Holy Jerusalem and her children Igor,

Sechendie, Sechendic. iul 26

Glorious origin
The Saint lived and was martyred when Marcus Aurelius Probus (276-282 AD) was emperor in
Rome.

He was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, from a wealthy family. Her parents were
Christians and brought her up "in the education and admonition of the Lord". They put her in a
Parthenon.
There he learned the Holy Scriptures and understood the futility of this world. Kaito wanted to
remain a virgin dedicated to God, yet her parents married her against her will. She gave birth to
three children, Sekendos, Sekendikos and Kigoros.

The Saint diligently led her children on the path of God. But even those were good news. But
after eight years, her husband died and she was left a widow at a relatively young age. He lived,
as God wanted, a holy life.

She decides to preach Christ

After the death of her husband, she went around many places preaching Christ and where she
arrived in Rome.

There at the head of the Roman state, her holy life, her labors, her fastings, her prayers, her
teachings, her meekness, her humility and other virtues, attracted many to Christianity.

He visited the sick, the imprisoned and helped them as much as he could. She advised her
children every day to hate the corruptible and vain and earthly and to love the imperishable and
eternal.

At that time Emperor Aurelian was celebrating his birthday. He made sacrifices so he ordered
that those who would accept the worship of the fire of the sun should be honored and facilitated.

On the other hand, those who worshiped Christ should be punished and exterminated.
Persecution flared up everywhere.

Aya then developed great activity. He defied the dangers and visited them in prisons or went to
them in the martyrdoms and exhorted them to remain faithful unto death, for the love of Christ.

He also received the remains of the martyrs and buried them with perfumes and much reverence.

Aya had with her a relative, who was called Sevastiani. She was extremely beautiful. The king
was informed of her beauty and sent people to bring her before him. So it happened.

The emperor, when he saw her beauty, was surprised. He talked for a long time and learned from
Sebastiani about Jerusalem, about the nobility of its origin, its virtues and its natural advantages.

Then the king sent his son with soldiers to arrest the Saint and bring her before him. But on the
way, where they were going, the horse of Philodorus, so they called him the son of the king, got
angry and threw him down a cliff.

He crushed one of his legs and was in severe pain. They brought him in a carriage to the king.
The king was very sorry. Sebastiani said that Jerusalem can heal his son with her prayers.

When Philodorus, his son, heard this, he begged him to send and bring her. Indeed, the king sent
people with gifts for the Saint and to beg her to come and pray, so that Philodorus would receive
his health.
The Saint did not go, but wrote the following letter to the king:

- King, Aurelian, if you believe in my Lord Jesus Christ the heavenly king and God of hosts,
your son Philodoros will be healed.

The king received the letter with reverence and with faith, he placed it on the crushed leg of his
son, which was in terrible pain. Immediately then Philodorus became perfectly well, as before
and walked happily.

The king, Sebastiani, the healer Philodoros and many magnates went to Jerusalem. to thank her.

Then the Saint found an opportunity and spoke to them about Christ and how they will be saved
and gain the happiness of the next life. Many of them were baptized.
In Veria

The Saint then started from Rome and from city to city, after passing through the parts of
Athens, Boeotia and Thessaly, she arrived at Berea in Macedonia. On her way she made many
believe in Christ with her teaching.

But even in Berea he continued to teach with courage about the faith of Christ. In 276 AD but
Aurelianus died and Marcus Aurelius Probus became emperor. Although he seemed to be a man
of letters, he nevertheless persecuted the Christians.

He sent orders to his Toparches and to all the Castles, which they commanded, to exterminate all
the Christians, since they had previously tortured them cruelly. Many were martyred for the faith
in behalf of Christ.

It is reported to Doukas
Doukas, that is, ruler of Thessaloniki, was one, Kytianos by name. Some flatterers, in order to
please the Duke, denounced Holy Jerusalem in the following words:

– There is some woman in Berea, they told him, a Christian. It is called Jerusalem. He has three
good children. She boldly confesses that she is a Christian. He also heals many imaginary
patients with the power of Christ, supposedly, but in reality with magic.

And so she draws many from our religion to her faith. If you do not order her to be destroyed,
there is a fear that she will mislead us and you with her magic.

When that ferocious lord heard this, he became furious. And he ordered his soldiers to go to
Berea with him. Holy Jerusalem, as soon as she learned of his coming, did not fear death at all.

On the contrary, she was happy, because she was being given the opportunity to confess Christ
and testify about Him. She feared only for her children, lest by the lord's promises and gifts, or
by the cruel tortures, they should become cowards and lose the crown of martyrdom.

Therefore he embraced them, embraced them, and said to them:

– My children and my entrails, you know with what labors and pains and sufferings I nurtured
you, raised you and taught you the faith of Christ.

Now hear me: Despise torture. Do not appear inferior to the three children, the old ones, you the
new children.

Fear not, nor be afraid of swords, fierce tyrants, and wild beasts. Give the Tyrant a hard lesson,
that he may know who are the soldiers of Christ. We'll hurt a little, we'll be happy forever. Listen
to me, my children.

Love Christ and shame the devil.

Makaria with these words tried to stimulate and strengthen her children.

They grilled the youngest

However, Kytianos was full of anger and rage against the Saints, he orders them to be separated,
and the youngest child, Kygoron, to be brought before him.

