St. Natalia of Nicomedia: Life

As a symbol of conjugal love and loyalty to the Orthodox, the early Christian Saint Natalia of Nicomedia is honored. The icon with its image with worthy and sincere prayer and faith will help to strengthen family relations and protect the loved one from various harassment and troubles. The celebration of the saints Natalia and her husband Adrian is celebrated on September 8. The relics of the saint are now preserved in Milan, in the Basilica of San Lorenzo Maggiore.

Life

The Holy Martyr Natalia of Nicomedia, together with her husband Adrian, lived at the beginning of the 4th century in Nicodemia, in Asia Minor. Adrian was a pagan and served as an official with Emperor Maximian Galerius, who was a hated persecutor of Christians. This ruler especially cruelly punished those who concealed the Christians, and those who reported on them, promised rewards and honors. That's why the endless denunciations began. Once the wicked brought to the commander that in one of the caves are hidden Christians who spend the night in prayer singing to their God.

Fearless Christians

Soldiers immediately caught all the Christians who were in her, who numbered twenty-three people. They were put on iron chains and sent for questioning to the emperor. Maximian ordered to ruthlessly beat them with sticks, then with stones on his lips. However, the executions did not strike Christians as much as they crushed themselves in the jaw. The saints told the unrighteous Emperor that he was expecting incomparably greater torments than them. And all because he obviously did not think that all people have the same bodies, with only one difference: he is impure and bad, and they are purified by Holy Baptism.

Saint Adrian

Then the king ordered the prisoners to be locked in iron chains and sent to prison. Their names and speeches were to be written down in court books. When they were brought into the court chamber, one of the noble husbands (Adrian), who was watching the terrible torments of Christians, asked them what kind of reward they expect to receive from their God for such torments? They answered him with words from the Holy Scripture, where they say that they did not see the eye, the ear did not hear, and the heart did not come to the person that the Lord had prepared for those who loved Him. When Adrian heard these words, he went out to the scribes and told them to write down his name next to the names of these martyrs and for Christ's willing to die with them.

The king heard about this, became angry and wished that he immediately repented. But Adrian said that he would repent before the true God for his sins made when he was a pagan. Then Adrian was encased in iron chains and sent to prison with those martyrs.

To the husband in prison

When the incident was told to his wife Natalia, she tore her clothes. But when she found out that he had become a Christian, he rejoiced in the spirit. Natalia Nikomidijskaya has long been a Christian, like her holy parents, but the girl kept this secret, and now she has firmly resolved to declare this. She put on her best clothes and went to her husband's dungeon. There the wife fell at the feet of Hadrian, began to kiss his fetters and beg him that he was not afraid of torture, for everything would soon end, and from Christ in Heaven he would receive an eternal reward.

St. Natalia of Nicomedia

She went to her home, and a few days later Adrian was asked to go home to call his Natalya to be executed. When she saw Adrian in the courtyard, Natalya shut all the doors and sobbed bitterly. She thought that he became an atheist and renounced the faith of Christ, and therefore he was released.

Adrian reassured and said that he came to say goodbye to her, that the saints in the dungeon had vouched for him, and now he needs to return soon. Hearing such a speech, she opened the door and hugged her husband. And then they went to the dungeon together. There, Natalia Nikomediiskaya began to kiss the fetters of martyrs, whose wounds were stale, and worms fell from them. Then she sent for a maid to bring linen for bandages.

Torture

Adrian was still strong, and he was first brought to the penalty. Natalia Nikomediyskaya encouraged him in every possible way. Maximian demanded sacrifice to the pagan gods. And then the martyr began to beat on the belly, so much so that his entrails began to fall out. Adrian was young, he was only 28 years old, after torture he was again sent to prison. Natalia was always there, cheered on her husband, wiped his blood and wounds. There were other wives with her, who looked after the holy martyrs and applied curative herbs to their wounds. Upon learning of this, the authorities forbade women to enter the prison. Then Natalia shaved her head, put on a man's dress and continued to take care of the saints and her husband, whom she prayed for him to try when he appeared before God about her chaste death. Pious women also took the example from Natalia, shaved, changed into men's dresses and looked after the martyrs.

Holy Martyrs

The wicked king, having learned about this, ordered the martyrs to beat the shins and hands. They immediately began to Adrian. Natalia was afraid that Adrian could not stand, was near and calming him, and then lifted his legs and arms and laid them on the anvil. Such sufferings Adrian could not stand and betrayed the soul of the Lord. Other prisoners were also brutally tortured, then their bodies were thrown into the oven. Natalia also wanted to rush into her husband for her, but the lightning flashed, it began to rain, and the furnace went out, and many torturers fell dead. The bodies of the martyrs did not take fire. One pious husband and his wife took the bodies of the saints on a ship to take them to Byzantium.

The ship of salvation

Natalia stayed at home, she left the hand of her holy wife, anointed her with peace and wrapped her in porphyry. Soon the chief captain began to bid for her, since she was still young and handsome. Natalia also asked for three days to escape to Byzantium during this time. One day she prayed to the Lord in tears and, doffed, dozed off. In a dream Natalia saw one of the holy martyrs. He ordered her to board the ship immediately and swim to where their relics were, - there the Lord appeared to her and led her to them. At this time the devil sailed on the ship, wanted to knock them out of the way and destroy them. Many ships died because of him, but the ship with Natalia was unharmed, as Saint Andrian appeared in shining clothes and warned them of the dangers.

Holiness

They swam safely to the place. The martyr Natalia of Nicomedia came to the temple to the bodies of martyrs, knelt down, placed the hand of Saint Andrian to his body and prayed for a long time. Tired from the road, she fell asleep and saw a dream in which her Lord Saint Andrian appeared to her and warned of an early reward. Natalia woke up and told her dream to the nearby Christians and asked them to pray for her. And then she fell asleep again and did not wake up. A little later she was found dead. Thus Saint Natalia of Nicomedia ended her martyrdom without bloodshed and appeared before Christ in the face of martyrs.