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St. Antigone icon

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St. Antigone iconOrthodox icon of Saint Antigone, one of the The Forty Virgin Martyrs and Their teacher Deacon Ammoun. Commemorated September 1st. One of the prophesies about the life of virginity, very prevalent in the New Testament, can be found in the 44th Psalm of David. There, Prophet David sees his distant, precious daughter, the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, and prophesies: "Virgins shall be brought to the king after her. With joy and gladness they

Orthodox icon of Saint Antigone, one of the The Forty Virgin Martyrs and Their teacher Deacon Ammoun.

Commemorated September 1st.

 One of the prophesies about the life of virginity, very prevalent in the New Testament, can be found in the 44th Psalm of David. There, Prophet David sees his distant, precious daughter, the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and prophesies: "Virgins shall be brought to the king after her. With joy and gladness they will be led to the temple of the king." The life of the Theotokos, the Mother themselves to Christ totally. The Holy Spirit in the epistles of St. Paul, especially in the beginning of 1 Corinthians, exalts the state of virginity: "Now concerning the things which you wrote to me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman." In verse eight, St. Paul continues, "But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for them if they remain even as I am," meaning celibate.

A few verses down (v. 32) St. Paul says, "But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares for the things of the world how he may please his wife, or husband."So according to these verses of St. Paul, it is very clear that virginity and celibacy is more conducive to a higher spirituality. This is not to say that holiness cannot be reached within marriage that is also very, very possible.

However, the great life of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ever-Virgin, and the grace given to us in the New Testament and these great verses of St. Paul, spark a great love in Christians for a life of virginity and total devotion to the Lord.Many young women lived in the homes of their parents. Just like the daughters of the deacon Philip, they lived a life of virginity, prayer, and devotion to the early Church. Although we did not have organized monasticism before the fourth century, all the elements of the ascetically or monastic lifestyle flourished in the life of the Church, and added to the Mother Church millions of martyrs.

 

On the first day of September, which marks the opening of our ecclesiastical year, the Church opens its golden pages of martyrdom by celebrating the resolve of the forty women virgin ascetic martyrs who put to shame the torture mechanisms of Licinius. The forty women virgin martyrs lived in Adrianoupolis of Thrace, in northeast Greece, and they were disciples of Deacon Ammoun. During that time, around 305 AD, the emperor of the eastern region of the Roman Empire was Licinius, a dreadful persecutor of Christianity. Licinius had instituted a decree for the annihilation of all Christians who refused to sacrifice to idols. The decree of this bloodthirsty tyrant soon reached all cities, towns, and villages.

Christians were slaughtered like lambs, refusing to submit to his soul-destroying promises and choosing rather to die for the love of their heavenly bridegroom.During these horrible years, the forty virgin martyrs were apprehended and put to the test along with their deacon Ammoun. The names of these glorious Christian women are as follows:Adamantine, Athena, Akrive, Antigone, Arivea, Aspasia, Aphrodite, Dione, Dodone, Elpinike, Erasmia, Erato, Ermeneia, Evterpe, Thaleia, Theanoe, Theano, Theonymphe, Theophane, Kalliroe, Kalliste, Kleio, Kleonike, Kleopatra, Koralia, Lambro, Margarita, Marianthe, Melpomene, Moscho, Ourania, Pandora, Penelope, Polymnia, Polynike, Sapfo, Terpsichore, Troada, Haido, and Harikleia.

By their daily ascetic struggles, by their prayers, vigils, and fasting, the seed of faith rooted, sprouted, and blossomed in the fertile ground of the virgins' souls. Steadfast faith, precise keeping of Christ's commandments, and obedience to their pious spiritual father Ammoun, made them as pure as lilies. This purity invites and hosts the two theological virtues of humility and love, which further house the Trinity in the Christian heart.The intimidations, threats, and tortures did not sway the virgins. The idolater archon Varos of Adrianoupolis did not sway the unshakable faith of this holy team of virgin martyrs. They united their godly prayers, and immediately and miraculously the priest of the idols was airborne. He remained suspended and hung in midair, thus punished for many, many hours, and finally he landed on the ground and breathed his last.

Deacon Ammoun was hanged, and had his ribcage opened with knives. After this, a red-hot iron helmet was placed on his head. The above tortures caused no apparent harm to this athlete of Christ, so he was transported to Heraklea of Thrace, to the tyrant Licinius, along with the holy virgins. Licinius ordered to have ten of the virgin martyrs burned by fire, and another eight beheaded, along with deacon Ammoun. Another ten were put to death by the sword, being struck in the mouth or in the heart, thus giving up their spirit. Of those remaining, six were martyred by being forced to swallow sizzling hot iron marbles, and the last six were cut to pieces by knives. The forty martyred women and the martyr Ammoun exercised their faith, hope, and love toward Christ in an amazing way.

