Martyr Aquilina the Elder of Byblos

Martyr Aquilina came from the Phoenician city of Byblos and was a Christian from early childhood. At the age of 12 she openly converted her peers to Christ, for which she was seized during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian (284–305) and subjected to cruel torture — she was beaten with a whip and her head burned with red-hot rods. After the torture she was thrown into prison as if dead, but an Angel of the Lord appeared to her and raised her. Standing again before her tormentor and denouncing him, she was beheaded. Her relics were later translated to Constantinople. NOTE: the Russian folk tradition of "Akulina's Day" (13/26 June) is tied to this saint, but no independent confirmation of a separate veneration as "Akulina of Pskov" was found — that label in the original card appears to be erroneous.