The Spiritual Virgins Menodora, Nymphodora, and Metrodora (305-311), were sisters from Bithynia (Asia Trifling). Important for their special religious zeal, they embrace to carry out their virginity and equivocate secular contact. They chose a solitary place for themselves in the backwoods and consumed their lives in happenings of fasting and prayer.
Information of the holy life of the virgins promptly scattered, since healings of the badly began to come about as well as their prayers. The Bithynia vicinity was governed at that time by a man named Frontonus, who uniform that the sisters be arrested and brought before him.
At previous he tried to persuade them to renounce Christ, promising large honors and rewards. But the holy sisters insistently confessed their expectation before him, rejecting all his suggestions. They told him that they did not grasp the temporal fabric of this world, and that they were series to die for their Scrumptious Bridegroom, for death would be their hole to eternal life.
Above ground indoors a fury, the governor took out his wrath on St Menodora, the eldest sister. She was uncovered of her clothes and subjugated by four men, so a presage urged her to donate price to the gods. The saint valiantly endured the torments and cried out, "Sacrifice? Can't you see that I am stage for myself as a price to my God?" Subsequently they reformed their torments with even disdainful meticulousness. Subsequently the victim cried out, " Peer of the realm Jesus Christ, joy of my soul, my want, show my interior in respite." Along with these words she gave up her interior to God, and went to her Scrumptious Bridegroom.
Four days with, they brought the two younger sisters Metrodora and Nymphodora to the pursue. They showed them the beaten body type of their hoary sister to frighten them. The virgins wept upper her, but remained obdurate.
Subsequently St Metrodora was distressed. She died, weeping out to her sweetheart Peer of the realm Jesus Christ with her situate be carried on the breeze. Subsequently they turned to the third sister, Nymphodora. Formerly her lay the purple bodies of her sisters. Frontonus hoped that this horror would scare the unripe virgin.
Pretending that he was charmed by her junior and beauty, he urged her to elevate the pagan gods, promising large rewards and honors. St Nymphodora scoffed at his words, and communal the external circumstances of her hoary sisters. She was distressed and subjugated to death with charming rods.
The bodies of the holy martyrs were to be burned in a fire, but a end rain extinguished the furious fire, and lightning struck down Frontonus and his servant. Christians took up the bodies of the holy sisters and politely buried them at the assumed Hot and sticky Springs at Pythias (Bithynia).
Tear apart of the ruins of the holy martyrs are conserved on Mt. Athos in the Place of safety place of worship of the St Panteleimon Russian monastery, and the hand of St Metrodora is on the Spiritual Rise in the monastery of the Pantocrator.
APOLYTIKION IN THE FOURTH Rim
O Spiritual Martyrs, you wisely exchanged disagreeable distress and despairing death for Endless Life! Three virgins, you confessed the unoriginate Trinity at an evil gathering, and for this defense were slain by the sword, When the way of the Animal protein who was slain! Now ever pray for us who stain your holy memory!
APOLYTIKION IN THE Lid Rim
Let all who rejoice at their come to designation these three virgin martyrs, who are associated to God as sisters and who meaningless forth fair streams of grace: Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora, who were in all fabric courageous; they ever pray to the Trinity for us.
KONTAKION IN THE FOURTH Rim
Incontrovertible in your struggles for the Spiritual Trinity, and as well as your love for each other as sisters, you outdone the foe of your spiritual life, and with the five virgins, entered proudly indoors the Scrumptious Mansions where you ever rejoice with the angels in the phantom of the Ruler of All!
