Memorial Day of the Venerable Martyr Evdokia Iliopolskaya

Every year on March 14, Orthodox Christians remember Eudokia of Iliopolis (late 1st-2nd century AD) in their prayers The martyr was born in the capital of northern Israel - Samaria (Chevron), but spent the conscious years of her life in Iliopolis (a city in Ancient Egypt near Cairo) In her youth, Evdokia was a very beautiful and slender girl who made men fall in love with her at first sight She led a dissolute lifestyle and earned money from a vicious craft Among her fans were major politicians and military men of that time Wealthy men came to her from other countries and cities As a result of carnal pleasures, a large fortune was accumulated Evdokia's carefree life was disrupted by the visit of monk Herman to Iliopol The monk preached the Lord, reading the Gospel aloud The girl heard the reading She was impressed by the lines of Holy Scripture about the second coming of Jesus Christ and the Judgment of God Conversations with Herman became a turning point in the fate of the future saint She decided to be baptized The local clergyman, knowing Evdokia’s sinful life, appointed a week of fasting and prayer before the holy rite On one of the days of sincere repentance, Archangel Michael appeared to Evdokia, promising help and support to the saint on her godly path After receiving baptism, Evdokia distributed all her property to the poor, dismissed the servants, and headed to the nunnery Soon she became his abbess God sent many miracles to Evdokia during her earthly life Thus, while the saint was in the monastery, a former admirer came to her and urged her to leave the monastery, return to the world and take up a vicious craft His name was Philostratus By the providence of God, the deceitful and vulgar tricks of the former admirer were punished - he fell and died After the prayers of Evdokia, Philostratus was resurrected, he repented of his sinful thoughts and returned to the city in peace Evdokia’s former boyfriends were haunted by the thought of the wealth earned through a dissolute life with their help They turned the local ruler against the saint and organized a campaign of three hundred soldiers to seize the wealth of the monastery But the plan was not destined to come true The Lord defeated the attackers on the women's community, including the ruler's son Only a few people remained alive They told the ruler the terrible news about the death of their son and the death of the entire army Philostratus, once resurrected by Evdokia, convinced the ruler to stop pursuing the saint and ask her to save the heir Through the prayers of the martyr, the ruler’s son was revived, the whole family repented and received holy baptism Numerous cases are known of the resurrection of people by Evdokia through prayers to the Lord: the governor of Iliopolis - the pagan Diogenes and his servants, the wife of Diodorus, a youth bitten by a snake Sincere repentance transformed the great sinner, making her a saint Evdokia lived after baptism for about 60 years Her death was a martyr's in the name of Jesus Christ: Evdokia was beheaded after her unwillingness to renounce God on the orders of Vincent, an ardent opponent of Christians