Martyr
Martyr Epimachus of Pelusium
Saint Epimachus came from Pelusium in Egypt. The Greek Synaxarion remembers that he gave his possessions to the poor and withdrew to the desert to pursue a life of prayer and ascetic discipline.
Core account checked against Orthodox Synaxarion (Greek). Additional ecclesiastical references appear below.
Life and Witness
An Ascetic from Egypt
Saint Epimachus came from Pelusium in Egypt. The Greek Synaxarion remembers that he gave his possessions to the poor and withdrew to the desert to pursue a life of prayer and ascetic discipline.
Confession in Alexandria
When persecution broke out, he went to Alexandria to stand with the Christians who were suffering there. Brought before the governor Apellianus, he was ordered to sacrifice to the idols. He refused and was subjected to severe torture.
The Witness of the Martyr
The account of his martyrdom tells of a woman who was blind in one eye and received her sight when a drop of his blood touched it. After his death, faithful Christians received and reverently buried his body. The Church honors Epimachus on October 31, remembering both his hidden ascetic labor and his public confession.
Biographical information on this page is based exclusively on the Orthodox ecclesiastical sources listed below.
Orthodox Synaxarion (Greek)