Righteous Theodore of Novgorod the Fool-For-Christ
Blessed Theodore of Novgorod was the son of pious parents, wealthy citizens of Novgorod. Having been raised in strict Christian piety, and having reached the age of maturity, he took on himself the ascetic deed of foolishness for Christ’s sake. He gave all his possessions to the poor, and he…
Translation of the relics of Venerable Theodore, Abbot of Studion
Today the Church commemorates the transfer of the sacred relics of Saint Theodore of Studion (November 11) from the island of Prinkēpo to Studion Monastery, which occurred in the year 844 (or 845), under Patriarch Methodios of Constantinople (842 - 846). The holy Confessor's relics were preserved…
Saint Joseph, Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of Saint Theodore of Studion
Saint Joseph, Archbishop of Thessalonica, was brother of Saint Theodore the Studite (November 11), and together they pursued a life of asceticism under the guidance of Saint Platon (April 5) in the monastery at Sakkudion, Bithynia. Because of his ascetic life, Saint Joseph was unanimously chosen…
The Holy New Martyr Theodore was born in the city of Mytilene, where he married and raised children in Orthodox piety. He renounced Christ and accepted the Moslem religion, but soon repented of his sin, left his family and went to Mt. Athos. But even in the monastery Saint Theodore was deeply…
The Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates came from the city of Euchaita in Asia Minor. He was endowed with many talents, and was handsome in appearance. For his charity God enlightened him with the knowledge of Christian truth. The bravery of the saintly soldier was revealed after he, with the help of…
Righteous Theodora, wife of Emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast
Holy Empress Theodora was the wife of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus the Iconoclast (829-842), but she did not share in the heresy of her husband and secretly venerated the holy icons. After the death of her husband, Saint Theodora governed the realm because her son Michael was a minor. She…
Translation of the Relics of Martyrs Michael and his councilor, Theodore, of Chernígov
The Right-believing Prince Michael of Chernigov and his Boyar Theodore were put to death by Batu of the Golden Horde on September 20, 1244. At first, some devout Russian Christians secretly took their relics. Later, the relics of the holy wonderworkers were transferred to the city of Vladimir, then…
The Holy Martyr Theodore was from Pérgē of Pamphylia and was executed by Emperor Antoninus Pius (138 – 161). Out of pious zeal, Saint Theodore destroyed the idols and temples of the pagans. He was arrested for this, however, and was later subjected to horrible tortures. They placed him on red…
The Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit1 was a soldier in the city of Amáseia in Pontus (Asia Minor) on the coast of the Euxine (Black) Sea, under the command of the Praepositus (regimental commander) Brincus. Saint Theodore was ordered to offer sacrifice to idols, but he proclaimed his faith…
Saint Theodore the Silent of the Caves chose the exploit of silence, in order to dwell constantly in remembrance of God, and to safeguard himself from temptation even by a word. He was glorified by the Lord with the gift of wonderworking. His memory is celebrated also on August 28.
The Holy New Martyr Theodore was born of pious parents in Neochorion near Constantinople in 1774. He worked in the palace of the Sultan, where he converted to Islam. When a plague broke out in Constantinople, he realized the gravity of his sin and returned to Christianity. He went to Chios and…
Holy Hieromartyr Theodore of Atchara belongs to the glorious multitude of Atcharan faithful who were martyred at the hands of the Ottomans. Saint Theodore was born in the late 18th century. At that time the Ottoman invaders had nearly completed the forced Islamization of the Atcharan region. They…
Saint Theodore was born near the town of Romanov in the province of Yaroslavl in 1719, the son of Prince Ignatius Ushakov and his wife Paraskevḗ (or Irene). At his Baptism, he was named John. As a young man, John Ushakov enlisted in the Preobrazhensky Guard Regiment in Petersburg, and attained…
Martyrs Maurice and his son, Photinus, and Martyrs Theodore, Philip, and 70 soldiers, at Apamea in Syria
Saint Maurice, a military commander of Syrian Apamea, suffered in the year 305 under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311) together with his son Photinus and seventy soldiers under his command (only two of the soldiers’ names are known, Theodore and Philip). During a persecution, pagan…
Saint Theodora came from Tyre in Phoenicia. When she was seventeen years of age, she was brought before Urban, the ruler of Palestine, who asked her if she really believed in Christ. With remarkable courage, the holy virgin confessed that she truly believed. Then they flayed her sides and her…
Finding of the relics of Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslavl, and his children
On March 5, 1463, the relics of holy Prince Theodore and his sons, David and Constantine were uncovered at Yaroslavl. The chronicler, an eyewitness to the event, wrote: “At the city of Yaroslavl in the monastery of the Holy Savior they unearthed three Great Princes: Prince Theodore…
Saint Theodoritus was a presbyter and keeper of sacred vessels at the cathedral church in Antioch. This church was built and richly adorned by the emperor Saint Constantine the Great (May 21) and his son Constantius, and the people called it “the Golden church.” Having occupied the…
The Saint Theodore—Kostroma Icon of the Mother of God was painted by the Evangelist Luke, and it closely resembles the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. The Icon received its name from the Great Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich (+ 1246), the father of Saint Alexander Nevsky, and in Holy Baptism…
