Saint Menignos

Saint Menignus is an Orthodox martyr and saint. He was a native of the city of Parium in the Hellespont region and worked as a fuller. He lived during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius. By the emperor's order, a multitude of Christians were arrested and thrown into prison to be tortured. They prayed day and night in the dungeon, and Jesus Christ appeared to them miraculously and delivered them from prison. When the people heard of this, many converted to Christianity, including Menignus. He fearlessly approached the governor who was reading the imperial decree, snatched it from his hands, tore it into pieces, threw it on the ground, and trampled it underfoot, saying: "In the name of Jesus Christ, my God, I tread upon the serpent and the asp, and I trample with my feet the lawless decrees of Emperor Decius." By the governor's order, he was hung on a torture tree and his body was scraped with iron combs. Despite such torture, Menignus heroically endured and prayed to God. After all the torments, they took him down and demanded that he offer sacrifice to the idols, which he refused, once again confessing Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Because of this, he was led to the place of execution, where he was beheaded by the emperor's order. After the martyr's suffering, Christians came secretly at night to the place of execution, took his body, and buried it with prayer. The Orthodox Church celebrates him on November 22 (December 5).