Lives of all saints commemorated on July 10

Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves was born in the year 983 at Liubech, not far from Chernigov, and was named Antipas in Baptism. Possessing the fear of God from his youth, he desired to be clothed in the monastic schema. When he reached a mature age, he wandered until he arrived on Mt. Athos, burning with the desire to emulate the deeds of its holy inhabitants. Here he received monastic tonsure, and the young monk pleased God in every aspect of his spiritual struggles on the path of virtue. He particularly excelled in humility and obedience, so that all the monks rejoiced to see his holy life.

The igumen saw in Saint Anthony the great future ascetic, and inspired by God, he sent him back to his native land, saying, “Anthony, it is time for you to guide others in holiness. Return to your own Russian land, and be an example for others. May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be with you.”

Returning to the land of Rus, Anthony began to make the rounds of the monasteries about Kiev, but nowhere did he find that strict life which had drawn him to Mt. Athos.

Through the Providence of God, Anthony came to the hills of Kiev by the banks of the River Dnieper. The forested area near the village of Berestovo reminded him of his beloved Athos. There he found a cave which had been dug out by the Priest Hilarion, who later became Metropolitan of Kiev (October 21). Since he liked the spot, Anthony prayed with tears, “Lord, let the blessing of Mt. Athos be upon this spot, and strengthen me to remain here.” He began to struggle in prayer, fasting, vigil and physical labor. Every other day, or every third day, he would eat only dry bread and a little water. Sometimes he did not eat for a week. People began to come to the ascetic for his blessing and counsel, and some decided to remain with the saint.

Among Anthony’s first disciples was Saint Nikon (March 23), who tonsured Saint Theodosius of the Caves (May 3) at the monastery in the year 1032.

The virtuous life of Saint Anthony illumined the Russian land with the beauty of monasticism. Saint Anthony lovingly received those who yearned for the monastic life. After instructing them how to follow Christ, he asked Saint Nikon to tonsure them. When twelve disciples had gathered about Saint Anthony, the brethren dug a large cave and built a church and cells for the monks within it.

After he appointed Abbot Barlaam to guide the brethren, Saint Anthony withdrew from the monastery. He dug a new cave for himself, then hid himself within it. There too, monks began to settle around him. Afterwards, the saint built a small wooden church in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God over the Far Caves.

At the insistence of Prince Izyaslav, the igumen Barlaam withdrew to the Dimitriev monastery. With the blessing of Saint Anthony and with the general agreement of the brethren, the meek and humble Theodosius was chosen as igumen. By this time, the number of brethren had already reached a hundred men. The Kiev Great Prince Izyaslav (+ 1078) gave the monks the hill on which the large church and cells were built, with a palisade all around. Thus, the renowned monastery over the caves was established. Describing this, the chronicler remarks that while many monasteries were built by emperors and nobles, they could not compare with those which are built with holy prayers and tears, and by fasting and vigil. Although Saint Anthony had no gold, he built a monastery which became the first spiritual center of Rus.

For his holiness of life, God glorified Saint Anthony with the gift of clairvoyance and wonderworking. One example of this occurred during the construction of the Great Caves church. The Most Holy Theotokos Herself stood before him and Saint Theodosius in the Blachernae church in Constantinople, where they had been miraculously transported without leaving their own monastery. Actually, two angels appeared in Constantinople in their forms (See May 3, the account of the Kiev Caves Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos). Having received gold from the Mother of God, the saints commissioned master architects, who came from Constantinople to the Russian land on the command of the Queen of Heaven to build the church at the Monastery of the Caves. During this appearance, the Mother of God foretold the impending death of Saint Anthony, which occurred on July 10, 1073.

Through Divine Providence, the relics of Saint Anthony remain hidden.

The Forty-five Martyrs of Nicopolis in Armenia suffered during the reign of Emperor Licinius (311-324), who was then co-regent with Saint Constantine the Great (May 21). Licinius, the ruler of the Eastern Empire, fiercely persecuted Christians and issued an edict to put to death any Christian who would not return to paganism. When the persecutions began at Nicopolis, more than forty of those being persecuted for Christ decided to appear voluntarily before their persecutors, to confess openly their faith in the Son of God, and to accept martyrdom. The holy confessors were headed by Leontius, Mauricius, Daniel, Anthony, Alexander, Sisinius, Meneus, and Belerad (Virilad), and they were distinguished by their virtuous life.

