Venerable
Venerable Alexius, Man of God
2-я пол. IV в. – 411
The son of noble and wealthy Roman parents, who fled marriage and worldly glory; he lived for many years as an unrecognized beggar at his own father's door, known only after his death.
Venerable Alexius was born in Rome in the second half of the 4th century into the family of the noble and wealthy senator Euphemian. On the day of the wedding arranged by his parents, he secretly left his bride and home and went to Edessa (Syria), where for many years he lived as a beggar at the church porch, giving alms to the poor who were even poorer than himself. Years later he returned to Rome unrecognized and, without revealing his name, was received by his own father as a wanderer and lodged under the staircase of his family home, where he endured the humiliation and mockery of the servants while continuing to live in strict fasting and prayer. Only after his death on 17 March 411 (his relics were buried in the church of Saint Boniface in Rome) was a scroll found in his hand revealing to the family who this beggar-wanderer truly was.
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