Sophia is a Christian name. Icon of the Holy Martyr Sophia

Sophia is one of the most revered saints in the Orthodox Church. Her life was full of suffering and pain, but the martyr endured all the hardships that fell on her shoulders, and now helps believers not to deviate from the righteous path.

A virgin from Italy, named Sophia, which means “wise,” acquired the highest wisdom during her lifetime. Pure, immaculate, modest, obedient Sophia - this is exactly what believers say about her. She was full of mercy and gave the world three daughters, three virtues: Faith, Hope and Love.

History of the icon

The Great Martyr Sophia was from Rome. She led since childhood righteous life and believed in the Lord. She raised three daughters in faith and obedience, whom she named Faith, Hope and Love. These names correspond to the three main Christian virtues. The righteous woman loved her daughters immensely and guided them on the spiritual path from birth.

At that time, power was in the hands of Emperor Hadrian. The ruler, like most of the population, was a pagan and did not recognize any other religion. When he learned about Sophia's family, which preached Christianity, he was overcome with anger. The ruler ordered them to renounce the Christian religion and make a sacrifice to the pagan god.

When the girls and their mother refused to renounce Jesus Christ, the emperor ordered that Sophia's daughters be subjected to terrible torture. First in front of his mother and both sisters eldest daughter Vera was beaten mercilessly. When the beatings were over, the tormentors put the girl on a fiery iron grate, but the fire could not harm Vera, because she was under the protection of God. Then the ruler ordered to throw it into a cauldron with hot resin, but by the will of the Lord the resin became cold. When all attempts to cause the girl monstrous suffering ended, Adrian ordered her head to be cut off. Other daughters were subjected to the same torture, after which they were also executed. The girls' spirit was not broken until the last moment. They loved the Lord with all their hearts and were ready to die for their faith.

The emperor decided not to subject Sofia to torture. But the pain that the martyr experienced that day could not be compared with physical hardship. Before her eyes, her daughters were tortured and killed. The woman buried her daughters and did not leave their graves for two days, praying for the souls of the departed. Two days later, the Lord took Sophia’s soul into His Kingdom.

For all the suffering and pain that Sophia had to endure, she was canonized. This happened in 137. Sophia of Rome and her daughters endured severe suffering, but were not broken, thereby showing people that faith in Christ is much stronger than the fear of torture. They endured all the torment and remained steadfast and faithful to the Lord even at the cost of their own lives.

Where is the image of Saint Sophia located?

In our time, the image of the Holy Great Martyr Sophia is always located in the very center of any of the Orthodox churches. The icon of the pious Sophia is one of the most important and valuable shrines for Orthodox churches. To pray in front of the holy image, all you have to do is go to any Orthodox church. Besides, large number Christians keep the icon of the martyr in their homes.

Description of the icon

The face of the martyr Sophia of Rome is depicted on the icon. It can be drawn as in full height, and up to the waist. In all icons, Sophia's head is covered with a scarf. Usually she holds a cross or a scroll, pointing at the relic with her hand, which symbolizes the call to enter the righteous spiritual path.

How does a miraculous image help?

Days of celebration

September 30 (17 old style) is considered the official day of memory and veneration of the icon of the Holy Martyr Sophia.

Prayer before the icon

"Oh, sufferer Great Sofia! You stand in heaven next to our Lord. During your life you did good deeds. I pray to you to heal my soul from sin, for I wish to take the righteous path. Be my intercessor and do not let the true faith leave me, just as you did not lose your holiness during the merciless torment. Be merciful and do not leave me in moments of fear and despair. Grant me spiritual strength, do not let my loved ones lose heart. Pray for us before the Lord, for we are all His children, and our souls will one day go to His Kingdom. But while I remain on this sinful earth, give me your support and protection. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen".

The Martyr Sophia was first and foremost a mother, so prayers addressed to her near the icon help in raising children. Before the icon of the saint Orthodox people asking for God's protection and protection. For women named Sophia, the saint is an intercessor. She supports them in faith and helps preserve their spiritual and physical health. We wish you peace in your soul. Be happy and don't forget to press the buttons and

The Holy Martyr Sophia of Rome was the mother of Faith, Hope and Love. She raised her daughters in the Christian faith. In those days (2nd century) in Rome, believers in Christ were subjected to severe persecution by the authorities. When Saint Sophia and her children were faced with a choice, she made a wise decision.

