Venerable
Venerable Martha of Antioch (mother of St. Symeon the Younger)
VI век — †551
Venerable Martha of Antioch — mother of St. Symeon the Younger, Stylite of the Wonderful Mountain; from her youth she desired monastic life but married at her parents' wish, was widowed young, and devoted all her strength to the Christian upbringing of her only son, while generously giving alms, visiting the sick, and burying the dead.
Venerable Martha desired monastic life from her youth, but at her parents' wish she entered into marriage. Widowed at a young age, after the birth of her only son she devoted herself entirely to his Christian upbringing — her son later became St. Symeon the Younger (Symeon Stylites the Younger), one of the greatest stylite ascetics of the 6th century.
Living a pious, merciful life, she generously gave alms to the needy, clothed the poor, visited hospitals and the infirm, buried the dead, and prayed at length in tears every night.
She reposed peacefully in 551; she is buried near her son's pillar on the Wonderful Mountain (Θαυμαστόν Ὄρος) near Antioch.
Her feast is kept on July 4/17.
IMPORTANT CORRECTION: the original stub erroneously presented the entry as an unnamed martyr who suffered in Antioch ("was condemned for confessing Christianity and accepted a martyr's death") — no prototype for such a martyr is confirmed by any source. The correct identity is the mother of St. Symeon the Younger, 6th century, who died peacefully; category martyr→venerable. The contaminated date "June 4/17" (shared with three other entries in the "Martha" cluster in this database) has been replaced with the correct July 4/17.