Previous posts
called What Makes an Icon Holy? and How not to be an accidental Iconoclast
have, hopefully, explained why Icons are given such an exalted place within
Orthodoxy. In short, icons are holy when they represent holy things: Christ and
His Saints; it is the prototype that causes an image to be holy.
For
completeness, if nothing else, this post addresses how religious images not
depicting Christ and His Saints were regarded by the Church, using the
testimony of her martyrs. Below, is a roughly chronological list of Saints
known to have destroyed idols: i.e. the religious images and statues venerated
by non-Christians, and considered holy by them. The list is by no means
exhaustive.
King Hezekiah (+687 B.C.)
This king
of Judah gives a scriptural precedent for the physical destruction of idols (2
Kings 18-20). King Hezekiah is glorified because, in order to restore true
worship of God in his kingdom, he “removed the high places and broke the sacred
pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that
Moses had made…”; and as Scripture explains, the righteous king did these
things because “he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him,
but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.”
King Josiah (+609 B.C.)
In a
similar way to King Hezekiah, Josiah also used his royal authority to “clean
up” the faith of Israel, and destroyed idols and other objects related to the
worship of Baal. Scripture describes his legacy thus: Neither before nor after
Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did—with all his
heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all
the Law of Moses. (2 Kings 23:25).
Josiah is
included in the genealogy of the Evangelist Matthew and so is celebrated on the
second Sunday before Christmas.
 |
| Flight into Egypt, showing the idols (white figures) falling from the city walls |
The Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother
(1st Century A.D.)
As part
of the Church’s tradition, it is believed that during Christ’s flight into
Egypt, statues to the native gods crumbled and fell at His presence; this led
to the conversion of some of the inhabitants. This story is enshrined in the
Akathist Hymn to the Mother of God, which contains the following stanza
addressed to Jesus:
By shining in Egypt the light of truth, Thou
didst dispel the darkness of falsehood; for its idols fell, O Saviour, unable
to endure Thy strength;
The Apostle Paul (+67 A.D.)
As
recounted in the Book of Acts (19:11-20), the miracles of the Apostle Paul led
many pagan sorcerers in Ephesus to convert to Christ, whereupon they publicly
burned their spell-books. Scripture concludes this episode with the words: So
the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
The Apostle Matthew (+ 1st century A.D.)
Some
accounts of the Evangelist’s life state that in the place of his martyrdom the
local ruler repented of executing the Saint and was baptized, taking the name
Matthew. The newly-illumined king then proceeded to destroy the pagan idols in
his temples.
The Apostle John (c. +97 A.D.)
Some
accounts of the Life of John the Evangelist state that his exile to Patmos was
a result of the Apostle causing pagan idols to fall through his prayers. In the
Anglo-Saxon homilies from the 10th/11th centuries, there is an explicit mention
of the Apostle John turning the idols to dust by the power of God (see here).
Twin-Martyrs
Florus and Laurus (+ 2nd Century A.D.)
These
Saints were stonemasons who settled in Ulpiana (in modern-day Kosovo) and were
there employed by the Roman prefect in building a pagan temple. The Saints gave
away all their salary to the poor. After the temple was complete, Ss Florus and
Laurus gathered all the local Christians together, and then proceeded to smash
all the statues of the temple before erecting a cross. The local authorities
executed 300 Christians for this act, including the Twin-Saints, who were
thrown down into a well.
Abercius of Hieropolis, Equal-to-the-Apostles
(+ 167 A.D.)
After
praying fervently for the conversion of the pagan-dominated Hierapolis, an
angel of the Lord appeared to the bishop, and ordered him to destroy the pagan
idols. Having done so, he presented himself to the pagans, who would have
murdered him were it not for his miraculous healing of three demon-possessed
youths.
Martyr Julian of Dalmatia (+ 160 A.D.)
This
youth was mercilessly tortured over a period of days for not offering sacrifice
to the idols. During this time, the temple of Serapis and all the idols within
it were destroyed. The pagans attributed the destruction to St Julian’s “magic”
and demanded his immediate execution. Of the idols, Julian said boldly:
“Listen, accursed ones, do not trust your gods, which you have made with your
hands. Know, rather, the God Who out of nothing, has created Heaven and earth.”
