Martyr Boniface of Tarsus (Rome)

Martyr Boniface lived in Rome and served the noble matron Aglaida, with whom he lived in unlawful cohabitation, indulging together in gluttony and drunkenness. Both, however, were weighed down by their sinful life. Aglaida sent Boniface on a long journey — to the city of Tarsus in Cilicia — to obtain the relics of holy martyrs, so as to establish a place of prayer in their honor in her home. Arriving in Tarsus and seeing the cruel torments inflicted on Christians, the stricken Boniface himself confessed to being a Christian before the judge. He was subjected to the cruelest tortures: beaten, had molten tin poured down his throat, and an attempt was made to boil him in tar, but an Angel of the Lord protected the martyr. In the end he was beheaded around 290. Boniface's companions ransomed his honorable remains and brought them to Rome, where Aglaida, struck by news of his feat, repented, distributed her wealth to the poor, and took monastic vows (the memory of Righteous Aglaida of Rome is kept March 22/April 4). In Rus', special veneration of Martyr Boniface began in the 16th century: he is prayed to for deliverance from the affliction of drunkenness. His memory is kept on December 19/January 1, together with Righteous Aglaida.