Ascetic.St Marina, the Ascetic
On the 15th day of the Coptic month Mesra, the church celebrates the commemoration of the departure of the nun known as St. Marina the Ascetic.
She was the daughter of a very rich Christian man. Her name was Mariam, and her mother died when she was little girl. Her father raised her, and brought her up well. When he wanted to give her to marriage, and to go himself to be a monk in one of the monasteries, she told him, “O my father, why would you save your own soul, and destroy mine?” He answered saying, “What shall I do with you? You are a woman.” To which she responded with, “I will take off my woman’s dress and will put on the garb of a man.”
She rose up straightway, shaved her head and put on the garb of a man. When her father saw her strong determination and persistent desire, he gave all his possessions to the poor, keeping only a little for himself, and he called her Marina instead of Mariam (Mary).
They went to one of the monasteries, and lived in one of the cells together for ten years, fighting the spiritual fight. When her father, who was old, died, Marina was left alone. She doubled her fasting, prayers and increased her asceticism. No one knew that she was a woman, and they attributed her soft voice to her intense asceticism and vigilant prayers.
The abbot of the monastery sent her, together with three monks, to the city on certain business on behalf of the monastery. They lodged at a local inn. That same night, one of the king’s soldiers also lodged in that same inn. This soldier lusted for the daughter of the lodge’s owner, and took her virginity. After this evil act, he instructed her to tell her father, that the young monk, Father Marina, did this horrible thing to her. When she had conceived a child and showed signs of the coming birth, she told her father the lie that it was Father Marina.
Her father then became angry, went to the monastery and began to curse and insult the monks. The Abbot met with him, comforted and calmed him down and then sent him away. The Abbot then called Marina and scolded her fiercely. When she knew what had happened, she wept and bowed down and said, “I am young, I have sinned, forgive me O my father.” The Abbot, blinded by this embarrassment, cast her out of the monastery.
She dwelt outside of the monastery for a long time. When the daughter of the innkeeper had the baby, her father took the new born to Marina, set the child down before her and left. She took the child, moved among the surrounding shepherds and nursed him with milk. She increased her fasting and prayers following her expulsion from the monastery.
The monks took pity upon her and asked the Abbot for her return. The Abbot consented to their request and allowed her to return to the monastery after he had laid heavy penalties and severe rules upon Marina. She performed very hard labors, such as cooking, cleaning, and watering, as well as her regular monastic duties.
When the child grew, he became a monk. After Marina had completed forty years, she fell ill for three days then departed in peace. The Abbot requested the monks remove her old ragged clothes and prepare her with new ones prior to carrying her to the place of praying. When the monks removed her clothing and found that she was a woman, they all shouted out saying, “God have mercy.”
They informed the Abbot. He came, marvelled at the stoic purity of this wonderous monk, and wept bitterly because of what he had done to her. The Abbot then called the innkeeper and told him that the monk Marina was a woman not a man. The innkeeper went to where her body was and also wept bitterly.
As they prayed over her body one of the monks, who had sight only in one eye, put his face close to her body. Immediately he gained sight in his blind eye.
God allowed a devil to torment the innkeeper’s daughter and soldier. Her friend brought them to where the Saint was buried and both...