SerbianOrthodoxChurch.net
This great saint was bishop in Magnesia, and suffered for Christ at the age of 113. When a violent persecution broke out under the Emperor Septimus Severus, the aged Charalampus did not hide from his persecutors, but freely and openly preached the Christian faith. He endured all tortures as though not in the body, and when they flayed the living flesh from him, the godly saint said to the Emperor's soldiers: `Thank you, my brethren, for scraping off the old body and renewing my soul for new and eternal life.' He per-formed many wonders and brought many to the Faith. Even the Emperor's daughter, Gallina, repudiated the paganism of her father and became a Christian. Condemned to death and led to the place of execution, St Charalampus raised his arms to heaven and prayed for all men, that God would give them bodily health and sal-vation of soul, and that He would grant them the fruits of the earth in abundance: `Lord, Thou knowest that men are flesh and blood; forgive them their sins and pour out Thy blessing on all.' After pray-ing thus, the saintly elder gave his soul to God before the executioner had laid his sword to his neck. He suffered in 202. Gal-lina took his body and buried it.
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