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Sainte Irène
Martyre à Thessalonique,
avec ses sœurs Agapé et Chiona (+ 304)
Ce n'était qu'une jeune
fille quand éclata la persécution à Salonique. Comme beaucoup d'autres, elle
s'enfuit dans la montagne pour se cacher, mais elle se reprocha cette lâcheté
et revint à la maison. C'est là qu'elle fut arrêtée. Le juge lui offrit la vie
sauve si elle apostasiait. Elle refusa et fut brûlée vive.
À Thessalonique en Macédoine, l’an 304, sainte Irène, vierge et martyre. Parce
qu’elle avait caché les livres saints, malgré l’édit de Dioclétien, et qu’elle
refusait de sacrifier aux dieux, le préfet Dulcétius, qui avait déjà fait
mourir ses deux sœurs, Agapè et Chionia, donna l’ordre de l’exposer nue au
lupanar, puis la fit jeter dans un brasier.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/2130/Sainte-Irene.html
Saintes Agape, Chionia et Irène
4 avril
Sainte Irène de
Thessalonique,
vierge et martyre.
Sainte Irène de
Thessalonique est associé à saint Agape et sainte Chionie.
Les trois soeurs
naquirent à Thessalonique de parents qui adoraient les idoles.
Comme elles voulaient se
faire chrétiennes, elle avaient réussi à se procurer les saintes écritures
malgré l’interdiction de Dioclétien.
Mais elles furent
découvertes en 304 et menée devant le tribunal du gouverneur Dulcetius avec
trois autres femmes, Eutychie, Philippe et Casie ainsi qu’un homme : Agathon.
On les accusa de ne pas
vouloir manger de viandes sacrifiées aux dieux. et elles refusaient toujours
d’en consommer. Comme Eutychie était enceinte, on ordonna de la mener en prison
et de prendre soin d’elles jusqu’à son accouchement.
Puis on leur reprocha
d’avoir dérobé et conservé des livres sur la doctrine chrétienne. Comme elles
ne voulaient pas révéler l’endroit où elles avaient caché les écrits, Dulcétius
leur proposa d’adorer les dieux en échange du pardon. Elles refusèrent.
Irène surtout, tint un
discours violent affirmant qu’elles préféraient être brûlées vives que de
laisser brûler les textes sacrés.
On la condamna alors à
être exposée dans un lupanar. Ce qui fut fait immédiatement. Mais personne
n’osa s’approcher d’elle ni tenir, en sa présence, des propos malveillants.
Devant cet échec,
Dulcetius la fit revenir devant le tribunal. Comme elle refusait encore de
donner les textes cachés, elle fut mise sur un bûcher où pour être brûlée vive.
Ses deux soeurs avaient subit le même supplice quelques jours auparavant.
Cela se passa le 4 avril
304.
SOURCE : http://carmina-carmina.com/carmina/Mytholosaintes/Irene.htm
La sainte Grande
Martyre Irene est née dans la ville de Magedon en Perse au IVe siècle. Elle
était la fille du Roi païen Licinius, et ses parents l'ont nommée Penelope.
Pénélope était très belle, et son père a
gardé son isolement dans une haute tour du moment où elle avait six ans pour
qu'elle ne soit pas exposé au Christianisme. Il a également placé treize
jeunes filles dans la tour avec elle. Un vieux professeur du nom
d'Apellian a été attribué à lui donner la meilleure éducation
possible. Apellian était Chrétien, et lors de ses leçons, il dit à la
fille le Christ le Sauveur et lui a enseigné la Foi chrétienne et les vertus
chrétiennes.
Lorsque Penelope atteint
l'adolescence, ses parents ont commencé à réfléchir à son mariage. Un
jour, un oiseau s'envola par la fenêtre portant un rameau d'olivier dans son
bec, le déposant sur une table. Puis, un aigle fondit avec une couronne de
fleurs dans son bec, et aussi il posa sur la table. Enfin, un corbeau a
volé en portant un serpent, il est tombé sur la table. Penelope a été intrigué
par ces événements et se demandais ce qu'ils voulaient dire.
