the fire and his ashes to be
scattered in the wind. The
body remained in the fire for
three days and three nights,
but it was not harmed.
His sister came and gave the
soldiers a lot of money and
they let her take the body.
She put it in a sack made of
fronds and decided to go to
Alexandria, as her brother
had previously advised her.
She embarked with her
brother's body on one of
the ships to Alexandria.
During their trip, sea beasts
came out of the water and
attacked the passengers
aboard the ship. They were
frightened and screamed
with fear. The Saint's sister
prayed to the Lord and
asked for the intercession
of her brother. While the
passengers were in fear, fire
went forth from her brother's
body and burned the faces
of the beasts. They dived
immediately into the water
and as they reappeared,
the fire burned them again.
They finally dived and did
not reappear.
When the ship arrived at the
city of Alexandria, most of
the people went out with
the father, the Patriarch.
They carried the holy body
with reverence and honor
and entered the city with a
venerable celebration and
placed it in the church,
after they shrouded it in
expensive shrouds. When
the time of persecution
ended, the angel of the Lord
appeared to the honorable
Patriarch, Anba Athanasius,
the Apostolic. The angel
informed him of the Lord's
command which was to
place the body of St. Mina
on a camel and to take it out
of the city without letting
anyone lead it, but to follow
it from a distance until it
stopped at a place that the
Lord had designated. They
walked behind the camel
until they arrived at a place
called Lake Bayad, in the
district of Marriot. There
they heard a voice saying,
"This is the place where
the Lord wishes the body
of his beloved Mina to be
placed." They lowered the
body and placed it in a
coffin, then they situated it
in a beautiful garden and
many miracles happened
through the body.
Later on, the people of
Pentapolis (the five cities)
rose against the cities
around Alexandria. The
people were getting ready
to face the Berbers, and
36
the Governor decided to
take the body of St. Mina
with him to be his deliverer
and his strong protector.
He took the body secretly
and through the blessings
of this saint, he overcame
the Berbers and returned
victorious.
The Governor decided not
to return the body of the
Saint to its original place
and wanted to take it to
Alexandria. On the way
back, they passed by Lake
Bayad, St. Mina's original
place. The camel carrying
the body knelt down and
would not move in spite
of frequent beatings. They
moved the body over
another camel, but again
this second camel did not
move from its place. The
Governor finally realized
that this was the Lord's
command. He made a
coffin from decay-resistant
wood and placed the silver
coffin in it. He then returned
it to its place and invoked
St. Mina's blessings, then
returned to his city.
When the Lord wanted to
disclose the location of St.
Mina's holy body, He did it
in this manner. There was
a shepherd in the desert.
One day a sheep with