OUR
PATRON
Patron saints are not only advocates for churches, but also they can be the heavenly protector of a nation, profession, class, clan, occupation, family, or even a person. The faithful choose them to intercede with God on their behalf. They are in God’s presence and are “partakers of the divine nature”. They have “run the race” and have been crowned. St.Behanan’s Higher Secondary School is rooted on this faith and founded in this tradition. During times of great challenge and struggle, the students and staff of this institution are under the divine mediation of Saint Behahan,
Behnam and Sarah were born in the 4th century, and were the children of Sennacherib, King of Assyria, who ruled under the Shahanshah Shapur II of Iran.Whilst hunting with forty slaves, Behnam was separated from his entourage, and was forced to spend the night in the wilderness.He received a dream in which an angel instructed him to seek Saint Matthew the Hermit on Mount Alfaf, as he could heal Behnam's sister Sarah, who was afflicted with leprosy.Behnam met with his entourage the next day, and they searched and discovered the hermit in a cave, where he explained Christianity to the prince. Behnam demanded proof, and Matthew told him to bring Sarah to him to be healed of her leprosy.
Behnam and his entourage returned to the city and told his mother of his dream and the saint.His mother allowed Behnam and Sarah to return to the saint in secret, and he healed Sarah of her leprosy, after which Behnam, Sarah, and the forty slaves were baptised. Matthew used water from a spring that appeared after he hit the ground with his staff.The king learned of his children's conversion and threatened to punish them if they did not abandon Christianity.Stalwart in their faith, Behnam, Sarah, and the forty slaves, fled to Mount Alfaf, but were slain by soldiers sent by the king.
Sennacherib was afflicted by madness after the death of the martyrs. An angel appeared before Behnam's mother and told her the king would only be cured of his madness if he converted to Christianity and prayed at the site of the martyrs' death. Behnam's mother and Sennacherib followed the angel's instructions, and the king was cured. They were then baptised by Saint Matthew at Assur. At the request of Saint Matthew, Sennacherib constructed a monastery atop Mount Alfaf, that would later become known as the Monastery of Saint Matthew.The king also constructed a monument on the site of the martyrs' death called gubba ("pit" in Syriac).A wealthy pilgrim called Isaac later visited the site of the martyrs' death in the hope it would exorcise the devil from his servant, and constructed a monastery named as Beth Gubbe near Behnam's tomb upon receiving instructions to do so from the saint in a dream.This became known as the Monastery of Saints Behnam and Sarah.