Helladius of Anazarbus

Holy Martyr Helladius of Anazarbus was the jailer who supervised the prison of the city of Anazarbus in the time of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, and became a martyr after he believed in Christ through the words and patience of the Holy Martyr Theodulia.

The governor of the city, Pelagius, was very cruel. His servants sought Christians throughout the province and brought them to trial, where, hearing the emperor's order, they were to bow to the idols. Once a Christian woman, Theodulia, was brought to him. She answered that she was a Christian, that this name was her honoured and eternal one, that she worshipped the one true God and would not bow to a stone.

Pelagius grew furious and ordered the tortures, but the Lord helped Theodulia and she did not feel the pain. Led into the temple of Hadrian, honoured as the mightiest god, she prayed to the true God, breathed on the idol, and it crumbled to dust. Pelagius was terrified and asked her to raise it from the dust, promising to accept Christianity. Theodulia prayed to Jesus and the idol stood again whole in its place, but Pelagius did not keep his word and tortured her still more cruelly.

During these tortures Helladius, who guarded the prisoners, approached the governor and asked him to give him the virgin Theodulia, promising to make her bow to the gods, for he wanted to become famous and receive honour from the governor. He subjected her to heavy tortures, surpassing Pelagius in cruelty. Theodulia prayed to God to give her patience, received help at once and was healed.

The tormentor was astonished, and Theodulia advised him to become a Christian, so as to receive eternal honour in the Kingdom of Christ. So, through her prayers and counsel, Helladius came to the knowledge of the truth, believed in Christ and confessed the true God before the governor. For this he too received the crown of martyrdom: his head was cut off with a sword and his body thrown into the sea.

Theodulia was thrown into a blazing furnace but remained unharmed. Then she was stretched on a pan and doused with boiling pitch, wax and oil, but the heated pan burst into pieces and the fire burned many people, among them the governor Pelagius, who died a dreadful death, while Theodulia again remained unharmed. Seeing this wonder, many believed in Christ, among them the notable citizens Macarius and Evagrius. The pagans went on tormenting the Christians still more fiercely: they kindled the furnace and threw into it Theodulia, Macarius, Evagrius and many others who had believed. All received a martyr's death with prayer on their lips.

The Synaxarion commemorates Theodulia, Helladius and the others on 18 February (new style).