St. Marina ()
St.
Marina's church is situated at the far end of Kastro
and is one of the well-preserved buildings in old town. Inside, you will see
icons of the young saint holding a demon by its horn.
St. Marina was born into a pagan family in Antioch, Asia Minor, but was orphaned at a young age. The woman who looked after her was a devout Christian and so young Marina came to be a follower of the new faith. Still a teenager, she caught the attention of Antioch's governor who decided he wanted her to be his wife. Young Marina refused his proposal, saying she belonged to Christ and no one else. This angered the governor and he decided to punish Marina. He ordered his soldiers to bring her to him and then tried to make her renounce her faith. Marina refused again and the governor had her badly tortured.
When nothing worked, the governor had Marina thrown into prison and the same evening angels came to her and healed her horrendous wounds. When the Devil saw this he was furious and sent a huge serpent to the cell that swallowed Marina whole. The saint prayed inside the serpent's belly and so it burst and Marina stept forward unharmed once again.
Upon hearing of all this the governor decided to have Marina decapitated. The executioner could not make himself kill the young woman and Marina ended up talking him into going through with it. Finally, he cut her head off and then committed suicide.
St. Marina is celebrated on July 17 and is believed to protect people against snake bites and insects.