Apellian a expliqué que la
colombe a signifié son éducation, et le rameau d'olivier était la grâce de Dieu
qui est reçue dans le Baptême. L'aigle avec la couronne de fleurs a représenté
le succès dans sa vie future. Le corbeau et le serpent avaient prédit sa
souffrance et de la douleur future.
A la fin des conversations
Apellianus dit que le Seigneur a voulu sa fiancée pour lui-même et que Penelope
subirait beaucoup de souffrance pour son Epoux céleste. Après cela
Penelope a refusé le mariage, a été baptisé par le prêtre Timothée, et elle a
été nommée Irène (la paix). Elle a même exhorté ses propres parents à
devenir chrétiens. Peu de temps après, elle a détruit toutes les idoles de
son père.
Depuis Sainte-Irène s'était
consacrée au Christ, elle refusa de se marier l'un des prétendants que son père
avait choisi pour elle. Lorsque Licinius appris que sa fille a refusé
d'adorer les dieux païens, il était furieux. Il a essayé de la détourner
de Christ en lui faisant torturé. Elle a été ligoté et jeté sous les
sabots des chevaux sauvages afin qu'ils puissent lui piétiner à mort, mais il
est resté immobile chevaux. Au lieu de nuire à la sainte, un des chevaux chargés
Licinius, s'empara de sa main droite et l'arracha de son bras. Puis il a
frappé Licinius et se mit à le piétiner. Ils délié la sainte Vierge, et
par ses prières Licinius rose sain et sauf en présence de témoins oculaires de
sa main intacte.
En voyant un tel miracle, Licinius et son
épouse, et de nombreuses personnes, (environ 3000 hommes) croient dans le
Christ et transformée par les dieux païens. Démissionner de ses fonctions
administratives, Licinius se consacra au service du Seigneur Jésus. Sainte-Irène
vivait dans la maison de son Apellian enseignant, et elle commença à prêcher le
Christ parmi les païens, les convertir à la voie du salut.
Lorsque Sedecius, le nouveau préfet de
la ville, entendu parler de ce miracle, il convoqua Apellian et l'a interrogé à
propos de Irene manière de vie. Apellian répondu que Irene, comme les
autres chrétiens, vivaient dans une stricte tempérance, de se consacrer à la
prière constante et la lecture des livres saints. Sedecius appelé le saint
lui et son invité à cesser de prêcher au sujet de Jésus-Christ. Il a
également tenté de la forcer à sacrifier aux idoles. Sainte-Irène
résolument confessé sa foi devant le préfet, ne craignant sa colère et prêt à
subir la souffrance pour le Christ. Par ordonnance du Sedecius elle a été
jeté dans une fosse remplie de vipères et les serpents. Le saint a passé
dix jours dans la fosse et est resté indemne, car un ange du Seigneur l'a
protégé et lui apporta la nourriture. Sedecius attribuer ce miracle à la
sorcellerie, et il a soumis Sainte-Irène à beaucoup d'autres tortures, mais
elle est restée indemne. Sous l'influence de sa prédication et les
miracles encore plus de gens ont été convertis à Christ, et se détourna de
l'adoration des idoles inanimées.
Sedecius a été destitué par son fils,
Savorus qui persécutait les chrétiens avec un zèle encore plus grand que son
père avait fait. Sainte-Irène est allé à sa ville natale de Magedon en
Perse pour répondre Savorus et son armée, et lui demander de mettre fin à la
persécution. Quand il a refusé, Sainte-Irène prié et toute son armée fut
aveuglé. Elle pria de nouveau, et ils ont reçu leurs yeux une fois de
plus. En dépit de cela, Savorus refusé de reconnaître la puissance de
Dieu. En raison de son insolence, il a été frappé et tué par un coup de
foudre.
Après cela, Sainte-Irène est entré
dans la ville et a accompli plusieurs miracles. Elle est retournée à la
tour construite par son père, accompagné par le prêtre Timothée. Par son
enseignement, elle se convertit cinq mille personnes à Christ.
Ensuite, le saint est allé à
la ville de Callinicus ou Callinicum (peut-être sur le fleuve de l'Euphrate en
Syrie). Le gouverneur de cette place était le roi Numérien, fils de
Sébastien. Quand elle a commencé à enseigner au sujet du Christ, elle a
été arrêtée et torturée par les autorités païennes. Elle a été placée en
trois bœufs de bronze qui ont été chauffés au feu. Elle a été transférée
de l'un à l'autre, mais elle est restée miraculeusement indemne. Des milliers
d'idolâtres embrassé le christianisme à la suite de cet événement merveilleux.
