The face of the holy martyr saves from adversity. Prayers to Saint Marina the Great Martyr help fight injustice, protect from evil people, protect from lies and demonic possession.
The miraculous icon is kept in Crete. The relics of the virgin heal those suffering from physical and mental illnesses.
Life of Saint Marina
The Holy Martyr Marina was born in Antioch of Pisidia (in Asia Minor). The youth of the immaculate virgin fell at a time (about 270) when believers in Christ suffered persecution, mockery and execution. The desire for martyrdom for the glory of God led Marina to break with her family. But the righteous woman received much more, becoming a true example of faith for centuries.
Marina's face was created based on the descriptions of an eyewitness to the trials to which the girl was subjected.
She was only 15 years old when Olimbrius, the ruler of Rome, saw her beauty and desired the maiden for himself. But Marina has already devoted herself to serving the Lord. The monarch was unable to get her as a wife and then the Saint’s torment began.
The girl was thrown into prison and terribly tortured: they beat her with rods, burned her with a hot iron, and drowned her. But even in captivity, she continued to pray; the torture strengthened her spirit. At night, the Holy Spirit descended on the martyr and she received healing from her bodily wounds. And in the morning Marina was called a witch and burned. Accepting a painful death, she cried out to the Lord and begged him for baptism, and at that moment a golden crown covered the virgin’s head, and everyone who watched the execution believed.
By order of the enraged ruler, 15,000 believers were beheaded along with Marina.
Veneration and relics of the saint
The founder of the veneration of Marina of Antioch is Theotimus. He was present at the torture and execution of the girl, after which he took her body and hid it in the house of a righteous townswoman - the wife of a local official.
Then a special stone tomb was built for the relics, where liturgies were regularly held. Through prayer, numerous miracles occurred at the relics of the martyr, which served as the basis for her glorification as a great martyr.
Eastern Christian tradition
The veneration of Saint Marina in the Eastern Christian tradition was established in the 4th century. In the 8th century Byzantine Empress Maria transferred the holy relics to Constantinople. Here they were kept until the destruction of the city by the crusaders. The further development of the veneration of Marina in Eastern Christianity is associated with local churches, the territory of which is located close to her homeland.
Great Martyr Marina (Margarita) of Antioch
Particles of the relics of the great martyr are located in Orthodox monasteries in Greece, Bulgaria and Egypt. Marina of Antioch is especially revered by Athonite monks. Particles of her relics are located in the following monasteries located on the holy mountain:
- Xenophon;
- Hilandar;
- Esphigmen;
- Iverskaya monastery;
- Panteleimon Monastery.
The Russian Orthodox Church also venerates the martyr. Particles of her relics are located in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in the Moscow district of Sokolniki.
Interesting: until the beginning of the 21st century. All girls given the name Margarita at birth were baptized with the name Marina in the Orthodox Church. In 2000, nun Margarita Zakachurina was canonized, whose memory is celebrated on December 15.
Catholic Church
In the Catholic Church, the veneration of Saint Marina was established in the 10th century. Until this time, her life was considered apocryphal writings and was not recognized by the Roman bishop. This opinion was formalized by a decree of Pope Gelasius I at the end of the 5th century.
Since the revival of veneration, Saint Marina has been mentioned in Latin sources under the name Margaret. This name is taken from the first life, compiled by Theotimos. He says that the maiden was as beautiful as a pearl, which in Greek is pronounced “Margarita.”
In 908, part of the relics of St. Margaret, kept in Antioch, was transferred to the monastery of Monte Fiascone, located in the Italian province of Tuscany. After the fall of Constantinople, the crusaders took the relics of the great martyr to Europe. In the 17th century this part of the honest remains was kept in a Venetian church dedicated to the Antiochian saint.
According to Catholic tradition, it is believed that Saint Margaret of Antioch appeared to the Virgin of Orleans - Joan of Arc, calling on her to defend her homeland.
How do prayers to Saint Marina help?
Memorial Day: July 30
Prayer to Saint Marina heals those who suffer, brings forgiveness, and helps get rid of the burden of someone else's guilt.
Marina was originally depicted wearing red robes, symbolizing the blood shed for her faith. She looked at the people praying to the miraculous image and held the cross. Later reproductions depict the tempter’s serpent at Marina’s feet, a symbol of the saint’s resistance to the fight against Satan. The background shows the torture of innocent people.
The prayer to the Holy Great Martyr Marina is often used before a person makes an important life decision, because Saint Marina is an example of spiritual purity and perseverance.
Iconography and images in art
Images of Marina of Antioch exist in both Eastern and Western Christianity.
Russian iconography
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, there are two traditional versions of the iconography of St. Marina. The most common is the waist-length icon, on which the Great Martyr is depicted from the waist up. A figure dressed in a blue tunic and a red scarf.
The red color of the robes symbolizes the blood that the virgin shed in the name of Faith. She holds a crucifix in her left hand and raises her right hand in a blessing gesture. The image is placed on a sky blue or gold background.
The icon depicting Saint Marina in full growth repeats the composition and color scheme of the half-length image. Sometimes there are architectural forms in the background.
Balkan and Coptic icons
In addition to traditional iconographic depictions, the following images exist in Eastern Christian churches:
- “Victory over the forces of evil” is a multi-figure work depicting the scene of St. Marina’s struggle with a demon. The holy virgin in a traditional blue and red robe clutches a hammer in one hand and holds an evil spirit in the other. The demon can be depicted as a short dark-skinned man, a huge black dog, or a creature with hooves and horns. The fight takes place against the backdrop of urban architecture.
