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St. Anthusa of Syria

Commemorated on August 22

St. Anthusa, a native of the city of Seleucia, Syria, was the daughter of illustrious pagans. Learning of the teachings of Christ, under pretense of visiting her benefactress, she traveled instead to Tarsus to St. Athanasius and received Baptism from him.

Her parents were enraged at their daughter for becoming a Christian. She received monastic tonsure from St. Athanasius, then settled in the desert, where she spent 33 years at ascetic deeds.

She died at the end of the third century while she was praying. The Martyrs Charisimos and Neophytus, who had been baptized together with St. Anthusa, were her servants, and they too accepted death for Christ.

By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)