DEMETRIUS OF THESSALONIKI

Like his contemporary, Saint Nicholas of Myra (270–343), Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica did not leave behind specific biographical information. Ancient tradition calls him a great martyr. This name is not associated with a lot of suffering, but with a high position in society or royal and noble origin. The testimony of faith in the ancient pagan society of such people who suffered for Christ was very great.

In general, there are very few great martyrs, among them mainly Roman dignitaries and, of course, Roman soldiers. Paradoxically, the Image of Christ the Sufferer was extremely dear to the soldiers of the pagan Roman army. The martyred warriors were glorified not for their military valor, but for their refusal to return to paganism and turn their weapons against their brothers.

Having been arrested, in prison he met a certain prisoner named Nestor, who was awaiting a gladiatorial fight. Nestor considered himself doomed, since a gladiator named Lyaeos had to confront him. In past centuries, there were many prejudices and misconceptions about gladiators, but modern science has gradually come to understand who they really were. As a rule, gladiators were professional fighters. For each fight they received a lot of money, and in society they had a number of privileges. Thus, the wives of gladiators could appear in public places with their heads uncovered. The number of fights for gladiators was limited, the most highly paid of them were especially protected.

But this time it was Emperor Maximian himself (285–305), who was staying in the city at that time, so the pagans prepared a “passing battle” for him. Realizing that inevitable death awaited Nestor, Demetrius, who by the predestination of grace became a friend of his last minute, consoled him and announced Christ to him. In the duel, the gladiator Leah died, apparently the victim of an accident. Most likely he fell on his own spear.

For Christians it was obvious that the Lord with His hand protected the sufferer condemned to death, but the pagans saw in such a coincidence witchcraft, of which they always accused Christians. The pagan crowd went into a frenzy upon learning of the loss of such an experienced and beloved fighter. Since Leah was reported to have been killed with a spear, without waiting for the court’s decision, the jailers treacherously pierced Demetrius with spears.

The saint’s disciples managed to preserve his cloak and ring, from the touch of which many sick people received healing. With the advent of the Christian era, a basilica was erected on the site of the death of the saint, which, rebuilt and modified, exists to this day. After this, as in the case of St. Nicholas, the veneration of Demetrius seemed to freeze for centuries, only to become church-wide in a later era. As his era moved away, the number of signs and wonders granted through the saint’s intercession began to increase. In the 9th century, healing myrrh began to flow from the site of the saint’s relics. Hence his new name (cf. Rev. 3:12) “Dmitry the Myrrh-Streamer”.