Florus and Laurus
Encyclopedia
Saints Florus and Laurus are venerated as Christian
martyrs of the 2nd century. According to a Greek
tale, they were twin
brothers who worked as stonemasons. They were originally from Constantinople
, Byzantium
but settled in Ulpiani, in the district of Illyricum
.
They were educated in the art of masonry
by two men named Maximus and Proculus, who were Christians.
According to their legend, Likaion, the prefect of Illyricum, employed the brothers in the construction of a pagan temple. The brothers gave their salaries to the poor. When the son of a local pagan priest named Mamertin was injured by a chip of stone from the saints' temple, Florus and Laurus cured the boy after the boy converted to Christianity. Mamertin also decided to convert to Christianity as a result of his son's recovery.
After the temple was built, Florus and Laurus brought together many local Christians there. The group smashed all of the statues of the Greek gods, and a cross was set up in the temple.
The Christians spent the whole night in prayer in the converted temple. As a result of this action, the local authorities had 300 Christians, including Mamertin and Mamertin's son, burned to death.
Florus and Laurus were executed in a different manner; Likaion had them thrown down an empty well. The well was covered over with earth.
. It was on the very same day that a severe horse plague came to an end, which led to the martyrs' association with horses. The relics were translated
to Constantinople
. The existence of the relics in Constantinople is testified by an account of a pilgrim from Novgorod named Anthony
, who saw them in 1200, while Stephen of Novgorod saw the heads of the two martyrs in 1350 at the Pantokrator Monastery
.
Sts. Florus and Laurus have been considered the patrons of horses in Rus
and Russia
. They have been shown on icon
s with horses around them. Peasants didn't plough with horses on their feast day for fear of causing a cattle plague. "On this day the Russians lead their horses round the church of their village" (The Golden Bough
). Florovsky Monastery in Kiev
and many Orthodox churches have been dedicated to the martyr twins.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
martyrs of the 2nd century. According to a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
tale, they were twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
brothers who worked as stonemasons. They were originally from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Byzantium
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
but settled in Ulpiani, in the district of Illyricum
Illyricum (Roman province)
The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
.
They were educated in the art of masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
by two men named Maximus and Proculus, who were Christians.
According to their legend, Likaion, the prefect of Illyricum, employed the brothers in the construction of a pagan temple. The brothers gave their salaries to the poor. When the son of a local pagan priest named Mamertin was injured by a chip of stone from the saints' temple, Florus and Laurus cured the boy after the boy converted to Christianity. Mamertin also decided to convert to Christianity as a result of his son's recovery.
After the temple was built, Florus and Laurus brought together many local Christians there. The group smashed all of the statues of the Greek gods, and a cross was set up in the temple.
The Christians spent the whole night in prayer in the converted temple. As a result of this action, the local authorities had 300 Christians, including Mamertin and Mamertin's son, burned to death.
Florus and Laurus were executed in a different manner; Likaion had them thrown down an empty well. The well was covered over with earth.
Veneration
The relics are said to have been found incorruptibleIncorruptibility
Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness...
. It was on the very same day that a severe horse plague came to an end, which led to the martyrs' association with horses. The relics were translated
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The existence of the relics in Constantinople is testified by an account of a pilgrim from Novgorod named Anthony
Anthony of Novgorod
Anthony Of Novgorod was a Russian archbishop.Born Dobryna Jadrejkovich to a wealthy family, around 1190 he joined the monastery of Chutynski. In 1200, he undertook a pilgrimage to Constantinople and wrote an account of his journey in his Pilgrim's Book, which is of interest to historians for its...
, who saw them in 1200, while Stephen of Novgorod saw the heads of the two martyrs in 1350 at the Pantokrator Monastery
Zeyrek Mosque
- External links :*...
.
Sts. Florus and Laurus have been considered the patrons of horses in Rus
Rus' (region)
Rus' is an ethno-cultural region in Eastern Europe inhabited by Eastern Slavs. Historically, it comprises the northern part of Ukraine, the north-western part of Russia, Belarus and some eastern parts of Poland and Slovakia.The name comes from Old East Slavic , and remains the same in modern...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. They have been shown on icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s with horses around them. Peasants didn't plough with horses on their feast day for fear of causing a cattle plague. "On this day the Russians lead their horses round the church of their village" (The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough
The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer . It first was published in two volumes in 1890; the third edition, published 1906–15, comprised twelve volumes...
). Florovsky Monastery in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and many Orthodox churches have been dedicated to the martyr twins.