The Martyrdom of St. Abakragoun
On the 25th of Epep, St. Abakragoun from El-Batanoon was martyred. St. Abakragoun, who was a thief, had joined two young men in a plan to steal from a monks cell. When they had arrived at the monk’s cell they found him deep in prayer. They decide to wait for him to finish and lie down, but he continued praying. During this time they started to become very weary. At dawn, the monk approached the thieves, and they bowed before him and dropped their swords. The monk then preached to them, guided them, and the three thieves became monks under his leadership.
St. Abakragoun then embraced a rigorous ascetic life and was prophesied by the old monk that he would achieve a crown of martyrdom in the Name of Christ, which later came to pass. Six years later, during a period of persecution started by the devil against the church, St. Abakragoun bid farewell to his spiritual father and received his blessings. He then went to Nakios and confessed Christ before the governor. He was then severly tortured and then taken to Alexandria, where he was tortured further by being hung on a ship’s mast five times, but each time the ropes broke. Eventually, they placed St. Abakragoun in a hide sack and threw him into the sea. The angel of the Lord rescued him from the water and instructed him to go to Samanoud. On his journey, the saint passed through El-Benwan, where people recognized him and brought their infirmities for healing through his prayers.
While on his journey to Samanoud, St. Abakragoun performed many miracles which included raising Justus the Vizier’s daughter from the dead through his prayers. After this amazing miracle, Justus, his wife, and all his soldiers converted to Christianity and were martyred, which totaling nine hundred thirty-five people. St. Abakragoun was then sent back to Alexandria, where he endured various tortures before being beheaded and martyred, thus recieving the crown of martyrdom.
Later, An angel revealed the location of St. Abakragoun’s body to a priest from Menuf, who retrieved it and kept it in hiding. After the persecution ended, a church was built in his honor in El-Batanoon, and his body was placed there.
Sources:
- St. Takla.org
- August 1st (25th of Epep) Synaxarion