Holy Confessor Basilissa of Nicomedia (+309)

The holy Confessor Basilissa of Nicomedia suffered for Christ in the reign of the Emperor Diocletian (284–305); the girl was then nine years old. She boldly confessed Christ before Alexander, the governor of Nicomedia. The governor tried first to win her over with affection, and then, enraged by the girl’s firmness, ordered her to be tortured. The blessed one was cruelly beaten, hung over a fire, thrown into a red-hot furnace, thrown to the beasts to be torn apart… but, protected by the grace of God, she came out of all these torments unharmed. This miracle convinced Alexander of the Lord’s almighty power; he fell at the holy child’s feet and asked her forgiveness and her intercession before the Lord. Saint Basilissa joyfully glorified God. They called a bishop, who instructed Alexander and made him a catechumen. The governor spent the rest of his life in piety. Saint Basilissa commended her soul to the Lord in peace in 309.