Martyrdom of St. Wasilides

On this day we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Wasilides, a powerful minister and a Counsellor in the Roman Empire. He had a sister called Patricia who had a son called Theodore Bandelewos before she was widowed. Emperor Numerianus married Patricia and had a son from her called Yustus. Wasilides himself had two sons; Awsabyos (Eusebius) and Macarius.

When the Persians waged war against Rome, Emperor Numerianus fought them with an army lead by his son Yustus and Wasilides' son Awsabyos. But he himself went to fight another enemy and was killed in that war and his kingdom was thus left without an administrator.

The people chose from among the soldiers a man called Agripada who was a shepherd and they set him over the stable of the Queen's horses. He was mighty and bold in his dealings. One of the Emperor's daughters took him as her husband and made him Emperor and called him Diocletian. In no time he was worshipping idols. When Wasilides heard that he was saddened and he refused to return to the service of this new Emperor.

Meanwhile, Yustus the son of Numerianus and Awsabyos the son of Wasilides returned from the war with triumphant victory. When they saw that the Emperor had deviated from the true faith they were exceedingly sorry and they wanted to kill the Emperor and to appoint Yustus as Emperor, thus returning the kingdom to its owner. Wasilides prevented them from doing this. He then gathered his army and his servants and informed them that he wished to lay down his life for the sake of Christ's name. They all answered that they would die with him. As they stood before Diocletian he was scared knowing that they were the true heirs of the kingdom. Someone advised him to banish them to Egypt to be tortured there. He sent each of them to a different region; with Abadir and Irai his sister he sent Awsabyos, Macarius, Claudius and Victor. But Theodore Bandelewos, he nailed to a tree.

He sent Wasilides to Masrus, the Governor of the five western cities and when Masrus saw him he wondered why he had left his kingdom and his power. The Lord Jesus sent His Angel and lifted Wasilides up by the Spirit to heaven and showed him the spiritual dwellings and his soul was comforted. Some of his slaves were set free and the others were martyred.

St. Wasilides endured terrible tortures. When the Governor saw that St. Wasilides remained steadfast in his faith, the Governor commanded to have St. Wasilides' head cut off, and St. Wasilides received the crown of martyrdom in the kingdom of heaven instead of the earthly kingdom which he had forsaken.