The unhappy man thought that he would tempt him with promises, or scare him with threats and
make him deny Christ and his faith.

As soon as the blessed child had heard the tyrant's promises and threats, he said to him:

– If you were not an impious, unbelieving and pagan and were a faithful Christian, you would
persuade me to love you even without these gifts.

But because you are an enemy of Christ and worship demons, and I, on the other hand, am a
friend of Christ, you will never be able to tear me away from my faith, even if you make me
king.

These goods my mother called dream and shadow and air and vain and lost things.

After that he turned to his mother and said to her:

– I will never forget your advice, mother. I will endure and a grave will receive us. I will not
come to any harm. I don't want you to cry either. Stay calm.

The judge believes that he will lead me astray from the faith of Christ. He is working hard. Let
ten more Qintians come. They will never be able to separate me from the love of our Christ.

– Listen, Tyrant, he said afterwards, you took me as the youngest, but you do not know that God
strengthens the youngest. So go ahead and do whatever torture you have in mind.

I am ready with the strength of my Lord to endure.

When Kydianus heard this, he was enraged and rose upright from his throne. He ordered that
they light a great fire and burn him alive. Indeed, they lit the fire! They put an iron bed in it to
redden it.

Then they threw Kygoron up to burn. While he was being roasted, they shot him with fine and
pointed arrows. They did all this to make his brothers afraid.

In a little while the martyr's body became part of the fire and his Holy soul went to Heaven,
accompanied by Angels, to rejoice forever near God.

From the horrible torture endured by the youngest, his other older brothers took more courage.
His Holy Mother was in pain, of course, like a mother, but she was happy, because her only son
was secured forever in Heaven. What a blessed and brave mother!

The Terrible Torment of Secedon

Then they brought and presented Secedon before the tyrant. He went with his head held high and
with a happy face, as if he were going to a feast and a festival and not to an examination for
martyrdom. Odukas bullies him, and he bravely responds:

- Do not be deceived, outlaw, that with spears and swords, with wild beasts and fire you will be
able to separate me from Almighty God.

Didn't the patience of my little brother bother you, and now you try to make me convert, who am
older? I emphasize to you, that I will not appear inferior to him and I will not make you and your
father the devil happy. No. Make the decision.

The tyrant at these words of the witness turned red from his anger and ordered the torture to
begin. First they laid him on the ground and nailed his hands and feet with large nails.

Then they began to beat him with iron rods. And then they put on his head a red-hot helmet.
After this punishment, his body couldn't take it anymore and surrendered his holy soul into the
hands of God.

The Martyrdom of Secendikos

Then he ordered the third brother, Secendikos, to be brought to his trial. She urged him to
sacrifice to the gods because otherwise more torture awaited her as an elder that he was. Then
Sekendikos mockingly said:

– Why, you wicked Qindiane, do you force me to sacrifice to the demons? Didn't you see what
brothers I had? I told you and I'll say it again.

I do not sacrifice to demons, I do not worship gods and idols, I do not obey unfaithful kings and
antichrists, I do not fear suffering and punishments. That's enough. I'm not telling you anything
else.
We'll do whatever you want. Then the Tyrant got mad and made a decision. So the evil-minded
man commanded, and wild horses were brought. They burned them on wood. Then they pierced
the martyr's ankles and tied the legs to the wood with ropes.

The horses, with the witness behind them, dismissed them, and those embroiled by the machines
and afraid of the croton, fled to rough places. With horrible martyrdom, Secendikos surrendered
his holy soul to God.

The tortures of the Saint

The next day the savage tyrant sat again in Criterion. He ordered that the mother of the martyrs,
Holy Jerusalem, be brought before him. When she was brought in, the reverend told her angrily.

– You do not tell me, stinking woman, by what magic did you persuade your children to refuse
this pleasant life and die for a Crucified One?

You are a wicked and cruel mother. Other mothers, for their children, even risked their lives. But
while you saw them die with so many cruel punishments and sufferings, you did not feel sorry
for them.

On the contrary, you were happy. And now you appeared before me with a happy face. It's as if
you suddenly found a treasure.

But what kind of Mother are you? Aren't you ashamed at all? Now listen to me carefully. If you
do not sacrifice to the great gods, I will inflict upon you such suffering and such punishments as
I have not inflicted upon any other of those whom I have slain.

Blessed Jerusalem heard these things, without being at all afraid. He humbly and courageously
answered him as follows:

- I, my lord, said to him, I did not deprive my sons of their present life, with witchcraft and
charms. I, by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, gave them immortal life and eternal happiness.

You could also have this life if you banished the demon of infidelity that dwells within you. In
this endless happy life, I want to fall too. So don't be late. Go ahead with your work. Torture me
as much as you want.

Kydianos was very angry with the response of Martyros and ordered the torture to begin.

First they hung her and began to scratch her flesh with iron claws. Then they took sacks of hair
and tied her wounded flesh. The ground turned red from her blood, which was flowing.

Her bones were visible. Many women, who ran there, pitied her and wept. Then the executioners
cut off her head and thus she took the crown of martyrdom and won everything, the great, unique
and incomparable treasure of the eternal happiness of Paradise.
Some then pious and philanthropic men took her holy and tortured body and buried it in the
southern part of Berroia. Later, a Church named after Agia Terusalem was built there.

And many miracles were done to those who went and begged her with faith. But this temple was
burned in a great fire of Berroia.