Martyr Uar (Varus) of Egypt

Saint Uar (Varus) was a Roman military officer in Egypt who secretly held the Christian faith while serving in a pagan army and state. He would visit imprisoned Christians by night, bringing food and tending their wounds. When seven Christian teachers were held in prison awaiting execution, Uar openly confessed his faith and was tortured to death, dying around 307 AD. A devout widow named Cleopatra secretly took his body, later transferring the relics to Edra near Mount Tabor in Palestine, where she built a church in his honor; many healings occurred there. St. Uar is uniquely venerated in Orthodox piety as the saint to whom the faithful pray for the repose of unbaptized relatives, a distinctive feature of his cult stemming from his intercessory power after death.