Virgin Martyrs Alexandria, Claudia, Euphrasia, Matrona, Juliana, Euphemia, and Theodora
These Saints lived during the reign of the impious Emperor Maximian, who was joint Emperor with Diocletian (286-305, and 307-308) who began a great persecution of Christians. At that time, men and women of all ages confessed Christ, and were put to death. Carrying out the tyrant's decree, but…
Saint Theodora of Thessaloniki was born of Christian parents named Anthony and Chrysánthē, who lived on the island of Aegina. Loving Christ from a young age, she forsook worldly pursuits. When she reached her majority, Saint Theodora was married and soon gave birth to a daughter. During an…
Martyrs Leonidas, Chariessa, Nice, Galina, Kalista, Nunechia, Basilissa, Theodora, and Irene, of Corinth
The Holy Martyr Leonidas and the Holy Martyrs Charissa, Nike (Nika, Victoria), Galina, Kalista (Kalida), Nunekhia, Basilissa, Irene, and Theodora suffered at Corinth in the year 258. They threw them into the sea, but they did not drown. Instead, they walked upon the water as if on dry land, singing…
Venerable Theodore Trichinas “the Hair-Shirt Wearer” and Hermit Near Constantinople
Saint Theodore Trichinas was born in Constantinople, the son of wealthy and pious parents. From childhood Saint Theodore was inclined toward monasticism, so he left his home, family, and former life in order to enter a monastery in Thrace. There he began his arduous ascetic struggles. He dressed in…
Hieromartyr Theodore of Perge in Pamphylia, his mother, Philippa, and Martyrs Dioscorus, Socrates, and Dionysius
The Holy Martyrs Theodore, his mother Philippa, Dioscorus, Socrates and Dionysius suffered during the reign of the emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) in Perge, Pamphylia. When they were conscripting robust and healthy young men for military service, then they led the youth Theodore and the others to…
Saint Theodore the Sykeote, Bishop of Anastasiopolis
Saint Theodore the Sykeote was born in the mid-sixth century in the village of Sykeon, not far from the city of Anastasiopolis (in Galatia, Asia Minor), into a pious family. When his mother Maria conceived the Saint, she had a vision of a bright star shining over her womb. She consulted a…
The Recovery of the Relics of Saint Theodore of Sanaxar
The Relics of Hieromonk Theodore (Ushakov) the restorer of the Monastery, were recovered on April 21, 1999, and he was glorified for local veneration on June 28/July 11, 1999. Present at the celebrations and the rite of canonization, which was performed by the ruling Bishop, His Grace Bishop…
Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, disciple of Venerable Pachomius the Great
Saint Theodore was called “Sanctified” because he was the first in his monastery ordained to the priesthood. Saint Theodore came from Egypt and was the son of rich and illustrious Christian parents. The yearning for monastic life appeared early in him. Once there was a large party at…
Venerable Constantine, (in baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom
The Holy Princes Constantine and his sons Michael and Theodore of Murom lived during the eleventh-twelfth centuries. Prince Constantine, a descendant of Saint Vladimir, asked his father, Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov, to give him the city of Murom, which was inhabited by pagans, so he might…
Virgin Martyr Theodora and Martyr Didymus the Soldier, of Alexandria
The Holy Martyrs Theodora the Virgin and Didymus the Soldier suffered for Christ during the persecution against Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), in the city of Alexandria in either the year 303 or 304. The Virgin Martyr Theodora, standing trial before the prefect Eustratius of…
Repose of Saint Theodore Yaroslavich, older brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky
Holy Prince Theodore of Novgorod, the elder brother of Saint Alexander Nevsky, was born in the year 1218. His princely service to his native land began at a very early age. In 1229 both brothers had been left in Novgorod by their father Yaroslav Vsevolodovich as his representatives. But not even a…
Venerable Theodore, Wonderworker and Hermit of the Jordan
Saint Theodore the Wonderworker lived during the sixth century. In his youth he forsook the world in order to become a monk, withdrawing into the Jordanian wilderness. He lived a life of asceticism, and so he received from God the gift of wonderworking. Once, while he was journeying to…
Translation of the relics of the Greatmartyr Theodore Stratelates
The Holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates suffered for Christ in Heraklea on February 8, 319. At the time of his sufferings the holy Great Martyr Theodore ordered his servant Varus to bury his body on the estate of his parents in Euchaita. The transfer of the relics of the Great Martyr Theodore…
The great wonderworker Saint Theodore, who was a Greek by birth, was the first Bishop of Rostov. He was consecrated as a bishop in the year 991 or 992. At that time, most of the Rostov territory was still pagan, and Saint Theodore worked tirelessly to proclaim the Gospel to the people of that area.…
Saint Tevdore was a simple priest who labored in the 16th century in the village of Kvelta. At that time the Ottoman Empire and Persia were locked in a bitter feud over control of the Near East. At the beginning of 1609 the Ottomans conquered first the city of Baghdadi, then part of Samtskhe in…
Translation of the relics of Saint Theodore the Sykeote
The transfer of the relics of Saint Theodore the Sykeote from Galatia to Constantinople occurred no later than the IX century. In the year 1200, his relics were seen by the Russian pilgrim Anthony in the Monastery of Saint George. Saint Theodore's principal Feast Day is on April 22.
