Saint Artemōn of al-Lâdhiqîyyah
القدّيس أرتيمون اللاذقي
On this Great and Holy Monday we celebrate one of the martyrs of the persecutions of Diocletian, Saint Artemōn of al-Lâdhiqîyyah [or Laodicæa in Syria, now Latakia]. Saint Artemōn was an elderly priest in the Church of Antioch, having served the Church faithfully in various ordained offices for his entire adult life when he was martyred by the servants of the impious Emperor.
Saint Artemōn [Gk. Ἀρτέμων, Ar. ’Artîmûn أرتيمون] was born in the early years of the third century, and was a patient and humble servant in the Church, having been raised by Christian parents. The great testimony to his patience and humility was the lengthy time he served in each office. In his youth he became a reader in the Church. He served as a reader for 16 years, and fulfilled his office faithfully and without vainglory. He was noticed by a certain saintly Bishop Sisinnios, who made him a deacon. He then held the office of deacon for 28 years. And finally, he was ordained to the priesthood, where he served for 33 years. By the time Diocletian took the laurels, Father Artemōn was already an elderly man.
The edict went down from the Emperor commanding the Christians to submit to an inquisition whereby they would be compelled to sacrifice to the idols and profess their loyalty to the cultus of the Roman Emperor. Word came to Saint Sisinnios that a military governor would be arriving in Laodicæa, and he took Father Artemōn with him along with a small band of committed Christians to the Temple of Artemis, and they smashed and burned the idols that were within, reducing them to dust. After this, Saints Sisinnios and Artemōn gathered the flock of believers and spurred them to courage at the coming persecution, bade them not to be afraid of torment and death but to hold firm to the Faith.
The military governor, Patrikios, arrived in great pomp and ceremony, and held a lavish festival in honour of the pagan idols that lasted for five days. He then went to the Temple of Artemis and found the destruction within. Asking those nearby who was responsible, he soon learned what had happened. He went with a detachment of Roman troops to the Church where the Christians were praying.
As soon as he drew near the church, Patrikios was taken with a sudden chill that turned into a burning fever that sapped all his strength. He had to be borne home on a litter and taken to bed. Patrikios began raving in his fever that the God of the Christians had put a curse on him and had tormented him. Bewildered, his servants and military attendants brought idols before him and offered burnt sacrifices, but nothing could stanch the fever or rid Patrikios of his disease. At last Patrikios asked of Bishop Sisinnios, who was brought before him. Patrikios promised the bishop that if he could cure him, he would erect a statue of gold in Laodicæa in his honour. Sisinnios replied to him that he neither needed nor wanted gold or honour, but if Patrikios would believe in Christ he would be healed.
Patrikios, in fear of his life, declared that he believed in Christ, and at once his fever broke and it was not long before he was cured. But his heart was hard, and even this deliverance did not cause him to truly repent. He did not, for the moment, touch Sisinnios – but he did carry out the orders Diocletian had given him, and arrested the Christians to be interrogated.
One of these was Saint Artemōn. It so happened that Patrikios observed the saint calling to a small flock of wild beasts – half a dozen wild asses, one hart and one hind. Patrikios marvelled at the sight and asked of Artemōn how these stubborn and wild beasts so easily did his bidding, without need for a goad or a harness. Artemōn replied merely that the word of Christ bade them, and they heard and obeyed.
Patrikios was moved to wrath at this subtle reproach, and he had also learned that Father Artemōn was one of the Christians who had smashed the idols in the Temple to Artemis. He ordered that Artemōn be arrested and taken in chains to Cæsarea for interrogation. Father Artemōn was not afraid and made no complaint, but rather bade the beasts instead go on to Bishop Sisinnios. When the bishop beheld them he asked aloud why these animals had come to him. The hind, to whom the Lord had given the gift of speech just as He had given it to Balaam’s ass, spake:
‘The servant of God Artemōn is being held by the impious Patrikios, and is being brought to Cæsarea in chains. He commanded us to come here to give you this news.’
Bishop Sisinnios sent a deacon named Phileas to Cæsarea to confirm the hind’s words. In Cæsarea, Patrikios brought Saint Artemōn to the Temple of Asclepius, where he tried to get the elderly priest to sacrifice to the idol. Many venomous asps were kept in this temple. The temple wardens had not allowed these asps out of their cage on the day that Artemōn visited, nor had they placed the sacrifice upon the altar. But when Saint Artemōn called upon the holy name of Jesus Christ and crossed the threshold of the temple doors, the snakes broke free of their cage and began to attack the temple wardens, who took to their heels in fright. Saint Artemōn let out his breath and spit upon the snakes, and they at once fell dead.
One of the pagan priests, named Vitalios, fell upon his face and confessed the power of Christ upon seeing this wonder. However, Patrikios was convinced that Saint Artemōn had prevailed over the snakes by sorcery, and he had him brought to the gaol and tortured mercilessly. The hind which had been given the gift of speech arrived from Laodicæa, and went straight to where Saint Artemōn was kept, lay down at his feet and began licking his wounds. By the command of God, again the hind spoke. This time, she prophesied to Patrikios, that he would be seized by two eagles and dropped into a vat of burning pitch. The governor, who was enraged, ordered that his soldiers shoot the hind with arrows, but she nimbly leapt up and escaped their shots.
Patrikios decreed that the same method of death that the hind had prophesied for him should be visited upon Artemōn, and thus the governor sealed his own doom. He had his soldiers fill a vast cauldron full of boiling pitch, and the governor himself mounted his horse to inspect the cauldron to see that all was in order. At that moment two angels from heaven, in the form of eagles, took hold of Patrikios in their talons and spooked his horse, throwing Patrikios into the cauldron he had prepared for the martyr. The body of the impious governor was consumed so that not even one bone remained.
Seeing this, the soldiery fled in terror. Only Saint Artemōn knelt and wept holy tears of gratitude to God, and where his tears fell there sprang up a spring of pure and fresh water. Artemōn baptised the temple warden Vitalios in the waters of this spring, and many pagans besides who had come to believe in Christ. Then the priest administered to them the Holy Gifts at a Divine Liturgy, and many of these were anointed as clergy. Vitalios was made bishop in Palestine. After this the holy martyr Artemōn received instruction from God to spread the Gospel in Asia Minor, whither he was transported by an angel. There he preached the word of Christ to many, and many came to believe. He was again arrested and beheaded on the orders of the pagans during the reign of Diocletian, and this happened in the year 303. Holy martyr Artemōn, fearless confessor and athlete of the spirit, pray unto Christ our God that our souls may be saved!
Troparion for Great and Holy Monday, Tone 8:
Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight,
And blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching,
And again unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless.
Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep,
Lest you be given up to death and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom.
But rouse yourself crying: Holy, Holy, Holy, are You, O our God!
Through the Theotokos have mercy on us!
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