17

Here, having come forth, is buried in the tomb Theophylaktos, the thrice-blessed mortal,

a eunuch indeed, but of a noble family, a handsome peer, and very pious, who held the first rank in the order of *spatharioi* during the long days of the palace. This temple and all-fitting monastery he delightfully raised to God and the Lord as a ransom for his faults in life.

114 For Ignas,

the monastery. Leo the famous and best of men, separated from his wife

with a desire intertwined with Christ chose the thrice-blessed life of a solitary, as one that procures the inheritance above, having offered his whole household to God, for it to be named a fitting monastery of women, and at the end of the God-glorifying course † song † he is buried, awaiting the day, on which Christ will come for the judgment of all.

115 For his wife, Anna

her tomb you see here naturally joined, as one who thought equally with her husband, to suffer

separation for Christ's sake indeed and to embrace with her children the solitary life, radiant with heaven-acquired glory, whence she too awaits the hope, to run the heavenly course to Christ himself then, when he comes to judge all mortals.

116 For one who has fallen asleep

A noble woman both in faith and in life is she who has laid her glorious little body here and

given her spirit to God and the Lord, who was well-pleased for her to be called Eudokia, fittingly, in a name-bearing manner, as one who was well-pleasing in all-beautiful ways, to lead a venerable life with a famous husband and in dying to have been guided well to incline her own father to the right faith.

117 For one who has fallen asleep

A truly useful, sanctified vessel, equal to a gold-inlaid crown

illumined with fine sprinkled pearls is she who has laid her thrice-blessed body here; for having endured the cutting off of a young husband, another hero in strength and glory —the two of them having set out for Armenia—, she judged this to be best of all, to give all things to God and the Lord, and to be clothed in rags in the monastic way. Thus she proceeded most excellently in life bearing a humble heart as her adornment, the flow of her tears as an emerald, a sleepless eye and prayer as a light; in this way she also divinely completes her course unapproachable by the error of heretics; and having brought a double gift to God she has joy with the righteous for ever.

118 For the same woman

The place is noble; for it is the tomb of Irene who had a peace-making life towards God.

17

Ὧδε, προελθών, ἐντέθαπται τῷ τάφῳ Θεοφύλακτος, ὁ τρισόλβιος μέροψ,

εὐνοῦχος μὲν ὤν, ἀλλὰ δεξιοῦ γένους, εὔοπτος ἥλιξ, εὐσεβής γε καὶ μάλα, ὃς πρωτοβαθρεῖ ἐν σπαθαρίων στάσει ἐν μακρότησιν ἡμερῶν ἀνακτόρων. Τὸν τῇδε ναὸν καὶ μονὴν παναισίαν ἤγειρε τερπνῶς τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ εἰς λύτρον αὐτοῦ πταισμάτων τῶν ἐν βίῳ.

114 Εἰς Ἴγνας,

τὴν μονήν Λέων ὁ κλεινὸς καὶ κράτιστος ἀνδράσιν τμηθεὶς συνεύνου

Χριστοσυμπλόκῳ πόθῳ εἷλε μονήρους τὸν τρισόλβιον βίον, ὡς προξενοῦντα τὴν ἄνω κληρουχίαν, ὅλην προσάξας τῷ Θεῷ τὴν οἰκίαν, μονὴν γυναικῶν χρηματίζειν αἰσίαν, καὶ τερματισμῷ τοῦ Θεοκλεοῦς δρόμου † ὥδη † τέθαπται προσμένων τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗπερ ἥξει Χριστὸς εἰς πάντων κρίσιν.

115 Εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ σύμβιον Ἄννης

τὸ σῆμα συμφυῶς ὧδε βλέπεις, ὡς τῷ συνεύνῳ συμφρονησάσης ἴσα, παθεῖν

χωρισμὸν εἵνεκα Χριστοῦ μάλα καὶ τὸν μονήρους ἀσπάσασθαι σὺν τέκνοις βίον φαεινὸν οὐρανοκτήτου κλέους, ὅθεν γε καὐτὴ προσμένει τὴν ἐλπίδα, πρὸς Χριστὸν αὐτὸν οὐρανοδρομεῖν τότε, ὅτ' ἄνπερ ἥξῃ τοῦ κρίναι βροτοὺς ὅλους.

116 Εἰς κοιμηθεῖσαν

Ἐσθλὴ γυναικῶν ἔν τε πίστει καὶ βίῳ ἡ τῇδε θεῖσα τὸ κλεῶδες σαρκίον καὶ

πνεῦμα δοῦσα τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ, ὃς εὐδόκησεν Εὐδοκίαν εἰκότως ταύτην καλεῖσθαι τῷ φερωνύμῳ τρόπῳ, ὡς εὐδοκηθεῖσάν γε παγκάλοις τρόποις, σὺν ἀνδρὶ κλεινῷ σεμνὸν ἐξοῖσαι βίον κἀν τῷ τελευτᾶν εὐοδοθεῖσαν κλίναι πρὸς πίστιν ὀρθὴν τὸν φύσαντα πατέρα.

117 Εἰς κοιμηθεῖσαν

Εὔχρηστον ὄντως σκεῦος ἡγιασμένον ἰσοστατοῦν γε χρυσοκολλήτῳ στέφει

ῥαντοῖς καλοῖσι μαργάροις ηὐγασμένῳ ἡ τῇδε θεῖσα τὸ τρισόλβιον δέμας· νέου γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ἐκτομὴν ὑποστάσα, ἥρωος ἄλλου τῷ σθένει καὶ τῷ κλέει -πρὸς Ἀρμενίας τοῖν δυοῖν ὡρμημένων-, ἄριστον ἥδε τοῦτο κέκρικεν μάλα, τὰ πάντα δοῦναι τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ∆εσπότῃ, ῥακοστολεῖν δὲ τῷ μοναστικῷ τρόπῳ. Ἴοι κράτιστα τοιγαροῦν ἐν τῷ βίῳ κόσμον φέρουσα τὴν ταπεινὴν καρδίαν, ἰσοσμάραγδον τὴν ῥοὴν τῶν δακρύων, ἄγρυπνον ὄμμα καὶ προσευχὴν ὡς φάος· ταύτῃ τελειοῖ καί γε θείως τὸν δρόμον ἀπροσπέλαστον αἱρετιζόντων πλάνῃ· διπλοῦν δὲ δῶρον τῷ Θεῷ προσηγμένη ἔχει τὸ χαίρειν σὺν δικαίοις εἰς ἅπαν.

118 Τῇ αὐτῇ

Ὁ χῶρος ἐσθλός· καὶ γὰρ Εἰρήνης τάφος εἰρηνοποιὸν πρὸς Θεὸν σχούσης

βίον.