SAINT NEDELA
During the time of the Christian emperors Diocletian and Maximian, there lived in Anatolia two pious old souls, Dorotheus and Eusevia. They were devout Christians, rich, but childless. With unceasing prayer, they asked God for a child, this holy Nedela. She dedicated herself to God from childhood, abstaining from everything that naughty children do. When she grew up, beautiful in body and soul, numerous suitors came, but she refused them all, saying that she was the betrothed of the Lord Christ and that she wanted nothing but to die as a girl. One of the rejected accused Nedela and her parents of being Christians before Emperor Diocletian.
The king ordered and her parents first tortured them, and then exiled them to the city of Melitina, where they ended up in agony for Christ. Diocletian sent Holy Nedela to Maximian to judge her. Because she confirmed her faith in Christ before Maximian, he ordered her to be beaten with ox sinews. Then the king gave it to the dukes, first to Hilarion, and after he died to Apollonius. They tortured her brutally in every possible way, but all was in vain.
While Saint Nedela was lying wounded in prison, the Lord Christ appeared to her and healed her and said to her: “Nedelo, do not be afraid of torments, My grace is with you.” The grace of Christ really saved this martyr both from fire and from wild beasts, so that her judges thought with certainty to put her to death. Many pagans, seeing her miraculous salvation from so many deaths, believed in Christ. But they were all slaughtered. Saint Nedela said to Apollonius: “You will not in any way turn me away from my faith.
If you throw me into the fire, I have the Three Bridegrooms; if you throw me to the beasts, I have Daniel as an example; if you throw me into the sea, my example is the prophet Jonah; if you hand me over to the sword, I will remember the Honorable John the Baptist. For me it is life to die for Christ.” Then Apollonius ordered to kill her with the sword. Nedela knelt down, raised her hands to heaven and prayed to God to have mercy on her and to save all those who will celebrate her memory, and to let her soul rest together with the souls of her parents. When she finished her prayer, she surrendered her soul to God, before the sword came down on her Holy head. He suffered honorably and moved to the Heavenly Kingdom in 289, in Nicomedia.
