Bright Saturday
The artos, which was blessed after the Liturgy of Pascha, is cut and distributed after Liturgy on Bright Saturday. The prayer read today speaks of Christ as the Bread of Life.
Lives of the Saints
Commemoration of the Founding of Constantinople
In 324 the holy Emperor Constantine (May 21) decided that the imperial capital had to be closer to the Eastern provinces, and yet have direct communication with the West. The city of Byzantium fulfilled these requirements, and on November 8, 324 the site of the new capital was consecrated.…
Hieromartyr Mocius the Presbyter of Amphipolis in Macedonia
Saint Mocius was a presbyter in Macedonia in the city of Amphipolis. During a persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), St Mocius exhorted the pagans who had assembled for the pagan festival of Dionysus (Bacchus), to abandon iniquity and the vile customs which…
Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Cyril
Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equals of the Apostles, and Enlighteners of the Slavs came from an illustrious and pious family living in the Greek city of Thessalonica. St Methodius was the oldest of seven brothers, St Constantine [Cyril was his monastic name] was the youngest. At first St Methodius…
Equal of the Apostles and Teacher of the Slavs, Methodius
Saint Methodius, Equal of the Apostles, and Enlightener of the Slavs, came from an illustrious and pious family living in the Greek city of Thessalonica. St Methodius was the oldest of seven brothers, St Constantine [Cyril was his monastic name] was the youngest. At first St Methodius was in the…
Venerable Sophronius the Recluse of the Kiev Far Caves
The Relics of Saint Sophronius were buried in the Far Caves of the Kiev Caves monastery. In the Canon to the monks of the Far Caves the saint’s solitary ascetical struggles are mentioned. He was deemed worthy to hear angels singing. The memory of St Sophronius is also celebrated on March 11.
St Joseph the Metropolitan of Astrakhan
The Hieromartyr Joseph, First Metropolitan of Astrakhan, was born at Astrakhan in 1579. After becoming a monk, St Joseph was made Archimandrite of the Astrakhan Trinity monastery at the age of fifty-two. In 1656 he was at Moscow, after which he was chosen to be Metropolitan of Astrakhan. On May…
St Nicodemus the Archbishop of Serbia
Saint Nicodemus, Archbishop of Serbia, was Igumen of the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos, and was consecrated bishop in the year 1316. In 1319 he translated the TYPIKON of St Sava the Sanctified of Jerusalem into the Slavonic language, and ordered it to be used in Serbia. St Nicodemus died in…
St Rostislav the Prince of Great Moravia
No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.
New Martyr Dioscorus
No information available at this time.
New Martyr Argyrus
No information available at this time.
Blessed Christopher, called Christesia
Blessed Christesia’s family was from Egrisi in western Georgia. From his youth Christesia longed for the divine services and the solitary life, but he was forced by his master to marry, and by this marriage he begot a son. Later, when both his wife and son had died, his master insisted that…