Martyr 4th century

Martyrs and Confessors Gurias Samonas, and Habibus of Edessa

Also known as Gourias · Shamuna · Habib the Deacon

Gurias and Samonas were arrested as Christian preachers under Diocletian, and Habibus the deacon suffered under Licinius; they are honored together as martyrs and confessors of Edessa, invoked for the protection of marriage.

Feast Day

November 15

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Commemorated as

The Holy Martyrs and Confessors Gurias, Samonas, and Habibus of Edessa

Come to them for

Marriage

Life

Gurias, Samonas, and Habibus are three martyrs of the Mesopotamian city of Edessa (modern Urfa, in present-day Turkey) who are commemorated together on November 15. Gurias and Samonas, friends and preachers of the Christian faith, were arrested during the persecutions associated with the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, while Habibus, a deacon of the Church of Edessa, suffered later under the emperor Licinius. Though their sufferings fell in different phases of persecution, the three were buried together and venerated as a single company of confessors and martyrs.

From an early period the three saints have been invoked as protectors of marriage, a patronage rooted in the Syriac account of the maiden Euphemia, who was wronged by a man who had sworn an oath at their tomb. Their joint commemoration spread widely in both the Eastern and Western calendars.

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

Persecution under Diocletian and Maximian Arrest of Gurias and Samonas Gurias and Samonas, two friends who preached the Christian faith, were arrested at Edessa. Refusing to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, they confessed Christ and were subjected to beating, suspension by their hands with weights tied to their feet, and lengthy imprisonment in harsh conditions before being beheaded by the sword.
Under the emperor Licinius Martyrdom of the deacon Habibus Habibus (also called Abibus or Habib), a deacon of the Church of Edessa, was sought for preaching and spreading Christianity. Rather than flee, he presented himself to the authorities and, after scourging, was sentenced to be burned. He entered the fire and died there; according to the account his body was recovered unharmed and buried beside Gurias and Samonas.
After the persecutions Church and shared relics Once the persecutions ended, the Christians of Edessa built a church in honor of the three martyrs and laid their relics together. The burial site has traditionally been associated with a church at Edessa where the three were venerated as one company.

Contributions & Legacy

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Patronage of Marriage

The saints' role as patrons of honorable marriage derives from the Syriac narrative of Euphemia and the Goth. A widow named Sophia entrusted her daughter Euphemia to a Gothic soldier who swore at the tomb of Habibus that he would take her as his lawful wife. After bringing Euphemia to his own country, the soldier was found already to have a wife, who poisoned Euphemia's infant child.

According to the account, Euphemia turned in prayer to the three martyrs and was miraculously restored to Edessa, while the soldier who had broken his oath was later exposed and put to death. From this episode the saints came to be invoked for the protection of marriage and the keeping of vows; an akathist addresses them as patrons of honorable marriage, and in Russian and other Slavic custom an icon of the three is given as a wedding gift.

Commemoration

The three martyrs are commemorated together on November 15 in the Eastern Orthodox calendar, a date also kept in the Roman Catholic tradition as part of the shared pre-schism heritage. Edessa, where they suffered and were buried, lay in the Roman province of Osroene in upper Mesopotamia.

Notes

Named group kept as one row.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints