Archbishop Casian of the Lower Danube and Bishop Visarion of Tulcea celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Wednesday at Halmyris Monastery in Tulcea County on the patronal feast of Saints Epictetus and Astion.
Archbishop Casian highlighted the decisive role the witness of the two holy martyrs played in the spread of Christianity, noting that “through their testimony, as many as 1,000 people from this city were converted to the Christian faith.”
“The places sanctified by the blood of the martyrs—especially here, where Saints Epictetus and Astion suffered in the third century in the prosperous city of Halmyris—teach us many lessons, including the healing of numerous sick people,” His Eminence told Trinitas TV.
The Archbishop of the Lower Danube also recalled the conversion of Saint Astion’s parents:
“This is the earliest recorded account of a family—a father and a mother—who, before the holy relics of their son, received catechetical instruction from a priest, were baptised, and thus a new Christian family was born at the very place of martyrdom.”
He added:
“We have preserved this understanding in the Holy Mystery of Marriage, where the martyrs’ faithfulness to Christ is always recalled as the foundation of the faithfulness of husband and wife within the family and of their love for their children.”
The living and active presence of the saints
Bishop Visarion emphasised that the veneration of the two saints continues nearly 17 centuries after their martyrdom.
“Clergy and faithful have gathered in this holy and blessed place at Halmyris, a site steeped in history, on the day when the Church commemorates the Holy Martyrs Epictetus and Astion, who suffered martyrdom here.”
The bishop noted that the witness of the two martyrs remains alive today.
“Seventeen hundred years have passed since their martyrdom, yet they remain ever present in the consciousness of the Church and in the hearts of the faithful.”
He concluded with a prayer:
“We pray that, through the intercessions of Saints Epictetus and Astion, God may help and bless us all, granting us strength in the true faith, courage to confess it, and zeal for good and sacrificial works, so that we too may inherit the eternal life to which our Saviour Jesus Christ has called us.”
Halmyris Monastery was built on the site of the ancient Roman fortress of the same name, where Saints Epictetus and Astion were martyred. Construction of the monastery began shortly after the discovery of their holy relics in 2001.
Photo: Facebook / Diocese of Tulcea
