Saint Anastasia the Healer from Poison 

"To the needs of the Martyrs you did administer, 
and like a martyr their acts of valor you imitated, 
and with your struggle you overthrew the enemy; 
whence abundantly you pour forth, bounteous grace constantly, 
O God-minded Anastasia, to those who come with longing,
to find comfort in your help.
(Plagal of the 1st Tone)" 
     - Apolytikion of Saint Anastasia the healer From Poison





Taken from the Acts of St Anastasia, who is mentioned in 
the Canon of the Mass, and commemorated by the Church 
[old calendar] on December 25, St. Anastasia was a 
spiritual child of St. Chrysogonus (also martyred). 
The time frame is during the Diocletian persecution in 
the fourth century perhaps the year 304 A.D. 
St. Anastasia was a Roman lady of noble descent. Her 
father was an opulent and noble pagan; but her mother, 
who was a Christian, caused her to be baptized in her 
infancy, and secretly reared her in sentiments of 
Christian piety, in which she made great progress. 
St. Anastasia had been married to a noble Roman, named 
Publius, who was a pagan; he loved his wife much, but 
having discovered her acts of piety, and that she was a 
Christian, from a loving husband he became a cruel tyrant, 
confined her to the house, and treated her like a slave. 
The saint, rejoiced that she could suffer for the love of 
Jesus Christ. 
Publius, her cruel husband, having been appointed by the 
emperor ambassador to the King of Persia, gave orders to 
his domestics that they should maltreat his wife during 
his absence and that there should be no fear if she would 
be found dead upon his return. But God ordained that 
Publius met with an untimely death upon his journey; 
while the saint, having regained her pious labors in 
behalf of the prisoners of Jesus Christ. 
St. Anastasia, inflamed with the love of God, occupied 
her time in consoling and succoring the Christians, 
particularly those who were in prison, who she exhorted 
to suffer for the faith. Having heard of the arrest of 
St. Chrysogonus, she hurried to his prison, and esteemed 
herself fortunate in having it in her power to be of 
service to him in this trial. He had been in prison for 
one year, during which he instructed his fellow-prisoners 
who were Christians, and converted many pagans to the 
faith. St. Anastasia rendered him such assistance, by 
reason of her extraordinary works of charity. 
St. Chrysogonus, by order of Diocletian on November 24 in 
the year 303, was beheaded, but St. Anastasia continued 
her mission to the prisoners. One day upon an errand of 
charity, and having found that all the holy confessors 
had been butchered by order of the emporer, she wept 
bitterly. When officers of the court asked why she wept, 
she replied "I weep because I have lost my brethren, who 
have been cruelly put to death." Hence she was arrested 
and brought before the prefect, Florus, who got no 
satisfaction from her defence and so then he sent her 
to the emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was unsuccessful 
in exhorting her to abandon a religion which was proscribed 
thoroughout the empire, and so sent her back to the 
prefect Florus. He sent her to the pontiff of the capitol, 
Upian, in the hope that he could convince her to sacrifice 
to the gods. 
Upian having used all his arts of persuasion in vain, 
said to her: "Now I shall give thee but three days to 
etermine." Anastasia replied: "They are three too many; 
thou mayest imagine them already past. I am a Christian, 
and am anxious to die for Jesus Christ. From me thou 
shalt never get any other answer." 
Upian then employed the assistance of three idolatrous 
women; but this having proved ineffectual, he made a 
second attempt himself, in which he had the effrontery 
to be guilty of some immodest action. This was instantly 
punished by the Almighty; for he was struck blind upon 
the spot, and seized by convulsions that within an hour 
terminated his life. 
Florus, enraged at the death of Upian, caused the saint 
to be shut up in prison, with the intention of starving 
her; but the Lord miraculously preserved her life. Florus 
transferred her to another prison thinking the jailer had 
transgressed his orders to starve her - but she continued 
to live without food. Florus then ordered her to be put 
on board a ship with 120 idolaters - the ship was bored 
with holes and was supposed to sink. The ship soon filled 
with water, but instead of sinking went ashore; and the 
miracle worked the conversion of all these persons, who 
afterwards had the glory of suffering martyrdom for Jesus 
Christ. St. Anastasia was then conducted to the island of 
Palmarola, under sentence of death; she consummated her 
triumph in the flames. 
A Christian lady obtained her body, and gave it honourable 
burial near Zara, in Dalmatia; but about the year 460, 
under the Emperor Leo, her relics were transferred 
Constantinople, and placed, as Cardinal Orsi writes, in 
the celebrated church of the Resurrection, called The 
Anastasia. 
PS There is also another St. Anastasia recorded  who was 
martyred in the year 249AD. She was martyred along with 
St Cyril of Rome under the Valerian persecution. This 
St. Anastasia is often referred to as the Elder to 
distinguish her from St. Anastasia, widow, above.