Commemorated on July 17th
The Holy Great Martyr Marina was born in the city of Antioch of Pisidia, into the family of a pagan priest. She lost her mother in infancy and her father gave her into the care of a nursemaid, who raised Marina in the Orthodox Faith. Upon learning that his daughter had become a Christian, her father angrily disowned her. During the time of the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian, when she was fifteen years old, Saint Marina was arrested and imprisoned.
The governor Olymbrios, charmed with the beautiful girl, tried to persuade her to renounce the Christian Faith and become his wife. The saint refused his offers. The vexed governor gave the holy martyr over to torture. Having beaten her fiercely, they fastened the saint with nails to a board and tore at her body with tridents. During the night, she was granted heavenly aid and healed of her wounds. The next day she was stripped, tied to a tree, and burned. Barely alive, the martyr prayed: “Lord, You have granted me to go through fire for Your Name, grant me also to go through the water of holy Baptism.”
Hearing the word “water,” the governor gave orders to drown the saint in a large cauldron. The martyr besought the Lord that this manner of execution should become her Holy Baptism. When they plunged her into the water, there shone a bright light and a snow-white dove came down from Heaven, bearing in its beak a golden crown. The fetters upon Saint Marina came apart by themselves. The martyr stood up in the font of Baptism glorifying the Holy Trinity. Saint Marina emerged from the font completely healed, without any trace of burns. Amazed at this miracle, the people glorified the True God, and many came to believe. This sent the governor into a rage, and he gave orders to kill anyone who might confess the Name of Christ – 15,000 Christians perished there, and the holy Martyr Marina was beheaded.
