Alexandria, Egypt, June 8, 2023
Photo: vema.com.au Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria gifted a particle of the relics of two 16th-century Egyptian martyrs to a visiting hierarch from the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia this week.
His Eminence Archbishop Juraj of Michalovce and Košice of the Czech-Slovak Church traveled to Egypt last week to participate in the Joint International Committee of Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox and Catholic Church.
The feast of Pentecost was celebrated during the work of the Committee, with hierarchs from the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Romania, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, and the Czech Lands and Slovakia concelebrating the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Monastery of St. Savvas in Alexandria.
And on Tuesday, June 6, in response to the request of Abp. Juraj, Pat. Theodoros gave the Slovakian hierarch a particle of the relics of the New Martyrs Gabriel and Kyrmidolis, which are kept in the Patriarchal Monastery of St. George in Old Cairo, reports the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
Accepting the relics, Abp. Juraj noted the significance of receiving them from a successor to St. John the Merciful, an early 7th-century Patriarch of Alexandria, who is the patron saint of the metropolitan cathedral in Košice, Slovakia.
Photo: johnsanidopulos.com
The Patriarchate writes of Sts. Gabriel and Kyrmidolis:
Sts. Gabriel and Kyrmidolis were martyred in Egypt on October 18, 1522 AD. Both were young, highly educated, and descended from pious parents. Once, they were slandered to the Emir of Egypt, Haer Mek, ostensibly that they were throwing garbage and filth into a Turkish mosque. They were taken bound to the court, where they were asked to change their faith to avoid torture. However, because they firmly confessed Christ, they were delivered to the judge. But even there they remained steadfast in their faith, despite the flattery, and suffered horrible tortures. Thus both were martyred in the 25th year of their lives. Kyrmidolis was killed with knives and stones, while Gabriel was beheaded.
The tomb of the Holy New Martyrs is located within the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St. George and is considered another living testimony of the operation of the monastery for so many centuries. The saints were martyred in 1522, during the Patriarchal tenure of the Patriarch of Alexandria, St. Joachim of Panis, and their lives were recorded by St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and Patriarch Theophilos II of Alexandria. The service for the saints is found in codex 379 of the Patriarchal Library of Cairo…
The 2023 calendar of the Orthodox Arabic-speaking communities of Egypt was dedicated to the memory of the Holy New Martyrs Gabriel and Kyrmidolis.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
