Macarius of Antioch

Holy Venerable Confessor Macarius of Antioch was a priest of the Church of Antioch, together with Saint Eugenius, in the time of Julian the Apostate (361-363). The Azbyka page commemorates the two together.

Because they refused to take part in pagan orgies, they were brought to the emperor's judgement. The priests fearlessly rebuked him for his apostasy and were given over to cruel torments, which they bore with prayer and spiritual joy. After the torments they were sent in chains into exile at Oasim, an oasis of the Arabian desert, where they wished to settle on a mountain. The local people warned them to leave that place at once, because a huge serpent lived there. The saints asked to be shown the place, and at their prayer lightning struck the cave and burned the monster. Eugenius and Macarius struggled in this cave. The confessors prayed that they might die together, the Lord heard their prayer, and they departed at the same time, in the year 363.

Their memory falls on a movable day around 4 March, in the new style.