On June 13, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Martyr Aquilina.
She was from the Palestinian city of Vivlos. Her parents were Christians, but she was orphaned very early. Aquilina did not forget her mother's advice, tried to fulfill the will of God and prayed to Him diligently.
The governor of the city - Volusian, wanted the little girl to renounce her Christian faith by offering a sacrifice to the gods, but St. Martyr Aquilina did not agree. Volusian began to admonish and threaten her. Aquilina did not give in, and the governor ordered the girl to be severely beaten.
She fell to the ground from exhaustion. They carried her out of the city, thinking she was dead, and the governor ordered her body to be left unburied.
Suddenly, at midnight, Aquilina heard the voice of an angel speaking to her: “Arise and be well!”. And she felt that her strength had returned and that she had been healed of her wounds. She began to praise and thank the Lord and asked Him to send her death soon.
When she returned to the city, the governor ordered her to be put to death. When they led her to her death, she asked to be given time for a final prayer. Having thanked the Lord for His all-powerful help, she quietly passed away. The executioner proceeded to carry out the sentence, but found the 13-year-old girl already dead.
On June 13, the name day of Asen and Asparuh, and their derivatives, is celebrated.
The name Asen has Turkic origin and means agile. The name became very popular during the reign of the Bulgarian ruler Asen (1190 - 1196).