Saint hieromartyr Eutychius

Saint Hieromartyr Eutychius is an early Christian saint. The Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Eutychius on August 24 (September 6). He was a native of Sebaste. He received Christianity from the Apostle John the Theologian, whom he followed everywhere, imitating his life. Later, he met the Apostle Paul and preached the Gospel with him, heroically enduring all hardships just as the Apostle himself did. Saint Eutychius is called a minor apostle, although he is not among the seventy apostles. The reason for this is that he preached the Gospel with the foremost apostles, was ordained a bishop by them, and traveled through many lands preaching Christ both with them and alone. His hagiography states that once, when he had been long afflicted by hunger in prison, bread was sent to him from God, brought by an invisible hand. Strengthened by this bread, he endured his tortures with complete calm. On another occasion, when he was hung naked at the place of execution and scraped with iron claws, blood mixed with fragrant myrrh flowed from his body, filling the air with a wonderful scent. When he was subsequently thrown into a blazing fire, a heavy rain with snow suddenly fell, extinguishing the fire, and the saint remained unharmed. He was then thrown to wild beasts to be devoured, but the beasts became tame before him. From Ephesus, he was taken to his native Sebaste, where he was killed by beheading.