Sentant l'approche de la mort,
Numérien ordonna à ses Babdonus éparque continuer à torturer le saint afin de
la forcer à sacrifier aux idoles. Une fois de plus, les tortures étaient
inefficaces, et les gens se sont tournés vers le Christ.
Le Saint martyr du
Christ s'est ensuite rendu à la ville de Constantine, quarante miles au
nord-est d'Edesse. En 330, le roi perse Sapor II (309-379) avait entendu
parler de grands miracles St Irène. Pour l'empêcher de gagner les gens à
Christ, elle a été arrêtée, décapité, puis enterré. Cependant, Dieu a
envoyé un ange pour l'élever à nouveau, et elle entra dans la ville de
Mesembria. Après avoir vu sa vie et l'entendre prêcher, le roi local a été
baptisé avec beaucoup de ses sujets.
Désireux de convertir les
païens au christianisme encore plus, Sainte-Irène s'est rendu à Ephèse, où elle
a enseigné le peuple et accompli de nombreux miracles. Le Seigneur a
révélé à elle que la fin de sa vie approchait. Ensuite, Sainte-Irène a
quitté la ville, accompagné par six personnes, dont son ancien professeur
Apellian. À la périphérie de la ville, elle a trouvé un tombeau neuf dans
lequel on n'avait jamais été enterré. Après avoir fait le signe de la
croix, elle est allée à l'intérieur, diriger ses compagnons pour fermer
l'entrée de la grotte avec une grosse pierre, ce qu'ils firent. Quand les
chrétiens ont visité la grotte quatre jours plus tard, ils ne trouvèrent pas le
corps du saint.
Apellian retourné après seulement deux
jours, et a trouvé la pierre avait été roulée et le tombeau vide. C'est
ainsi que Dieu glorifie Sainte-Irène, qui l'aimaient et a consacré sa vie à le
servir. Bien que beaucoup de ces miracles peut sembler improbable pour
ceux qui sont sceptiques, rien n'est impossible à Dieu.
Sainte-Irène a conduit des milliers
de personnes au Christ par sa prédication, et par son exemple. L'Église
continue d'honorer sa mémoire et de lui demander son intercession céleste.
La sainte, glorieuse grande martyre Irene
est invoqué par ceux qui désirent effectuer un mariage rapide et
heureux. En Grèce, elle est aussi la sainte patronne des
policiers. Sainte-Irène est aussi l'un des Martyrs douze Vierge apparue à
saint Séraphim de Sarov (Janvier 2) et la nonne Diveyevo Eupraxia sur la fête
de l'Annonciation en 1831. Par ses saintes prières, que le Seigneur ait
pitié de nous et sauve-nous.
SOURCE : http://cosaque.over-blog.net/article-sainte-grande-martyre-irene-de-salonique-111732051.html
Profile
Martyred in
the persecution of Diocletian
burned
at the stake c.303 at
Thessalonica
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
MLA
Citation
“Saint Irenes of
Thessalonica“. CatholicSaints.Info. 12 February 2024. Web. 26 February
2024. <https://catholicsaints.info/saint-irenes-of-thessalonica/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-irenes-of-thessalonica/
Book
of Saints – Irenaeus, Peregrinus and Irene
Article
(May 5) (Saints) Martyrs
(3rd century) Christians of Thessalonica who were burned at the stake in that
city under Diocletian and Maximinian, about A.D. 300.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Irenaeus, Peregrinus and Irene”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
10 September 2013. Web. 26 February 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-irenaeus-peregrinus-and-irene/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-irenaeus-peregrinus-and-irene/
Irene VM (RM)
Died at Thessalonica,
Macedonia, April 5, 304. The martyrdom of Irene's sisters Agape and Chionia is
described on April 3. The story is based on an amplified version of genuine
records. In 303, Emperor Diocletian issued a decree making it an offense
punishable by death to possess any portion of sacred Christian writings. Irene
and her siblings, daughters of pagan parents living in Salonika, owned and hid
several of the forbidden volumes of Holy Scriptures.
