ARTEMON OF LAODIKEIA

On April 26, the church commemorates Saint Artemon of Laodicea. The saint was a priest during the Great Persecution of Diocletian. He was persecuted repeatedly, survived, and became, according to ancient church tradition, a confessor of the faith. The grace of God gave him the ability to perform miracles. He is one of the very few saints who commanded the elements and animals. At the age of twelve, Artemon was tonsured a reader and remained in this rank for 16 years. For 28 years he was a deacon and for 33 years—the number of Christ—he served in the priesthood. Artemon is remarkable for his long service to the Church and his ability to wait for God to invite him to suffer martyrdom. In ancient times, there were many cities named Laodicea. Artemon was a priest in Laodicea of Syria. This is modern-day Latakia, Syria’s largest port, which is often mentioned in the news.

The hagiography of Artemon mentions a bishop named Sisinius, a prefect named Patricius, and a pagan priest named Vitalius. Bishop Sisinius was a spiritual friend of Saint Artemon. Together, they destroyed the temple of Artemis and many idols. At that moment, Prefect Patricius received an order to exterminate the Christians. By what they did, Artemon and Sisinius got ahead of the persecutor and thus doomed themselves to imminent death. Patricius suddenly fell ill and was on the verge of death. Out of fear of the disease, he loudly declared himself a Christian and was healed through the prayers of Bishop Sisinius. Having been healed, he did not harm him. But he seized and cruelly tortured many other Christians. He ordered Artemon to be drowned in boiling tar, but by an ominous accident, in which the believing heart saw the hand of the Angels of the Apocalypse, he suddenly fell from his horse and died into the cauldron.

Seeing such moral corruption and hypocrisy of the ruler, the biblical power of the Faith of Christ, and the impeccability of Christian clergy, a pagan priest named Vitalius converted to Christianity and was baptized by Artemon. In this providential way, the saint managed to escape death for a time. He continued to preach the Word of God and converted many pagans. In the voluntary nature of his suffering, Artemon is similar to Jesus and other martyrs. In the readiness to preach the faith again and follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14,4), he is like the few chosen ones whose image shines in the Apocalypse. Artemon’s suffering is edifying and rich in imagery. Once, he destroyed the sanctuary of Artemis. Being very old, he went out to meet his executioners. At that moment, he was followed by six wild donkeys and two deer. The pagans valued animals as material for food or sacrifices and could not understand that before them, here and now, the images of the New Earth and the New Heaven, proclaimed in the Christian Revelation, were already being revealed.