Which saint to pray on April 30 and whom the church honors, read in the material TSN.ua.
What holiday is April 30 in the church calendar
On April 30, the church honors the memory of Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop of Persia. What do we know about this day?
Church calendar for April 30 – the day of memory of the holy martyr Simeon, Bishop of Persia
On Saturday, April 30, 2022, the church honors the memory of Hieromartyr Simeon, Bishop of Persia.
The holy martyr Simeon suffered because of his faith in Christ during the reign of the Persian king Sapor II (310-318). He was bishop in the city of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. Someone slandered the saint, as if he had connections with the Greek state and opposed the king. In 344, the king issued an order according to which large taxes were imposed on all Christians and the church. Individual Christians refused to pay it, which was the beginning of persecution.
The holy martyr Simeon was brought to trial in iron fetters because of his imaginary hostility to the Persian king. The presbyters-martyrs Ananias and Avdelai were also brought with him. The bishop did not even want to bow to the king, and when he asked why he did not pay due respect, he replied: “ Once I bowed to your dignity, but now that I am brought in order to renounce my God and depart from my own faith, it is not suitable for me to bow to you .”
The king urged the bishop to bow to the sun and threatened that otherwise he would destroy all Christianity in his land. But persuasion and threats did not shake Simeon’s faith. He was taken to prison, and when they brought him for the second time to the king for trial, he again refused to bow to the pagan gods and idols. The king got angry and in anger ordered the heads of three Christians to be cut off in front of the bishop. They went to execution without fear in their eyes and even put their heads under the sword.
Many Christians were executed that day, and the last one was led Simeon. With a prayer, he bowed his head on the chopping block and accepted death for Christ. It happened on April 13, and even before April 23, the executions of Christians continued. According to various sources, about 1000 pious people died then.
