Saintes Archélaé,
Thècle et Suzanne
martyres à
Salerne (✝
v. 293)
Vierges chrétiennes de La Romagna qui pour échapper à la
mort se réfugièrent à Nola en Campanie. Accusées d'être chrétiennes, elles
furent condamnées, torturées et décapitées à Salerne sous le règne de
Dioclétien.
Francesco Solimena est un peintre italien (Canale di Serino 1657 –
Barra [Naples] 1747). Vers 1680, il peint des fresques avec des scènes de la
vie des saintes Thècle, Archelaa et Suzanne dans l'église S. Giorgio à Salerne.
(source: Larousse)
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/10653/Saintes-Archelae--Thecle-et-Suzanne.html
St. Archelais and Companions
St. Archelais and Companions
St. Archelais, St. Thecla and St. Susanna
(d. 293) were Christian virgins of the Romagna region of Italy. During the
persecution by Diocletian in the third century, these holy virgins dressed
themselves in men’s clothing, cut their hair and went to the Italian province
of Campagna. Settling in a remote area, they continued to pursue an ascetical
life of fasting and prayer. They received the gift of healing from God, treated
the local inhabitants, and converted many pagans to Christ.
When the governor of the district heard of these
healings, he had the holy women brought to Salerno. He threatened St. Archelais
with torture and death if she did not offer sacrifice to idols. With firm hope
in the Lord, the saint refused and denounced the folly of worshipping soulless
statues. The governor ordered the saint to be torn apart by hungry lions, but
the beasts meekly lay at her feet. In a rage, the governor ordered the lions to
be killed, and locked the holy virgins in prison.
In the morning, having suspended St. Archelais from
a tree, the torturers began to rake her with iron utensils and pour hot tar on
the wounds. The saint prayed even more loudly, and suddenly a light shone over
her and a voice was heard, “Fear not, for I am with you.”
St. Archelais was defended by the power of God.
When they wanted to crush her with an immense stone, an angel pushed it to the
other side, and it crushed the torturers instead. A judge ordered the soldiers
to behead the holy virgins, but the soldiers did not dare to put their hands
upon the saints. Sts. Archelais, Thekla and Susanna then said to the soldiers,
“If you do not fulfill the command, you shall have no respect from us.” Thus,
the holy martyrs were beheaded in 293.
SAINTS ARCHELAIS, THECLA, AND
SUSANNA – VIRGINS AND MARTYRS +293
The Christian maidens Archelais,
Thecla, and Susanna, natives of Italy’s Romagna region, fled to the Italian
city of Nola in the hope of escaping the persecution under the Roman Emperor
Diocletian (284-305).
Having consecrated her virginity
to God, Archelais devoted herself to prayer night and day and mortified herself
with penances. Many are said to have been cured of their infirmities by her
prayers.
Ultimately the three maidens were
arrested by the pagans. When summoned before the proconsul Leontius, Archelais
debated with the magistrate, defending her faith and refuting the idolatry of
paganism. Leontius then ordered her to be exposed to lions, but the animals
refused to harm her.
Afterward, Archelais invited the
proconsul to embrace Christianity, telling him, “Believe what I say to you;
believe in God the Father almighty, and in Jesus Christ his Son, who created
you, and has illuminated the hidden places of darkness, and has manifested
himself to all the nations.” In the end, Archelais and her fellow virgins
Thecla and Susanna were beheaded in Salerno.
“Eternal light, shine in my
heart;
eternal hope, lift up my eyes;
eternal pow’r, be my support;
eternal wisdom, make me wise.
Until by your most costly grace,
invited by your holy word,
at last I come before your face
to know you, my eternal God.”
SOURCE : http://prayers4reparation.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/about-saints-archelais-thecla-and-susanna/
Ss. Susanna, Archelais, and Thekla, Martyrs
The Holy
Virgin Martyrs Susanna, Archelais, and Thekla sought salvation in a small
monastery near Rome. During the persecution by Diocletian in the third century,
the holy virgins dressed themselves in men’s clothing, cut their hair and went
to the Italian province of Campagna. Settling in a remote area, they continued
to pursue an ascetical life of fasting and prayer. They received the gift of
healing from God, treated the local inhabitants, and converted many pagans to
Christ.
When the
governor of the district heard of these healings, he had the holy women brought
to Salerno. He threatened St. Archelais with torture and death if she did not
offer sacrifice to idols. With firm hope in the Lord, the saint refused and
denounced the folly of worshipping soulless statues. The governor ordered the
saint to be torn apart by hungry lions, but the beasts meekly lay at her feet.
In a rage, the governor ordered the lions to be killed, and locked the holy
virgins in prison.
In the
morning, having suspended St. Archelais from a tree, the torturers began to
rake her with iron utensils and pour hot tar on the wounds. The saint prayed
even more loudly, and suddenly a light shone over her and a voice was heard,
“Fear not, for I am with you.”
St.
Archelais was defended by the power of God. When they wanted to crush her with
an immense stone, an angel pushed it to the other side, and it crushed the
torturers instead. A judge ordered the soldiers to behead the holy virgins, but
the soldiers did not dare to put their hands upon the saints. Sts. Archelais,
Thekla and Susanna then said to the soldiers, “If you do not fulfill the
command, you shall have no respect from us.” Thus, the holy martyrs were
beheaded in 293.
In the
nineteenth century, St. Susanna appeared to a disciple of Elder Boniface
saying, “We must pray to God with the soul, the mind, and the heart.” She is
described as a maiden of untold beauty, with a soft, pleasant voice.
By
permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)
SOURCE : http://www.antiochian.org/node/18730
