Toward the end of the third century, there lived a Christian man named Marcos. Marcos had only one daughter called Demiana. Her father loved her dearly, and he did his best to raise her up in a true Christian way. Demiana loved to pray and read holy books by herself in her room. While praying, she often cried because she felt the love of her Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ fill her heart.

When Demiana was old enough, her father wanted her to get married to one of his noble friends, but Demiana refused. She said that she gave herself up as a bride to Christ, and that she intended to live without marriage all her life, so she could serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Demiana asked her father to build a house for her on the outskirts of the city, so that she could live in it, with her friends, as a nun away from the world and its temptations. Her father reluctantly granted Demiana her wish and built her a large palace. Demiana changed the palace into a convent and lived in it with forty of her friends. 

At that time Diocletian, the Emperor, began to kill Christians who refused to worship his idols. When Demiana’s father, Marcos, was invited to kneel before the statues and offer incense, he refused. But Diocletian convinced him to kneel. He promised to give him a higher position in the Roman Empire. When Demiana heard that her father had done this, she left the palace and went immediately to him. She said, “How could you deny your Savior who shed His blood to save you and kneel down to stone idols dwelled by Satan. What you did, my father, is cowardly and shameful.” When Marcos heard his daughter’s words he came back to his senses. He said, “Woe to me, how could I fall in the devil’s trap and worship those idle statues.” Then he got up immediately and went to Diocletian. He made the sign of the cross in front of everybody, and cried with a loud voice, “Let everyone know that I worship the God of heaven and earth, my only God and Lord Jesus the Christ.” Diocletian tried his best to change Marcos’ mind, but he could not. Diocletian got really angry and ordered the soldiers to kill him.

When the Emperor learned that it was Demiana who had changed her father’s mind, he ordered one of his commanders to take one hundred soldiers and attack the palace. When Demiana saw the soldiers approach the palace, she prayed to God to strengthen their faith until death. Then she told her friends, “If you are willing to die for Our Lord Jesus’ sake you can stay, but if you cannot stand the torturing of the soldiers, you would better hurry and escape right now.” The forty virgins stayed with Demiana.

The commander ordered the soldiers to torture Demiana. She looked up toward heaven, and prayed, “My Lord Jesus, Son of the Most High who was crucified in order to save me, give me the strength to stand the pain.” The forty virgins were watching and crying, but Demiana told them, “Do not cry, my sisters, our Lord Jesus Christ was tortured and killed because He loved us, even though He did not commit any sin. How much more should I welcome death in His name, especially if I am sure of the heavenly glory awaiting me!”

After the soldiers got tired of torturing Demiana, they threw her in jail. But the Archangel Michael appeared to her, touched her with his heavenly wings, and healed her wounds. The next day, the commander thought that she had died, but when she stood in front of him in perfect health, he was very puzzled. When some people saw what had happened, they cried, “We are Christians. We believe in the God of Demiana. We have no other God but Jesus Christ.” The commander was even more troubled and killed all of them. The torturing of Demiana continued for many days, but again, and again the Archangel Michael appeared to Demiana and healed her.

On the last day before her martyrdom, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself came to her and told her, “Have courage, my chosen one. I have prepared for you the crown of your wedding in Heaven. Your name will be remembered forever as it will be the cause for many miracles, and in this place a great church will be built to honor your blessed name.”

Finally, the commander ordered the soldiers to kill St. Demiana, along with the forty virgins, and they received the crown of martyrdom.

May the prayers and the blessings of this great martyr, Saint Demiana, be with us all. Amen.