Virgin-Martyr Paraskevi (+ 170 A.D.)
This
famous Orthodox saint was arrested for converting many pagans to Christ. After
many tortures she meekly let herself be led to the Temple of Apollo to offer
sacrifice. However, upon entering the temple, St Paraskevi made the sign of the
cross and the statues in the temple were destroyed. The furious pagans ensured
the Saint was condemned to death.
Holy Martyrs Speusippus, Eleusippus,
Meleusippus and their grandmother Leonilla (+ 175 A.D.)
Triplets
who lived in France, as youths they were converted to the Christian faith by
their grandmother, Leonilla, and in their zeal destroyed the pagan idols in the
area.
Saint Glykeria (+ 177 A.D.)
The
daughter of a Roman official in Thrace, she was a secret Christian who was
forced to attend a pagan high-festival at the largest temple in the area.
During the service, overcome by having to witness the ministering to false
idols, she toppled the statue of Jupiter and upbraided the pagans for their
folly. For this she was executed.
Saint Charalampus (+202 A.D.)
When
already 113 years old, St Charalampus was subjected to fierce tortures for
refusing to offer sacrifice to the idols. Upon witnessing his steadfast faith,
the daughter of the Emperor Severus – called Gallina – converted to the Christian
faith and destroyed all her pagan idols.
Great-Martyr Christina of Tyre (+ 3rd Century
A.D.)
The
daughter of a pagan governor, Christina was instructed in the faith by an angel
of the Lord, and afterwards she destroyed all the idols in her room and threw
them from the window. When her father discovered the truth he had her cruelly
tortured before he died. The next governor finished the job and executed St
Christina by the sword.
Great-Martyr
Tatiana of Rome (+225)
Secretly
Christian, Tatiana was ordained as a deaconess, captured by the pagan authorities,
brought into the sanctuary of Apollo, and forced to offer sacrifice. Through
her prayers, the earth shook, toppling the statue of Apollo and causing some of
the pagan priests to be crushed. As the statue fell, witnesses saw a demon flee
from behind it. St Tatiana was cruelly tortured and beheaded.
Martyr Polyeuctus of Melitene, in Armenia (+
255 A.D.)
A Roman
soldier who confessed faith in Christ during the persecution by Emperor
Valerian (253-259). In zeal he went to the public square and tore up the edict
of Decius which required everyone to worship idols. A few moments later, he met
a procession carrying twelve idols through the streets of the city. St
Polyeuctus dashed the idols to the ground and trampled them underfoot.
Martyr Agatha of Palermo (+251)
Was also
cruelly tortured under the edict of the Emperor Decius (see above) for refusing
to offer sacrifice to the idols. During interrogations she openly mocked the
idols as “not gods but demons”, and also mocked the city prefect who worshiped
them. Before her final execution an earthquake shook the city destroying a
number of the pagan temples, attributed to the prayers of St Agatha.
Martyr Heliconis of Thessalonica (+ 3rd
Century A.D.)
Suffered
under the governor Perinus for refusing to offer sacrifice to the idols. After
many tortures the virgin-martyr appeared to relent and so was brought to the
temple. After requesting to be alone in the temple, St Heliconis manfully tore
down all the idols and smashed them to pieces. On returning, the enraged pagans
demanded her execution.
Martyr Sozon (“Saved”)
of Cilicia (+ late 3rd century)
A pious
young shepherd who was foretold his martyrdom in a dream. Awaking he headed for
the city of Pompeiopolis, where a festival to a golden statue was taking place.
Secretly he broke off the hand of the statue and distributed the fragments to
the poor. When persecutions began in order to find the culprit, St Sozon
immediately presented himself to the emperor Maximian, confessing: “I did this,
so that you might see the lack of power of your god, which offered me no
resistance. It is not a god, but a deaf and dumb idol. I wanted to smash it all
into pieces, so that people would no longer worship the work of men’s hands.”
St Sozon gave up his life under pitiless tortures.
Saint Victor of Marseilles (+290 A.D.)
A Roman
army officer in Marseilles, who publicly denounced the worship of idols. At the
orders of Emperor Maximian he was brought before a statue of Jupiter in order
to offer incense before it. Not only did St Victor refuse, he kicked the
statue, causing it to fall and shatter. Crushed under a millstone.