Icon of the Great Martyr Marina (Margarita) of Antioch - A multi-figure icon depicting the torment of Saint Marina. In the foreground is a full-length figure of the Great Martyr. Around it are scenes of torture and cityscapes.
Prayers to the Holy Great Martyr Marina for protection from injustice
This prayer appeal helps in difficult times to choose the right decision that will relieve temptation and lead to well-being.
First prayer
Oh, holy virgin and martyr Marina, who loves the Lord with all her soul, who went through fire, water and physical torture for her faith, and was reborn in the Kingdom of Heaven. In your youth, you already loved Christ, choosing the path of holiness, sanity and righteousness, serving as an example for everyone with your life. Healed from her wounds and experiencing torment, she converted many atheists to the true faith. You illuminate my life and that of every servant of God who comes to you with faith in prayer. Oh, intercessor, guide us to fulfill all the commandments of the Lord and spiritual achievement. Have mercy on our lives with your words before the Lord God. Intercede for all Orthodox Christians, strengthen our faith, piety and love for our neighbors. Cleanse from flaws, curses and dashing thoughts. Free from enmity, injustice and lies. Have mercy, pious Marina, and help us glorify the name of the Lord. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, from now on and forever and ever. Amen.
Second prayer
O holy virgin and great martyr Marino, true Bridegroom of your Christ, who suffered in the city of Antioch for the faith of Christ, passed through fire and water and found her home in the Kingdom of Heaven! From your youth, you have loved Christ, our God, with all your soul and with all your heart, the only one who desires to serve. You shone with the power of your piety, chastity and righteousness, having lived holy and precariously among the infidels. You, wonderfully healed from wounds by the grace of God, amazed your tormentors and brought many unbelievers to the knowledge of the True God. By the power of God you trampled upon the devil who appeared before your eyes, and you received grace to defeat the enemy of the human race in the battle. You are a bright lamp for the entire Church of Christ, a warm prayer book for God, and a speedy intercessor for all who come running to you with faith. O Saint Marino, guide us to the Heavenly Fatherland, give us zeal for salvation, direct our steps to doing the commandments of Christ, to the path of spiritual achievement and correction of life. Remember us with your prayer, help us all to live chastely, righteously and piously. Hear us, Passion-Bearer of Christ, and beg God, the Lover of Mankind, that through your intercession He may give peace and good order to our Fatherland, may all Orthodox Christians be affirmed in faith, piety and purity, may He strengthen brotherly love in us, may He cleanse us sinners from filth and vices May He save us from the actions of the enemy, and have mercy on us with His grace, and make us heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, where together with you we will glorify the wondrous God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in His saints, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Troparion and Kontakion to the Great Martyr Marina of Antioch
Troparion, tone 4
Your Lamb, Jesus, Marina/ calls with a great voice:/ I love You, my Bridegroom,/ and, seeking You, I suffer,/ and I crucify myself, and I bury myself in Your baptism,/ and I suffer for Your paradise. God,/ let me reign in You,/ and I die for You, and I also live with You,/ but as a blameless sacrifice, accept me, sacrificed to You with love./ Through my prayers,// For You are merciful, save our souls.
Translation:
Your Lamb, Jesus, Marina cries out loudly: “I love You, my Bridegroom, and, seeking You, I suffer, and I am crucified and buried with You in Your baptism, and I endure torment for You, that I may reign in You, and die for You, so that I may live with You; but, accept me as an immaculate sacrifice, offered to You with love!” Through her intercessions, as the Merciful One, save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 3
Virginity is overflowing with kindnesses, maiden, / you were crowned with imperishable crowns, Marino, / you were stained with the blood of martyrdom, / miracles of enlightened healings, / / piously, you received honor to the martyr the years of your suffering.
Translation:
You are adorned with the perfection of chastity, O maiden, you are crowned with an imperishable crown, Marina, you are stained with the blood of martyrdom, enlightened by miracles of healing, piously, O martyr, you accepted the honors of the victory of your martyrdom.
Origin of the name Marina
Like many other paired Greek and Roman names, the name Marina is a feminine version of a male name. Most likely, Marin was once a cognomen, that is, a generic nickname in ancient Rome and passed from generation to generation. Marin - "marīnus" - translated from Latin means "sea", respectively Marina - sea. In Roman mythology, for example, the epithet Venus Marina was often applied to the goddess Venus. This was a consequence of the fact that the Roman Venus was identified with the Greek goddess Aphrodite, born from the foam of the sea. And just as Aphrodite was called Aphrodite Anadyomene (emerging from the foam) or Aphrodite Pelagios (sea), so Venus was called Venus Marina. In this sense, Pelageya and Marina, despite the difference in sound, are synonymous names.
The name Marina came to Russia from Greece. Since the 8th century, widespread veneration of the Great Martyr Marina of Antioch began in Greece, whose memorial day the Orthodox Church celebrates once a year, on July 30 (July 17, Old Style).
However, in Russia the name has never been widespread. Experts note that this name was rather urban and was rarely used in rural areas. The peak of popularity of the name Marina in Russia came in 1962, when every twentieth newborn girl in the country received the name Marina. However, by the end of the 20th century, interest in this name had sharply decreased: from twelfth place in the popularity ranking, Marina moved to twenty-fourth.
