Hermione of Ephesus

Saint Hermione of Ephesus was one of the four daughters of Saint Philip the Evangelist, a renowned healer who founded the first Christian hospital in Ephesus and died a martyr around 117. The Church remembers her on 4 September. The Acts of the Apostles mention Philip's four daughters, virgins with the gift of prophecy, though their names do not appear there.

According to tradition, early in the second century, after studying medicine, Hermione travelled with her sister Eutychis (Eutychia) to Ephesus to meet Saint John the Theologian and help in his work of preaching. They found that he had died, but they found Petronius, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, and followed him. Hermione became known for her healings, by the power of Christ, and built a hospital in Ephesus. Emperor Trajan, on his way to the war with the Persians in 114, stopped at Ephesus and ordered her seized. He tried in vain to make her renounce Christ and ordered her struck in the face for several hours. She endured, comforted by a vision of the Lord. Hermione foretold to the emperor victory over the Persians and that his son-⁠in-⁠law Hadrian would succeed him. Trajan let her go and repented.

She stayed at Ephesus and continued to heal. Under Hadrian she was seized again and endured many torments: she was thrown into a cauldron of tar and molten sulphur, but she made the sign of the cross and remained unharmed, the fire going out and she seeming to stand in dew. She was beaten without mercy, her feet were pierced, and she was laid on a heated pan. The fire under the pan burst out and burned some of those present. Hadrian touched the cauldron and his nails fell off. After these wonders Hermione was taken to a pagan temple, where, according to tradition, the idols fell at her prayer, and Hadrian ordered her beheaded. Her executioners, Theodulus and Timothy, stood stunned for a moment, fell at her feet and believed in Christ, and she healed them. The Synaxarion of the Church of Constantinople says that Hermione fell asleep in peace and was buried at Ephesus. According to the Menologion of Basil II, she, her sister Eutychia and the executioners who had believed were beheaded together. She may be buried on the eastern slope of Pion Hill at Ephesus, but there is no archaeological evidence.