The Church honors the memory of the Great Martyr Panteleimon

On August 9 (July 27 according to the Julian calendar), the Church celebrates the memory of the Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, whom Orthodox Christians venerate as a holy physician and martyr for Christ. This is recalled by the church calendar, according to which festive services are held in all churches on this day.

According to his life, the holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon was born in Bithynia (Asia Minor) in the city of Nicomedia, in the family of a noble pagan named Eustorgius, and was named Pantoleon, as his parents wished to see him grow into a courageous and fearless young man. His mother, Saint Euboula, raised the boy in the Christian faith, but departed this life early, after which his father sent Pantoleon to a pagan school and later had him trained in the medical arts under Euphrosinus, a renowned physician in Nicomedia. Thanks to his success in his studies, the young man became known at the court of Emperor Maximian, who fiercely persecuted Christians.

Having turned to Christ, Pantoleon received baptism, and, as tradition holds, upon being baptized he healed a blind man, thereby bringing his own father to Christianity, and selflessly treated the sick in the name of Christ — for which he was denounced to Emperor Maximian. For his faith, the saint endured cruel tortures — the breaking wheel, boiling lead, being torn apart by wild beasts — yet remained unharmed. Before his execution, according to tradition, the Lord renamed him Panteleimon, meaning "all-merciful."

After his torments, the saint was sentenced to beheading. He was bound to an olive tree and they attempted to cut off his head, but the saint began to pray, and the sword did him no harm; a voice from heaven called Panteleimon to the Heavenly Kingdom, after which the saint asked the soldiers to carry out the order given to them. According to his life, when his head was cut off, milk flowed from the wound instead of blood, and the olive tree immediately became covered with fruit; moreover, the body of the great martyr, cast into the fire, did not burn and was buried by Christians.

As the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported, the Primate of the UOC prayed for the flock of Ukraine before the relics of the Great Martyr Panteleimon. The veneration of the saint holds a special place in the church calendar, as his image unites faithfulness to Christ, service to one's neighbor, and prayer for the sick. Every year, the commemoration of the Great Martyr Panteleimon gathers a multitude of believers in churches and monasteries.

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