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| St. Kournoutos of Iconium (Feast Day - September 12) |
Verses
Disdaining glory in the present life,
Kournoutos by the sword proceeds to the glory to come.
The Holy Hieromartyr Kournoutos (Coronatus) was born and raised in Iconium and later became its Bishop during the reign of Emperor Valerian (253-259), who was a persecutor of Christians.
One day, as he was walking through a village called Soursalos, where he taught the Christian faith to unbelievers, he was seized by certain pagans and brought before the governor of Iconium, whose name was Perennius.
After confessing his faith in Christ, the torturers tightly bound the legs of Bishop Kournoutos with thin cords and led him through the city. The Hieromartyr underwent excruciating sufferings, and blood flowed from the wounds on his legs, because the cords dug into his flesh. After terrible tortures, Bishop Kournoutos was beheaded, and received the crown of martyrdom.