Antonia and Alexander

The holy martyrs Antonina and Alexander, of Alexandria, suffered for Christ, according to tradition, in the year 313. Their story is known from a legendary account, and historians think the names may even be invented. The Orthodox Church commemorates them on 10 June (23 June New Style); in the Roman Catholic Church their day is 3 May.

The story of the martyrs

According to the tradition given by the Serbian source, Antonina, a Christian virgin of Alexandria, was brought before the judge and put to torture. When she was cast into prison, a Christian soldier, Alexander, sent by an angel, went in to her, though they had not known each other before, and covered her with his soldier's cloak. He told her to bow her head and walk out between the guards at the door. So the virgin escaped, and the soldier stayed in the prison. Alexander was then brought before the judge and tortured for faith in Jesus Christ. Hearing of this, Antonina presented herself to the judge and was put to various tortures as well. According to the Serbian source, their hands were cut off, their bare bodies beaten, their wounds burned with candles, and at the end they were thrown into a fire kindled in a pit, then covered with earth. The Serbian source gives the date of their death as 3 (16) May 313.

Another source, in English, tells the scene a little differently. The virgin, who had refused marriage, is taken to a brothel, as the penalty for women who would not marry. Alexander, a Christian soldier, enters as a customer, but exchanges clothes with her and lets her flee. Alexander is soon discovered and both are burned alive.

On the sources

The account contains a story almost identical to that of the saints Theodora and Didymus of Alexandria (martyrs under Diocletian and Maximian), and this resemblance shows the legendary character of the acts. It is thought that "Antonina" and "Alexander" may be invented names, to make oral repetition of the tale easier; it is possible, however, say scholars, that the legend keeps the shadow of a real martyrdom, forgotten by the storytellers. The Orthodox commemoration on 10 June differs from the day of death given by the Serbian source (3 May), and our sources do not explain why. We keep the story as it reached us, as an example of purity and sacrificial love.