March 27, 2025, the Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki suffered in the early centuries of Christianity, when Christianity was a persecuted faith. She was a maidservant of the Jewish woman Pantilla (or Pautilla), wife of one of the military commanders of Thessaloniki. Pantilla constantly mocked her servant for her faith in Christ and tried to convert her to Judaism. Matrona, who believed in Christ from her youth, still prayed to the Savior Christ. When her mistress would go to the synagogue of the Jews, Matrona would not enter but she secretly sneaked away to the Christian church to worship there.
One day Pantilla, learning that Matrona had been to church, asked, “Why won’t you come to our synagogue, instead of attending the Christian church?” Matrona boldly answered, “Because God is present in the Christian church, but He has departed from the Jewish synagogue.” Pantilla went into a rage and mercilessly beat Matrona, tied her up, and shut her in a dark prison cell. In the morning, Pantilla discovered that Matrona had been freed of her bonds by an unknown Power.
In a rage Pantilla beat the Martyr almost to death, then bound her even more tightly and locked her in the cell. The door was sealed so that no one could help the sufferer. The holy Martyr remained there for four days without food or water, and when Pantilla opened the door, she again found Matrona free of her bonds, unharmed and standing at prayer.
Again Pantilla flogged the holy Martyr and left the skin hanging in strips from her body. The fierce woman locked her in the cell again, where Matrona gave up her spirit to God after fourteen days of beatings and starvation.
Pantilla had a soldier wrap up her body and the holy Martyr’s body was taken and thrown over the walls of the city. Christians took up the much-suffered body of the holy Martyr and buried it along the Via Egnatia. Later, when the persecutions against the Christians had ended, Bishop Alexander of Thessaloniki built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr over the spot she was buried. Her holy relics, glorified by many miracles, were placed in this church.
The judgment of God soon overtook the wicked Pantilla. Standing by a retaining wall, she fell into a vat where, after grapes are pressed and trodden, new wine is collected. Her body was smashed, and so she received her just reward for her sin.
