The Priestmartyr Ipatios, Bishop of Ephesus, and the Presbyter Andrew

Commemorated on September 21

      The Priestmartyr Ipatios, Bishop of Ephesus, and the Presbyter Andrew suffered in the VIII Century under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). In youth they studied together in one of the monasteries. Saint Ipatios accepted monasticism, and Saint Andrew became a clergyman and zealously taught people the Christian faith. When the emperor Leo the Isaurian began to persecute those who venerated holy icons, and the holy icons were thrown out from the churches, to trample underfoot and burn, Saints Ipatios and Andrew rose up in defence of icon-veneration, urging their flock to maintain faithfulness to Orthodoxy. The emperor, wanting to persuade the saints, summoned them to him and arranged a disputation about icon-veneration, at which Saints Ipatios and Andrew were consistently able to defend the Orthodox veneration of icons. They threw the martyrs into prison and for a long time they held them there, hoping, that this would force the saints to renounce their convictions, but the saints remained steadfast. Then the emperor gave orders to torture the martyrs. They beat them, flayed the skin with hair from their heads, smeared their beards with tar and set it afire, and upon the heads of the martyrs they burned holy icons. The saints with endurance bore all the tortures and remained alive. The emperor gave orders to drag the saints through the city for mockery from the people and only after this to kill them. They threw the bodies of Saints Ipatios and Andrew for devouring by dogs, but believers reverently gave them burial.

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.