Today the Church celebrates St. Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Ancyra.
Saint Clement was born in the city of Ancyra (today's capital of Turkey), in the region of Galatia - one of the cradles of Asia Minor Christianity, which left the memory of countless and glorious confessors of the Gospel faith. Saint Clement's mother, Euphrosyne, was a deeply believing Christian. She was married off young to a pagan. Saint Euphrosyne made efforts to introduce her husband to the world of Christianity, but he refused and at the same time tried to turn her into a pagan. Leading this difficult spiritual struggle, Saint Euphrosyne constantly prayed to the Almighty to give her strength to succeed. But God had other plans for her.
Shortly after Euphrosyne gave birth to a boy, whom they named Clement, her husband died. When Saint Clement was 12 years old, Saint Euphrosyne died, and he was left an orphan. A friend of his mother, Sophia, began to take care of him. Sophia was a rich and noble lady.
Hard years followed. A great famine killed the population of Ancyra, and poor families left their children on the streets and at the mercy of fate, because they could not take care of them. It was at this very moment that the young Saint Clement appeared. He collected the children from the streets and placed them in the huge palace of his adoptive mother Sophia. Sophia clothed and fed the poor children, and Saint Clement began to teach them Christian values, so that in time they could receive Holy Baptism.
Devoted to spiritual pursuits, at the age of 20 Saint Clement became bishop of Ancyra. Not long after, the pagans launched the 9th persecution of Christians. This time, the Roman soldiers did not persecute ordinary believers, but those who incited them to worship Jesus Christ - bishops, clergy, even readers in churches. Saint Clement was among those captured and sent to torture. He was beaten so much, his skin was torn off, his flesh was pierced with skewers, that at the end even his entrails were visible. They returned him, barely breathing, to his prison cell, and the next morning he was as good as new. There was not a single trace of the torture.
By order of the emperor, Saint Clement and his disciple Agathangelus were moved from city to city. Everywhere they were publicly tortured, and the next morning they were completely healthy. This continued for several years. Saint Clement endured the torture with unknown patience and never allowed himself to cry, complain or react in any other way. Finally, Emperor Maximian ordered the prisoners to be returned to Ancyra. By order of the mayor, they were imprisoned in a dungeon.
On the Epiphany, Saint Clement was released from prison to serve the festive service for the Baptism of Jesus Christ. During the service, he was executed, along with his assistants Christopher and Chariton, and Agathangelus. This happened on January 23, 312.
Name days are celebrated by: Clement, Klimo, Clementine, Clementina, Clementina, Christopher and Chariton.