The Virgin Martyr Theodosia of Constantinople lived during the eighth century. She was born in answer to the fervent prayers of her parents. After their death, she was raised at the women’s monastery of the holy Martyr Anastasia in Constantinople. St Theodosia became a nun after she distributed to the poor of what remained of her parental inheritance. She used part of the money to commission gold and silver icons of the Savior, the Theotokos, and St Anastasia.
When Leo the Isaurian (717-741) ascended the imperial throne, he issued an edict to destroy holy icons everywhere. Above the Bronze Gates at Constantinople was a bronze icon of the Savior, which had been there for more than 400 years. In 730, the iconoclast Patriarch Anastasius ordered the icon removed.
The Virgin Martyr Theodosia and other women rushed to protect the icon and toppled the ladder with the soldier who was carrying out the command. Then they stoned the impious Patriarch Anastasius, and Emperor Leo ordered soldiers to behead the women. St Theodosia, an ardent defender of icons, was locked up in prison. For a week they gave her a hundred lashes each day. On the eighth day, they led her about the city, fiercely beating her along the way. One of the soldiers stabbed the nun in the throat with a ram’s horn, and she received the crown of martyrdom.
The body of the holy virgin martyr was reverently buried by Christians in the monastery of St Euphemia in Constantinople, near a place called Dexiokratis. The tomb of St Theodosia was glorified by numerous healings of the sick.
I’m not sure I need to write about how she didn’t fit the patrio-mold. Obviously, she was a nun and married to Christ. She gave her life to protect the holy icons, something that a Western Christian probably wouldn’t think much of.
BUT, she is a great hero to me, probably because I used to be the biggest iconoclast I knew. I could barely walk into Lara’s house without feeling the need to shield my eyes from all the “idols” she had hanging around. Looking back, I can’t believe my arrogance and my ignorance.
Icons are not idols and the people depicted in them are not being worshiped. Icons themselves have no mystical powers (unless imbued by God Himself and those are extremely rare), but they serve as reminders to us that God became Man. They are witnesses to the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. They remind us of certain events in redemptive history as well as the Saints who stood for Truth and so often died for it. Icons remind us that our God is not the God of the dead, but of the living and those Saints who are depicted in those icons are not dead, but are alive with God in Christ, surrounding the Throne of the Father, engaging in worship and praise and prayer without ceasing.
For those whose curiosity has been peaked, I’d like to humbly encourage you to check out Jim and Nancy Forest’s website. They are converts to Orthodox Christianity have both written numerous articles that you might find interesting.
Pertaining to icons, let me send you here, specifically:
Icons: Word and Image Together
Icons and the Mysteries: Meeting God in the Material World (4 part lecture series)
Edited to Add 9/20/10: Icons are not statues. Icons are almost always two dimensional portraits painted on wood, canvas, the wall of a church, etc. As stated above, they have no power in and of themselves, but they are sacred and holy to Orthodox Christians. To learn more about icons, please visit this site:
