Hieromartyr Ephraim of Chersonesos | Gold and Silver foiled icon lithography mounted on wood | Size: 3 1/2" x 2 1/2"

Hieromartyr Ephraim of Chersonesos, Bishop
The Holy Hieromartyrs Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agathodorus, Epherius and Kapiton carried the gospel of Christ to the lands of the Northern Black Sea region from the Danube to the Dnieper, including the Crimea, and sealed their apostolate  by martyrdom in the IV century in the Tauric city of Chersonesos. Long before the Baptism of St. Vladimir, the Christian faith had already penetrated into the Crimea, which in ancient times was called Taurida and was subject to the Roman emperors. The beginning of the enlightenment of Taurida by the faith of Christ was laid by the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (+ 62; memory of November 30). The further spread of Christianity there was promoted, against their will, by its enemies themselves: the Roman emperors exiled state criminals there, which in the first three centuries of Christianity were also considered confessors of Christ. Thus, during the reign of Trajan (98-117), Saint Clement, Bishop of Rome (+ 101; commemorated on November 25), was exiled to incarceration in the Inkerman quarries. There he continued his sermon, and there he accepted a martyr's death.

The pagans who inhabited the Crimean lands stubbornly resisted the spread of Christianity. But the faith of Christ through his selfless preachers grew stronger and was confirmed. Many evangelists have laid down their lives in this struggle.