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Holy Martyr Hieron and his Companions 11/20/2013
He was born in the city of Tyana in Cappadocia of good and devout mother, Stratonica, who was blind. Hieron was a zealous Christian and took care of his blind mother with great love. For these two reasons he refused to join the army, so he beat up the soldiers that came to take him and drove them off. He could not leave his helpless mother and he could not bear the thought that as a soldier he would have to venerate and offer sacrifices to the idols. At last, together with other Christians, he was seized and taken to appear before the Governor at Melitene. One night, on their way there a man dressed in white garments appeared to him and said: “Hieron, I am to announce your salvation: you will not fight for the Emperor on earth, but you will soon perform a deed for the Heavenly King and will pass over to Him and He will grant you glory and honour.” This news brought to his heart joy beyond words. As soon as they arrived at Melitene, they were all cast into prison. Here Hieron with great zeal encouraged his fellow-prisoners in the faith, praying for them to preserve their faith and all of them to offer voluntarily their bodies for martyrdom for Christ. Brought before the Governor, they all together confessed their faith in Christ, except for a relative of Hieron, named Victor, who fell out from the faith. The tyrants cut off Hieron’s arm, beat him, put him to all kinds of atrocious tortures and finally they killed him, along with his companions. As they walked toward the place of their final contest, all the thirty-three Martyrs together sang the psalm:” Blessed are those that are undefiled in the way and walk in the law of the Lord. “ Let us remember the names of these honourable Martyrs whose names are written in the Book of Life: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodotus, Callimachus, Eugene, Theodolus, Ostrychius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castricius, Anicletus, Temelius, Eutychus, Hilarion, Diodotos and Amonitos. A man called Chrisant paid for the head of Saint Hieron and buried it with devotion, and later he built over it a church in honour of Saint Hieron. His arm was taken to his blind mother. Saint Hieron and his companions suffered Martyrdom and passed over to the glory of Christ in the year 298.
