Aquilina

Saint Aquilina suffered about the year 250, in the time of the emperor Decius (249 to 251), together with the holy martyr Christopher and the holy martyr Callinica. They are commemorated on 22 May. The names of the two women are not included in the present calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Saint Christopher lived in the third century. Many accounts circulate about his life and miracles, and his memory is honoured in both the Eastern and the Western Church. According to some sources he was of the Canaanite people, according to others, of the Cynocephali. He was a very tall man of extraordinary strength, and his face was fearsome. Tradition says that at first he had a beautiful face, but, to escape temptations for himself and those around him, he asked the Lord to give him an ugly one, and this was fulfilled. Before baptism he was called Reprebus (worthless). Even before baptism he confessed faith in Christ and rebuked those who persecuted Christians. For this he was once beaten by a certain Bacchus, and received the blows with humility. Soon two hundred soldiers were sent to bring him to the emperor Decius. Reprebus submitted without resistance. On the way wonders happened: the dry staff in his hand blossomed, and at his prayer the loaves that were not enough for the travellers multiplied. The soldiers, amazed by the wonders, believed in Christ and were baptized, together with Reprebus, by Bishop Babylas of Antioch.

When Christopher was brought to the emperor, the latter was terrified by his appearance and decided to make him renounce Christ not by force but by cunning. He summoned two prostitutes, Callinica and Aquilina, and ordered them to lead Christopher to renounce and to bring him to offer sacrifice to the idols. But the women were themselves turned by Christopher to faith in Christ and, returning to the emperor, declared themselves Christians, for which they were subjected to cruel tortures and died as martyrs. Decius condemned to death also the soldiers sent for Christopher, who had believed in Christ. The emperor ordered the martyr thrown into a red-⁠hot bronze box, but Christopher felt no pain and remained unharmed. After many cruel tortures his head was at last cut off with the sword, in the year 250, in Lycia. By his miracles Saint Christopher brought up to fifty thousand pagans to Christ, as Saint Ambrose testifies. Later his relics were moved to Toledo, and then to the abbey of Saint-⁠Denis in France.