Born in Thessaloniki of wealthy and respectable parents and raised in the faith of Christ. She was orphaned early and devoted herself to contemplation and prayer in her home. Then she sold all her possessions and distributed the money to the poor, and lived by the labor of her hands. She observed strict fasting, slept very little, and constantly shed tears in prayer. When sleep overcame her, she would say: “It is dangerous to sleep when my enemy is awake.” At that time, Emperor Maximilian issued a proclamation that anyone could kill a Christian, without trial. A soldier approached Saint Anisia on the street, with an impure desire, and when she pushed him away and spat in his face, he stabbed him with a sword under the ribs. Saint Anisia surrendered her soul to the Lord in the year 298.

Venerable Theodora of Constantinople. Saint Apostle Timon. Venerable Theodora of Caesarea. Venerable Martyr Gideon. Feast of the Nativity of Christ.