Lives of the Saints

Bright Wednesday

Bright Wednesday

On Bright Wednesday we commemorate the holy monastic Fathers who have shone forth on the God-trodden Mt Sinai. This commemoration was established by the Church of Russia on April 17, 1997. Saints Theocharis and Apostolos are local saints of Arta. The first fell asleep in 1845 and the second a…

Venerable John, disciple of Venerable Gregory of Decapolis

Venerable John, disciple of Venerable Gregory of Decapolis

Saint John was born at the end of the eighth century. At a young age he became a disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis (November 20) and accepted monastic tonsure from him at a monastery in Thessalonica. Under the guidance of this experienced teacher, Saint John attained great spiritual…

Martyr Victor, and his companions, of Nicomedia

Martyr Victor, and his companions, of Nicomedia

The Holy Martyrs Victor, Zoticus, Acindynus, Zeno, Severian and Caesarius suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) when he began a fierce persecution against Christians. One of the first to suffer was the holy Great Martyr and Victory-Bearer George (April 23). Saint George’s unshakable…

Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Chalcedon, and his fellow ascetic, Saint Auxentius

Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Chalcedon, and his fellow ascetic, Saint Auxentius

Saint Cosmas, Bishop of Chalcedon, and his companion Saint Auxentius, lived during the ninth century, at a time when the Iconoclasts oppressed the Orthodox. Saint Cosmas while still in his youth had entered a monastery and received monastic tonsure. Later, he was consecrated as Bishop of Chalcedon,…

New Martyr John the New of Epirus

New Martyr John the New of Epirus

The holy martyr John Kulikos was born in the Greek district of Epirus, in the city of Ioannina. His parents were pious, but he was orphaned at an early age, and he went to Constantinople. With the means left him by his parents, he built a small stall in the city bazaar and was occupied with trade.…

Venerable Euthymius, Enlightener of Karelia, Finland and the Righteous Anthony and Felix

Venerable Euthymius, Enlightener of Karelia, Finland and the Righteous Anthony and Felix

According to an ancient manuscript Hemerologion (Ημερολογιον), Saint Euthymios was born in the second half of the XIV century. From his youth, he felt drawn to the monastic life, so when he reached adulthood, he travelled north around the year 1400, in order to live as an Anchorite.…

“Maximov” Icon of the Mother of God

“Maximov” Icon of the Mother of God

The Saint Maximus Icon is in the cathedral church of the city of Vladimir. Metropolitan Maximus (December 6), a Greek by birth, painted the Icon in 1299, as he was told to do in a vision while he slept in his cell. When St. Maximus arrived in Vladimir from Kiev, the Mother of God appeared to him in…

Saint Basil Ratishvili of Georgia

Saint Basil Ratishvili of Georgia

Saint Basil Ratishvili, one of the most prominent figures of the 13th-century Church, was the uncle of Catholicos Ekvtime III. He labored with the other Georgian fathers at the Ivḗron Monastery on Mt. Athos. Endowed with the gift of prophecy, Saint Basil beheld a vision in which the Most Holy…