Holy Martyr Sozon of Cilicia (†c. 304) — September 7 / September 20 (Julian Calendar)

On this day, September 7 according to the Julian Calendar (September 20 civil calendar), the Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Martyr Sozon of Cilicia. The holy martyr Sozon was a shepherd from Lycaonia. He diligently read the Holy Scriptures and then shared the knowledge he had gained with the shepherds who gathered around him. One night, as Sozon sat beneath an oak tree, the Lord called him to the struggle of martyrdom through a miraculous vision.

The lamb of Christ journeyed to the Cilician city of Pompeiopolis, where at that time preparations were under way for a pagan festival in honor of an idol. He slipped into the temple, broke off the hand of the golden statue of the false deity, cut it into pieces, and distributed the gold to the poor. The disappearance of the idol’s hand caused turmoil and alarm in the city; suspects were arrested, taken for questioning, and tortured. Sozon did not wish to be the cause of suffering for the innocent, and so he voluntarily appeared before the emperor Maximian (284–305; 307–310) and declared that it was he who had cut off the idol’s hand: “I wished to convince myself of the weakness of your god, and indeed, it offered me no resistance whatsoever. Would that I had shattered it entirely, so that people might cease worshipping their own handiwork.” The enraged emperor ordered that the brave confessor be cruelly tortured.

In terrible torments the holy Sozon gave up his soul to the Lord (†c. 304). At the emperor’s command, the servants lit a great fire to burn the martyr’s body, but a sudden downpour extinguished the flames. That night the Christians secretly took the martyr’s body and buried it with honor.