Hieromartyr Valentine the Bishop and His Three Disciples, the Martyrs Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, and Righteous Abundius (+c. 273)

The Hieromartyr Valentine the bishop, his three disciples, the holy Martyrs Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, and Righteous Abundius lived in the third century. Saint Valentine was Bishop of the city of Interamna (Italy). For his God-pleasing labours he was granted the gift of healing illnesses. At that time three pagan young men, Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, came from Athens to Rome to study. They found a teacher, named Craton, and settled in his house. It happened that Craton’s son, Cherimon, fell gravely ill: his back became so bent that his head was between his knees. The despairing father asked Bishop Valentine for help. The God-loving hierarch did not leave the request unanswered: he came to Rome, shut himself up in a room with the sick young man, and prayed all night. In the morning the happy parents saw that their son showed not a trace of his old illness; they believed in Christ and were baptised with their whole household. Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius were baptised too, and together with Cherimon became disciples of Valentine. The wonderful teacher soon became famous, and through him many young men and boys followed Christ. Among them was Abundius, the son of the head of the city, who after his baptism confessed the true faith before everyone. At a time when pagan polytheism held sway over the whole world and Christianity was persecuted, this was an astonishingly bold act. The wrath of the authorities fell upon the spiritual father, Valentine. He was seized, required to offer sacrifice to the idols, and after many kinds of torture shut up in prison. His disciples did not shrink from danger and visited their teacher there too. Soon the holy hierarch was beheaded. Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius carried the holy body of their spiritual father to the city of Interamna and buried it with honour. For whole days the young men prayed without ceasing at the precious grave. When all this became known to the city authorities, the youths were seized and beheaded secretly at night. When Abundius, the son of the head of the city, learned that his friends had been arrested, he hastened to visit them, but saw only the cold bodies of the Lord’s chosen ones. Deeply grieved, the young man paid the last honour to the holy martyrs: he buried their precious remains beside the grave of their teacher, the hierarch Valentine.