Priest-Martyr Mocius of Amphipolis (+ 295
A.D.)
Overturned
the altar during a pagan service to Dionysius (Bacchus) and exhorted those
gathered to turn to Christ. Captured and forced to offer sacrifice to false
gods, the Saint called upon the name of Jesus Christ and the idols shattered.
He was finally brought to Byzantium and executed there.
Sainted-bishop Sisinios and Artemon,
Presbyter of Laodicea (+303)
When the
Emperor Diocletian ordered a persecution of the Christians in the late 3rd
century, St Artemon was already an elderly and long-serving priest of the
Church. Saint Sisinios, knowing about the impending arrival in the Laodiceian
district of the military-commander Patricius, went together with the priest
Artemon into the pagan-temple of the goddess Artemis. There they smashed and
burnt the idols. Although arrested and tortured, St Artemon’s life was
miraculously spared so that he could go on preaching until 303 A.D., when he
was finally seized by pagans and murdered.
Martyr Blaise of Sebaste (+ 316 A.D.)
An old
man living a life of prayer in a secluded cave, the pagans did not forget his
earlier life as a zealous bishop for the Christians. Dragging him back to the
city to face trial, St Sebaste fearlessly mocked the idols (as shown in this
detail from a Russian icon) for which he was savagely beaten and eventually
executed along with pagan women who had been converted by his words and
miracles.
Great-Martyr Theodore Stratelates, or “the
General” (+ 319 A.D.)
Was
appointed military-commander in the city of Heraclea Pontica, during the time
the emperor Licinius began a fierce persecution of Christians. Theodore himself
invited Licinius to Heraclea, having promised to offer a sacrifice to the pagan
gods. He requested that all the gold and silver statues of the gods which they
had in Heraclea be gathered up at his house. Theodore then smashed them into
pieces which he then distributed to the poor. After tortures, St Theodore was
beheaded
Martyr Acacius of Apamea (+ early 4th
century)
Holy
Martyr Acacius was brought to trial for his belief in Christ. Sent from city to
city enduring tortures along the way, the Saint publicly caused the toppling of
pagan idols through his prayers… twice!
Saint George the Victory-Bearer (+ 303 A.D.)
Among the
many stories relating to this great Saint, is one relating to the smashing of
idols (and shown in the picture at the very top of this post). After being
offered great riches and power, the Holy George was brought to the temple of
Apollo to give sacrifice. St George made the sign of the Cross approaching an
idol and turned towards it, as though it were alive: “You wishest to receive
from me sacrifice befitting God?” The demon inhabiting the idol cried out: “I
am not God and none of those like me are God. The One-Only God is He Whom thou
preachest. We are of those servant-angels of His, which became apostate, and in
the grips of jealousy we do tempt people.” “How dare ye to be here, when hither
have come I, the servant of the True God?” – asked the saint. Then was heard a
crash and wailing, and the idols fell down and were shattered.
Priestly-Martyr Erasmus of Ohrid (+ 303)
Born in
Antioch and after living a life of prayer on Mt Lebanon, he was ordained bishop
and sent into Ohrid to preach the Gospel. Through miracles and preaching he
converted many pagans in Ohrid, and overturned their altars. Brought before
Emperor Maximian, Erasmus was commanded to worship a copper statue of Zeus. St
Erasmus through prayer caused a terrible-looking dragon to appear from behing
the idol and, again through prayer, caused it to wither and die. Through this
sign the demonic nature of idol-worship was revealed, and the power of Christ
to overcome it, converting 20,000 pagan souls. St Erasmus was beaten and
imprisoned, but later was released and died in peace.
Empress Helena (+ 329 A.D.)
The pious
Christian mother of Constantine the Great, Empress Helena is best remembered in
the Orthodox Church for finding the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ was
crucified during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. On the site of the finding she
erected the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Less well-known perhaps,
but no less significant, is that a temple to the goddess Aphrodite (Venus)
needed to be flattened for the church to be built. St Helena probably also
ordered the destruction of a temple to Zeus (Jupiter) in order to build a
church dedicated to St. Cyrus and St. John.
The
finding of the true Cross is commemorated on September 14, and is one of the
Great Feasts of the Church.
