Martyr Anthusa

Anthusa is an Orthodox martyr commemorated on August 27. In the liturgical tradition she is also styled Anthousa the New, a designation that distinguishes her from other saints of the same name. Almost nothing of her life is recorded: the Orthodox Church in America's synaxarion preserves her commemoration but notes that no biographical details survive.

What the tradition does relate is the manner of her death. Liturgical sources describe her as having been put to death by drowning, cast into a well for confessing the faith of Christ. Beyond this account of her martyrdom, the date and place of her suffering are not specified in the available sources.

Anthusa is one of many early martyrs whose name and feast the Church has retained while the narrative of their life has been lost. She should be distinguished from other saints bearing the name Anthusa, including Anthusa of Mantinea and Anthusa of Constantinople, who are commemorated on other days.