St. Menas

Saint Mina
Jesus and Menas in a sixth-century icon from Bawit in Middle Egypt, currently at the Louvre. It is one of the oldest known icons in existence.
Martyr & Wonder-worker
Born	285 Niceous, Egypt
Died	c. 309 Phrygia, Anatolia (modern-day Turkey)
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodoxy
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Major shrine	Monastery of Saint Mina Church of Saint Menas (Cairo)
Feast	11 November (Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches) 24 November 15 Hathor (Coptic Orthodox Church)
Attributes	man with his hands cut off and his eyes torn out; man with two camels; young knight with a halberd, an depiction of his time in the Roman army
Patronage	falsely accused people; peddlers; traveling merchants; Heraklion

Saint Menas (also Minas, Menas, Mena, Mennas) (285 – c. 309), the Martyr and Wonder-worker, is one of the most well-known Egyptian saints in the East and the West, due to the many miracles that are attributed to his intercession and prayers. Menas was an Egyptian soldier in the Roman army martyred because he refused to recant his Christian faith. His feast day is celebrated every year on 15 Hathor (November 24) in the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria and on November 11 in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.

Although Menas is recognized as a minor saint in Western churches, it is considered likely by many historians that he is celebrated in these churches under the name of Saint Christopher (i.e. the "Christ-bearer"), as one of the legends associated with Mina has him, like Christopher, carrying the Christ Child.

Mina was his original name, according to the story his mother called him "Mēna" because she heard voice saying amēn. Minas [Μηνας] is how he is known in Greek, while in Armenian and Arabic he is known as "Mīna" [مينا].

There are many sources written in different languages (Koine Greek, Coptic, Old Nubian, Ge'ez, Latin, Syriac, Armenian) relating to Menas.

Menas was born in Egypt in 285 in the city of Niceous, which lay in the vicinity of Memphis. His parents were ascetic Christians but did not have any children for a long time. His father's name was Eudoxios and his mother's name was Euphemia. On the feast of Mary, mother of Jesus, Euphemia was praying in front of an icon of Mary with tears that God may give her a blessed son. A sound came from the icon saying "Amen". A few months later, Euphemia gave birth to a boy and named him Menas.