The Holy Martyress Drosida, together with Five Virgin-Martyrs Agalida, Apollinaria, Daria, Mamthusa and Taisia:
Commemorated on March 22
The Holy Martyress
Drosida, together with Five Virgin-Martyrs Agalida, Apollinaria, Daria,
Mamthusa and Taisia: Saint Drosida was daughter of the emperor Trajan
(98-117), a fierce persecutor of Christians. In the year 99 he re-activated an
earlier existing law which forbade secret gatherings and was indirectly aimed
against Christians, and in the year 104 he issued a special law against
Christians.
Beginning with this
year, the persecutions continued until the end of his reign. During this time
the bodies of killed Christians often remained unburied for the purpose of
scaring others. Five Christian virgins: Aglaida, Apolliniaria, Daria, Mamthusa
and Taisia, took upon themselves the task of burying such Christians. They
secretly gathered up the bodies of martyrs, anointed them with aromatics,
wrapped them in shroud-cloths and buried them. Having learned of this, the
imperial Drosida, secretly a Christian but not yet having accepted Baptism,
asked the holy virgins to take her with them, when they would go to make burial
of Christians.
On the advice of the
fiancee of Saint Drosida, the court dignitary Adrian, a guard was set nearby
those killed, to arrest those who would bury them. And on the very first night
Saint Drosida and the five virgins were caught. Having learned that among the
captives was his own daughter, Trajan gave orders to hold her separately, in
the hope that she would change her mind. The remaining holy virgins were
sentenced to burning in a copper-foundry furnace. They bravely accepted
execution and were vouchsafed martyrs crowns. From the copper, mingled with the
ashes of the martyresses, were molded tripods for a new bath of Trajan. But as
long as these tripods stood in the bath-house, no man was able to enter there:
anyone crossing the threshold fell down dead. When the pagan priests perceived
from whence this happened, they gave advice to remove the tripods.
Then Adrian suggested
to the emperor to remelt the tripods and to make from them five statues of
naked virgins, resembling the executed martyresses, and for mockery and jeering
to place these statues in front of the entrance to the imperial bath. Trajan
agreed. When the statues were set up, the emperor saw in a dream five pure
lambs pastured in paradise, and the shepherd which did say to him: "O most
wanton and wicked Caesar! Those, the depictions of whom thou intended to set up
for mockery, the Good and Merciful Pastor hath snatched away from thee and
settled here, whither in time shalt also be the pure lamb Drosida, thine
daughter". Having awakened, the wanton Trajan went into a rage and gave
orders to fire up two huge furnaces and to fire them up daily. At the ovens was
put up an imperial edict: "Men of the Galileian, ye worshipping the
Crucified, deliver yourselves from a great many agonies, and us also from these
labours: offer sacrifice to the gods. If ye however wish not to do this, then
let each of you voluntarily, by whatever manner he wanteth, cast himself into
this furnace". Many Christians voluntarily went to martyrdom.
Having learned of
this, Saint Drosida decided likewise to accept a martyr's death for Christ. In
her imprisonment she offered up prayers that the Lord would help her exit from
the prison. And God heard her prayer: the guards fell asleep. Set free, Saint Drosida
went off towards the ovens, but began to ponder within herself: "How can I
go to God, not having upon myself the wedding garb (i.e. not having been
baptised), since I am impure. But, O King of kings Lord Jesus Christ, on
account of Thee I do forsake my imperial position, so that Thou might vouchsafe
me to be the very least doormaid in Thine kingdom. Do Thou Thyself baptise me
with Thine Holy Spirit". Having thus prayed, Saint Drosida anointed
herself with myrh (chrism), which she had taken along with her, and thrice
submerging herself in water, pronounced: "the servant of God Drosida is
baptised in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit". For seven days the saint hid herself, devoted to fasting and
prayer. During this time Christians found her and learned from her the account
of everything that occurred. And on the eighth day the holy Martyress Drosida
went to the red-hot ovens and cast herself into the fire.
© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.