Lives of the Saints

Saint Metrophanes, first Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Metrophanes, first Patriarch of Constantinople

Saint Metrophanes, Patriarch of Constantinople, was a contemporary of Saint Constantine the Great (306-337). His father, Dometius, was a brother of the Roman emperor Probus (276-282). Seeing the falseness of the pagan religion, Dometius came to believe in Christ. During a time of terrible…

Righteous Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus

Righteous Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus

The righteous sisters Martha and Mary were believers in Christ even before He raised their brother Saint Lazarus (October 17) from the dead. After the murder of the holy Archdeacon Stephen a persecution against the Jerusalem Church broke out, and Righteous Lazarus was cast out of Jerusalem. The…

Venerable Methodius, Abbot of Peshnosha, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

Saint Methodius, Igumen of Peshnosha was the founder of the Peshnosha monastery. In his youth he went to Saint Sergius of Radonezh and spent several years under his guidance. Later on, with the blessing of Saint Sergius, he withdrew to a solitary place and built himself a cell in the forest beyond…

Martyrs Frontasius, Severinus, Severian, and Silanus, of Gaul

The Holy Martyrs Frontasius, Severinus, Severian, and Silanus suffered for Christ under the emperor Claudius (41-54). They had been sent to preach the Word of God in southern Gaul (now France) by Bishop Frontonus of Petragorium. The governor, a pagan named Squiridonus, arrested them and demanded…

Martyr Concordius of Spoleto

The Holy Martyr Concordius, son of the presbyter Gordian, was raised in piety and faith in Christ, and therefore Bishop Pius of Rome made him a subdeacon. Together with his father, Saint Concordius fasted and prayed, and he generously distributed alms to the needy. With the permission of his father…

Hieromartyr Astius, Bishop of Dyrrachium in Macedonia

The Hieromartyr Astius was bishop of the city of Dyrrachium (Macedonia) during the time of the emperor Trajan (98-117), a persecutor of Christians. The saint once had a dream, a foreboding of his impending suffering and death for Christ. He was arrested and beaten fiercely with leaden rods and…

Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon

Venerable Father Zosima, Bishop of Babylon

Saint Zosima, Bishop of Babylon, was born in Cilicia (Asia Minor). While still a youth he left the world and settled on Mount Sinai, and later he withdrew to a more solitary place in Lebanon. One time he encountered an elderly ascetic, who foretold that he would be bishop in Babylon. When Zosima…

Venerable Sophia of Ainos

Venerable Sophia of Ainos

Our venerable Mother Sophia was born in the province of Ainos in southeastern Thrace , and was the daughter of pious Christian parents. When she was of age, her parents arranged for her to be married. She and her husband had six children. Though she was occupied with worldly cares and…

Martyrs of Niculitsel

Martyrs of Niculitsel

The graves of Saints Zoticus, Atallus, Camisius and Philip were discovered in 1971. Lesser Scythia (modern Romania), between the Danube and the Black Sea in the northeastern territory of the Roman Empire, was a place of exile or death for Christians who refused to worship the pagan gods. During the…

New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm

New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm

The holy New Martyr Archbishop Andronicus of Perm was an outspoken critic of the Communist decree which ordered the separation of Church and State. Upon reading the Moscow Overland Assembly’s instructions on the matter, Archbishop Andronicus ordered his archdeacon to anathematize the…