Saint Mina belongs to the rank of the so-called holy warriors, along with Saints George the Victorious, Demetrius of Thessalonica, Artemios, Theodore Tiron, and Theodore Stratelates. This is one of the most revered and beloved saints in Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, where many temples and monasteries are dedicated to him, where believers often call upon him in their prayers and receive immediate help.
Saint Menas was born around 250 into a pagan family in Egypt. As a young man, he served in the Roman army in the Asia Minor region of Phrygia near the modern settlement of Kiutahia under the control of the thousand commander Firmilian. In 296, by order of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305), who initiated fierce persecution, Firmilian had to transfer his army to Ververia in North Africa to persecute local Christians. Mina, having learned about the purpose of the campaign, hated military service. He left his military rank and went to the mountains, where he spent time in contemplation of God, fasting and prayer. So many years passed, his heart grew stronger in faith.
Once, in the main city of the Cotuan region, a holiday was held in honor of the pagan gods, for which, according to custom, many people gathered. By this day, blessed Mina descended into the city. He entered the place where the horse lists were held, climbed to the dais and before everyone confessed the true God and denounced the worship of soulless idols, for which he was thrown into prison, and during interrogation he answered: “I am called Mina and come from Egypt. I was once a warrior. But, seeing the torture that you pagans inflict on Christians, I left my military dignity and secretly lived as a Christian on the mountain. Now I have come to confess before everyone that my Christ is the true God, so that He too will confess me in His Kingdom.”
After refusing to return to the pagan faith, Mina was subjected to terrible torture: four warriors stretched the saint’s body and beat him without mercy with ox sinews, then hung him on a tree and whittled him with iron claws, after which they scorched him with burning candles. With the words: “I was and am and will be with Christ” on his lips, Mina was beheaded with a sword by one of the soldiers of the local ruler Pyrrhus, and his long-suffering body was thrown onto the fire. This happened in 296. When the flames went out, the secret Christians, having collected the parts of the relics remaining from the burning, wrapped them in a clean shroud and anointed them with aromas, transferred them to the city of Alexandria, where they laid them in a temple that later received the name of St. Menas.
Tradition conveys the last prayer of the saint as follows: “Lord my God, I thank You for making me worthy to become a partaker of Your passion. Now I pray to You, accept my soul and make me worthy of Your heavenly kingdom. And give me the grace to help in Your name all those who call on me.” The Lord gave his faithful son the grace of miracles. The Alexandrian Archbishop Timothy recorded only a few of them.Many miracles of Saint Menas are known both in Greece and Cyprus. So in 1826, during the terrible times of the Greek Revolution, the Turkish inhabitants of Heraklion on Crete attempted to kill Christians. And then one day they decided to quench their thirst for blood on Easter Day, when the Christians of the city were gathered for a service in the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Mina. Easter then fell on April 18th. To confuse the authorities, the conspirators set fires at various points in the city away from the cathedral. And when the Easter liturgy had already begun and the Holy Gospel was being read, angry crowds of Turks surrounded the temple, ready to immediately begin to implement their disgusting plan.
But suddenly a horseman with a drawn sword appeared between them. He rode his horse around the temple and drove the Turks away. There was a commotion in the pitch darkness. The bloodthirsty barbarians fled in fear. The horseman was mistaken for the first of the procrites and it was decided that he had been sent by the ruler to pacify the rebellion. As it turned out later, the first procritus did not leave home at all on Easter night. It was clear to everyone that this was a miraculous intervention of the city’s heavenly patron. Thus Saint Mina put to shame the evil barbarian intention and saved the inhabitants of Heraklion. The Turks passed on the news of the miracle from mouth to mouth and were filled with fear and reverence for the saint. Some Muslims who were near the temple of St. Mina that Easter night began to annually bring gifts to the temple of St. Mina on the day of his memory.