Lycias, the procurator of the Armenian district, before whom the holy confessors presented themselves, was amazed at the boldness and bravery of those who condemned themselves voluntarily to torture and death. He tried to persuade them to renounce Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, but the saints remained steadfast. They refuted all the ruler’s arguments, pointing out to him the falseness of their vile and vice-filled pagan gods, leading those who worship them to ruin. The procurator ordered the confessors to be beaten about the face with stones, and then to be shackled and imprisoned.

In the prison the saints rejoiced and sang the Psalms of David. Saint Leontius inspired and encouraged the brethren, preparing them to accept new tortures for the true Faith, and telling them of the bravery of all those who had suffered previously for Christ. In the morning, after repeated refusals to offer sacrifice to the idols, the saints were subjected to further tortures.

Saint Leontius, seeing the intense suffering of the martyrs, and fearful that some of them might falter and lose faith, prayed to God that these torments would end quickly for all of them.

When the holy martyrs were singing Psalms at midnight, an Angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to them, and the prison blazed with light. The Angel declared to the martyrs that their contest was coming to an end, and their names already were inscribed in Heaven. Two of the prison guards, Meneus and Virilad, saw what was happening and believed in Christ.

On the following morning, Lysias decided to ask them if they had changed their minds and were willing to worship the idols. With one mouth, the Saints replied: “We are Christians! We are Christians!” Insane with rage, Lysias ordered that their hands and feet be cut off, and then threw them into the fire. After this, their bones were tossed into a river. Later on, when freedom had been given to the Church of Christ, a church was built on the spot and was dedicated to the 45 Holy Martyrs of Nikopolis.

The Placing of the Precious Robe of Our Lord Jesus Christ at Moscow (1625): The Savior’s precious Robe [ Greek “himatia”, literally “over-garments”] is not identically the same thing as His seamless coat [Greek “khiton”, literally “under-garb tunic”]. They are clearly distinct within Holy Scripture. “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments (ta himatia) and divided them into four parts, to every soldier a part, and the coat (kai ton khitona). Now the coat was without seam, woven whole from the top down. Therefore, they said among themselves, let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it will become. Thus the saying in Scripture was fulfilled: they divided My raiment (ta imatia) among them, and upon My vesture (epi ton himatismon) did they cast lots” (John. 19: 23-24; Ps. 21 [22]: 18-19).

According to the tradition of the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Chiton of the Lord was carried by the Hebrew rabbi Elioz from Jerusalem to Mtsket and at present is beneath a crypt in the foundations of the Mtsket Patriarchal cathedral of Svetitskhoveli (the Feast in honor of the Chiton of the Lord is celebrated on October 1). None of the Mohammedan invaders ever ventured to encroach upon this spot, glorified with a sign by the mercy of God, the Life-Creating Pillar.

The Robe of the Lord, actually one of its four parts, the lower portion specifically (other parts of the Robe of the Lord are also known in Western Europe: in the city of Trier in Germany, and in Argenteuil near Paris in France), just like the Chiton of the Lord, came to be in Georgia. In contrast to the Chiton, the Robe portion was not kept underground, but was in the treasury of the Svetitskhoveli cathedral right up to the seventeenth century. Then the Persian Shah Abbas I, in devastating Georgia, along with other treasures also carried off the Robe of the Lord. In order to ingratiate himself with Tsar Michael Feodorovich, the Shah sent the Robe of the Lord as a gift to Patriarch Philaret (1619-1633) and Tsar Michael in 1625. The authenticity of the Robe was attested by Nectarius, Archbishop of Vologda, also by Patriarch Theophanes of Jerusalem, who had come from Byzantium, and by Joannicius the Greek, but especially also by the miraculous signs worked by the Lord through the venerable relic.

