Memorial Day of the Martyr Galina of Corinth

On April 29, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the martyr Galina of Corinth. The saint lived in the 3rd century and left behind an example of true faith, unbending even under terrible torture and execution. Galina, like many other residents of Corinth, was lucky enough to become a disciple of the holy hermit Conrad. The elder mastered the art of healing and lived alone in a deserted place. Conrad's Christian wisdom attracted many disciples to him, who strengthened their faith by listening to the instructions of the pious elder. The arrival of a new emperor on the throne of the Great Roman Empire entailed hatred towards the followers of the faith of Christ. Persecution also began in Corinth, through the efforts of the arriving military leader Jason. Kondrad, along with his followers, is imprisoned and subjected to painful interrogation. Attempts to force Christians to abandon their belief in one God were unsuccessful, and then the persecutors began the most severe torture. But even after the torment, Kondrad and his students had words of consolation for each other. Galina and her friends could ask for leniency, like women, but their faith and perseverance turned out to be no less than men's. Having made sure that not a single one of the Corinthian Christians would utter words of renunciation, Jason orders them to be torn to pieces by wild predators. But the animals did not cause any harm to the holy community. Then it was decided to execute Kondrat and his followers by beheading, but in order to increase the torment of the condemned, they were dragged to the place of execution, tied with their feet to carts. The cruel pagans mocked the martyrs and threw stones at them. At the execution site, the men were the first to lose their heads, showing an example of Christian fortitude, despite the severity of the sentence. The holy Corinthian women, including Galina, prayed, praising the Lord. With a calm heart, full of Christian faith, the friends accepted their death. At the site of the execution of the martyrs of Corinth, a source of pure water miraculously began to flow, symbolizing the blood shed by Christians. According to another version, they planned to drown Kondrad and his disciples in the sea, but the holy martyrs did not drown, but walked on the waters. Then they were caught up and drowned, tying stones to their necks. The iconography has established the image of Galina as a spiritualized maiden with a white veil on her head and an Orthodox cross in her hand. Most often, the saint is located on a gold or single-color background, but there are also icons with a landscape and a view of a beautiful city. Not only women who share the same name with the saint turn to Galina with prayers. The martyr helps to endure doubts and cowardice, condescends to the confession of apostates, and helps everyone who has been persecuted.