PROVIDENCE OF GOD. AND MARTYR EUSTRATIUS. ARCHPRIEST SERGIY BARANOV

Today as per church calendar we revere the memory of the 4th century ancient Greek martyr Eustratius. But we also have our Russian venerable monk and martyr Eustratius who lived in Kiev Monastery of Caves (also Kyiv Pechersk Lavra). The story of this martyr is the following. The Cumans invaded Kiev, robbed and took captive a part of its inhabitants. The captives included both laity and monks of Lavra, and saint venerable monk and martyr Eustratius was among them. By the way, a small part of his relics is kept here, in Orsk, under the altar of the Transfiguration Cathedral. In the Circum-Pontic region the Cumans sold their captives in slavery to a Judaize. One part of the bought people he used as slaves and the other part, as he hated Christians so much, he decided to torture so that they disowned Christ. Therefore, he put them in prison and started to starve them...