He taught him the Christian faith and baptized him in the name of the Holy Trinity, the Archangel Michael himself. He was his companion all the days of his life. When his parents wanted him to marry and he consented, the first thing he did on his wedding night was to take a lamp and put it under the bushel. Then he said to his bride: “Which is better, light or darkness?” She replied: “No, the light!” Then he began to talk to her about Jesus, who is the light of the world. Grace entered her heart and she was guided. From that time on they lived as brother and sister. He also succeeded in guiding his parents. It seems that his father, Nestor, died a martyr’s death, holding fast to his faith in Jesus as Lord.
Soon after, Konon's parents and wife passed away, and he devoted himself to fasting and prayer. The Lord God bestowed upon him the gift of working miracles, and he converted many of his people to the faith. It is said that Isafaria was a mountainous region in Asia Minor between Pamphylia, Lycaonia, and Cilicia, and its inhabitants were known for their brutality and their tendency to fight. It is reported that the pagans came to Konon and said to him: You have your god, and we have our gods. Come, let us race; whoever reaches the cave first will have the greatest god. He accepted. The racers set off on their horses, racing the wind. As soon as their vanguard reached the cave, they were surprised. Konon was waiting for them, relaxed and refreshed, while they were tired and sweating, and they were perplexed. Through events of this kind, in which the God of Quen appeared to be the powerful God and the gods of men appeared to be weak, the saint of God was able to guide his people, then preached to them about Jesus and taught them. Since then, they have been accustomed to repeating every year in memory of their patron saint: One is the true God, the God of Quen!
It was also said that Qanun had divine power over the demons, so he forced some of them to plow the land like slaves and imprisoned others in jars that he buried in the ground.
When a new ruler named Magnus arrived in Isafria, intending to enforce the royal decrees ordering the persecution of Christians, he seized Quonan, flogged him and caused him to bleed. But the people attacked the ruler and rescued him, while the ruler fled, fearing for his life. Quonan lived for two years after that and then departed to his Lord.
Our Orthodox Church commemorates him on the fifth of March.
Note: Patriarch Makarios, son of Al-Zaim, mentioned in the seventeenth century, in his book “Saints from Our Country,” that the location of this saint is west of the city of Yabroud, called Mamfilia. He added, “And until now, his location is well-known.” He also said that he visited the place.
Troparia in the fourth tune
Your martyr, O Lord, through his struggle, obtained from You the imperishable crown, O our God, for he gained Your power and crushed the fanatics and crushed the powerless might of the demons. So, through his supplications, O Christ God, save our souls.
