Saint Varus (
Gr. Ούαρος) (died ca. 304,
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
) was an early Christian
saint, soldier and
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
.
Biography
According to his generally reliable and authentic Acts, he was a soldier stationed in
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
who had the task of guarding a group of 7
monks
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
awaiting execution. It is stated that Varus was already a Christian at this point, but had weak faith. After witnessing one of the monks perish, the faith of Varus became reinvigorated, and he joined the monks. For this, Varus was tortured, and had his body
hung from a tree.
Veneration
During the
Time of Troubles
The Time of Troubles (russian: Смутное время, ), or Smuta (russian: Смута), was a period of political crisis during the Tsardom of Russia which began in 1598 with the death of Fyodor I (Fyodor Ivanovich, the last of the Rurik dy ...
, many children of
Russian Orthodox
Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...
families were dying before they could be baptized. This led
Patriarch Hermogenes of Moscow
Hermogenes, or Germogen (russian: Гермоге́н) (secular name Yermolay) (before 1530 – 17 February 1612) was the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia from 1606. It was he who inspired the popular uprising that put an end to the Time of Troub ...
to declare that the
Canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western ca ...
of Saint Varus should be sung in churches on behalf of dead, unbaptized children. This makes Varus a popular saint in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, as he is remembered as an intercessor on behalf of the suffering Russian people.
See also
*
Saint Cleopatra — witnessed the suffering and execution of Saint Varus.
*
Lectionary 211
*
October 19 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
October 18 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - October 20
All fixed commemorations below celebrated on November 1 by Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar.
For October 19th, Orthodox Churches on the Old Calendar commemorate the Saints lis ...
External links and references
The Life of Holy Martyr Varus. Reprinted From Orthodox Life Vol. 44, No5 - October 1994Catholic saints: St. VarusVarys the Martyr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varus
4th-century Christian saints
Saints from Roman Egypt