Life of Saint Marina the nun.
After ten years of prayer, fasting, and worship together her father died, leaving her alone. Marina further increased her asceticism and continued to conceal her identity as woman. One day, the abbot of the monastery sent her with three other
monks to attend to some business for the monastery. As the journey was long,
they were obliged to spend the night at an inn. Also lodging there was a soldier
of the eastern Roman front. Upon seeing the beauty of the inn keeper's daughter
the soldier seduced her and defiled her virginity, instructing her to say, It was the monk, Father Marinos, who has done this to her should she
conceive a child.
After some time, the inn keeper's daughter became pregnant and, as it was agreed, she told her
father that Father Marinos (Marina) was to blame. Upon hearing the story, the
abbot fired Marina. When the inn
keeper's daughter gave birth, he handed the child to Marina. She fed
the child sheep's milk, provided by the local shepherds, and remained
caring for him outside the monastery for ten years. Finally the monks convinced
the abbot to allow Marina to return; he accepted, however he imposed heavy
penalties upon her. She was to perform hard labor in cooking, cleaning and
carrying water in addition to her regular monastic duties.
At the age of forty, Marina became
ill. Three days later she died. While preparing the body for the funeral, the monks discovered that monk Marinos was in fact, a
woman! The monks informed the abbot, who stood to her side and wept bitterly for the wrongs he had done. The abbot then called
for the inn keeper and informed him that Marina was actually a woman. In his turn, The inn
keeper went to where the body was lying and also wept for the pain and suffering he unjustly brought upon her. During the funeral prayers, one of the
monks, who was blind in one eye, received full sight again after touching the
body. God also allowed a devil to torment the inn keeper's daughter and the
soldier. This caused them to travel to where the saint was buried. There they
both confessed their iniquity in front of everyone and asked for forgiveness.
Grotto of Saint Marina the nun in Lebanon.
It is located in the heart of the mountain, below the village of Deddeh ,
in the outskirts of Kalamoun and Rasmaska. It can be reached on foot, either marching
down from Deddeh through the mountain slopes, or ascending from the Kalamoun through
the olives fields. It appears as an oval white cavity, extended over 20m in surface, with
7m height and 5m deep, on the western slopes of the village
of Deddeh, El-Koura, and on the north-east side of El-Kalamoun.
Remains of frescoes on the external walls are still
visible, as well as the remains of 13 paintings inside the grotto, that refer
to two different eras: the first five are considered to be from the Byzantine era, and the
last eight, from the Latin era
(between the 12th and the 13th
century).
The biggest Fresco is that of Saint
Demetrius, which includes also the life of Saint Marina (called Marinos).
1-Saint Demetrius.
The original fresco depicts Saint
Demetrius on his horse, with his name written inside the halo. Later on, in the
Latin era, eight frescoes were painted over the original, that represent stages
from Saint Marina’s life, who entered the monastery under the name of Marinos.
These frescoes are:
1-Marina’s father enters the monastery.
2- He cries asking the blessing of the
abbot to accept his daughter.
3- Marina in the monastery as a young man.
4- The repose of Marina’s father.
5-Marina went to collect the yields.
6-Marina is accused to be the boy’s father.
7-Marina feeds the boy in the grotto.
8-Marina's repose and her glorification as a
Saint.
(These paintings were found by the researcher Broussier at 1926, and were published in “Syria” magazine).
2-The
Deisis.
This fresco shows the Lord on the throne in the middle, and the most Holy Theotokos on His right, and Saint John the Baptist on his left, interceding for the salvation of mankind. Around the haloes are the Greek letters which abbreviate the name of “Jesus Christ” and “Mother of God”, and next to them written “the Mother” in Latin and “John the Baptist”, in Latin.
3-The
entrance of the Lord to Jerusalem, or
Zacchaeus the publican.
One of the less visible frescoes shows a small man climbing a tree, and is probably Zacchaeus the publican, who
climbed a tree to see Jesus, because he was short. Or more probably, it is a
sketch from the icon of the Entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem, where children are
climbing trees to cut branches, to receive the Lord, and in the background goats and sheep are
seen.
4-The
Annunciation:
The
Annunciation represents the Archangel Gabriel announcing for the Virgin Mary,
her conception by the Holy Spirit of The Lord Jesus Christ.
letters symbolizing the name of “The Virgin
Mary”, “Mother of God” abbreviated in Greek are visible, with an expression
above it :“The annunciation of the Virgin Mary”, and above the angel his name
in Latin “Gabriel”.
The white
color was used in writing
the Latin letters over the original icons, where as the Greek letters were written
in dark colors.
This fresco represents Saint Marina the Martyr, holding a big hammer in her hand, beating the devil’s head, who was tempting her in prison, before accepting martyrdom for Christ; this act symbolizes her victory over him. The icon reveals that this is Saint Marina the martyr from Antioch Bisidia (part of Turkey today), who was martyred on the 17th of June, 270 A.D. The fresco holds the name of “Saint Marina” in Greek letters. The stars shown on her shoulders symbolise virginity.
Bishop
Macarius Ibn-El-Zaiim, the renowned studier, has reported in his book “Saints
from our land”, the presence of a monastery in Al-Koura district, known in his
days (1672), in the name of Saint Marina the nun, commemorated by the Church on
the 12th of February, whereas Saint Marina the Martyr is
commemorated on the 17th of July.
The
monastery existed until the 16th century, as mentioned in a
manuscript of a Bible, in Greek, preserved in the Church of Tripoli: Deacon
Nasr-Allah, Al Cheikh Al Alam, Hanna son of Fakhr, donated this Bible to the
monastery of Great Saint Marina, near El-Kalamoun, Tripoli, 1577 A.D)
(Archimandrite
Romanos Jaouhar, “Al Kalimah” magazine,
Archdiocese of Tripoli 1981).
Unfortunately, time and
natural factors have severely damaged this blessed site, especially in the late
civil Lebanese war.
Through the intercessions of Your Saints :
Saint Marina
the martyr, and Marina the nun,
Lord Jesus
Christ have mercy on us.
Amen.
Reference:
Brief study
of the Grotto of Saint Marina, Gladys Sassine.
Saint Marina the monk,(part2), Guitta Hourani.