Martyr Alexander of Thessalonica

Saint martyr Alexander suffered martyrdom under the reign of Maximinus. Confessing his faith, he was captured and forced to offer sacrifices to idols, but, filled with zeal for God, he overthrew the altar with the sacrifice. The enraged king ordered his head to be cut off. The executioner, taking the sword, stopped, seeing a vision, and was perplexed about its meaning. The saint asked for an hour for prayer, after which he was beheaded. An Angel preceded his soul, and the king allowed the Christians to bury the body of the saint in the city of Thessalonica.