She was placed into three bronze oxen which were heated by fire.
When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). Through her teaching, she converted five thousand people to Christ.
She returned to the tower built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed by a bolt of lightning.Īfter this, St Irene walked into the city and performed many miracles. In spite of this, Savorus refused to recognize the power of God.
She prayed again and they received their sight once more. When he refused, St Irene prayed and his entire army was blinded. St Irene went to her home town of Magedon in Persia to meet Savorus and his army, and ask him to end the persecution. Sedecius was deposed by his son Savorus, who persecuted Christians with an even greater zeal than his father had done. Under the influence of her preaching and miracles even more people were converted to Christ, and turned away from the worship of inanimate idols. Sedecius ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and he subjected St Irene to many other tortures, but she remained unharmed. The saint spent ten days in the pit and remained unharmed, for an angel of the Lord protected her and brought her food. By order of Sedecius she was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and serpents. St Irene staunchly confessed her faith before the prefect, not fearing his wrath, and prepared to undergo suffering for Christ. He also attempted to force her to sacrifice to the idols. Sedecius summoned the saint to him and urged her to stop preaching about Christ. Apellian replied that Irene, like other Christians, lived in strict temperance, devoting herself to constant prayer and reading holy books. When Sedecius, the new prefect of the city, heard of this miracle he summoned Apellian and questioned him about Irene's manner of life. St Irene lived in the house of her teacher Apellian, and she began to preach Christ among the pagans, converting them to the path of salvation. Resigning his administrative duties, Licinius devoted himself to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seeing such a miracle, Licinius and his wife, and many of the people, (about 3000 men) believed in Christ and turned from the pagan gods. They untied the holy virgin, and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of eyewitnesses with his hand intact. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him. Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but he horses remained motionless. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. When Licinius learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods, he was furious. Since St Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. Shortly after this, she destroyed all her father's idols. She even urged her own parents to become Christians. After this Penelope refused marriage, was baptized by the priest Timothy, and she was named Irene (peace). The raven and the snake foretold her future suffering and sorrow.Īt the end of the conversation Apellianus said that the Lord wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly Bridegroom. The eagle with the wreath of flowers represented success in her future life.
Penelope was puzzled by these events and wondered what they meant.Īpellian explained that the dove signified her education, and the olive branch stood for the grace of God which is received in Baptism. Finally, a raven flew in carrying a snake, which it dropped on the table. Then an eagle swooped in with a wreath of flowers in its beak, and also placed it upon the table. One day, a dove flew through the window carrying an olive branch in its beak, depositing it upon a table. When Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her the Christian Faith and the Christian virtues. An old tutor by the name of Apellian was assigned to give her the best possible education. He also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. Penelope was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. She was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her parents named her Penelope. The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century.
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