In Cyprus, Saint Mina is one of the most beloved saints among the people; he is called upon to help with many everyday needs. In former times, when malaria epidemics were not uncommon in Cyprus, Saint Mina was considered the only healer of malaria patients. In Cyprus they believe that Saint Mina can heal any disease, so he is especially revered. Many churches are dedicated to him in different parts of the island - in Lapitho, Geri, Drimo, Neo Chorio, Polemi, Pendalya, Strubi; There is a convent where part of the relics of St. Menas, brought from Alexandria, is kept.
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The monastery continued to function after the conquest of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire in 1571. In the 18th century, the monastery was small, had its own farm and livestock - bulls, cows and goats, as stated in Code A, dating back to 1727, of the Metropolis of Kitia. On November 11, 1734, the Russian pilgrim-monk Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky (1701-1747) visited the monastery on the day of its patronal feast day. In his diary he wrote: “I began my pilgrimage to Cyprus in October 1734. On November 11, the day of remembrance of the holy martyr Mina, I went to worship in one of the monasteries dedicated to this saint, where there is an annual celebration, and many gather from nearby towns and villages, and the sick are healed of many diseases thanks to the miraculous icon of the saint. This monastery is poor and small, with only a few monks. It is located in high mountains in an open and pleasant valley; the monastery is surrounded by a large number of forest trees. The monastery consists of a quadrangular wall and has small cells. There is no running water, but there are springs. The monks subsist partly by alms, but mainly by their labor - ploughing, sowing, and viticulture.”
The monastery's temple, a one-nave basilica, was erected on old foundations in 1754 on the initiative and at the expense of Abbot Parthenius and Metropolitan Macarius the First of Kita (1737-1776). A high-ranking official of the Ottoman Empire, a secret Christian, made a large donation for the construction of the temple. After his death, the monks buried him in the monastery courtyard, and the Turkish authorities were told that they buried him in a place called "Turk's Tomb" not far from the monastery. The monastery continued to operate until the early decades of the 19th century, with eight monks still remaining there in 1825. Then the monastery fell into disrepair and was abandoned. The Kiti metropolis rented out the monastery buildings to local residents, as a result of which they eventually fell into a pitiful state.
Monastic life on the island resumed at the beginning of the 20th century. Then the Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ in Kaimakli in the 1910s and St. Anthony in Deryne in the 1930s were created. A few years later, in 1949, the convent was revived in the monastery of St. George Alamanu, which was empty at that time. By 1960, the number of its nuns had increased to 60 people.On March 29, 1965, a group of eight sisters of this monastery was sent to restore the abandoned monastery of St. Mina. They had to work hard: the temple was repaired, the chapels of St. Stylian (consecrated in October 1974) and Saints Ignatius and George (consecrated in September 1993) were erected, new cells, workshops, a library were built, the territory was landscaped, flower beds were planted and fruit trees were planted. and vegetable crops. Since 1977, the monastery has been managed by Abbess Cassian. The sisters' confessor since 1969, theologian and church writer Archimandrite Leonty Hadzhikostas, regularly serves in the monastery church.
To celebrate the memory of Saint Mina on November 11 (24), pilgrims from all over Cyprus flock to the monastery. They venerate the relics of the great martyr and the icon on which Saint Mina is depicted with Christ on his chest, because not once in his life did he change his faith in Christ and the words: “I was with Christ, am and will be.”
Holy warrior Mina, “ask for world peace”
Saint Mina belongs to the rank of the so-called holy warriors, along with Saints George the Victorious, Demetrius of Thessalonica, Artemios, Theodore Tiron, and Theodore Stratelates. This is one of the most revered and beloved saints not only in Russia, where he is not very well known in modern times, but also in Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, where many churches and monasteries are dedicated to him, where believers often call upon him. their prayers and receive first aid. They pray to Saint Mina for healing from muteness, diseases of the eyes and legs.
The Holy Great Martyr Mina, an Egyptian by birth, was a warrior and served in the city of Cotuan under the centurion Firmilian during the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305). When the co-rulers began the most severe persecution of Christians in history, the saint did not want to serve the persecutors and, leaving his service, retired to the mountains, where he labored in fasting and prayer.
