Lives of the Saints

The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God

The Placing of the Cincture (Sash) of the Mother of God

The Placing of the Venerable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in a church of Constantinople’s Chalcoprateia district took place during the reign of the emperor Theodosius the Younger. Before this the holy relic, entrusted to the Apostle Thomas by the Mother of God Herself, was kept by pious…

Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage

Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage

The Hieromartyr Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, was born in about the year 200 in the city of Carthage (Northern Africa), where all his life and work took place. Thascius Cyprianus was the son of a rich pagan senator, and received a fine secular education becoming a splendid orator, and a teacher of…

Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople, ascended the throne of the Church of Constantinople in the year 458, during the reign of the holy emperor Leo the Great (457-474). His life is known from the book The Spiritual Meadow in which tales of Saints Sophronius and John, monks of Salamis…

Saint Aidan, Bishop of Lindesfarne

Saint Aidan, Bishop of Lindesfarne

Saint Aidan, a steadfast defender of Celtic practices against the imposition of Roman usage, was born in Ireland (then called Scotland) in the seventh century. As a monk of the monastery founded by Saint Columba (June 9) on the island of Iona, he was known for his strict asceticism. When the holy…

Saint Eanswythe, Abbess of Folkestone

Saint Eanswythe, Abbess of Folkestone

Saint Eanswythe was born around 614, the only daughter of King Eadbald of Kent and his wife Emma, who was a Frankish princess. At the time of Eanswythe’s birth, her father was probably a pagan, while her mother was almost certainly a Christian. Therefore, it is highly likely that Eanswythe…

The restoration of the church of the Theotokos at Neorion

The church, which was the property of the patrician Anthony, was located in the courtyard of his home at Neorion.1 During its restoration, the church received miraculous grace, working many miracles for those who came to it with faith. After the patrician Anthony reposed, the church was abandoned…