Memorial Day of the Venerable Martinian

Every year on February 26, the Orthodox celebrate the day of St Martinian of Caesarea This saint is revered by believers as the patron saint of purity and fidelity of marriage and a strong family People turn to Martinian with prayers for salvation from fornication and debauchery The Palestinian saint became famous after his hermit life on a mountain near the city of Caesarea, founded by Herod the Great Martinian fell in love with the Lord from childhood, and when the young man turned 18, he left his father’s house In the 4th century, a young monk settled as a hermit in a cave He was handsome in face and body, but his soul was far from earthly joys The Saint spent all his time in prayer and reading the Psalter For his godly life, Martinian was awarded by God the gift of healing from various diseases and casting out demons People flocked to the monk They asked the hermit for the salvation of the soul, healing from terrible illnesses The devil was haunted by Martinian's godly life The enemy of the human race turned into a snake and began to undermine the Saint’s home The monk continued to pray, despite the threat of his cell collapsing The defeated devil withdrew, leaving the saint alone for a while Martinian lived as a hermit for 25 years in solitude and prayer, when new temptations arose In the city there lived a young harlot woman whose name was Zoya She heard from other people about the holy, immaculate, beautiful Martinian Driven by devilish intent, Zoya changed into rags and asked to spend the night with the saint on a rainy, cold night The saint let the poor wanderer into his home, moved by love for God The harlot changed her dirty rags, dressing up in expensive and beautiful clothes that she took with her Zoya approached the monk with her flattering speeches, seducing him with her robe and young body The temptation was very strong, but love for God overcame the temptation Martinian brought brushwood to his cell and lit a fire He stood in the fire, burning his flesh and crying out to the Lord for salvation Seeing the faith of the saint, Zoya repented and fell on her knees before the monk, begging him to forgive her The hermit blessed the girl to live in the monastery of St Paul, where she went and lived there for 12 years, after which she died The monk healed his burns and left Caesarea, settling on a rock by the sea He lived in the open air, weaving baskets, exchanging them for meager food from the shipowner Once, during a storm, a beautiful girl Svetlana (in Orthodoxy - Photinia) was thrown onto the island by the sea Martinian saved the beauty, left her meager food and baskets, and he himself threw himself into the sea and swam away from the island Photinia lived on the rock for 6 years, praying to God Her only support was the shipman, who brought food every few months He also witnessed the holy death of Photinia Martinian was carried out of the sea by two dolphins The saint led the life of a wanderer for two years Feeling the approach of death, the monk came to the city of Athens, fell to the floor in the temple and called for a priest This is how Saint Martinian ended his earthly journey On February 26, the Orthodox remember together with the venerable saints Zoya and Photinia