Holy Venerable Martyr Conon and His Son Conon (+270–275)

The holy Venerable Martyr Conon and his son Conon (+270–275). The holy Venerable Martyr Conon lived in Iconium (Asia Minor). After being widowed he took up his abode in a monastery with his seven-year-old son. For his pious life the Lord rewarded him with special grace: he cast out evil spirits, healed the sick, and restored sight to the blind. Conon tirelessly preached the law of Christ among the pagans. Domitian, a persecutor of Christians, heard of his labours and ordered the saint to offer sacrifice to the idols. The venerable father refused, for which he was cruelly tortured. With him his son, the deacon Conon, was tortured too. Father and son were laid on a red-hot anvil and doused with boiling oil, thrown into a cauldron full of molten tin, and hung upside down, but heavenly grace shielded the saints and they remained unharmed. At last the enraged tormentors decided to saw father and son apart with a wood-saw. The saints asked the executioners for time to pray and cried out to the Lord: “We thank Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast counted us worthy to suffer for Thy name. We commend unto Thee Thy holy Church: crush them that war against her, confirm and strengthen them that worship Thee, receive our souls and grant us peace.”

As soon as the prayer was finished a voice rang out from heaven, calling the saints to itself. The holy martyrs made the sign of the cross and peacefully gave up their souls to the Lord. At once an earthquake shook the city and shattered all the idols.

The monks secretly buried the saints’ bodies in the monastery where they had served. This happened in the reign of Aurelian, in 270–275. Later the holy relics of father and son were translated to Italy, to the city of Acerra.