Marina translated from Latin means "sea". Many girls are called by this beautiful name in modern times. Among the Christian patron saints of women, named in this way, two holy ascetics are known.
The Orthodox calendar marks two days of commemoration of the holy ascetics with the name Marina. One of them is glorified in the face of the saints of the Christian Church as a saint, the other is called a great martyr.
Venerable Marina of Antioch
On the 13th of March Christians celebrate the memory of the holy Reverend Marina. From the life of a saint of God, we know her renunciation of the world, its carnal pleasures and passions for the sake of perfection in spiritual exploits of prayer, abstinence, meekness and humility. The holy righteous woman lived in the 4th - 5th centuries.
Feeling the gospel message with all her heart, the Monk Marina decided to devote herself to solitude. Together with Saint Cyra, the righteous woman withdrew to a cave near the city of Beria, located in Antioch. The saints lived in this dwelling for half a century, practicing in God-thinking, prayer and abstinence. For decades, the ascetics ate only bread and water.
Holy Great Martyr Marina
Among Christian saints there are many names of martyrs, but it is extremely rare in the Orthodox calendar to find great martyrs. On July 30, the memory of the common Christian saint Great Martyr Marina is celebrated.
The holy righteous woman was born from a pagan priest in Pisidia Antioch. As a baby, the girl lost her mother, therefore, was given by her father to be raised by a wet nurse. From her pious nanny, Marina learned about Christianity and accepted this faith.
For such a religious choice, the father disowned Marina. During the persecution of Christians under Diocletian, the priest's daughter was also summoned to the trial. Then the girl was only 15 years old. When the righteous woman was brought in for "interrogation," the chief Olimbrius, who was responsible for punishing Christians, was amazed at the maiden's beauty. The torturer invited Marina to marry him and renounce her faith. The girl resolutely refused, after which it was decided to torture the righteous woman. The Lord saved the saint from various physical sufferings. Seeing this, many believed in Christ.
By her feats of martyrdom, Marina led hundreds of people to faith, as a result of which it was decided to chop off the girl's head. Humbly accepting the torment, Marina with prayer bowed her head under the sword beheading. However, the Lord did not allow such a violent death. The girl did not have time to cut off her head, as she was called by God to the heavenly villages.
Thus, according to the Orthodox calendar, the Marina celebrate their name days on March 13th or July 30th.
