Hieromartyr Cyprian, Virgin Martyr Justina, and Martyr Theoctistus of Nicomedia
2 October, Julian calendar; 15 October, civil calendar
Dates follow the calendar tradition used by this project. Parishes using the new calendar celebrate fixed feasts on different civil dates.
Hieromartyr Cyprian, Virgin Martyr Justina, and Martyr Theoctistus suffered for Christ at Nicomedia. Their commemoration brings together repentance, steadfast faith, and the freedom to confess Christ openly, whatever one’s past may have been.
Short life
According to the Church’s life of the saints, Cyprian was from Antioch and was raised in paganism. For many years he studied pagan beliefs and magical arts, eventually becoming a respected pagan priest. Justina also lived in Antioch. Having come to faith in Christ, she led her parents away from pagan error and dedicated her life to God through prayer and fasting. A young man named Aglaidas sought to marry her, but Justina declined because she wished to remain a virgin.
Conversion and martyrdom
Church tradition relates that Aglaidas turned to Cyprian for help in changing Justina’s mind. Yet all such efforts failed: Justina met temptation with prayer, fasting, and the Sign of the Cross. Cyprian came to see that faith in Christ was stronger than the powers he had served. In repentance, he went to Bishop Anthimos and burned his books. After Baptism, he was ordained through the ranks of the Church, becoming a priest and then a bishop. Justina entered a monastery and was chosen as its superior. During the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian, Cyprian and Justina were arrested and taken to Nicomedia, where they were put to death by the sword. The soldier Theoctistus declared himself a Christian after witnessing Justina’s sufferings and was executed with them. The source dates their martyrdom to 304.
Why they are venerated
The Church venerates Cyprian as a hieromartyr: a bishop who suffered death for Christ. Justina is honored as a virgin martyr who remained faithful to her dedication to God, and Theoctistus as a martyr who openly confessed Christ. Their memory teaches that repentance is real and that no former way of life places a person beyond God’s mercy. The account of Justina’s struggle against demonic attacks belongs to Church tradition and expresses Christian trust in prayer, the Sign of the Cross, and God’s power. The source also notes the veneration of relics of Cyprian and Justina in several places, including Mount Athos, Cyprus, Attica, Andros, and Bucharest.
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Sources: Orthodox Church in America