Troparia and kontakia for August 2

Translation of the relics of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen from Jerusalem to Constantinople

Troparion — Tone 4

Your relics have risen from the depths of the earth, / like a treasury for the immortal life of all of creation. / The Church, rejoicing in the grace that she receives from them, / duteously honors you, Protomartyr Stephen. / Preserve us from error and heresy by your intercession!

Kontakion — Tone 6

You were the first to be sown on the earth by the Heavenly Husbandman, O all-praised one. / You were the first to shed your blood on the earth for Christ, O blessed one. / You were the first to receive the crown of victory from Him in heaven, / Stephen, first of the suffering God-crowned martyrs.

Blessed Basil of Moscow the Fool-For-Christ

Troparion — Tone 8

Your life, O Basil, was true and your chastity undefiled. / For the sake of Christ you exhausted your body with fasting, vigil, with frost and the scorching sun, in snow and in rain, / yet your face was radiant like the sun. / And now the people of Russia come to you, glorifying your holy falling asleep. / Therefore, pray to Christ God that He may deliver us from pagan captivity and from civil war, / and grant peace to the world, and great mercy to our souls.

Kontakion — Tone 1

Led by the Spirit of God, most blessed Basil, / you renounced the turmoil of the world, and despised the anxieties of life. / You stripped yourself of your earthly clothing, / and were clothed in the garment of dispassion. / You fled from the temptation of false worldly power, / and were a stranger among your own people. / Having chosen the treasure of Heaven instead of earthly wealth, / you won a crown of patience. / And now, most blessed Basil, / pray to Christ God for us who celebrate your holy memory, that we may cry: "Hail, most blessed Basil."

Holy Fool Basil of Kamen

Troparion — Tone 1

Hearing the voice of Your Apostle Paul saying: "we are fools for Christ's sake,"1 / O Christ God, Your servant Basil was a fool on earth for Your sake; / thus their memory is honored in the same way. / With them we entreat You, O Lord, that our souls may be saved.


1 "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ" (I Corinthians 4:10).

Hieromartyr Stephen, Pope of Rome, and those with him

Troparion — Tone 4

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles, / you became a successor to their throne. / Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God; / by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood. / Hieromartyr Stephen entreat Christ God to save our souls.

Saint Photeine of Cyprus, Wonderworker

Troparion — Tone 8

(Podoben: “Come, let us worship the Word...”)
With the streams of your tears, you cultivated the barrenness of the desert, / and by your sighings from the depths, your labors bore fruit a hundredfold, / and you became a luminary of the world, radiant with miracles, O Photeine our Mother. / Intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion — Tone 8

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”)
Having divinely armed yourself with purity of soul / and firmly grasping unceasing prayer as a spear, you slew the hordes of demons. / Therefore, we beseech you, O Mother Photeine: / “Always intercede for those who honor you.”