Mar Moura

by bentinck

Feast day: 3rd May

Saint Moura was the wife of Saint Timothy and their martyrdom occurred only after some 20 days of marriage. Timothy came from an Egyptian village and was a Church reader as well as the keeper and copyist of religious books. As part of the Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians, having been denounced, Timothy was brought before the local Governor, Arian, who demanded that Timothy hand over the religious books to be burned, Timothy refused to reveal the whereabouts of the books. He was tortured but he still refused to reveal the location of the books.

The Governor was told that Timothy had recently married to Moura, so to force Timothy to tell him of the books location she was imprisoned and Timothy was told that unless he revealed the book’s location she would be also be tortured. She beseeched Timothy not to do so even it meant she being tortured or killed.

They were both nailed to a wall in mock crucifixion up side down facing each other remaining in such a position for 9 days before succumbing. Their death is dated 286.