Church commemorates Saint Antim of Nicomedia today

Today the Church commemorates Saint Antim of Nicomedia, venerated as a hieromartyr who shepherded his flock during one of the harshest waves of persecution against Christians in the late Roman Empire.

Antim was born in Nicomedia and raised in the Christian faith from childhood. His life was marked by virtues that led to his elevation to the episcopate: self-discipline, love for all, and zeal for the glory of God.

He served as bishop of Nicomedia during the violent persecutions under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. In that city Christian blood flowed freely: "one year on the day of Christ's Nativity in a single church twenty thousand martyrs were burned" (see January 10). The repression did not end there; many believers were imprisoned and held for torture and execution.

Exile, courage and capture

Rather than flee to save himself, Antim withdrew to the village of Oman to encourage those facing martyrdom and prevent lapse by fear. One of his letters to Christians in prison was intercepted and handed to Emperor Maximian.

The emperor sent twenty soldiers to arrest him. The white-haired, discerning old bishop welcomed them into his home, entertained them and then revealed that he was the very Antim they sought. Moved by his kindness, the soldiers urged him to hide, but he refused to break God's command by deceit and went with them. According to the tradition, the soldiers believed in Christ and received baptism from the bishop.

Antim was brought before the emperor, subjected to prolonged and brutal torture, and finally executed by the axe. He glorified the Lord in his death at the beginning of the 4th century.

Photo: press material from the event