Saint Nino (or Nina), Enlightener of Georgia
(+ 332)
A native
of Cappadocia, the Saint Nino is called “Equal-to-the-Apostles” for her
evangelism of Georgia in the 4th century. One time, St Nino was traveling to
Mtskheta with a group of Georgian pilgrims on their way to venerate the god
Armazi. There she watched with great sadness as the Georgian people trembled
before the idols, and prayed: “O Lord, send down Thy mercy upon this nation
…that all nations may glorify Thee alone, the One True God, through Thy Son,
Jesus Christ.” A violent wind began to blow and hail fell from the sky,
shattering the pagan statues.
Achillius of Larisa (+ 330 A.D.)
The
earliest recorded bishop of Larisa, St Achillius was present at the first
Ecumenical Council, where he defending the Orthodox faith. In his city, the
miracle-working Achillius embodied well the fuller Orthodox understanding of
“religious images”: he was renowned for both tearing down pagan temples and
adorning the Christian churches with icons. Reposed peacefully.
St. Nicholas destroying the idolsNicholas the
Wonder-Worker of Myra (+ 345 A.D.)
One of
the most celebrated Saints of the Orthodox Church worldwide, the wonderful
feats of this miracle-working bishop abound. Among these acts is the
destruction of all the temple of Diana and other pagan shrines in his city of
Myra, after he was reinstated as bishop there during Constantine’s reign. Much
of the demolition was carried out by his own hand, though he also had to
struggle in prayer to overcome the demons that inhabited the temples. That this
act of Nicholas is celebrated is evidenced in later church frescoes showing the
event, and this account taken from his biography.
Martyr Mark, Bishop of Arethusa, in Syria
(suffered 360 A.D.)
Under
Constantine the Great St Mark, with the help of his deacon Cyril, had tore down
a pagan temple and built a church in its place. When Julian the Apostate became
emperor, idol-worship again grew, and the pagans wished to take revenge upon
the now elderly bishop. Beaten, slashed with knives, his ears sliced off with
linen, and with his hair pulled out, St Mark steadfastly refused to offer up
any money in order to rebuild the pagan temple he had demolished. Even after
the pagans kept lowering the price, St Mark refused to pay a single coin.
Exhausted, and seeing that people were converted to Christ through his
endurance, the torturers let St Mark go!
St
Gregory the Theologian writes highly of St Mark, and uses his example in his
writings against Julian the Apostate.
Saint Emilian of Thrace (+ 362 A.D.)
A servant
of the governor of Dorostolon, in Thrace, during the reign of Julian the
Apostate. When an imperial delegate arrived in Dorostolon to kill the
Christians, he did not find a single one there. Delighted by this, he ordered a
great feast in honour of the idols to take place the next day. That night,
Emilian went throughout the town and smashed all the idols with a hammer. The
next day, the outraged citizens grabbed a man, supposing him to be the culprit.
Emilian said within himself: ‘If I conceal my action, what sort of use has it been?
Shall I not stand before God as the slayer of an innocent man?’ He therefore
confessed everything before the governor, explaining: ‘God and my soul
commanded me to destroy those dead pillars that you call gods.’ The enraged
governor ordered St Emilian to be flogged and burned.
Spyridon the Wonderworker of Tremithus, in
Cyprus(+ 348 A.D.)
A
shepherd who gave all his wealth to the poor, St Spyridon was made bishop of
Tremithus after the death of his wife, under the reign of Constantine the
Great. All the Lives of the saint speak of the amazing simplicity and the gift
of wonder-working granted him by God. Through a word of the saint the dead were
awakened, the elements of nature tamed, the idols smashed. At one point, a
Council had been convened at Alexandria by the Patriarch to discuss what to do
about the idols and pagan temples there. Through the prayers of the Fathers of
the Council all the idols fell down except one, which was very much revered. It
was revealed to the Patriarch in a vision that this idol had to be shattered by
St Spyridon of Tremithus. Invited by the Council, the saint set sail on a ship,
and at the moment the ship touched shore and the saint stepped out on land, the
idol in Alexandria with all its offerings turned to dust, which then was
reported to the Patriarch and all the bishops.
Great-Martyr Irene of Thessalonica (+ 4th
century A.D.)
