Doulas of Egypt

Venerable Doulas, also called Doulas of Egypt, was a monk in a monastery of Egypt, honoured as a passion-⁠bearer. The sources place him somewhere between the third and the sixth century. He was known for his gentle and guileless nature. The Church commemorates him on 15 June by the old calendar (28 June on the new), and a second time on 19 January, on the feast of the Synaxis of all the saints who shone forth in the land of Egypt.

From the day of his tonsure, for twenty years Doulas endured the mockery and scorn of the other monks. One day he was falsely accused of stealing the sacred vessels of the church and of other offences. He said he was innocent, but no one listened, and false witnesses were found. In the end he humbled himself and said: “Forgive me, holy fathers, I am a sinner.” The monks questioned him, pressing him to reveal where he had hidden the stolen vessels, and he could only answer: “I do not have the vessels that have gone missing.” After many tortures and beatings, the secular court sentenced him to have both hands cut off. Only then did the real thief, stung by conscience, confess what he had done.

Doulas was released, and they began to ask his forgiveness, while he only thanked them for the chance to suffer without guilt. According to the Serbian source, the accuser repented, and the monk was brought back to the monastery after twenty years of exile and humiliation. The Russian sources say that he reposed three days later, while praying on his knees in his cell. The Serbian source adds that, according to Christian tradition, his body miraculously vanished. His life is contained in the Lives of the Saints of Saint Demetrius of Rostov.