffered in Nicomedia in the time of the persecution under the emperor Maximian, in the year 302, when by his order twenty thousand Christians were burned alive in the great church. She is commemorated on 10 January.

At the beginning of the fourth century the emperor Maximian (284 to 305) ordered Christian churches destroyed, service books burned and all Christians stripped of their civil rights and offices. The bishop of Nicomedia at that time was Saint Cyril, who by his preaching and life helped the spread of the Christian faith, so that many of the emperor's officials were secret Christians.

In the emperor's palace lived a pagan priestess, Domna. In Maximian's absence she read the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, and her heart was kindled with the desire to learn the Christian teaching. With the help of a young Christian woman, Domna came secretly to Bishop Cyril, accompanied by a faithful servant, the eunuch Indes. Saint Cyril instructed them, and then both received holy Baptism. Domna began to help the poor: she gave away her jewels through Indes and also gave food from the royal table. Learning of the unusual way of life of Domna and Indes, the chief of the eunuchs, who was in charge of the emperor's table, shut them up and starved them, but they were strengthened by angels and did not suffer. So as no longer to live among pagans, Saint Domna pretended to be mad. Then she and Indes were removed from the palace, and she settled in the convent of virgins, with the abbess Agatha. Soon the abbess dressed her in men's clothing, cut her hair and let her leave the convent.

The convent of virgins

Meanwhile the emperor returned and ordered the former priestess Domna sought everywhere. The soldiers sent for this reached the convent and laid it waste. The sisters were thrown into prisons, put to torture and mockery, but none of them was defiled. Saint Theophila, given over to a brothel, kept her virginity there by the help of an angel of the Lord, who led her out of the place of sin. One day the emperor held a sacrifice to the pagan gods in the city square. When the sprinkling of the crowd with the blood of the sacrificed animals began, the Christians started to leave the square. Seeing this, the emperor grew angry, but did not give vent to his feelings, for suddenly the earth shook. After some time Maximian entered a church and ordered the Christians to renounce Christ, promising for their refusal to burn the church and put the Christians to death. The Christian presbyter Glycerius answered him that Christians would never renounce their faith, whatever torments threatened them. Restraining his anger, the emperor left the church, and shortly afterwards ordered the presbyter Glycerius brought to trial. The executioners tortured the martyr, who never ceased to pray and call on the Name of the Lord. Unable to persuade him to renounce, Maximian ordered him burned.

The burning of the church

On the feast of the Nativity of Christ in the year 302, when about twenty thousand Christians had gathered in the great church of Nicomedia, the emperor sent a herald into the church who announced his command: all Christians were to leave the church and sacrifice to the idols, otherwise he would burn the church with those at prayer. All those present refused to bow to idols. While the torturers prepared to set the church on fire, Bishop Anthimus (commemorated on 3 September), who was serving, baptized all the catechumens and gave communion of the holy Mysteries to all. All twenty thousand worshippers died in the fire. Among them were the abbess Agatha and Saint Theophila, miraculously rescued from the place of shame. Bishop Anthimus managed to hide.

After the burning

Maximian thought he had destroyed all the Christians of Nicomedia, but soon learned that there were still many, that they professed their faith as before and were ready to die for Christ. The emperor resolved to deal with them. By his order the general Zeno was seized, who had denounced the emperor before all for impiety and cruelty. Zeno was cruelly beaten and finally beheaded. The eunuch Indes, a priest of idols, was shut in prison for refusing to take part in a pagan festival.

Meanwhile Saint Domna was hiding in a cave and living on plants. The persecution of the Christians continued. Thrown into prison were the governor of Italy, Dorotheus, Mardonius, the deacon Mygdonius and several officials. Bishop Anthimus strengthened them by sending them letters. One of the letters was intercepted from the deacon Theophilus. To find out where the bishop was, they put him to torture, but the holy martyr bore all the pain without disclosing anything. Then they put him to death together with those to whom the bishop had written.

When Saint Domna returned to the city, she wept long over the burned place, grieved that she had not been counted worthy to die with her sisters. Then she went to the seashore. At that time fishermen drew from the water with their nets the bodies of the martyrs Indes, Gorgonius and Peter. Still dressed in men's clothing, Saint Domna helped the fishermen draw the nets, and they left her the bodies of the martyrs. She looked with reverence on the holy remains; she was especially glad to see the body of her spiritual friend, the martyr Indes. After the burial she did not leave the graves dear to her heart, offering incense there every day. When the emperor was told of an unknown young man who paid honour to the graves of the executed Christians, he ordered his head cut off. With Domna the holy martyr Euthymius was also killed.