They proved to the world that the Christian Gospel is not some ideology, but the source of life and power. They proved indefatigably that the Church of Christ is a divine creation. The fools for Christ defeated the wise.The weak defeated the mighty.. The words of St. John the Chrysostom find their full justification through the centuries: "The Church, under persecution, scores victories. When insulted, it becomes even more radiant. It receives injuries, but it does not succumb to the wounds. It sails through rough seas, but it does not sink. It fights, but it is never defeated. O man, there is nothing more powerful than the Church." With the unshakable and steadfast faith in the Resurrected Savior, the forty virgin martyrs did not simply show patience and perseverance through these various tortures.

They didn't simply display boldness and heroism, but a characteristic element of Christian martyrdom the presence of joy, a joy quite inexplicable to the idolaters, and the cause of many conversions. Curious bystanders were often the eyewitnesses of a great marvel and profound mystery People heavily injured dismembered, severely beaten, hanging on a cross (or about to be hung), engulfed by flames were full of joy. Instead of mourning,weeping and chest-beating, they were glorifying God. The day of martyrdom was a day of joy.

They were rejoicing because they were deemed worthy to confess Christ, the cause of all joy. They irrigated the tree of the Church with their blood. There is no greater sermon, there is no better way to show to the unbelievers and idolaters that Christ is the true God. The blood of one martyr would bring in dozens of new believers to the Church often thousands. Eusebius, the early church historian, informs us, "They didn't seem to worry when faced with persecution and all kinds of tortures, but they displayed fearless boldness through their faith in the God of all, and they welcomed their final decision of death with joy and laughter and great rejoicing. Therefore they chanted hymns and offered thanksgiving to the God of all, up until their last breath" 

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Funsized
Boise, US
★★★★★ 3
Strong memory foam smell and more memory foam needed.
Color: White, Size: King(pack of 2)
My husband and I both think these pillows are very comfortable! Which for me is really great, since I have been trying to find a comfortable pillow for several years without success, until now. Our only complaint is the strong chemical smell of the memory foam filling. When they arrived, I opened them up and let them air for 48 hours and fluffed them in the dryer per the instructions. They still had a strong odor, so I removed the zippered covers, washed and air dryed them over night. I hoped between that and letting the thin cloth sack containing the memory foam, air out another night, the smell would be gone, but it wasn't. We decided to sleep on them anyway. UPDATE: We have been sleeping on them now for 9 nights and the smell is finally lessening. The initial fluff the pillows had from putting them in the dryer is now gone and we are wishing more memory foam had came with them. We both started out using all the foam they came with, but after sleeping on them for 9 nights, they have flattened. I re-fluff them with my hands every morning when I make the bed, but it doesn't last long. We wish they had come with more memory foam, so they could be more supportive.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2026
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Sarah Walton
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Excellent Pillow zpurchase
Color: White, Size: King(pack of 2)
Love these pillows firm, yet soft. Finally found ones that keep me cool as well. Will be buying more for all my beds.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2026
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Lillian C
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
heavenly.
Color: White, Size: Queen (Pack of 2), Color: White, Size: Queen (Pack of 2)
UGH, i'm so obsessed with these pillows!! they're so comfortable, adjustable, AND perfect in general. they're so fluffy when you get them, but you can take out as much of the memory foam as you'd want. what i really like about these pillows is, the ability to unzip the pillow & wash when desired (please read the instructions!) 💫. i sleep a lottt better compared to my other pillows, i highly recommend to get you some of these 🙂‍↕️✨✨. i'm not sure about a "cooling effect" since i have a pillow case over them, but they stay a neutral temperature where it's comfortable. i'm definitely going to back soon to buy the body pillow and a case (or two!) to revive old pillows (which i also love!). they come in a pair, so it's HIGHLY worth it, get them rnnn!!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2026
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Roger
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
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Color: White, Size: Queen (Pack of 2)
I'm really bougie when it comes to pillows. I've never spent less than $50 on a pillow. I'm a side sleeper and like firm support, but also want something soft. I almost ordered the really pricey pillows on Amazon, but was turned off by all the odor complaints. I needed something quick to at least hold me over until I could get exactly what I want, so I took a shot with this pillow with the plan of it being a temporary fix. However, this pillow turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The first time I laid on it I was skeptical. It had support, but felt like it may have been too soft. It took a bit to get accustomed to, but by the second night I knew this is the pillow. No chemical odors, it's quality at a low cost. I figured this pillow would've been quickly replaced and put into the leg pillow rotation, but it is shockingly a really great pillow. It is not lumpy, stays way cooler than standard or shredded memory foam and is comfy. Hopefully it holds up for a long time. I've paid triple what these 2 pillows cost for a single pillow that isn't as good.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2025
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Bailey Lohse
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Favorite pillows
Color: White, Size: Queen (Pack of 2)
These pillows are amazing! They are huge and plush but you can change that if you prefer. I really like that the outside cover can be washed and is also filled. It held up great in the washer and dryer. I just followed the directions on the tag. Great price for the quality and look very nice and fluffed on the bed.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2026

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