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Icon of the Holy Martyr Sophia of Rome
Icon painter: Yuri Kuznetsov Sophia of Egypt, martyr

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Remembrance day set Orthodox Church September 18/October 1.

Sofia Slutskaya, princess Princess Sophia lived at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries. She was the last princess the Slutsky family, once powerful, originating from the Rurik family. In infancy, Sofia lost her parents, she was raised by distant relatives who took out guardianship and sought not only to pay off their financial debts at the expense of the princess’s rich inheritance, but also to increase their fortunes. While still a girl, she was betrothed to Prince Janusz Radziwill, whose family her relatives owed a decent amount of money. The difficulty was that the Radziwill princes were Catholics. Raised in Orthodox faith the young princess managed to insist on maintaining her faith and even on the fact that children born in marriage must be Orthodox.

When Sofia reached adulthood, Janusz sent a petition to the Pope for permission to marry an Orthodox princess. Their inter-tribal and inter-confessional union was concluded in 1600 Orthodox rite. Life was not easy for Princess Sofia under the tutelage of selfish relatives, and it did not get any better after her marriage. She found joy and salvation in her faith - in love for the Lord. But another test awaited the young princess. In the Western Russian region, a church union with Rome was declared, which meant the establishment of Catholicism as the state religion.

Since at the time of the adoption of the union Slutsk belonged to her, the holy righteous princess Sophia directed all her strength to protect Orthodox shrines and Orthodox residents. This is how the Slutsk Transfiguration Brotherhood was formed, in which she became a model of moral principles, its spiritual and material basis. Being the wife of a Catholic, through incredible efforts, she managed, through her husband, to beg from the Polish king for Slutsk a charter protecting citizens who professed Orthodoxy from the violence of the Uniates. Thus, Slutsk became the only city in the North-Western region that has preserved the purity and integrity of Orthodoxy. Thanks to this, it gradually became a religious and church-administrative center, around which the Orthodox forces of White Rus' (Belarus) began to unite, and Princess Sophia was deeply revered by the people as a saint. Her incorrupt remains still rest in cathedral Minsk

Sofia (in the world Grand Duchess Solomonia) of Suzdal, reverend

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Days of remembrance were established by the Orthodox Church on August 1/14, December 16/29.
(The name of St. Sophia of Suzdal is included in the month book with the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Alexia II March 27, 2007)

Reverend Sophia, in the world Solomonia, Grand Duchess, was the daughter of the boyar Yuri Konstantinovich Saburov. In 1505, she was chosen as the heir to the throne, the future Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich. Their marriage was not happy, since Solomonia turned out to be barren. To have an heir, Grand Duke Vasily Ioannovich decided to marry a second time (to Elena Glinskaya) and on November 25, 1525, he ordered Solomonia to be tonsured a nun. Forcibly tonsured with the name Sophia, Solomonia was sent into custody to the Suzdal Intercession Monastery, where through her exploits she expelled worldly thoughts from her heart and devoted herself entirely to God. Prince Kurbsky calls the blessed princess “venerable martyr.” In handwritten calendars she is referred to as “The Holy Righteous Princess Sophia, a nun, who was a virgin in the Intercession Monastery, a wonderworker.” Under Tsar Theodore Ioannovich she was revered as a saint. Tsarina Irina Feodorovna sent to Suzdal "to Grand Duchess Solomonid, and in the monastery Sophia, a velvet cover with the image of the Savior and saints." Patriarch Joseph wrote to the Suzdal Archbishop Serapion about singing funeral services and prayers over Sophia. The Venerable Sophia reposed in God in 1542. In the description of Suzdal, the sacristan Anania cites several cases of miraculous healings at the tomb of St. Sophia.

they all turned to God with the following prayer: “Almighty God, do with us according to Your holy will; do not leave us, but send us Your holy help, so that our hearts do not fear the proud tormentor, so that we do not fear his terrible torment and come in horror from death; let nothing tear us away from You, our God."

Having said a prayer and bowed to the Lord God, all four - saints Faith, Hope and Love and their mother Sophia, taking each other by the hands, like a woven wreath, went to the king and, often looking at the sky, with heartfelt sighing and secret prayer, entrusted themselves to help The One who commanded us not to be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul (Matthew 10:28). When they approached the royal palace, they overshadowed themselves sign of the cross, saying: “Help us, O God our Savior, to glorify Thy holy Name.”

