Saint Salome the Georgian — July 20 / August 2 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, July 20 according to the Julian Calendar (August 2 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Salome the Georgian, who was martyred by the Persians in the 13th century.

The account of Saint Salome the Georgian is preserved in the synaxarion of the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem: “On this same day (July 20), the martyrdom of Salome the Georgian, who at first was led astray by the Persians and denied Christ. Afterwards she repented, confessed Christ again, and was beheaded.”

Metropolitan Timothy (Gabashvili), in his travel account “Mimoslva,” records: “There (at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem) the holy Salome the Georgian was martyred. She was first led astray by the Persians, but then repented. She was engaged in spiritual struggle — in prayer and fasting — and when the Persians came, she was beheaded by them and received the crown of martyrdom.”

The precise circumstances of her martyrdom bear witness to the depth of her repentance and the strength of her faith. Having first denied Christ under pressure from her Persian captors, she did not remain in apostasy but returned with full resolve to the Christian faith, ultimately sealing her confession with her blood. Her martyrdom stands as a testimony to the mercy of God, Who receives those who return to Him, and to the courage of a soul that, once having fallen, rises again and does not waver.