Holy Martyr Neophytus (+303–305)

The holy Martyr Neophytus was from Nicaea. His parents brought him up as a noble Christian. For his virtuous, abstinent life and unceasing prayer the Lord granted the saint the gift of wonderworking while he was still a child. The saint’s mother besought the Lord to reveal her son’s future to her. By the miraculous appearance of a white dove God made known to the woman that Neophytus would set out on the path of salvation. The same dove led the child out of his parental home and guided him to a cave on a mountain, a lion’s den. The saint lived in this cave for fifteen years and came out only once, to bury his parents and distribute their property to the poor.

During the persecution under Diocletian (284–305) Neophytus presented himself of his own accord in Nicaea and boldly denounced the folly of the pagans. The enraged lawless ones hung the saint on a tree, beat him with ox sinews and scraped his body with iron. Then the martyr was thrown into a red-hot furnace, where he spent three days and nights unharmed. The tormentors, not knowing what more to do, decided to kill the Lord’s chosen one. One of them plunged a sword into the martyr’s heart.