The holy Prophet Obadiah [or Abdia] is the fourth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, and he lived during the ninth century B.C. He was from the village of Betharam, near Sichem, and he served as steward of the impious Israelite King Ahab. In those days the whole of Israel had turned away from the true…
The Holy Martyr Barlaam lived in Antioch of Syria. During Diocletian’s persecution against Christians, the aged Saint Barlaam was arrested and brought to trial, where he confessed himself a Christian. The judge, wanting to compel the saint to renounce Christ, ordered that Saint Barlaam be…
Saint Barlaam, Igumen of the Kiev Caves, lived during the eleventh century at Kiev, and was the son of an illustrious noble. From his youth, he yearned for the monastic life and he went to Saint Anthony of the Caves (July 10), who accepted the pious youth so firmly determined to become a monk, and…
The Uncovering of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Adrian of Poshekhonsk and Yaroslavl took place on November 19, 1625. On December 17, 1625, under Patriarch Philaret, his incorrupt relics were transferred to the monastery he founded. The account of the hieromartyr Adrian is located on the day of his…
The Holy Martyr Azes and with him 150 Soldiers suffered at Isauria, in Asia Minor, under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). For his confession of the Christian Faith, the saint was arrested and brought to trial before the eparch, Aquilinus. One hundred and fifty soldiers had been sent to arrest the…
The Holy Martyr Heliodorus lived during the reign of the emperor Aurelian (270-275) in the city of Magidum (Pamphylia). The ruler of the city, Aetius, subjected the saint to fierce tortures for his faith in Christ and had him beheaded.
Saint Hilarion the Georgian was the son of a Kakheti aristocrat. There were other children in the family, but only Hilarion was dedicated to God from his very birth. Hilarion’s father built a monastery on his own land, and there the boy was raised. At the age of fourteen Hilarion left the…
Saint Philaret (Drozdov) was born on December 26, 1782 in Kolomna, a suburb of Moscow, and was named Basil in Baptism. His father was a deacon (who later became a priest). The young Basil studied at the Kolomna seminary, where courses were taught in Latin. He was small in stature, and far from…
The exact origin of the “Consolation in Afflictions and Sorrows” Icon of the Mother of God is unknown, but the lettering on the Icon indicates that it is very ancient. There is a tradition that the Icon belonged to the holy Patriarch Athanasios III of Constantinople (May 2). This Icon…
These Christian monks are mentioned in The Lives of Saints Barlaam and Ioasaph (November 19), by Saint John of Damascus (December 4). They suffered in the IV century when King Abenner ruled India. He hated Christians because they were converting his people to Christ, and some of them even became…