The Holy Great Martyr Mina was an Egyptian and served in the army during the time of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305…

Orthodox calendar: Holy Great Martyr Mina

Upon learning of this, Mina, who was a Christian, took up arms and went to the mountain wasteland, indulging in fasting and prayers in the service of God. Once, during a great pagan holiday, he went to the city, where he called on the crowd to abandon idols and believe in God and the Savior of the human race. For this, the saint was subjected to inhuman tortures, but he did not give up, and his faith forced his torturers to invent ever more cruel torments. Finally, they took him outside the city, where they cut off his head, lit a large fire, and threw the body of Mina into it. When the fire went out, the believers approached and collected the remaining relics of the saint. They were transferred to Alexandria and buried with honors. Later, a church named after the holy martyr was erected on this site, where many miracles later took place. The Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Mina on November 11 (November 24, old style). People revere him as a saint who quickly helps believers who send a sincere prayer. Not far from Sofia is the only monastery named after him. In the same place in the Roman era there was a holy monastery. It is believed that it had 40 chapels, and some of them were named after the apostles Peter and Paul, St. Nicholas of Myra, Saints Cosmas and Demyan. During the Crusades and Ottoman invasions, the complex, which was part of the Little Holy Mountain (the ring of monasteries around today's capital), was completely destroyed. According to legend, an elderly woman who, thanks to her visions, discovered over a hundred completely destroyed churches and monasteries, showed the locals the remains of this monastery. When excavations were carried out at the indicated place, people discovered parts of the cross and the censer, which are now stored in the Church History Museum.

Honoring the feast of St. Mina begins the day before, on November 10th. A solemn Vespers is served, the monastery remains open all night, and the flow of people from all over the country does not dry out. Each of these people, holding pain in their souls or barely restraining their gratitude, patiently waits for their turn at the miraculous icon with the face of a saint. “This is proof that they come here with sincere faith,” summarizes a young priest from the monastery of Saint Mina:

“Everyone turns to the saint with his pain. Often, childless spouses come here with prayers with the hope of a child, or lonely people who dream of meeting a life partner. Others come to have their names written down in the lists for the thanksgiving liturgy.”

There is a legend according to which the miraculous icon was brought to the monastery by the author himself in the 50s of the last century.This is Russian artist Mikhail Maletsky, who at that time worked on the restoration of the Military Historical Museum. He told how in a dream he was a warrior with a spear and shield and ordered him to draw him. People say that miracles began with the moment when this icon was hanged in the monastery. They believe that it helps with the healing of serious illnesses, as well as in solving any everyday problems.

“A lot of people flock here, especially on weekends,” said the employee of the monastery. – But also in the week she does not remain empty from morning to evening. Many young people pray at the miraculous icon and then return here again, already to thank. ”