The Holy Martyr Artemon was born in the first half of the 3rd century in Laodicea in Syria from Christian parents. From a young age, he devoted himself to the service of the Church. At the age of 16, the saint was appointed a reader and worked in this capacity for 12 years. Saint Sisinius elevated him to the rank of deacon for his zeal for divine services. Saint Artemon fulfilled this ministry with the same zeal and diligence for 28 years, after which he was ordained a presbyter. In this rank, Saint Artemon served in the Church of God for 33 years, preaching the Christian faith among the pagans.
When Emperor Diocletian (284-305) began a severe persecution of Christians, Saint Artemon was already an old man. The emperor issued a decree that all Christians should sacrifice to idols. Saint Sisinius, having learned of the imminent arrival of the military commander Patrikios in the Laodicea region, entered the temple of the goddess Artemis together with the priest Artemon. There they smashed and burned the idols.
Then Saint Sisinius and Saint Artemon gathered the flock in the church and fervently urged Christians to remain firm in their faith and not to be afraid of the threats of tormentors.
Arriving in Laodicea, Patrikios held five-day celebrations in honor of the pagan gods, and then went to the temple of Artemis to sacrifice. He found out who had destroyed the temple, and with a detachment of soldiers went to the church where Christians were praying. Before reaching the church, Patrick felt a sudden chill, and then a fever, so he had to be carried, barely alive, into the first house on the way. "The Christians have cursed me, and it is their God who torments me," he told those close to him. Patrikios' pleas to the idols did not ease his suffering. He sent a messenger to Saint Sisinius and asked for his help, promising to make a golden statue of the bishop in gratitude. The saint replied, "May your gold be with you, and if you want to be healed, believe in Christ."
Patrick was afraid of death and declared that he believed in Christ. Through the prayer of Saint Sisinius, his illness left him. But the miracle that happened did not change the hardened soul of the pagan. Although he did not touch Saint Sisinius, he nevertheless went to fulfill the imperial decree to other Christians in the city of Caesarea. On the way, he met an old man, who was followed by six wild donkeys and two deer in pairs. It was the priest Artemon.
When asked by Patrikios how he was able to lead wild animals, Saint Artemon replied that everything in the world obeys the Name of Christ and nothing is impossible for true faith in Christ.
Patrikios learned from the pagans that the elder he met on the way was the same Artemon who destroyed the temple of Artemis. He ordered him to be captured and taken to the city of Caesarea.
Saint Artemon followed the soldiers without fear, and ordered the animals to go to Saint Sisinius.
One of the deer received the gift of speech from God and told the saint what had happened to Saint Artemon. The saint sent him a blessing and a prosphora to Caesarea through the deacon.
In Caesarea, Patrikios summoned Saint Artemon to court and began to force him to sacrifice in the temple of Asclepius. There were many venomous snakes in that temple. The priests never opened the doors without first sacrificing to the idol. But Saint Artemon, calling on the name of Jesus Christ, entered the temple without any fear and led out many snakes. The pagans fled, but the saint stopped them and killed the snakes with his breath. One of the priests, Vitaly, believed in Christ and asked Saint Artemon to baptize him.
Patrikios thought that Saint Artemon had killed the snakes by magic, and again began to interrogate and torture him. At that time, a deer came running to Caesarea, talking to Saint Sisinius. The deer began to lick the feet of the martyr, and then, having received the gift of words from God again, he denounced Patrick, predicting his imminent death in a boiling cauldron. Patrikios was afraid that the miracles performed by Saint Artemon would attract even more people to him, and ordered his execution.
A huge cauldron was filled with boiling pitch. The soldiers had to throw Saint Artemon there. But when Patrikios rode up to the cauldron on horseback, wanting to check if the tar was boiling, two Angels in the form of eagles grabbed and threw him into the cauldron, but the martyr Artemon remained alive. Through the prayer of the saint, a spring came out of the ground, in which he baptized priest Vitaly and many pagans who believed in Christ. The next morning, Saint Artemon gave communion to the newly baptized of the Holy Mysteries.
The Bishop of Caesarea came to greet Saint Artemon. He marked the place where the martyr suffered, and subsequently founded a church here. Many of those who were baptized were ordained deacons and priests, and Vitaly was appointed Bishop of Palestine. At the call of the Divine voice, the Holy Martyr Artemon went to Asia, to the village of Vuli, to preach the Gospel. On the way, he was captured by an Angel and transported to a village revealed to him in a vision. There he converted many to the faith in Christ. The pagans seized the saint and cut off his head (+ 303).