Saint Wanas (, ) was a

Copt Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are Co ...

ic child

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 ...

born to poor parents from Thebes (now

Luxor Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''. Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...

), Egypt. He is venerated as the patron saint of lost things.

Life and Martyrdom

St Wanas was an only son and a servant in the church. He lived during a period of persecution under the Romans. He became known as a fearless and wise speaker who helped people to adhere to the Christian faith. Consequently, the Roman Governor Arianus of Alexandria (who later became a Christian martyr himself) was displeased when he heard of this saint. Arianus was the Roman ruler of Ansena ( Antinoöpolis),. He sent soldiers with orders to make him abandon his faith. The child refused so the governor ordered him to be tortured by cutting off his head. That was on 16th

Hathor Hathor ( egy, ḥwt-ḥr, lit=House of Horus, grc, Ἁθώρ , cop, ϩⲁⲑⲱⲣ, Meroitic: ) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sk ...

of the Coptic calendar. He was martyred during the same period as other child martyrs such as Saint Abanoub.

Other People Named Wanas

* Bishop Wanas * Saint Wanas of Luxor (Bishop Youannis (John))

Notes

Saints from Roman Egypt 4th-century Christian martyrs Christian child saints {{saint-stub