Saint Rais
Rais, also known as Iraida, Irais, Herais or Rhais,[1] is a martyr venerated by the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches.
Rais | |
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| Born | 3rd century AD. Tabne, Kemet |
| Died | 303 AD. Tamman or Antinoöpolis |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | September 23 |
According to one account, she was the daughter of a Christian priest living in Alexandria, Egypt. At age twelve, she was sent to live in a women's monastery at Tamman. One day in 303 AD, during a time of widespread persecution of Christians during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian, she went to a well to draw water with other nuns. On the way, they saw a ship with a group of nuns, monks, and other Christians in chains, being abused by Loukianos. Rais berated the abusers and insisted that they kill her as well if they were killing Christians. They imprisoned her as well. When the ship reached Antinoöpolis, Rais was one of the first to die. When Loukianos yelled, "I spit upon the Christian God," Rais objected, stepped up and spat in the tyrant's face. Loukianos ordered the girl to be tortured and beheaded.[2]
Notes
- Catholic.org
- Childsaints.com Archived 2008-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
