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| St. Bassianos (Feast Day - October 10) |
Verses
Bassianos is absent from life below,
Rejoicing as he advances above.
Rejoicing as he advances above.
Our Venerable Father Bassianos (or Bassian, Basianus) was from Syria, and during the reign of Emperor Marcian (450-457) he came to Constantinople and founded a monastery. There he gained fame for his virtues and miracles, so that Emperor Marcian built a church in his name to honor him. His disciples increased to three hundred in number.
Among his spiritual children was Saint Matrona (Nov. 9), who entered his monastery in the guise of a man to flee from her abusive husband. Upon discovering through divine revelation that she was indeed a woman, he established a convent of nuns which he authorized her to lead. A distinguishing feature of this monastery is that all the nuns, based on the example of Saint Matrona, dressed as male monastics instead of female, to protect Matrona from being identified by her abusive husband.
Thus Bassianos was responsible for the salvation of a great number of souls, and he worked many miracles that brought healing to many, delivered those oppressed by demons, and brought a great number to repentance. When he entered deep old age, he departed in peace to the Lord, and he was buried by his disciples in the church built for him by the emperor.