The sisters were arrested
and Chionia and Agape were sentenced by Governor Dulcitius to be burned alive
because they refused to consume foods offered to pagan gods. Meanwhile, their
house had been searched and the forbidden volumes discovered.
Irene was examined again,
and said that when the emperor's decree against Christians was published, she
and others fled to the mountains. She avoided implicating those who had helped
them, and declared that nobody but themselves know they had the books: "We
feared our own people as much as anybody."
Irene was sent to a
soldiers' brothel, where she was stripped and chained but was miraculously
protected from molestation. So, after again refusing a last chance to conform,
she was sentenced to death. She died two days after her sisters either by being
forced to throw herself into flames or, more likely, by being shot in the
throat with an arrow. The books, including the Sacred Scripture, were publicly
burned.
Three other women and a
man were tried with these martyrs, of whom one woman was remanded because she
was pregnant. It is not recorded what happened to the others (Attwater,
Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).
In art, this trio is
represented generally as three maidens carrying pitchers, though they may be
shown being burned at the stake (Roeder). They are venerated in Salonika
(Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0405.shtml
St. Irene of Thessalonica
In 303, the Emperor
Diocletian outlawed the possession of sacred Scripture. Three Christian sisters
living in Thessalonica at the time—Agape, Chionia, and Irene—concealed the
several volumes of Scripture that they owned.
Later, the three were
arrested for refusing to eat food sacrificed to Roman gods. When they were
taken, their house was searched and the Scriptures discovered. Agape and
Chionia were martyred first, and when Irene was commanded to deny her faith,
she, too, was condemned to die. She was exposed in a house of prostitution
first, but when she remained untouched, she was killed. It is thought that she
was killed with arrows, which she shows in this illustration.
The relics of St. Irene
rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Irene, with her
sisters, you gave you life for love of Scripture, pray for us!
Holy Great-martyr Irene
of Thessaloniki
May 5
Irene lived in the
Balkans during apostolic times in the town of Magedon. Her father Licinius was
a lower-rank nobleman. Some think that she was a Slav. Irene was born a pagan
of pagan parents. Penelope – for that was her pagan name – learned about the
Christian Faith from her teacher Appelianus. St. Timothy, the disciple of the
Apostle Paul, baptized her and her court attendants, and provided her with the
Epistles of the Apostle Paul to read. Refusing to marry, she angered her
father, and he wanted to torture her. Instead, she converted her father to
Christianity in a miraculous manner. Irene was subjected to various tortures by
four kings, not including her father, but God spared her through His angels.
King Sedechias buried her up to her neck in a ditch filled with snakes and
scorpions, but an angel of God destroyed these venomous and repulsive creatures
and preserved the holy virgin unharmed. Then this king tried to saw her in
half, but the saw broke against her body as against a stone. After that the
same king tied her to a wheel under a water mill and released the flow of
water, hoping in this manner to drown her. But the water refused to flow, and
stood still, and the virgin remained alive and well. King Sapor, the son of
King Sedechias, shod her feet with nails, loaded a sack of sand upon her,
harnessed her and ordered that she be led like an animal far outside the town.
“Truly, I am as a beast before Thee, O Lord!” said the holy martyr, running
bound behind her torturers. However, an angel of God shook the earth, and the
earth opened up and swallowed her tortures. Having survived all her tortures,
through which she converted a countless number of pagans to Christianity, Irene
entered the town of Callinicus, where she preached the Christian Faith. The
local king Numerian tried to kill her in this manner: he cast her into three
flaming hot metal oxen, one after the other. But the virgin was saved and
remained alive. Many saw this and came to believe. The Eparch Vavdonos took her
to the town of Constantina, where he thought to kill her by placing her on
red-hot grates. But that too did not harm St. Irene, and she brought many to
the true Faith. Finally, Irene arrived in the town of Mesembria where she was
slain by King Shapur, but God restored her to life. The king and many of the
people, upon witnessing this, believed in Christ and were baptized. Thus,
through her sufferings and miracles, St. Irene converted over one hundred
thousand pagans to the Christian Faith. Finally she lay down in a coffin and
ordered Appelianus to close it. After four days, when the coffin was opened,
her body was not in it. Thus, God glorified forever the virgin and martyr Irene,
who sacrificed all and endured all so that God might be glorified among men.
