The memory of the holy martyr Ferapont, bishop of Cyprus

This saint was a monk and served as a bishop on the island of Cyprus [Cyprus Island was located in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea, near the shores of ancient Phoenicia. Christianity was planted here by the holy Apostle Paul on his first evangelistic journey.]

During the persecution of the Christians by the pagans, he courageously confessed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and accepted the crown of martyrdom.

May 25th is probably the day his relics were transferred to Constantinople.]

His honourable relics rested at first in Cyprus, where they wrought all miracles; but afterwards they were carried to Constantinople, and for this cause, when the Hagarites, by the leave of God, had desolated all our eastern countries for their sins, and had taken their inhabitants captive, they came near to the island of Cyprus,

They're going to do to him what they've done to all the other eastern countries.

At this time St. Ferapont appeared to the pontiff of his church and said to him: "Go quickly, take my relics and carry them to Constantinople, for the enemies of the cross of Christ want to come to this island and desolate it; tell this and the other Christians, so that they can leave before the invasion of the Agarians.

Immediately the monk informed all the Christians of the apparition of the saint and of his order; soon the Christians prepared for the voyage on the ship; having prepared a new crab, they placed in it the honourable relics of St. Ferapont and, taking them with them to the ship, set out on the voyage.

When the travelers had passed through most of the sea and were approaching Constantinople, suddenly a great storm arose on the sea; all were greatly afraid and perplexed; but at this time a great fragrance began to come out of the crab with the relics (as if some delicate steam); the fragrance not only filled

The whole ship sank to the bottom of the sea, and at once the wind died down.

But Ponmar, lovingly guarding the holy relics of the holy martyr, heard a voice from the river calling him to her.

At last all the people heard the voice of St. Ferapont, calling to himself the protector of his relics. Then they all dreadfully and reverently approached the crab to see the power of the holy martyr.

When they came to the river, they saw the fragrance of the holy martyr's body filling the whole river, and the Christians on the ship poured the fragrance into glass vessels and anointed themselves with it with faith for the healing of their souls and bodies.

After reaching Constantinople, the Christians laid the relics of the holy martyr Ferapont in a temple built in honor and glory of the Most Holy Mother of God.

The feast in honor of this icon of the Mother of God is celebrated in the Orthodox Church on November 12.] All this happened during the reign of Nicéphore [Emperor Nicéphore I reigned from 802 to 811.

Some time later, because of the many miracles performed by the former relics, another temple was built by the Christians in the name of the holy saintly martyr Ferapont; the relics of the pleasing God were moved to this temple.

Among the many miracles performed by the godly man Ferapont, only a few have been recorded. Here are some of them. A man named Florinus, of Italian origin, was tormented by a legion of unclean spirits, and he was healed by the relics of Saint Ferapont and returned to his home in perfect health.

He said that he saw a fine, very fragrant vapor coming from the cancer of the honest relics; the smell of this could not be endured by the legion of demons, so he fled from him as if being chased.

Anastasius, a citizen of Victorian, had for a long time had a withered hand that hung on his shoulder as if dead.

But when he came to the temple of the holy priest Fairpont on the eve of the apparition of the Lord, he was completely healed: his hand was strengthened and became healthy as the other. In the presence of all, Anastasius took the vessel with the healed hand and filled it with water for baptism.

And there was a man named George, a soldier of the rank of a tenth, whose face was turned backward by the devil, and he was blind in one eye.

This George, having prayed at the grave of the martyr, was quickly healed: his face turned to the old place and his eye was opened, for which George thanked his unremitting doctor.

And he received it in a dream out of the holy man's hand, and immediately he awoke, and was strengthened, and rose from the bed, and blessed the Lord Jesus Christ, and his holy martyr, saying,

- Oh, how easily and quickly you, Saint Ferapont, cure all ailments and diseases!

A little girl was brought to the temple of the holy martyr, whose legs had grown up from birth, and had bent backward, and had grown up to her back; but when her parents had brought her to St. Ferapont with earnest prayer, immediately the legs of the girl took their usual position, and they stretched out and parted,

So the boy stood up and grew strong; he began to walk around praising God.

A woman named Mary was suffering from an incurable disease called cancer, and desperate for relief, she hurried to the tomb of the holy martyr in earnest prayer and was quickly and completely healed.

Then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for seven years came to St. Pharaphim and touched his coffin. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she went home in perfect health.

Another woman, suffering from dropsy, came to the relics of St. Ferapont and saw in a dream a vision of the holy martyr anointing a sore spot on her body with some kind of ointment.

Now Stephen the centurion, who was sick with an evil disease, fell down on his face, and another soldier named Theodorus was also sick with an evil disease. When the two of them had turned to the Lord for help and had prayed earnestly for him, he was completely healed.

And a certain philosopher, who had a very great and dangerous ulcer in his breast, came to the tomb of the saint, and took a nap, and saw that the saint had put a bandage on the sore spot in his breast.

When he awoke from his sleep, he felt a considerable relief from his illness, and the next day he was completely cured of it.

Many and other diseases and infirmities were healed by the anointing of the world, which proceeded from the honest powers of the pleasing of the God of Pheraeon; by the same peace the demons were driven out of men, the dying returned from death to life; and all this was done by the prayers of the holy priest-martyr Pheraeon, by the grace of our Lord Jesus.

To Christ be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Amen. On the same day the third acquisition of the honest head of St. John the Baptist is celebrated (see February 24 for this event).