They were led into the palace, and Saints Faith, Hope and Love and their mother Sophia appeared before the king, who sat proudly on his throne. Seeing the king, Saints Faith, Hope and Love and their mother Sophia gave him due honor, but stood before him without any fear, without any change in their faces, with courage in their hearts and looked at everyone with a cheerful gaze, as if they were called to feast; with such joy they came to the king to be tortured for their Lord.

Seeing their noble, bright and fearless faces, the king began to ask what kind of people they were, what their names were and what their faith was. Being wise, the mother answered so prudently that everyone present, listening to her answers, marveled at her such intelligence. She openly confessed her faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and, calling herself His servant, glorified His Name.

“I am a Christian,” she said, “this is the precious name that I can boast of.”

At the same time, she said that she also betrothed her daughters to Christ, so that they would preserve their incorruptible purity for the incorruptible Bridegroom - the Son of God.

Then the king, seeing such a wise woman in front of him, but not wanting to enter into a long conversation with her and judge her, postponed this matter until another time. He sent Sophia and her daughters to a noble woman named Palladia, instructing her to watch them, and three days later to present them to him for trial.

Living in the house of Palladia and having at her disposal a lot of time to teach her daughters, Saint Sophia confirmed them in the faith day and night, teaching them with words inspired by God.

“My beloved daughters,” she said, “now is the time of your feat, now the day has come for your disbelief to the immortal Bridegroom, now you, in accordance with your names, must show firm faith, undoubted hope, unfeigned and eternal love. The hour of your triumph has come, when the martyrdom You will be crowned with your most beloved Bridegroom and with great joy you will enter His bright palace. My daughters, for the sake of this honor of Christ, do not spare your youthful flesh; grieve that you will lose this temporary life. For your heavenly beloved, Jesus Christ, is eternal health, unspeakable beauty and endless life, and when your bodies are tortured to death for His sake, He will clothe them with incorruption and make your wounds light, like the stars in the sky. When your beauty is taken from you through torment for His sake, He will adorn you with heavenly beauty, which the human eye has never seen. When you lose your temporary life, having laid down your souls for your Lord, He will reward you with endless life, in which He will glorify you forever before His heavenly Father and before His holy angels, and all heavenly powers they will call you brides and confessors of Christ, all the saints will praise you, the wise virgins will rejoice over you and accept you into their fellowship. My dear daughters! Do not let yourself be seduced by the charms of the enemy: for, as I think, the king will lavish you with affection and promise great gifts, offering you glory, wealth and honor, all the beauty and sweetness of this corruptible and vain world: but you will not desire anything like that, for everything it, like smoke, disappears, like dust, is scattered by the wind and, like flowers and grass, dries up and turns into earth. Do not be afraid when you see fierce torment, for, having suffered a little, you will defeat the enemy and triumph forever. I believe in my God Jesus Christ, I believe that He will not leave you suffering in His name, for He Himself said: If a woman forgets her suckling child, I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:15); He will continually be with you in all your torments, looking at your exploits, strengthening your weaknesses and preparing for your reward an imperishable crown. Oh, my beautiful daughters! Remember my illnesses at your birth, remember my labors in which I nursed you, remember my words with which I taught you the fear of God, and comfort your mother in her old age with your kind and courageous confession of faith in Christ. For me there will be triumph, and joy, and honor, and glory among all believers, if I am worthy to be called the mother of martyrs, if I see your valiant patience for Christ, firm confession of His Holy Name and death for Him. Then my soul will rejoice, and my spirit will rejoice, and my old age will be refreshed. Then you too will truly be my daughters if, having listened to your mother’s instructions, you will stand for your Lord to the point of blood and die for Him with zeal.”

Having listened with tenderness to such instruction from their mother, Saints Faith, Hope and Love experienced sweetness in their hearts and rejoiced in spirit, awaiting the time of torment as the wedding hour. For being holy branches from a holy root, they desired with all their souls what the wise mother Sophia instructed them to do. Saints Faith, Hope and Love took to heart all the words of their holy mother and prepared themselves for the feat of martyrdom, as if they were going to a bright palace, protecting themselves with faith, strengthening themselves with hope and kindling in themselves the fire of love for the Lord. Encouraging and affirming each other, saints Faith, Hope and Love promised their holy mother Sophia to actually implement all her soul-helping advice with the help of Christ.