Once, in the main city of the Cotuan region, a holiday was held in honor of the pagan gods, to which, according to custom, many people gathered. By this day, blessed Mina descended into the city. He entered the place where the horse lists were held, climbed to the dais and before everyone confessed the true God and denounced the worship of soulless idols, for which he was thrown into prison, and during interrogation he answered: “I am called Mina and come from Egypt. I was once a warrior. But, seeing the torture that you pagans subject Christians to, I left my military dignity and secretly lived as a Christian on the mountain. Now I have come to confess before everyone that my Christ is the true God, so that He too will confess me in His Kingdom.”
After refusing to return to the pagan faith, Mina was subjected to terrible torture: four warriors stretched the saint’s body and beat him without mercy with ox sinews, then hung him on a tree and whittled him with iron claws, after which they scorched him with burning candles. With the words: “I was and am and will be with Christ” on his lips, Mina was beheaded with a sword by one of the soldiers of the local ruler Pyrrhus, and his long-suffering body was thrown onto the fire. This happened in 296 or 304 (according to different sources). When the flames went out, the secret Christians, having collected the parts of the relics remaining from the burning, wrapped them in a clean shroud and anointed them with aromas, transferred them to the city of Alexandria, where they laid them in a temple that later received the name of St. Menas.
Tradition conveys the last prayer of the saint as follows: “Lord my God, I thank You for making me worthy to become a partaker of Your passion. Now I pray to You, accept my soul and make me worthy of Your heavenly kingdom. And grant me the grace to help in Your name all those who call on me.” The Lord gave his faithful son the grace of miracles. The Alexandrian Archbishop Timothy recorded only a few of them.
Take her by the leg
There is such a legend.
Near the church of the holy martyr, along with many others, there were a lame and a dumb man, waiting to receive healing. At midnight, when everyone was sleeping, Saint Mina appeared to the lame man and said to him:
- Approach the dumb woman silently and take her leg.
The lame man answered this to the martyr:
- God's saint, am I a fornicator that you command me to do this?
But the saint repeated his words to him three times and added:
– If you don’t do this, you won’t receive healing.
The lame man, fulfilling the saint’s command, crawled and grabbed the dumb leg. She, having awakened, began to scream, indignant at the lame man. Sey, frightened, stood up on both legs and quickly ran. Thus, both of them felt their healing: the dumb woman spoke, and the lame man ran quickly, like a deer; and both healed people gave thanks to God and the holy martyr Mina.
The holy mu-che-ni-ki Mi-na, Er-mo-gen and Ev-count for their faith in Christ under im-per-ra-to-re Mak- si-mine (305-313).
Saint Mi-na was sent by him from Athens to Aleksandria to quell the unrest that arose between the Christians -na-mi and tongue-ni-ka-mi. Ob-la-giving the gift of red-no-speech, Mi-na openly began to preach the Christian faith and preached to Christ many pagans. Having learned about this, Maxi-min went to Aleksandriya of Diocese Er-mo-ge-na for the trial of the saint, and also to cleanse the hall. to build the city from Christianity. Er-mo-gen, although he was not a pagan, was blessed. For a long time, St. Mi-na’s suffering and his miraculous work After the terrible torture, he himself believed in the True God. That's when Maxi-min himself arrived in Aleksandria. But there is no great perseverance in the face of the ordeals to which saints Mi-na and Er-mo were subjected -gen, not a chu-de-sa, revealed by God in those days in the city, did not soften them-per-ra-to-ra, but even more -a hundred of it. Im-pe-ra-tor himself-hand-but-beat the holy Ev-gra-fa, the sec-re-ta-rya of the holy Mi-na, and the holy -tym mu-che-ni-kam Mina and Er-mo-ge-nu pri-ka-hall from-beating their heads.
The relics of the holy martyrs, abandoned in an iron box in the sea, were subsequently recovered (17 Feb-ra-la) and per-re-ne-se-ny in Kon-stan-ti-no-pol. Im-pe-ra-tor Yus-ti-ni-an built a temple in the name of the holy mu-che-ni-ka Mi-na Alek-san-drii-skogo. Saint Joseph Pes-no-pi-sets (pa-mint 4 ap-re-la) co-sta-vil ka-non in honor of the holy mu-che-niks.