Afterwards two parts of the Robe came to be in Peterburg: one in the cathedral at the Winter Palace, and the other in Saints Peter and Paul cathedral. A portion of the Robe was also preserved at the Dormition cathedral in Moscow, and small portions at Kiev’s Sophia cathedral, at the Ipatiev monastery near Kostroma and at certain other old temples. At Moscow annually on July 10 the Robe of the Lord is solemnly brought out of a chapel named for the holy Apostles Peter and Paul at the Dormition cathedral, and it is placed on a stand for veneration during the time of divine services. After Liturgy they carry the Robe to its former place.

On this day a service to the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord is proper, since the Placing of the Robe in the Dormition cathedral in 1625 took place on March 29, which happened to be the Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross during the Great Fast.

The Holy Schemamonk Silvanus (Silouan) of the Kiev Caves, zealously preserved the purity of both soul and body, he subdued his flesh with fasting and vigils, and he cleansed his soul with prayer and meditation on God. The Lord granted him an abundance of spiritual gifts: a prayerful boldness towards God, constant joy in the Lord, clairvoyance and wonderworking. The monk lived at the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries. His relics rest in the Caves.

The Holy Martyr Apollonius came from the city of Sardis, located in Lydia (Asia Minor). He declared himself a Christian and was arrested. When they demanded that he swear an oath on the name of the emperor, he refused, saying that it was improper to swear on the name of a mortal man. They tortured Apollonius for a long time and then crucified him. This occurred at Iconium either under the emperor Decius (249-251) or the emperor Valerian (253-259).

Saint Bianor came from the Pisidia district of Asia Minor. As a confessor of Christianity they brought him to the prefect of the city of Isauria in Lykaonia, who demanded that Saint Bianor renounce Christ. The saint stood steadfast in the true Faith, in spite of the refined tortures. A man by the name of Silvanus beheld the suffering of the martyr. The endurance and bravery of Saint Bianor inspired the faith of Christ in Silvanus, and he openly declared this. They cut out his tongue and then cut off his head. Saint Bianor, after long torturing, was also beheaded.

The date of the suffering of the holy Martyrs Bianor and Silvanus is not precisely known. It is presumed that they died in Pisidia under the Roman emperor Diocletian (284-305).

These holy martyrs of Christ, who lived in the deserts and caves of the Nitrian desert, were delivered up by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria to face a bitter death. He falsely accused them of Origenism, but in fact they incurred the patriarch’s anger by giving shelter to the priest Isidore.

No information available at this time.

No information available at this time.

According to Tradition, the Konevits Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought from Mount Athos by Saint Arsenios the wonderworker (June 12) in the year 1393. He was tonsured as a monk at Lisogorsk Monastery in Novgorod, and then spent three years living on Mount Athos. Igoumen John Zidon gave him a Greek icon when he blessed him to return to Rus’ and to build a monastery in honor of the Virgin.

Saint Arsenios sailed the Volkhov River to the great Lake Neva (Ladoga), praying that the Lord would direct him to the place where the monastery should be built. The boat was driven by the wind to Konevits Island. Regarding this as a sign from God, Saint Arsenios landed on the island and climbed a hill (now known as the Holy Hill). There he set up a wooden Cross.

He stopped at an island of Lake Ladoga which was quite near Valaam. This island was called "Konevitsa," or "the island of the horses." It was used as a summer pasture for horses, and was also a notable site for pagan sacrifices. According to local legend, evil spirits lived under a stone called "The Horse." Saint Arsenios expelled the demons with the Athonite Icon, holy water, and prayers. The Saint built a cell for himself, and then a church, which he dedicated to the Nativity of the Most HolyTheotokos. Almost immediately, monks flocked to the island, drawn by the reports of miracles which were wrought by the Mother of God through her holy Icon.

At that time the icon was called "The Holy Mountain" Icon (Святогорская). After a flood damaged the Monastery, the buildings were moved farther inland. After Saint Arsenios reposed (June 12, 1444), he appeared to a number of people, urging a certain blind man to go to the Icon in order to be healed.

