The life of St Seraphima
When persecution against Christians broke out, the governor Virilus summoned Seraphima for questioning, and Sabina, unwilling to abandon her, went with her.
Seraphima would not deny Christ, and Virilus, unable to move her by threats or promises, handed her over to be defiled. Those sent against her were struck helpless before they could touch her, which the governor took for sorcery rather than the hand of God. He had her tortured with fire and then beaten, and in that beating a broken splinter struck him in the eye, leaving him blind. Unable to break her will by any means, Virilus finally ordered her beheaded, and she gave up her life for Christ. Sabina took up her body and buried it with reverence, and not long afterward gave her own life for the faith her friend had first taught her, the two later honored together in Rome.