See also: "" and "" in the text of St. Di-mit-ria of Ro-stov.
Prayers
Troparion to the martyrs Mina, Hermogenes and Evgraf
By abstaining from the fiery passions/ having mortified the eyes and movements, the martyrs of Christ,/ having received the grace to drive away illnesses of the weak,/ and to work miracles while alive and after death;/ the miracle is truly glorious but/ as the naked bones exude healing,// glory to the One and Creator God.
Translation: Having killed all the forms and movements of those who were consumed by fire, Christ’s, you were able to drive away the diseases of the weak and perform miracles, both during life and after. Truly a glorious miracle - naked bones exude healing. Glory to the One and Creator God.
Kontakion to the martyrs Mina, Hermogenes and Evgraf
The passing of the wonderful, divine Hermogenes, and Evgraf kupno,/ with sacred sweet singing let us all honor, as they honored the Lord, and suffered for Him,/ and reached the faces of the disembodied in Heaven ,// and sharpening miracles.
Translation: We will all honor the miraculous mina of Hermogenes the Divine and Evgraf together with them with sacred prayer chants, as those who gave honor to the Lord, and who endured torment for Him, and who reached the assembly of the disembodied (angels) in Heaven, and who exuded miracles.
Saint Mina was born in 285 in Egypt.
Saint Mina - martyr and miracle worker - is one of the most famous Egyptian saints, revered in the East and West. He is known for his numerous miracles, for his intercession and prayers.
It is believed that Mina’s parents could not have children. On the feast of the Virgin Mary, Euphemia (the future mother of Mina) prayed in front of the icon of the Holy Virgin Mary with tears that God could not give her such a blessed son. At the moment of prayer, the sound “Amen” was heard from the icon. A few months later, a boy was born who was named "Mina".
When Mina's father died, he was only 14 years old. A year later, Mina joined the Roman army, from where he left three years later, when the army began persecuting Christians. Mina not only abandoned his military career, but also went into the desert to devote his life to Christ.
After five years, which Mina spent as a hermit, in a revelation he saw angels crowning the martyrs with crowns of glory, and Mina decided to return to the people to preach to them the true faith in God.
At one of the holidays in honor of the pagan gods, Mina came out to the people and urged them not to worship pagan idols. Mina told the people:
“I am Mina and come from Egypt. I was once a warrior. I have come to confess to you that my Christ is the true God.”
Of course, not everyone liked Mina’s sermon and his statements regarding paganism. Mina was subjected to terrible torture and torment; they demanded that he return to paganism, but he refused. Then the saint was beheaded.
I was with Christ and I will be - the words of Mina before his body was thrown into a blazing fire.
The soldiers burned Mina's body for 3 days, but she remained unharmed.
Then Mina’s sister bribed the soldiers and were able to pick up the body and take it to Alexandria, where Mina’s relics were kept for a long time in a temple that later received the name of the saint.
The angel pointed out the place where Mina should be buried
When Athanasius the Great was at the church, an angel appeared to him in a dream and said that he should place the relics of Mina on a camel and go to the western desert. At a certain place, near a well of water near Lake Maryut, not far from Alexandria, the camel stopped and stopped moving. The Christians realized that this was a sign from God and buried Mina’s body there.
When the Berbers rebelled against the cities around Alexandria, the Roman governor decided to secretly take the body of Saint Mina with him so that he would protect and protect it. The plan was a success, and he returned victorious. However, apparently against the backdrop of what had been achieved, he decided not to return Mina’s body to its burial place and take it with him to Alexandria. As they headed back towards the city, their path took them through Lake Maryut, where Mina's body was originally buried. The camel carrying the body sank to the ground and stopped moving. The people decided to transfer the body to another camel, but they also could not get the second animal to move.
Then the Roman ruler realized that this was not the whim of the camels and, having made a coffin, Mina’s body was again buried near Lake Maryut.