When the third day came, saints Faith, Hope and Love and their mother Sophia were brought to the lawless king for judgment. Thinking that Saints Faith, Hope and Love and their mother Sophia could easily obey his seductive words, the king began to speak to them like this: “Children! Seeing your beauty and sparing your youth, I advise you, like a father: bow to the gods, the rulers of the universe : And if you listen to me and do what you are commanded, then I will call you my children. I will call the leaders and rulers and all my advisers and in front of them I will declare you my daughters, and you will receive praise and honor from everyone. If you do not listen and do not fulfill my command, then you will cause great harm to yourself, and you will upset your mother’s old age, and you yourself will perish at a time when you could have the most fun, living carelessly and cheerfully, for I will give you over to a cruel death and, having crushed your limbs. your body, I will throw them to be devoured by dogs, and you will be trampled upon by everyone. So, for your own good, listen to me: for I love you and not only do not want to destroy your beauty and deprive you of this life, but I would like to become a father for you. ".

But the saints Faith, Hope and Love unanimously and unanimously answered him:

Our Father is God who lives in heaven. He provides for us and our lives and has mercy on our souls; we want to be loved by Him and want to be called His true children. Worshiping Him and keeping His commandments and commandments, we spit on your gods, and we are not afraid of your threat, for all we desire is to suffer and endure bitter torment for the sake of the sweetest Jesus Christ, our God.

Having heard such an answer from them, the king asked mother Sophia what the names of her daughters were and how old they were.

Saint Sophia answered:

My first daughter's name is Vera, and she is twelve years old; the second - Nadezhda - is ten years old, and the third - Love, which is only nine years old.

The king was very surprised that with such at a young age they have courage and intelligence and can respond to him in this way. He began again to force each of them to his wickedness and first turned to his elder sister, Saint Vera, saying:

Make a sacrifice to the great goddess Artemis.

But Saint Vera refused. Then the king ordered to strip her naked and beat her. The torturers, striking her without any mercy, said:

Devour to the great goddess Artemis.

But Saint Vera silently endured the suffering, as if they were beating not her body, but someone else’s. Having achieved no success, the tormentor ordered her virgin breasts to be cut off. But instead of blood, milk flowed from the wounds. Everyone who looked at the torment of Holy Faith marveled at this miracle and the patience of the martyr. And, shaking their heads, they secretly reproached the king for his madness and cruelty, saying: “How has this beautiful maiden sinned, and why is she suffering so much? Oh, woe to the madness of the king and his brutal cruelty, inhumanly destroying not only the elders, but even small children.” ".

After this, an iron grate was brought and placed over high heat. When it became hot like a hot coal and sparks were flying from it, they placed the Holy Faith on it. Saint Vera lay on this grate for two hours and, crying out to her Lord, did not burn in the least, which led everyone to amazement. Then Saint Faith was planted in

a cauldron standing on a fire and filled with boiling resin and oil, but she remained unharmed in it and, sitting in it, as if in cool water, sang praises to God. The torturer, not knowing what else to do with her, how he could turn her away from the faith of Christ, sentenced her to beheading with a sword.

Hearing this sentence, Saint Vera was filled with joy and said to her mother:

Pray for me, my mother, so that I can finish my procession, reach the desired end, see my beloved Lord and Savior and enjoy the sight of His Divinity.

And she said to her sisters:

Remember, my dear sisters, To whom we made a vow, To whom we were engaged; you know that we are sealed with the holy cross of our Lord and must serve Him forever; Therefore, we will endure to the end. The same mother gave birth to us, the same raised and taught us, therefore we must accept the same death; as half-sisters, we must have one will. Let me be an example for you, so that you both follow me to our Bridegroom who calls us.

After this, Saint Vera kissed her mother, then, hugging her sisters, she also kissed them and went under the sword. The mother did not grieve at all for Holy Faith, for love for God conquered in her heartfelt sadness and maternal pity for the children. Saint Sophia only lamented and cared about this, lest any of her daughters be afraid of torment and retreat from her Lord.

And she said to Saint Vera:

I gave birth to you, my daughter, and because of you I suffered illnesses. But you reward me for this with blessings, dying for the name of Christ and shedding for Him the very blood that you received in my womb. Go to Him, my beloved, and, stained with your blood, as if clothed in purple, appear beautiful before the eyes of your Bridegroom, remember your poor mother before Him and pray to Him for your sisters, so that He may strengthen them too in the same patience as you show.