Following the repose of the Monastery’s founder, monastic life continued peacefully under the heavenly protection of the Mother of God. However, in the XVI Century, the Swedes, who had recently become Lutherans, began to preach their faith in the Karelian lands. In 1577 they sought to destroy Konevits Monastery, which was a stronghold of Orthodoxy. In answer to the monks’ prayers, a strong wind arose and broke the ice surrounding the Monastery, preventing the foe from crossing over to the island. On July 10, 1576 a miracle took place, providing the date for the Icon's annual commemoration. There is no precise information concerning this miracle, except that it was somehow connected with an attack by the Swedes.

The Swedes invaded Karelia in 1610 during their war with Russia, so the brethren were forced to leave Konevits Monastery once again. The Icon was transferred from the Konevits Monastery to Novgorod's Derevianits monastery with the blessing of Archbishop Isidore of Novgorod. After defeating the Swedes in 1718, Tsar Peter I ordered that the Konevits Monastery be restored. It took more than fifty years for the restoration work to be done (in 1766). The Icon of the Mother of God remained at Derevyanitsa Monastery until 1798. Then, with the blessing of Metropolitan Gabriel of Novgorod and St. Petersburg, it was transferred to Konevits. The Derevyanitsa Monastery was given a copy of the Icon in the silver frame which had previously contained the original Icon.

It was only in 1798, however, that Bartholomew, a builder from Kamenets, received permission from the Holy Synod to return the Holy Icon to Konevits. On June 3, 1799, Igoumen Bartholomew departed with the Icon for St. Petersburg, where the Icon remained until September of that year. During those two months, the Icon performed many miracles. Through the efforts of certain benefactors in St. Petersburg, a silver gilt riza was fashioned for the Icon. When the riza was completed, Igoumen Bartholomew returned to Konevits Monastery with the Icon. There it was met with great solemnity by the monks on September 3, 1799. Miracles continued to occur after the Icon was returned to Konevits. Even today miracles take place, and the monks of the Monastery attest to them.

After its return to Konevits, the Icon remained there until 1940, when it was moved to Hiekka farm. In 1917 Konevits was part of Finland, and the Monastery became part of the new Finnish Orthodox Church. During the war years of 1939-1940 the Finnish authorities evacuated the monks from the island, and the monks took the wonderworking Konevits Icon with them.The community moved to Papinniemi, Heinavesi (New Valaamo) in 1956. To this day, the Icon remains at the New Valaamo Monastery in Finland, and only a recent copy is to be seen on Konevits Island.

The present Icon seems to have been painted in the late XV or early XVI century, based on the Icon given to Saint Arsenios. It has been painted over two times. On the reverse is the image of the Savior not made by Hands (August 16) on a dark blue background. The Icon was sent to Moscow for restoration in 1969 - 1970, with the permission of the Finnish Orthodox Church, and then it was returned to Finland. After restoration, the Icon was almost the same as it was before.

Before restoration, there were two doves in Christ's hand, but the original painting had only one. During the XIX century the Icon was in a church dedicated to the Meeting of The Lord in the Temple (February 2). A copy of the Icon from that time had two doves, probably representing the two doves offered by Saint Joseph the Betrothed and the All-Holy Virgin.

No purely Russian icon depicts the Theotokos with a blue maphorion. If it is blue, it is probably a Greek icon, or it is based on a Greek model. There is a connection between the Konevits Icon and Byzantine Hodēgḗtria icons of the Mother of God. Perhaps the painter of the Konevits Icon was influenced by the Tikhvin Icon, which was in Chicago's Holy Trinity Cathedral, and later returned to Russia.

The Icon may have been transferred to Finland as early as 1930. On several occasions during the 1950s the Icon stopped a number of fires. Although everything around it was burnt, the Icon remained unharmed. The latest of its many miracles took place during the 1960s.

The Icon measures about 20 inches by 16 inches. It is sometimes called Golubitskaya (Голубицкая), or the Icon “with the dove.” The veil of the Virgin is light blue instead of white. There are revered copies of the Konevits Icon in the Church of the Annunciation on the bank in Moscow, and in the Church of the Resurrection of Torzhok.

No information available at this time.