Holy Hieromartyr Polychronios, Bishop of Babylon, and Those With Him

(Feast Day - July 30)

The Hieromartyr Polychronios, Bishop of Babylon; the Presbyters Parmenios, Helimas, and Chrysotelis; the Deacons Luke and Moukos; the Persian Princes and Martyrs Abdon and Sennes; and the Martyrs Olympios and Maximos* suffered in the 3rd century during the persecution of Christians by Emperor Decius (249–251). Having defeated the Persians and taken control of their land, Decius found many Christians there and began to persecute them. The Bishop of Babylon, Saint Polychronios, along with his presbyters Parmenios, Helimas, and Chrysotelis, and two deacons, Luke and Moukos, were captured and brought before the emperor. He commanded them to offer sacrifices to idols. However, Saint Polychronios boldly replied to Decius: "We offer ourselves as a sacrifice to our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will never bow to your worthless idols made by human hands." For these words, the enraged Decius threw the confessors into prison. 

During the second interrogation, Saint Polychronios remained silent. Then Decius remarked to the presbyters: "Your leader has become mute." Saint Parmenios replied, “The holy bishop is not without a voice, but he does not wish to defile his pure lips and cast pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6). In a rage Decius commanded that Saint Parmenios’ tongue be cut out. In spite of this, Parmenios spoke clearly to Saint Polychronios, saying, “Pray for me, Father, for I behold the Holy Spirit upon you.”

Saint Anastasios the Persian Resource Page

St. Anastasios the Persian (Feast Day - January 22)

Verses

Anastasios is strangled by the throat,

The cord becoming beautified with brilliance.

On the twenty-second Anastasios underwent strangling.

 

Holy Martyr Anastasios the Persian (+ 628)

 

The Veneration of Saint Anastasios the Persian in Zakynthos

 

Church of Saint Anastasios the Persian on the Panagiotopoulos Estate of Salamis

 

Papa-Fotis from Mytilene and Saint Anastasios the Persian

 

Saint Bessarion of Agathonos Revered Saint Anastasios the Persian 

 

 

Ifra Hormizd, a Saint of the Church Who Was the Wife and Mother of Persian Kings

King Shapur II as a child being served by servants and his mother Ifra (The Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, 16th cent.)

On November 2nd, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Martyrs Akindynos, Aphthonios, Pegasios, Elpidophoros, Anempodistos and 7,000 others martyred with them in Persia during the reign and persecution of Shapur II, King of the Sassanid Empire. King Shapur II was the son of King Hormizd II and one of his wives Ifra Hormizd.

The son of Ifra Hormizd became the King of the Sassanid Empire in the following manner. Following the death of Hormizd II (r. 302–309), his son Adur Narseh (r. 309–309) succeeded him, but after a while he was deposed and killed by noblemen. Nobles then blinded Hormizd's second son and his third son who was named Hormizd, was imprisoned. He escaped the prison shortly afterwards and took refuge in the Roman Empire. Therefore the throne of the Sassanid Empire was considered for the unborn son of Hormizd by his wife Ifra Hormizd, who later became Shapur II (r. 309–379). Thus, the crown was said to have been placed on Ifra's belly (the only coronation in history done through a mother's womb), and she ruled over the country with nobles from 309 until the adulthood of her son, Shapur II, who was declared mature to rule himself at age sixteen in 325.