Lives of the Saints

Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Cross

Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Cross

Because of the Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Cross, the service to Saint Quadratus of the Seventy is sung on September 22. At the end of Liturgy, the priest comes out from the altar with a censer, preceded by a deacon with a candle. Going to the center of the church, he censes three times…

Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy

Apostle Quadratus of the Seventy

Saint Quadratus, Apostle of the Seventy preached the Word of God at Athens and at Magnesia (eastern peninsula of Thessaly), and was Bishop of Athens. His biographer called him “a morning star” among the clouds of paganism. He converted many pagans to the true faith in Christ the Savior,…

Uncovering of the relics of Saint Demetrius (Dmitri),  Metropolitan of Rostov

Uncovering of the relics of Saint Demetrius (Dmitri), Metropolitan of Rostov

In 1702, Saint Demetrios, Metropolitan of Rostov, arrived at the Rostov cathedral and also visited the monastery of Saint James, Bishop of Rostov (November 27 and May 23). He served the Divine Liturgy at the cathedral church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos, after which he indicated to…

Venerable Daniel, Abbot of Shuzhgorsk, Novgorod

Saint Daniel of Shugh Hill was born in the Moscow dominion in the sixteenth century. He performed his ascetic labors in northern Rus, where he became a monk at the Komel monastery, founded by Saint Cornelius of Komel in 1498. Saint Daniel left the monastery and continued a solitary ascetic life in…

Venerable Joseph of Zaonikiev Monastery, Vologda

Saint Joseph of Zaonikiev, was named Hilarion in the world, a pious peasant from the village of Obukhovo Kubensk in the region of the Vologda gubernia. For a long time he suffered a disease of the eyes and he fervently prayed for the help of the Lord, to the Most Holy Theotokos, and to the Saints,…

Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Ephesus, and his Presbyter, Andrew

Hieromartyr Hypatius, Bishop of Ephesus, and the Priest Andrew suffered in the eighth century under the iconoclast emperor Leo the Isaurian (717-741). As young men, they studied together in one of the monasteries. Saint Hypatius accepted monasticism, and Saint Andrew became a clergyman and…

Saint Isaac of Cyprus

No information available at this time.

26 Monastic Martyrs of Zographou, Mount Athos

26 Monastic Martyrs of Zographou, Mount Athos

In July of 1274, the Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII accepted a union with the Roman Church at Lyons, France. Faced with dangers from Charles of Anjou, the Ottoman Turks, and other enemies, the emperor found such an alliance with Rome expedient. The Union of Lyons required the Orthodox to recognize…

Venerable Cosmas the Bulgarian of Zographou, Mount Athos

Saint Cosmas was born in Bulgaria toward the end of the thirteenth century, and entered the Zographou Monastery when he was young. Distinguishing himself by his ascetical life, he also acquired the virtues of humility and obedience. After a time, Saint Cosmas satisfied his superiors that he had…

Saint John of Georgia

Saint John of Georgia

Archimandrite John (Basil Maisuradze in the world) was born in the town of Tskhinvali in Samachablo around 1882. He was raised in a peasant family and taught to perform all kinds of handiwork. Basil was barely in his teens when he helped Fr. Spiridon (Ketiladze), the main priest at Betania…

Saint George (John) of Georgia

Saint George (John) of Georgia

Fr. George (Mkheidze) was born in the village of Skhvava in the Racha region around 1877. He received a military education—a highly esteemed commodity among the Georgian aristocracy—but instead of pursuing a military career in defense of the Russian empire, he dedicated himself to…