After some time, the saint’s burial place was forgotten... Years later, one of the shepherds went out to feed his flock in this place, when suddenly one sick lamb fell to the ground. While the lamb was trying to get to his feet, his wounds miraculously healed. This story quickly spread among the people, and many sick people began to visit this place to be cured of various kinds of diseases.
How did it happen that Saint Mina became the patron saint of Heraklion?
There is a legend that Mina, to whose creation many miracles that took place in Greece and Egypt are attributed, one day came to the rescue and residents of Heraklion on the island of Crete. Then, in 1826, the Turkish occupation was active both in Heraklion and throughout the island, while the Cretans, on the contrary, tried to organize a revolution. Very religious people live on Crete, and even when it was very difficult for them, they could not miss Easter. Many Christians from all over the island came to Heraklion to take part in the service in the Cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Menas. It was then that the Turks decided to attack the gathered parishioners, however, when they had almost reached the temple, a horseman with a sword appeared in front of them.
He galloped around the temple and did not let the Turks get closer. The Turks retreated in fear.
So Saint Mina was able to protect the inhabitants of Heraklion and Crete and saved their lives. What happened that day became a revelation not only for Christians - many Muslims who were near the temple of St. Mina on Easter night then brought gifts to the temple on the day of remembrance of the saint.
Saint Menas is also venerated in Russia
The Holy Great Martyr Mina is also venerated in Russia. So in Staraya Russa, near Novgorod, there is a temple of the Great Martyr Mina. The small building probably dates back to the 15th century.
The Temple of Mina in Staraya Russa also has its own miracle. The Swedes could not find a place to stay in the devastated and destroyed city. They couldn’t come up with anything better than heading to the temple, and on horseback at that. As soon as they approached the temple, they began to go blind.
They say that the commander of the troops sent these soldiers to Sweden so that other people could see with their own eyes the miracles that happen in Russian Orthodox churches.
Prayer to Saint Mina
Oh, holy great martyr of Christ, the long-suffering Mino, who showed the image of pious life on earth to the faithful, who through his martyrdom witnessed the firmness of his faith and received the crown of incorruptible glory from the hand of the Crowned Christ in Heaven! Pray for those who flow with faith to your holy name, blessed one, and intercede with love for all those who honor your honorable memory, preserving us from various troubles and misfortunes, and through your intercession from the snares of the evil one and from evil people, we observe the remaining days of life in peace and piety Let us live our lives praising the wondrous God in the Saints, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and your mercy, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
It just so happened that we visited this small monastery several times. In the first years of our visits to Cyprus (and this usually happened in the winter months), we sometimes went on bus excursions organized for our “compatriots” permanently residing in Cyprus. They differed from ordinary tourist excursions in their low price and, often, a picnic organized at the end of the trip. Well, why not go here? We were brought here a couple of times. Then we stopped by ourselves - fortunately, the monastery is located near such “attractive” villages as Lefkara and Kato Drys.
In general, if your path is set in the direction of these villages, then plan a visit to the monastery of St. Mines. Although which one is more important to visit is a controversial issue. Many people go to the monastery purposefully, and then decide whether to visit Lefkara or not. Let's first tell you a little about Mina, in whose honor the monastery is named.
Saint Mina
Mina of Cotuan (Phrygian) is a Christian saint, revered among the great martyrs. It is known that Mina (pronounced Minas in Greek) was born in Egypt in the 3rd century AD. and adopted Christianity at an early age. Mina subsequently became an officer in the Roman army and served in the cavalry legion in the city of Cotuan in Phrygia (a region in western Asia Minor). Apparently this is why Mina is often depicted on icons as a warrior, almost always on horseback. When the persecution of Christians began, Mina left his service and became a hermit. Years later, deciding that he was ready to sacrifice himself for the sake of faith, he returned to the city, where he publicly declared himself a Christian. He was immediately captured and subsequently martyred. This was at the end of the 3rd century under Emperor Maximilian.
