The Great Martyr Irene, originally named Penelope, was born in the 1st century in the city of Magedon and was the daughter of a pagan king named Licinius. She was baptized by the Apostle Timothy and received the name Irene. Refusing to marry, she devoted herself to Christ and began to preach Christianity, which enraged her father. Licinius tried to force her to worship the pagan gods, but through divine intervention, she was miraculously saved. Witnessing these wonders, her father and many others came to believe in Christ.
The saint continued her missionary work despite being persecuted by the new ruler, Sedekiah, who subjected her to cruel tortures. Yet, through the power of God, she remained unharmed. Because of her steadfast faith and preaching, more than ten thousand pagans converted to Christianity. Later, in the city of Callipolis, the ruler Vavadon also believed in Christ after witnessing the miracles performed by the saint.
Saint Irene continued to travel through the cities of Thrace, healing the sick and spreading the word of the Gospel. In Ephesus, she was miraculously informed of the day of her repose. She withdrew to a mountain cave, where, after making the sign of the cross, she peacefully surrendered her soul to the Lord. On the fourth day after her departure, when the Christians came to her cave, they found that her body was no longer there.
