320, 7 years since Constantine the Great issued a decree recognizing Christianity. It would seem that there is enough time for true faith to be accepted everywhere. But no, there was still a lot of paganism in the empire.
People sacrificed to idols on the northern and southern borders. They worshipped gods in the east and west.
So in today’s Cappadocia, a mountainous region called Lesser Armenia, paganism took deep roots.
An ardent admirer of the old religion, the military commander Agricolaus, before the start of the new campaign, ordered all his subordinates to sacrifice to the gods.
The legions dutifully lined up in even rows and obediently began to obey orders.
All but 40 warriors. They declared themselves Christians and refused to worship idols.
Agricolaus was furious. He told the soldiers to be arrested.
But time in prison did not shake their resolve. Especially since there, in complete darkness, without food and only a bucket of water for a day, they heard a voice. He said that whoever endures to the end will be saved.
Then Agricolaus came up with a new test. He ordered the soldiers to be stoned. It didn’t work out. The stones just flew past the soldiers, changed their trajectory and came back. One of them almost killed Agricolaus himself.
Then he tried to act flattery, promised a reward for sacrifice. The warriors held fast.
The new form of torture was a night on the ice of the lake. There was a warm bath nearby. 40 soldiers were led out onto the ice. But only 39 survived until morning. One failed, rushed to the heat. And he fell dead.
And at dawn, the astonished guards saw that the ice had melted, the warriors were alive, and haloes shone above them. The effect of the miracle was so strong that one of the guards declared himself a Christian and joined the sufferers. They’re 40 again.
They all suffered martyrdom. Their legs were broken and their bodies burned at the stake.
On the 3rd day, the bishop of Sebaste had a vision in which he was called upon to collect all the remains and bury them.
He called for the help of deacons and clerics and they carefully collected every single bone and ashes from the fire. They buried the remains and served a prayer service.
The example of Christian warriors for many centuries inspired believers to exploits. Their names are so revered in the Orthodox Church that even the fast that falls on the day of remembrance (March 22) is relaxed.
In Moscow there is a temple of 40 Sebasti martyrs. In 1645 it was built by masons who erected the Novospassky monastery on Taganka.
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