Hieromartyr
Hieromartyr Eusebius of Samosata, Bishop
†ок. 380
Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata — bishop from 361, a staunch defender of Nicene Orthodoxy against Arianism, close ally of St. Basil the Great, repeatedly exiled; killed around 380 by an Arian woman who dropped a roof tile on his head.
Hieromartyr Eusebius became Bishop of Samosata in Syria in 361 and remained throughout his life one of the staunchest defenders of Nicene Orthodoxy amid the Arian controversies. He was a close ally and friend of St. Basil the Great, who praised his firmness in the faith in his letters. For his adherence to Orthodoxy he was repeatedly exiled by pro-Arian emperors. Under Julian the Apostate, he traveled in disguise among the communities, secretly ordaining clergy to sustain the persecuted Orthodox flock. Under Emperor Valens he was exiled to Thrace, but, restored by Emperor Gratian, continued zealously converting Arian communities back to Orthodoxy. Around 380, while consecrating an Orthodox bishop in a city with strong Arian sympathies, an Arian woman standing on a rooftop dropped a tile on him, inflicting a fatal wound. Dying, St. Eusebius forgave her and forbade those around him from harming her. His memory is kept on June 22/July 5.