Saint Mercurius

Mercurius (, , , ; 224/225 – 250 AD) was a Roman soldier of Greek descent who became a Christian saint and martyr. He was born in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia, in Eastern Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). According to Christian tradition, he was the soldier who killed Julian the Apostate during his campaign in Persia. Mercurius was also widely known by his Arabic-language name Abu-Sayfain, Abu-Sifin or Abu-Sefein in Egyptian Arabic (; ) which means "wielder of two swords", referring to the second sword given to him by the Archangel Michael.

Mercurius was born around 225 AD in Cappadocia (Eastern Asia Minor) into a family of Greek descent. Mercurius was the son of Yares, an officer in the Roman army. One day, while Yares was hunting in the forest with his father, the two were attacked by an animal. The animal jumped on Yares' father, causing Yares to faint. While Yares was unconscious, he had a vision with a brilliant light and a voice saying:Yares, I am your God who loves you. I know that you have a good heart and that you hate the pagan idols. I want to inform you that your son, Philopatyr, will become like a tree bearing good fruits, and because of him, I will bless you and your wife. Philopatyr will be my witness and will defy all prejudice in my name.

Yares, his wife, and his son were baptized shortly after. All three were given new names. Yares became Noah, his wife became Saphina, and Mercurius became Philopater. News of their baptism spread quickly in the city and the prince ordered them to be arrested and thrown to wild animals. However, the animals did not harm them and the prince decided to release Noah and his family. When barbarians attacked Rome, Decius went out to fight them but became afraid when he saw how many there were. Mercurius then came to him and said, "Do not be afraid, because God will kill our enemies and will bring us victory."

After several days of fighting, the Archangel Michael appeared to Mercurius holding a shining sword. Mercurius took the sword from the archangel, hence the name Abu Sayfain —- "the father of two swords": a military sword and a divine sword. Mercurius declared himself a Christian, saying, "I do not worship anyone except my Lord and my God, Jesus Christ." Fresco depicting St. Mercurius Abu-Sifin (center), Sase Monastery, Bratunac, Bosnia The nuns and their abbess, Tenmav Irini at the Abu Sefein Monastery in Cairo credit the saint's intercession for the reversal of a government decision to confiscate their property for the Defense Ministry.

According to local folklore, after Tamav Irini prayed for Abu Sefein's intercession, he appeared, in one way or another, to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Egyptian locals claim him to have become a crypto-christian to this day.