Dr. Augustin Sokolovski
On May 9, the Church commemorates Saint Glaphyra of Amasea. She is one of the very few and rare saints whom hagiography, the theological study of holiness, refers to as a “bloodless martyr.” Like another bloodless martyr and her contemporary, Natalia of Nicomedia, , who is highly venerated in Orthodoxy, Glaphyra died from the moral suffering caused by external circumstances.
The life of Saint Glaphyra is recounted in the account of the martyrdom of Saint Basil of Amasea. In the form in which it has come down to us, it is quite difficult to interpret. Glaphyra was from Italy and served as a maid to the wife of the Roman Emperor Licinius and the sister of Constantine the Great, named Constance. Licinius ruled the empire jointly with Constantine.
In 313, Licinius and Constantine jointly signed the famous Edict of Milan on religious tolerance. He was not a Christian, but he did not instigate persecution either. Over time, after he entered into open conflict with Constantine around 324 and was defeated, his image became subject to public and religious demonization. It is very difficult to reconstruct the reality of who he truly was.
Glaphyra was a virgin consecrated to God and a Christian. Constance herself was also a Christian, but, as historians tell us, she most likely sympathized with the Arian heretics. However, at that time this was not of critical importance, since the Church’s dogmatic definitions had not yet been articulated with complete clarity. As the Church Fathers, including St. Augustine, have said, “It is not error that makes one a heretic, but persistence in error.”
At that time, the eastern capital of the empire was the city of Nicomedia—modern-day Izmit, Turkey—which was located in Asia Minor, not far from another metropolis of the time, Amasea, where the bishop was an influential hierarch of the era named Basil. It is believed that he was not only close to the emperors but also became one of the inspirers of the Edict of Milan (313). It was he whom Athanasius of Alexandria first called “Basil the Great” in history. Subsequently, this title passed to the holy bishop Basil of Caesarea (330–379). Basil of Amasea was one of the dogmatic Church Fathers, and he would most likely have participated in the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, thereby becoming one of the Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils. However, due to the misfortunes that befell the maiden Glaphyra, he did not live to see the Council of Nicaea.
The hagiography states that Glaphyra, unbeknownst to Licinius, received a substantial sum of money from Constance, with which she left the capital and traveled to Amasea to see Bishop Basil, to whom she gave the money. The latter was accused of embezzlement and treachery. During the subsequent investigation, no evidence of Basil’s guilt could be found. Nevertheless, he was tortured, beheaded, and his body thrown into the sea. Glaphyra died of the anguish she felt at the sight of all that had happened.
Hagiography explains what happened by saying that Licinius wanted to seduce her, while Constance, being a Christian, wanted to protect her servant’s chastity and helped her escape. The money was donated for the construction of a church, and the church was built. It is evident that Bishop Basil was executed on false charges brought by the ruling authorities, who, despite official religious tolerance, remained pagans and hated Christianity. Through his silence and steadfastness, he protected Saint Glaphyra from any physical persecution. Thus, by donating money for the construction of the temple, he literally gave her the opportunity, albeit a sorrowful one, to enter the Heavenly Jerusalem, where, according to the words of the Revelation of John the Theologian (Revelation 21:22), there is no temple.
Basil’s tragic death is a striking example of how the words of the Lord Jesus, spoken in the Gospel of John about Himself, can be fulfilled: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his soul for his friends” (John 15:13). The Lord fulfilled this commandment in the fullest possible way. Jesus spoke in biblical language, and in the language of the Bible, the soul means life. It must be said that if Basil of Amasea had been able to attend the Council of Nicaea after all, it would have been he who would have earned the title “Basil the Great.” It turns out that, for the sake of his neighbor and to alleviate the misfortunes of the virgin Glaphyra, he sacrificed the historical grandeur of his name. The commemoration of Saints Basil and Glaphyra falls during the Easter season and is celebrated by the Church on the same day. Our liturgical books contain the complete service for Saint Basil, which is worth revisiting.