Born in
Persia, Irene was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her parents
named her Penelope. Locked in a tower to keep her away from Christian
influence, Penelope received instruction from her tutor, Apellian, who was
secretly Christian. Baptized by a priest named Timothy, she took the name Irene
(meaning “peace”), and then smashed all her father’s idols, urging her parents
to be Christians.
Emperor Theodosius the Great (+ 395 A.D.)
As ruler
of the western and eastern Roman Empires, St Theodosius was zealous in
upholding the Orthodox confession of the Holy Trinity, and is honored with the
epitaph: “Right-Believing”. He ordered the destruction of many pagan temples,
outlawed the old Olympic Games, and successfully defeated numerous armed, pagan
rebellions, which sought to re-establish worship of the pagan gods.
Julius the Presbyter and Julian the Deacon (+
5th Century A.D.)
Natives
of Myrmidonia, these two brothers visited many outlying lands of the Byzantine
Empire in order to win converts to Christ. To this end, they obtained
permission from the Emperor Theodosius the Younger (+450) to build churches
over the sites of dismantled pagan shrines. The grave of St Julius, which lay
within a church built by Julius himself, dedicated to the Twelve Holy Apostles,
became a site of healing.
Porphyry of GazaSaint Porphyry of Gaza,
Bishop and Confessor (+ 420 A.D.)
After
many years as a monk, St Porphyry was elected Bishop of Gaza, a city where the
Christian population numbered less than three-hundred, and idolatry was
wide-spread. Discriminated against by the pagans, St Porphyry went to
Constantinople and gained the support of Emperor Arcadius and the Archbishop,
St John Chrysostom, to close down the idolatrous temples. Officials sent to
close down the pagan shrines of Gaza were often bribed, and so after much
labouring, St Porphyry undertook the destruction of the temples personally with
his flock of Christians. Many temples were destroyed, including those dedicated
to Aphrodite, Hecate, the Sun, Apollo, Kore (Persephone), Tychaion, the shrine
of a hero, and the Marneion, dedicated to Zeus. In their place, Christian
churches were erected. The pagan idols were burnt, and the marble from their
temples were used to pave the way to the new Christian churches, so that all
Christians on their way to worship would trample upon the remains of idolatry.
These acts, along with much preaching, prayer, and humiliations suffered by St
Porphyry, won the entire city of Gaza over to the Christian faith.
The Life
of St Porphyry, recounting his struggles against the pagans, was written by the
deacon Mark.
Saint Gregory the Great (+ 604 A.D.)
A Holy
Father among the Saints, St Gregory is also known for sending, as the Bishop of
Rome, the missionary St. Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize the English in
the late 6th century. In a letter to Abbot Melitus, St Gregory writes:
Tell [Bishop Augustine] that I have decided
after long deliberation about the English people, namely that the idol temples
of that race should not be destroyed, but only the idols in them. Let blessed
water be prepared, and sprinkled in these temples, and altars constructed, and
relics deposited. For if these temples are well built, it is essential that
they should be transferred from the worship of devils to the service of the
true God.
We can be
confident that St Augustine of Canterbury carried out faithfully the orders of
St Gregory, and can also be counted among the list of those Saints which have
destroyed pagan religious artifacts.
In
another letter to Aethelbert, the first Christian king of England, St Gregory
gives further exhortations to destroy the idols:
Almighty God raises up certain good men to be
rulers over nations in order that he may by their means bestow the gift of
righteousness upon all those over whom they are set… So, my most illustrious
son, watch carefully over the grace you have received from God and hasten to
extend the Christian faith among the people subject to you. Increase your zeal
for their conversion; suppress the worship of idols; overthrow their buildings
and shrines…
It should
be noted that King Aethelbert is also revered by the Orthodox Church, even if
he is not outrightly proclaimed as a Saint. Both these letters are found in
full in St Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English people (Book I).
Edwin of Northumbria, King and Martyr (+ 633 A.D.)
A
thoughtful king who took many years before finally accepting baptism by the
hand of St Paulinius, despite his wife already being a pious Christian. After
much deliberation, it was a miracle which finally convinced the king of
Christ’s power, and upon making the decision to convert, his loyal lords and
pagan priests were convinced too by his firmness of confession. The first thing
St Edwin did, before even being baptized, was to order the “profaning”
(according to Bede’s history) of the pagan altars and shrines. The
chief-priest, Coffi, volunteered to do this, riding on horseback to the main
pagan temple and throwing a spear at the altar, before tearing the whole
edifice down (this happened not far from York, UK).