The Saint’s father was named Symeon, and his mother’s name was Maria. He received a good education and was distinguished for his philosophical knowledge, as well as for rhetoric. At the age of ten he was left as an orphan and gave half of his parents’ wealth to his sister, and…
Hieromartyr Theodore, Bishop of Cyrene in Libya, and those with him
The Hieromartyr Theodore, Bishop of Cyrene, lived during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Skilled at writing, and having attained great skill in calligraphy, he transcribed many books for the churches. His son Leo denounced him to the district governor, Dignianus, saying that his…
Saint Theodore, Bishop of Edessa, was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. All his life the holy saint was a bright witness of the great deeds of God, glorified in His Saints. At twelve years of age, after he lost his parents and gave away his inheritance to the poor, he went to Jerusalem, where he…
The Holy Martyrs Theodore the Varangian and his son John lived at Kiev in the tenth century, when the Varangians, ancestors of the present day Swedes and Norwegians took an active role in the governance and military life of Rus. Merchants and soldiers, they opened up new trade routes to Byzantium…
Although the commemoration of these saints is on August 29, their celebration was moved to August 3 because of the Feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.
Saint Theodora was born in Aegina. After her marriage, she and her husband moved to Thessaloniki because of the raids of the Saracens. After her husband's death she entered the Monastery of Saint Stephen with her daughter Theopiste. She lived a life of great virtue and reposed in the year 892.…
Saint Theodora of Sihla, who is one of the greatest of Romania’s women ascetics, was born in the village of Vânatori in Neamts County in the first half of the seventeenth century, and was one of the two daughters of Stephen Joldea and his wife. In her youth, Saint Theodora experienced…
The Hieromartyrs Basil and Theodore of the Caves pursued asceticism in the eleventh century in the Near Caves of Kiev. Saint Theodore distributed his riches to the poor, went to the monastery and settled into the Varangian Cave, adjoining the Caves of Saint Theodosius. He dwelt here many years in…
Saint Theodosius (Prince Theodore of Ostrog) of the Kiev Caves
Saint Theodore, Prince of Ostrog, gained fame with the construction of churches and by his defense of Orthodoxy in Volhynia against the enroachment of Papism. He was descended from Saint Vladimir (July 15), through a great-grandson Svyatopolk-Michael, prince of Turov (1080-1093) and later Great…
Tradition ascribes a very ancient origin to this famous Icon. It is regarded as one of the icons painted by the Holy Evangelist Luke. It is not known by whom or when the Icon was brought to Russia, but at the beginning of the XII century it was kept in an old wooden chapel near the city of Kitezh.…
Venerable Theodoritus, Enlightener of the Lapps, Solovki
Saint Theodoritus left home and went to the Solovki Monastery when he was only thirteen years old. The following year he was tonsured and placed under obedience to the wise Father Zosimas. For the next fifteen years he grew in wisdom and virtue, then was ordained a deacon by the Archbishop of…
Martyrs Theodore, Mianus, Julian, Kion, and Centurionus, of Nicomedia
The Holy Martyrs Theodore, Mianus (Ammianus), Julian and Kion (Oceanus) lived during the reign of Maximian (284-305)and were from the village of Quandababa (near Nicomedia). For confessing faith in Christ they were arrested and given over to torture. At first their bodies were torn with sharp iron…
Martyrs Urban, Theodore, Medimnus, and 77 companions, at Nicomedia
The Martyrs Urban, Theodore, Medimnus and seventy-seven companions suffered at Nicomedia during the reign of the Arian emperor Valentus (Valens) (364-378 or 379). The Orthodox bishop Evagrius was banished from the Church of Constantinople, and Christians not wishing to accept the Arian heresy were…
Saint Theodora of Alexandria and her husband lived in Alexandria. Love and harmony ruled in their family, and this was hateful to the Enemy of salvation. Goaded on by the devil, a certain rich man was captivated by the youthful beauty of Theodora and began with all his abilities to lead her into…
This Saint Theodore of Alexandria is not the same person as Saint Theodore the Bishop of Alexandria (December 3). Today’s saint was a simple Christian who was thrown into prison for confessing Christ. Later, he was tortured and thrown into the sea, but remained unharmed. Saint Theodore was…
Saint Theodore, Prince of Smolensk and Yaroslav, and his sons Saints David and Constantine