Source: St. Nikolai
Velimirovic, The Prologue of Ohrid – Volume One.
SOURCE : http://www.gometropolis.org/orthodox-faith/feast-days/holy-great-martyr-irene-of-thessaloniki/
St. Irene, Greatmartyr,
of Thessalonica
Commemorated on May 5
The holy Great Martyr
Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She
was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her parents named her
Penelope.
Penelope was very
beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she
was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. He also placed
thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. An old tutor by the name of
Apellian was assigned to give her the best possible education. Apellian was a
Christian, and during her lessons, he taught the girl about Christ the Savior,
the Christian Faith, and Christian virtues.
When Penelope reached
adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. One day, a dove
flew through the window of Penelope’s tower carrying an olive branch in its
beak, depositing it upon a table. An eagle then swooped in with a wreath of
flowers in its beak, and also placed it upon the table. Finally, a raven flew
in carrying a snake, which it dropped on the table. Penelope was puzzled by
these events and wondered what they meant.
Apellian explained that
the dove signified her education, the olive branch stood for the grace of God
received in Baptism, and the eagle with the wreath of flowers represented
success in her future life. The raven and the snake foretold her future
suffering and sorrow. Apellian further said that the Lord wished to betroth her
to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly
Bridegroom. After this, Penelope refused to marry, was baptized by the priest
Timothy, and was renamed Irene (“peace”). She even urged her own parents to
become Christians. Shortly afterwards, she destroyed all her father’s idols.
Since St. Irene had
dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father
had chosen for her. When King Licinius learned that his daughter refused to
worship the pagan gods, he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by
having her tortured. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild
horses so that they might trample her to death, but the horses remained
motionless. Instead of harming her, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized
his right hand, and tore it from his arm. The horse then knocked Licinius down
and began to trample him. St. Irene demanded to be untied, and through her
prayers, Licinius was unharmed with his hand still intact.
Seeing such a miracle,
Licinius, his wife, and over 3,000 others professed Christ and turned from the
pagan gods. Resigning his administrative duties, Licinius devoted himself to
the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. St. Irene lived in the house of her
teacher, Apellian, and began to preach Christ among the pagans, converting them
to the path of salvation.
When Sedecius, the new
prefect of the city, heard of this miracle, he summoned Apellian and questioned
him about Irene’s life. Apellian replied that Irene, like other Christians,
lived in strict temperance, devoting herself to constant prayer and reading
holy books. Sedecius summoned Irene, urged her to stop preaching about Christ,
and attempted to force her to sacrifice to the idols. St. Irene staunchly
confessed her faith before the prefect, not fearing his wrath, and prepared to
suffer for Christ.
By order of Sedecius, she
was thrown into a pit filled with vipers and serpents. St. Irene spent ten days
in the pit and remained unharmed, with an angel of the Lord protecting her and
bringing her food. Sedecius ascribed this miracle to sorcery, and subjected St.
Irene to many other tortures. However, she remained unharmed. Under the
influence of her preaching and miracles even more people were converted to
Christ and turned away from the worship of idols.
Soon, Sedecius was
overthrown by his son, Savorus, who persecuted Christians with an even greater
zeal than his father. St. Irene traveled to her hometown of Magedon in Persia
to meet Savorus and his army to ask him to end the persecutions. When he
refused, St. Irene prayed and the entire army was blinded. She prayed again and
they received their sight once more. In spite of this, Savorus refused to
recognize the power of God. Because of his insolence, he was struck and killed
by a bolt of lightning.
After this, St. Irene
walked into the city and performed many miracles. She returned to the tower
built by her father, accompanied by the priest Timothy. Through her teaching,
she converted 5,000 people to Christ.
Later, St. Irene traveled
to the city of Callinicum (on the Euphrates River in Syria). King Numerian, the
son of Sebastian, was the ruler. When St. Irene began to teach about Christ,
she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. She was placed into three
bronze ovens which were heated by fire. She was transferred from one to
another, but miraculously remained uninjured. Thousands of idolaters embraced
Christianity as a result of this wondrous event. King Numerian instructed his
men to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to
idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to
Christ.