After this, Holy Faith was truncated into an honest head and went to her Head, Christ God. The mother, hugging her long-suffering body and kissing it, rejoiced and glorified Christ God, who accepted her daughter Vera into His heavenly palace.

Then the wicked king put another sister - Saint Nadezhda - in front of him and said to her:

Dear child! Take my advice: I say this, loving you just like your father, bow to the great Artemis, so that you too do not perish, as yours perished. older sister. Have you seen her terrible torment, saw her grave death - do you really want to suffer the same way? Believe me, my child, that I pity your youth; if you had listened to my orders, I would have declared you my daughter.

Holy Hope answered:

Tsar! Am I not the sister of the one you killed? Wasn’t I born from the same mother as her? Wasn’t I fed with the same milk and didn’t I receive the same baptism as my holy sister? I grew up with her and from the same books and from the same instructions from my mother I learned to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ, to believe in Him and to worship Him alone. Do not think, king, that I acted and thought differently and did not want the same thing as my sister Vera; no, I want to follow in her footsteps. Don’t hesitate and don’t try to dissuade me with many words, but it’s better to get down to the matter itself and you will see my like-mindedness with my sister.

Hearing this answer, the king handed her over to be tortured. Having stripped her naked, like Saint Faith, the royal servants beat Saint Nadezhda for a long time without any pity - until they were tired. But Saint Nadezhda was silent, as if feeling no pain at all, and only looked at her mother, Blessed Sophia, who stood there, courageously looking at the suffering of her daughter and praying to God that He would grant her strong patience.

At the command of the lawless king, Holy Nadezhda was thrown into the fire and, remaining unharmed like the three youths, glorified God. After this, Saint Nadezhda was hanged and she was whittled with iron claws: her body fell in pieces and blood flowed in a stream, but a wonderful fragrance emanated from the wounds, and there was a smile on her face, bright and shining with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Saint Nadezhda also shamed the tormentor with the fact that he was unable to overcome the patience of such a young girl.

Christ is my help,” said Saint Nadezhda, “and I not only am not afraid of torment, but I desire it as the sweetness of heaven: suffering for Christ is so pleasant for me. For you, tormentor, torment awaits you in fiery Gehenna along with the demons whom you consider to be gods.

Such speech irritated the tormentor even more, and he ordered the cauldron to be filled with tar and oil, set on fire and the saint thrown into it. But when they wanted to throw the saint into a boiling cauldron, it immediately melted like wax, and the resin and oil spilled and scorched everyone around. So miraculous power God did not abandon holy Hope.

The proud tormentor, seeing all this, did not want to know the true God, for his heart was darkened by demonic charm and destructive delusion. But, ridiculed by the little girl, he felt great shame. Not wanting to endure such shame any longer, he finally condemned Saint Nadezhda to be beheaded by the sword. Saint Nadezhda, hearing about the approach of her death, joyfully approached her mother and said:

My mother! May peace be with you, be healthy and remember your daughter.

Saint Sophia embraced and kissed her, saying:

My daughter Nadezhda! Blessed are you from the Lord God Most High because you trust in Him and for His sake you do not regret shedding your blood; go to your sister Vera and together with her appear before your Beloved.

Saint Nadezhda also kissed her sister Saint Lyubov, who looked at her torment, and said to her:

Don’t stay here and you, sister, we will appear together before the Holy Trinity.

Having said this, Saint Nadezhda approached the lifeless body of her sister Vera and, lovingly hugging him, out of human pity inherent in the nature, she wanted to cry, but out of love for Christ she changed her tears to joy. After this, bowing her head, Saint Nadezhda was beheaded with a sword.

Taking her body, the mother glorified God, rejoicing at the courage of her daughters, and encouraged her youngest daughter to the same patience with her sweet words and wise admonitions.

The tormentor called on the third girl, Holy Love, and tried with affection to persuade her, like the first two sisters, to step away from the Crucified One and bow to Artemis. But the efforts of the seducer were in vain. For who can suffer so firmly for His beloved Lord if not Love, since the Scripture says: love is strong as death; Big waters They cannot quench love, and the rivers will not overflow it (Song 8:6-7).