Saint Romanus (also Godard) of Rouen (+ 640
A.D.)
A sainted
bishop of Rouen, before his consecration the faithful of the city asked Romanus
to do something about the Temple of Venus in the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre. St
Romanus entered the temple and tore the dedication from the altar, causing the
temple to miraculously crumble and collapse.
From the parish church of Crediton, St
Boniface's birthplaceSaint Boniface (+ 754 A.D.)
Born
Wynfrith in Devonshire, England, St Boniface went on to spread the Gospel
throughout the German lands. One of his most famous evangelic feats was the
felling by his own hand of a sacred Oak dedicated to Thor, using the timber to
build a chapel on the site where today stands the cathedral of Fritzlar.
Saint Michael, first Metropolitan of Kiev (+
992 A.D.)
Possibly
a native of Syria, St Michael was sent by St Photius, Patriarch of
Constantinople to be the first Metropolitan (head-Bishop) of Kiev, after that
nation’s ruler, Prince Vladimir, accepted baptism. Saint Michael spent the rest
of his days tirelessly traveling the Kievan lands preaching, shepherding the
faithful, establishing churches, and overturning the pagan shrines.
Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles
(+ 1015 A.D.)
Previously
a war-monger, fanatic idol-worshiper, and polygamist, the change in Prince
Vladimir after his baptism in the year 988 cannot be more dramatic. Immediately
after his baptism, the newly-illumined ruler also had his twelve sons baptized,
along with many boyars. Prince Vladimir then went on to have the wooden idols
he had erected, torn down and hacked to pieces, with a statue of the chief
pagan God, Perun, cast into the River Dnieper. These acts of Prince Vladimir
had such far-reaching consequences that they later became known as the Baptism
of Rus’. Prince Vladimir spent the rest of his twenty-eight years establishing
churches and Christian schools throughout his lands, supported in his efforts
by Sainted Metropolitan Michael (see above).
Saint Abraham of Rostov (+ 1077 A.D.)
A pagan
convert who became a monk and dwelt in the areas around Rostov, in Russia. St.
Abraham prayed fervently before an icon of Christ that he may be able to topple
the idol of the local’s chief god: Veles. In answer to his prayers, the Apostle
John appeared to the monk, and gave him a staff. With this, St. Abraham went to
the shrine of Veles and toppled the statue of him, smashing it into pieces.
Abraham founded the monastery of the Theophany in Rostov, as well two parish
churches.
 |
| Left: St. Abraham receives a staff from the Apostle John Right: St Abraham uses it to destroy the idol of Veles (Fresco of the monastery St. John the Evangelist, Rostov) |
***
Some of
the saints listed above are chiefly remembered for their fearless acts of
destroying idols, though the majority are not. However, all the saints listed
above are, among their other works, openly celebrated by the Church for their
destruction of non-Christian temples, shrines, and statues.
What to
take from this all? As with other miraculous deeds of the Saints, the
destruction of the idols can be understood symbolically as the victory of
right-believing Christians over all other idols, whether they be demons
pretending to be gods or man-made constructs that lead our minds from the
contemplation of God. This can be done without denying the historical fact of
the Church’s Saints physically destroying non-Christian religious images. Of
course, when considering other deeds of the Saints, we try to use their acts as
an example for our own conduct. In the case of idol-smashing, most Christians
today would shy away from literally following the Saints’ example, even though
non-Christian idols abound. Perhaps this is wise, though the courage of these
idol-smashing Saints is certainly something worthy of imitation. In striving
for this, we can pray to Christ that we may emulate the martyr’s strength:
Thy Martyr, O Lord, in his courageous contest
for Thee
Received the prize of the crowns of
incorruption
And life from Thee, our immortal God.
For since he possessed Thy strength, he cast
down the tyrants
And wholly destroyed the demons’ strengthless
presumption.
O Christ God, by his prayers, save our souls,
Since Thou art merciful.
(General Apolytikion to a Martyr)
Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/saints-who-destroyed-religious-images/
CONVERSATION