Memorial Day of St. Martin I

Among the Orthodox church holidays there are dates dedicated to the memory of the saints of the Western Roman Church Such holidays include April 27 - the Day of Remembrance of St Martin I Pope Martin reigned in the 7th century, during a time of confusion in the church world by the heretical teachings of the Monothelites The views of the heretics were supported by the Byzantine Emperor Constance and the Patriarch of Constantinople Paul By imperial command, a heretical “Model of Faith” was published, which all segments of the population, including Roman priests, had to adhere to Martin could not come to terms with such a situation, and responded to the emperor’s decree with a message in which he called on the Church of Constantinople to return to true Orthodoxy, not distorted by heresy Constance took the Pope's protest as an insult, and ordered the military commander Olympius to bring Martin to Constantinople for trial Arriving in Rome, Olympius saw that the people and clergy supported the saint and did not dare to arrest him, but planned an insidious murder But as soon as the assassin sent approached the Pope, he was struck by blindness What happened struck Olympius, and he left the eternal city in fear Emperor Constance sends the next military leader to Rome with the intention of slandering and arresting the Pope Monstrous accusations were brought against Martin and, despite the fact that the lie was refuted, the saint was taken to the island of Naxos, where he was kept in captivity for about a year Harsh conditions undermined Martin’s health; as a frail old man, he was brought to Constantinople for trial, where he was subjected to new abuses, tarnishing his good name But the torment of the former Pope was not enough for Constance, and he demanded a repetition of the interrogations of the saint Despite the weakness of his body, Martin showed true strength of spirit, defending the purity of the Orthodox faith The elder’s fortitude amazed even his tormentors and the death penalty was replaced by exile, where the former ruler of the Roman Church met his death In folk tradition, St Martin's Day has acquired different names: Bird Amulet, Crow Festival, Martin the Fox It was believed that crows released their young from the flock to live independently Bridesmaids and matchmaking, common on this day in villages and hamlets, were also intended for young people to enter adulthood On April 27, winter was finally receding, and the peasants began sowing Light rain and wet ground were considered a good thing, promising easy plowing and a bountiful harvest The hunters had their own signs; they believed that this was a housewarming period for foxes The foxes changed holes, and within three days they could be easily caught