Many waters of worldly temptations did not extinguish the fire of love for God in holy Love, nor did the rivers of troubles and suffering drown her; her great love was especially clearly visible from the fact that she was ready to lay down her soul for her Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ, but not more love how to lay down your life for your friends (John 15:13).

The tormentor, seeing that nothing could be done with caresses, decided to hand over holy Love to suffer, thinking with various torments to distract her from her love for Christ, but holy Love answered with the words of the Apostle:

“Who will separate us from the love of God: tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? But we will overcome all these things through the power of Him who loved us” (Rom 8:35.37).

The torturer ordered, stretching her across the wheel, to beat her with a stick. And holy Love was stretched out in such a way that the members of her body were separated from their joints and she, being struck with a stick, became covered, like purple, in blood, with which the earth also drank, as if from rain.

Then the stove was lit. Pointing at her, the torturer said to the saint:

Damsel! just say that the goddess Artemis is great, and I will let you go, and if you don’t say this, you will immediately burn in this kindled furnace.

But holy Love answered:

Great is my God Jesus Christ, Artemis and you will perish with her!

The tormentor, enraged by such words, ordered those present to immediately throw her into the oven.

But holy Love, without waiting for anyone to throw her into the oven, she herself hastened to enter it and, being unharmed, walked through the middle of it, as if in a cool place, singing and blessing God, and rejoiced. At the same time, a flame flew out of the oven onto the infidels surrounding the oven, and burned some to ashes, and scorched others and, reaching the king, burned him too, so that he fled far.

In that oven, other faces, shining with light, were visible, rejoicing along with the martyr. And the name of Christ was exalted, and the wicked were put to shame.

When the stove went out, the martyr, the beautiful bride of Christ, came out of it healthy and cheerful, as if from a palace.

Then the tormentors, by order of the king, drilled her limbs with iron drills, but God strengthened the saint with His help in these torments, so that she did not die from them either.

Who could endure such torment and not die instantly?

However, the beloved Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, strengthened the saint in order to put the wicked to shame as much as possible, and to give her a greater reward, and so that the mighty power of God would be glorified in the weak vessel of man.

The tormentor, sick from the burn, finally ordered to behead the saint with a sword.

Holy Love, hearing about this, rejoiced and said:

Lord Jesus Christ, who loved Your servant Love, I sing and bless the much sung Your name because you punish me together with my sisters, making me worthy to endure for your name the same thing that they endured.

Her mother, Saint Sophia, without ceasing, prayed to God for youngest daughter her, so that He would grant her patience to the end and say to her:

My third branch, my beloved child, strive to the end, you are walking the good path and a crown has already been woven for you and the prepared palace has been opened; The groom is already waiting for you, looking from above at your feat, so that when you bow your head under the sword, he will take your pure and immaculate soul into his arms and lay you to rest with your sisters. Remember me, your mother, in the kingdom of your Bridegroom, so that He will show mercy to me and not deprive me of participating and being with you in His holy glory.

And immediately holy Love was beheaded with a sword.

Saint Sophia, having received her body, placed it in an expensive coffin along with the bodies of Saints Faith and Hope and, having decorated their bodies as it should, placed the coffin on a funeral chariot, drove them out of the city some distance and buried her daughters with honor on a high hill, crying from joy. While at their grave for three days, Saint Sophia fervently prayed to God and herself rested in the Lord. Believers buried her there along with her daughters. Thus, she did not lose her participation with them in the Kingdom of Heaven and the martyrdom, because if not with her body, then with her heart, she suffered for Christ.

So Saint Sophia ended her life wisely, bringing her three virtuous daughters Faith, Hope and Love as a gift to the Holy Trinity.

Oh, holy and righteous Sophia! What woman was saved through childbearing like you, who gave birth to such children who were ignorant of the Savior and, having suffered for Him, now reign and are glorified with Him? Truly you are a mother worthy of wonder and good memory; since, looking at the terrible, severe torment and death of your beloved children, you not only did not grieve, as is typical for a mother, but, consoled by the grace of God, you rejoiced more, you yourself taught and begged your daughters not to regret their temporary life and to shed their blood without mercy for Christ the Lord.

Now enjoying the vision of His most radiant face together with your holy daughters, send wisdom to us, so that we, preserving the virtues of faith, hope and love, may be worthy to stand before the Most Holy, Uncreated and Life-Giving Trinity and glorify Him forever and ever. Amen.