Memorial Day of the Holy Martyrs Leontius, Hypatius and Theodulus

On July 1 (June 18, old style), Christians remember the martyrs Leontius, Hypatius and Theodulus Leontius was the military commander in Tripoli Local residents respected him for his courage and prudence, his reading and education Leonty helped the poor and suffering people The man professed Christianity, he persuaded many pagans to abandon idolatry One day, Senator Adrian was informed that his military leader was preaching Christianity Then the ruler sent the tribune Hypatius to arrest the preacher Hypatius fell ill with a fever on the way and no longer hoped to survive In his delirium, an angel in white robes appeared to him, proclaiming that in order to be healed, the patient needed to praise the god of that same Leontius three times Hypatius, sent to arrest Leontius, hesitated for a long time Then he told his squad of soldiers about the strange vision, among whom was his close comrade Theodulus He persuaded Hypatius to submit to the will of the angel The man, wanting to recover, followed his friend’s request and was immediately healed Theodul, filled with surprise and delight, became imbued with Christianity and persuaded his friend to go in search of Leontius to give him praise and gratitude They left the military detachment and set out At the gates to the city, the friends met a stranger who sheltered them and generously treated them It turned out that it was Leonty Theodulus and Hypatius immediately received baptism from him After the sacrament, a cloud appeared over the baptized and blessed rain fell The detachment of soldiers left by Hypatius reached Tripoli, and soon the ruler arrived there Having learned that his will was not carried out, Adrian, in a rage, ordered Hypatius, Theodulus and Leontius to be brought The captured trio were intimidated in every possible way, ordered to renounce their faith, and subjected to terrible torture However, the passion-bearers remained steadfast in their faith Being imprisoned together, the three martyrs talked a lot about the Lord and the miracles he performed These conversations gave strength to the new Christians After another refusal to renounce Christ, Hypatius and Theodulus had their heads cut off Leonty was beaten to death and his body was thrown outside the city There the warrior was picked up by Christians and buried according to all the canons of his faith A temple was later built in his honor at the burial site Particles of the relics of Leontius are found in Greece, Russia, and Israel On the day of remembrance of the passion-bearers, churches hold services in their honor The clergy also read a special kontakion dedicated to the martyr Leontius of Tripoli For a long time, peasants associated this church holiday with the beginning of the grain harvest and began to prepare tools for field work