Saint Joseph the Hymnographer, “the sweet-voiced nightingale of the Church,” was born in Sicily around the turn of the 9th century into a pious Christian family. His parents, Plotinos and Agatha, moved to the Peloponnesos to save themselves from barbarian invasions. When he was fifteen,…
Saint George lived during the ninth century. His parents arranged a marriage for him, but he refused to marry the woman they had chosen. He entered the monastery on Mount Maleon in the Peloponnesus, and many disciples gathered around him. He was able to see the future, and predicted his own death…
Saint Joseph the Much-Ailing lived during the fourteenth century. In his grievous illness he turned to God with prayer and vowed that if the Lord granted him health, he would then serve the brethren of the Kiev Caves monastery until the end of his days. After his return to health, he entered the…
Saint Zosimas of Vorbozomsk was the founder of a monastery dedicated to the Annuniciation of the Most Holy Theotokos on an island in Lake Vorbozoma, twenty-three versts south of White Lake. The monastery was founded in the fifteenth century. In 1501, the head of the monastery was Igumen Jonah, a…
Saint Zosimas was born near the end of the fifth century, and lived in a monastery by the Jordan River. He met Saint Mary of Egypt (April 1), gave her Holy Communion, then buried her. Saint Zosimas lived to be one hundred years old, then fell asleep in the Lord around 560.
The Holy Martyr Pherbutha (Phermoutha) and her sister and servants were martyred for Christ between the years 341 and 343. Saint Pherbutha and her sister were sisters of Bishop Simeon of Seleucia, who suffered for Christ under the Persian emperor Sapor between the years 341-344. Both sisters and…
The holy New Martyr Niketas (Nikḗtas) was a Slav from Albania, but we know nothing of his family or his early life. He lived on Mount Athos in the Russian monastery of Saint Panteleimon, then lived in the Skete of Saint Anne. Burning with a desire for martyrdom, he decided to travel to Serres. He…
Saint Isidore was born in the middle of the sixth century, and was related to the Visigoth royal family who converted to Orthodoxy from Arianism during his lifetime. Saint Isidore was the brother of three saints: Saint Leander (February 27), Saint Fulgentius, and Saint Florentina. Orphaned at an…
Saint Theonas was a disciple of Saint James of Kastoria (November 1), and lived at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He lived for some time in the Pantocrator and Simonopetra Monasteries on Mt. Athos. He founded the Monastery of Saint Anastasia, and was consecrated as Archbishop of…
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The Holy Gerontissa Icon of the Mother of God is kept reverently in Pantokrator Monastery on the Holy Mountain. It is a copy of the mosaic "Quick to Hear" Icon, which was located in Pantokrator Monastery in Constantinople. The name "Gerontissa" was given after a miracle of the Theotokos. When the…
The appearance of the Mother of God to Emperor Leo Marcellus occurred on April 4, 450. In addition to this day, on Friday of Bright Week, the Church remembers the rebuilding of the church of the Life-giving Fountain at Constantinople, and the great miracles which took place in that church in the…
At the beginning of the XIX century the remarkable ascetic Constantine Theodoulos was living as a monk on Mount Athos. This Elder had a wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which had been painted about 150 years before. After this ascetic's repose, the Icon was passed on to Constantine's disciple,…