Eugenius and Macarius of Mauritania

The holy Confessors Eugenius and Macarius of Mauritania, as listed in our record, were, according to the OCA, presbyter confessors of the Church of Antioch who suffered in the time of the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). They are commemorated on 19 February.

Brought before the emperor's judgment because they refused to take part in pagan orgies, the two presbyters boldly rebuked him for his apostasy and were subjected to fierce tortures, which they endured with prayer and spiritual joy. After the tortures they were sent into exile at Oasim, an oasis in the Arabian desert, where they intended to settle on a hill. The local people warned them to leave at once, since an enormous snake lived there. The saints asked to be shown the place, and through their prayer a lightning bolt struck the cave and reduced the monster to ashes.

Eugenius and Macarius lived in that cave. The confessors prayed that they might die together, and the Lord heard their prayer: they died in 363, at the same time.