Great Martyr Menas

Relics & Shrines

After the persecution his body was carried to Egypt and buried near Lake Mariout, southwest of Alexandria. Tradition relates that during the time of Athanasius of Alexandria a camel bearing his body twice refused to move past a particular spot in the desert, which was taken as a sign to bury him there.

The site grew into the great pilgrimage complex of Abu Mena (Abu Mina), among the most famous shrines of the ancient Christian world. Pilgrims came from across the known world to seek healing through the saint's intercession, and small terracotta "Menas flasks" holding holy water or oil were distributed to them. These flasks have been found archaeologically throughout the Mediterranean world, from Germany to Sudan, attesting to the wide reach of his veneration.

Miracles & Traditions

Historically Documented: The archaeological spread of the terracotta Menas flasks across the Mediterranean — from Germany to Sudan — documents the breadth of the pilgrimage to Abu Mena and the devotion attached to the saint in late antiquity.

Traditional Accounts: Tradition holds that a sick lamb fell near his burial site and was healed by contact with the earth, sparking widespread reports of miraculous healing. The leprous daughter of the Emperor Zeno is said to have been healed after bathing in a well at the site, where Saint Menas appeared to her in a vision. The synaxarion affirms that by God's grace he continues to work miracles for those who entreat him with faith.

Traditional Accounts: A modern account from 1942 relates that, when Rommel's forces reached El Alamein and threatened Alexandria, witnesses reported seeing Saint Menas leading camels out of his ancient church into the German camp, after which the enemy fell into panic and confusion and retreated by November 4 — remembered as a turning point in the North African campaign.