St. Irene then traveled
to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, Persian
King Sapor II had heard of St Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from
winning more people to Christ, Sapor ordered that she be arrested, beheaded,
and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she then
traveled to the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her
preach, the local king was baptized along with many of his subjects.
Wishing to convert even
more pagans to Christianity, St. Irene traveled to Ephesus, where she taught
and performed many miracles. At this place, the Lord revealed to her that the
end of her life was approaching. St. Irene left the city accompanied by six
people, including her former teacher, Apellian. On the outskirts of the town,
she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign
of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to close the entrance
to the cave with a large stone. When Christians visited the cave four days
later, the body of St. Irene was nowhere to be found.
The holy, glorious Great
Martyr Irene is invoked by those wishing to effect a swift and happy marriage.
In Greece, she is also the patron saint of policemen. St. Irene is also one of
the twelve Virgin Martyrs who appeared to St. Seraphim of Sarov and Diveyevo
Nun Eupraxia on the Feast of the Annunciation in 1831.
Troparion (Tone 4) –
Your lamb Irene, O Jesus,
Calls out to You in a
loud voice:
I love You, O my
bridegroom,
And in seeking You, I
endure suffering.
In Baptism I was
crucified so that I might reign in You,
And died so that I might
live with You.
Accept me as a pure
sacrifice,
For I have offered myself
in love.
By her prayers save our
souls, since You are merciful.
Kontakion (Tone 3) –
O pure Irene, you adorned
yourself with the splendors of virginity,
So you became
all-beautiful in your struggle:
You were dyed with the
blood you shed for Christ
And so became
all-pleasing to God.
Therefore you received
the prize of glory from your creator.
By permission of the
Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)
SOURCE : http://www.antiochian.org/node/18346
Irene
assiste al martirio delle sorelle Chionia e Agape; miniatura dal Menologio
di Basilio II,
ქართული: ქალწულმოწამენი: აღაპია, ირინე და ქიონია (+304)
Sant' Irene di Salonicco Martire
m. Salonicco, 304
Emblema: Palma
Martirologio
Romano: A Salonicco nella Macedonia, ora in Grecia, santa Irene, vergine e
martire, che per aver disatteso l’editto di Diocleziano conservando nascosti i
libri sacri fu portata in un pubblico lupanare e poi messa al rogo per ordine
del governatore Dulcezio, sotto il quale anche le sue sorelle Agape e Chiona
avevano precedentemente subito il martirio.
Sante AGAPE, CHIONIA ed
IRENE, Martiri a Salonicco
Il martirio di queste tre
giovani sorelle è raccontato in un documento che è una versione un po' ampliata
di testimonianze genuine. Le donne furono portate davanti al governatore della
Macedonia, Dulcizio, con l'accusa di aver rifiutato di mangiare del cibo che
era stato offerto in sacrificio agli dei.
Quando il Governatore
chiese loro da chi avevano imparato idee così strane, Chionia rispose: "Da
nostro Signore Gesù Cristo" e di nuovo lei e Agape rifiutarono di mangiare
l'empio cibo e, a causa di ciò, furono bruciate vive. Intanto Dulcizio era
venuto a sapere che Irene aveva conservato in suo possesso dei libri cristiani
invece di consegnarli come richiedeva la legge. La interrogò di nuovo e lei
disse che quando era stato pubblicato il decreto dell'Imperatore contro i
cristiani lei e altri erano fuggiti sulle montagne. Evitò di coinvolgere le persone
che le avevano aiutate e dichiarò che nessuno tranne loro sapeva che avevano i
libri: "Temevamo la nostra gente quanto ogni altro" disse.
Dopo il loro ritorno a
casa avevano nascosto i libri ed erano state molto infelici perché non potevano
leggerli a tutte le ore come era loro abitudine. Il Governatore ordinò che
Irene fosse denudata ed esposta in un bordello, ma là nessuno la molestava,
così le fu data un'ultima possibilità di sottomettersi e poi fu condannata a
morte. Anche i libri, le Sacre Scritture, furono bruciati pubblicamente.
Altre tre donne e un uomo
furono giudicati insieme a queste martiri; una delle donne fu rinviata in
carcere perché era incinta. Non è riferito cosa accadde di loro.
Autore: Donald
Attwater