The holy right-believing Prince Theodore of Smolensk and Yaroslavl, nicknamed the “Black” [i.e. “dark” or “swarthy”], was born at a terrible time for Rus: the Mongol invasion of 1237-1239. At Baptism he was named for the holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates…
Saint Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury
Saint Theodore was the eighth Archbishop of Canterbury (668-690), and one of England’s great saints. He was a Greek from Tarsus, the home of Saint Paul. He was a highly-educated monk living in Rome who was quickly advanced through all the clerical ranks and consecrated as Archbishop of…
Holy Martyr and Confessor Michael and his councilor, Theodore, Wonderworkers of Chernigov
The Holy Right-believing Prince Michael of Chernigov, the son of Vsevolod Olgovich Chermny (+ 1212), was born in 1179 (or 1195). From his childhood Prince Michael was known for his piety and meekness. His health was very poor, but in 1186, trusting in God's mercy, he asked for the holy prayers of…
Saint Jonah the Presbyter, father of Saint Theophanes the Hymnographer and Theodore Graptus
Saint Jonah the Presbyter, Father of Saints Theophanes the Hymnographer (October 11) and Theodore the Branded (December 27), lived in Palestine in the late eighth to early ninth centuries. Saint Jonah lived a virtuous and holy life. He had two sons who were glorified afterwards for their…
Righteous Admiral Theodore Ushakov of the Russian Naval Fleet
Saint Theodore, one of Russia’s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745. The unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country’s enemies, and the deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served during the Russo-Turkish War…
Saints Paul and Theodore of Rostov founded a monastery at the River Ust, not far from Rostov, in honor of the holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb (May 2). Saint Theodore (November 28) first came to the site of the future monastery from the Novgorod region. Saint Paul came three years later for ascetic…
Venerable Theodore the Confessor, Abbot of the Studion
Saint Theodore the Confessor, Abbot of the Studion was born in the year 758 at Constantinople into a family of the imperial tax-collector Photinus and his spouse Theoctiste, both pious Christians. Saint Theodore received a good education from the best rhetoricians, philosophers and theologians in…
Saint Theodora was the wife of Saint Justinian the emperor, and lived during the sixth century. The Empress Theodora was at first a notorious harlot and actress, and an adherent of the Monophysite heresy, but then she repented. After becoming empress, she led a virtuous life, maintaining purity of…
The Holy Martyr Theodore of Antioch, a fifteen-year-old youth, was condemned to fierce torments by the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). Because he was responsible for the translation of the relics of Saint Babylas (September 4) from Daphne to Antioch, he was arrested and tortured. The…
Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Rostov (John in the world) was the son of Stephen (the brother of Saint Sergius of Radonezh), who occupied an important post under Prince Andrew of Radonezh. Left as a widower, Stephen became a monk, and along with his twelve-year-old son, he went to the Monastery to…
The Hieromartyr Theodore, Bishop of Alexandria, was born in Egypt in the city of Alexandria. This city was famous for its many martyrs and confessors: from the holy Evangelist Mark, Protomartyr of Alexandria (April 25), to Saint Athanasius the Great (January 18 and May 2), a pillar and confessor of…
Venerable Theodore Graptus, “the branded,” Confessor
Saint Theodore the Confessor, and his brother Theophanes (October 11) were born in Jerusalem of Christian parents. From early childhood Theodore shunned childish amusements and loved to attend church services. With his younger brother Theophanes (October 11), he was sent to the Lavra of Saint Savva…
Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Constantinople, was a native of Constantinople, led a pious life, was ordained as a priest and served in the cathedral of Hagia Sophia, where he was also the keeper of the sacred vessels. In the year 676 he was chosen to be Patriarch of Constantinople, although after…
Saint Theodora of Caesarea, living during the eighth century, was the daughter of the patrician Theophilus and his wife Theodora. Her parents for a long time had been childless, and grieved over this. They prayed and vowed that if a child were born to them, it would be dedicated to God. When their…
Saint Theodora lived at Constantinople during the first half of the tenth century. She had been married, but was widowed early on and led a pious life, caring for the destitute and hopeless. Later, she became a nun and lived under the guidance of Saint Basil the New (March 26), living the monastic…