His body was brought to Egypt. At Karm Abu Mena (west of Alexandria) a tomb was built, then a basilica and a shelter for numerous pilgrims, which were later destroyed by the Arabs. The monastery church houses a particle of the relics of St. Mina, who became famous for his numerous miracles. The celebration of the memory of St. Mina in the monastery takes place on November 11. On this day, many people flock here from all over Cyprus.
History of the monastery of St. Mines
The exact date of the foundation of the monastery is not known for certain. According to some sources, it was founded by the Catholic monastic Order of the Dominicans in the 13th century, at the end of the reign of the Lusignans. In others, it is believed that the monastery already existed in late Byzantine times. The first written mention of it dates back to 1606.
Greek sources of the 16th - 17th centuries report that the inhabitants of the village of Vavla, which is located not far from the monastery, long before the founding of the monastery, worshiped the Blessed Virgin Mary at this place. A cave with a sacred spring in the monastery garden tells us about those times. True, the source itself has already dried up, but the place where it once bubbled up remains.
Like many monasteries in Cyprus, the monastery of St. Mina has been devastated many times throughout its history. In 1734, the Russian pilgrim Grigorovich-Barsky visited here, whom we have already mentioned several times. “This monastery is small and poor and has few monks,” he wrote in his memoirs. Only twenty years later, through the efforts of Abbot Parthenius, the former Catholic monastery was revived as Orthodox. During its heyday, there were up to 45 monks in the monastery.
The architecture of the monastery is a mixture of Byzantine and Gothic styles. The church's paintings date back to 1757. The creation of the iconostasis, restored in 2004, dates back to the same time. On the northern and southern walls of the temple frescoes of St. George and St. Mines, brushes of the famous Cypriot icon painter Philaret.
In the first half of the 20th century, the monastery fell into complete disrepair. Only in 1965 did the monks, or rather nuns, return here again, having moved here from the monastery of St. George Alamanu. Since then, the monastery has become a women's monastery.
Monastery today
The nuns living in this monastery, in addition to serving, are engaged in icon painting, as well as agriculture. For example, collecting olives, which they can be found doing in the winter months, and honey hunting in spring and summer. Almond trees, citrus fruits and even medicinal herbs bearing fruit around them also do not go unnoticed. This miracle of almond blossom can be seen in February not far from the monastery. And the olives here are notable.
We couldn't resist the temptation to buy a couple of jars of monastery sweets with grated almonds.
Instead of an epilogue
“Tell me, Shura, honestly, how much money do you need to be happy? - asked Ostap. - Just count everything.
“One hundred rubles,” replied Balaganov, regretfully looking up from his bread and sausage.
- No, you didn’t understand me. Not today, but in general. For happiness. Clear? So that you feel good in the world.
Balaganov thought for a long time, smiling timidly, and finally announced that for complete happiness he needed six thousand four hundred rubles and that with this amount he would be very happy in the world.”© "Golden Calf", I. Ilf, E. Petrov
With this quote, which most likely made you think, we will probably end the story. But first, let's explain a little. There is a belief that the icon of St. Mina in this monastery brings material benefits. Therefore, people often come here to ask Mina for the necessary amount of money or some specific material request. That is, petitions like “I want to be rich” will not work here. So think about the size of the request in advance, feeling like Shura Balaganov for a while.
Photo album
Time to visit
Daily: 08:00 - 12:00, 15:00 - 17:00 (May - September), 08:00 - 12:00, 14:00 - 17:00 (October - April)
Phone: +357 24342952
How to get there
From the highway between Limassol and Larnaca, take the exit towards the villages of Skarinou and Lefkara. There are noticeable landmarks here - a large pillar with the McDonald's logo at the top and the Alfa-Mega store. They are hard to miss from the highway. Turning towards Lefkara, we move approximately 7.5 km until we turn left towards the villages of Kato Drys and Vavla. After the turn, we move another 6.5 km, passing Kato Drys, until the turn to the monastery of St. Mines. Here, following the sign, we turn left and literally immediately find ourselves on the site next to the monastery.