Holy Virgin-Martyr Akylina of Byblos

Saint Akylina of Byblos

The thirteenth of June is the feast-day in the Holy Orthodox Church of the late third-century virgin-martyr Saint Akylina, a Palestinian Christian girl who suffered in the persecutions of Diocletian. A prodigious child whose faith in Christ was absolute, she was fearless in the face of torture and death at the hands of the Roman state.

Saint Akylina [Gk. Ακυλíνα, L. Aquilina] was born in Byblos, which is now Jubayl جبيل in Lebanon. She was the daughter of a magistrate of Palestine named Eutolmios, who had her catechised and baptised in the Christian faith at the age of five by Eutholios, the Bishop of Byblos. Akylina took fire for her new faith in Jesus Christ. She was, according to her hagiography, precocious in her faith and profound in her understanding. By the age of seven she was thoroughly versed in both the doctrines of the Church and in the Christian life. And by the age of ten she was already preaching the Good News of Christ’s Crucifixion and Holy Pascha to her friends, and like Saint Brigid in Ireland, she was giving generous gifts to the needy out of her father’s substance. Unlike in Saint Brigid’s, however, Saint Akylina’s hagiography does not indicate to us how her father felt about her philanthropy…

Her fiery passion for the Gospel of Christ, and her total purity and sincerity of spirit, came at a cost. She approached some of her friends that were about the same age as she was – this was when she was twelve years of age – and spoke to them about Jesus. In her earnestness and love for them she was so persuasive, that she managed to convince them to stop visiting pagan temples and offering sacrifices to the idols. Unfortunately, one of these friends let slip to her family what Akylina was doing, and word reached the ears of one of the servants to the pagan governor, Bolousianos [L. Volusian], who was ‘more like a beast than a man’, who went and denounced Akylina in a court, of teaching impiety to her peers. Akylina was brought before Bolousianos. Under questioning she freely and openly confessed her faith in Christ, and her rejection of the false Roman gods.

At first, Bolousianos tried to appeal to reason, telling her to think of her family’s position in the Empire – but of course she had no desire for advancement or rich worldly gifts. And then the governor threatened her and her family with the loss of position, but worldly dishonour and poverty likewise didn’t faze her. Seeing this, Bolousianos ordered that the girl be struck in the face. His soldiers then stripped her to her waist and began flogging her. As they flogged her, they mocked her, saying, ‘Where is your God now? Let Him come and take you out of our hands.’ But to this the courageous young martyr replied: ‘He is here with me, though you cannot see Him. The more you make me to suffer, the more He strengthens me to endure.’

The governor then ordered that a red-hot steel bar be drilled through her ears and into her skull. Saint Akylina continued to confess Christ until she passed out, with the blood flowing out from her ears. Her torturers thought that she had actually died. Bolousianos gave the order to have her body thrown upon a refuse heap outside the walls of Byblos, to be eaten by dogs. But later that night a messenger from Heaven came down, healed her, and roused her, saying: ‘Arise and be well! Go again to Bolousianos and denounce him, so that his works may all come to nothing.’

And so the virgin-martyr stood and walked around to the city gates, which opened before her as though of their own accord. Walking straight through them like a spirit, she went straight to the governor’s mansion and stood silently before his bed. Bolousianos, seeing before him the girl he had tortured and sentenced to death, and whom he believed truly was dead, was gripped with mortal dread, and ordered his servants to keep her secure and under close confinement until the following morning.

The next day – the thirteenth of June, 293 – Bolousianos sentenced the young martyr to be beheaded by the sword, saying that she was an unholy witch who had refused the decrees of the Emperor. As she was led away to the execution ground, Saint Akylina gave thanks to God that she could suffer for His Holy Name. She was made to kneel down, but another messenger of God came down and she offered up her spirit to God willingly before the executioner could strike the blow. The worldly powers being cheated of their victory over her, there was nothing for the executioner to do but to behead her lifeless body. Even so, the pagans were robbed of the victory, for the Christians came to claim Saint Akylina’s body and her head, and her relics soon grew in renown. Sick Christians and pagans both came before her and, through the power of Christ and Saint Akylina’s intercessions to Him, were healed of their ailments.

Diocletian died in infamy, and he was ultimately succeeded by the righteous Emperor Constantine, who made plans to found his New City at the fishing village of Byzantion to commemorate Saint Metrophanes. The construction took six years, and when it was completed it still did not have the honours and infrastructure that Old Rome had. A succession of righteous Emperors, from Constantine to Theodosius, made plans to beautify and expand the New City, adding to its splendour in both righteous ways and less-than-righteous ones. In addition to the hippodromes and theatres and baths and other sæcular diversions and amusements which were so often denounced by contemporary Church Fathers, the Emperors also established new Christian shrines and temples to house saints from throughout the Roman world. Saint Akylina was one of these saints. Her relics were translated from Byblos to a grand basilica on the Mese, near the Forum of Constantine. Sadly, this basilica was later destroyed in a fire; but Saint Akylina still intercedes for her people in Lebanon and Palestine and throughout the world. Holy virgin-martyr Akylina, you whose innocence overmastered the brutality of Diocletian, pray unto Christ our Lord for the salvation of our souls!

Apolytikion of Saint Akylina, Tone 4:

Your lamb Akylina calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice:
“I love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You I endure suffering.
In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You,
and I died so that I might live with You.
Accept me as a pure sacrifice,
for I have offered myself in love.”
Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.