The Virgin Martyr Febronia suffered during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). She was raised at a monastery in the city of Sivapolis (Assyria). The head of the women’s monastery was the abbess Bryaίnē, the aunt of Saint Febronia. Being concerned about her niece’s salvation, she assigned her a stricter form of life than the other nuns. According to their monastic rule, on Fridays the sisters put aside their other duties and spent the whole day in prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture. The abbess usually assigned the reading to Saint Febronia.

News of her pious life spread throughout the city. The illustrious young widow Hieria, a pagan, began to visit her, and under the influence of her guidance and prayer she accepted holy Baptism, bringing her parents and kinsfolk to the Christian Faith.

Diocletian sent a detachment of soldiers to Assyria under the command of Lysimachus, Selinus and Primus for the destruction of Christians. Selenos, the uncle of Lysimachus, was noted for his fierce attitude against Christians, but Lysimachus was of a different frame of mind from him, since his mother had sought to inspire love for the Christian faith in her son, and she had died a Christian. Lysimachus had discussed with his kinsman Primus how it would be possible to deliver Christians from the hands of the torturer. When the detachment of soldiers approached the convent, its inhabitants hid. There remained only the abbess Bryaίnē, her helper Thomais and Saint Febronia, who was seriously ill at the time.

It grieved the abbess terribly that her niece might fall into the hands of the torturers, who might defile her. She prayed fervently that the Lord would preserve her and strengthen her in the confession of Christ the Savior. Selinus gave orders to bring him all the nuns of the convent. Primus with the detachment of soldiers found no one, except the two old women and Saint Febronia. He regretted that they had not hidden, and he suggested to the nuns that they flee. But the nuns decided not to leave the place of their labors and they entrusted themselves to the will of the Lord.

Primus told Lysimachus about the particular beauty of Saint Febronia and advised him to take her for himself. Lysimachus said that he would not seduce a virgin dedicated to God, and he asked Primus to hide the other nuns somewhere so that they would not fall into the hands of Selinus. One of the soldiers overheard the conversation and told Selinus. They led Saint Febronia off to the military commander with her hands bound and a chain around her neck. Selinus urged her to deny Christ, promising her honors, rewards, and marriage with Lysimachus. The holy virgin firmly and fearlessly answered that she had an Immortal Bridegroom, and she would not exchange Him for any mortal man. Selinus subjected her to fierce torture. The saint prayed, “My Savior, do not abandon me in this terrible hour!”

They beat the martyr for a long time, and blood flowed from her wounds. In order to intensify the suffering of Saint Febronia, they tied her to a tree and set a fire under it. The tortures were so inhuman, that the people began to demand an end to the torture, since there was no confession of guilt by the girl. Selinus continued to mock and jeer at the martyr, but Saint Febronia became silent. Because of weakness she was unable to utter a word. In a rage Selinus gave orders to tear out her tongue, smash her teeth, and finally, to cut off both hands and feet. The people were unable to bear such a horrid spectacle and they left the scene of the torture, cursing Diocletian and his gods.

Among the crowd was the nun Thomais, who afterwards recorded Saint Febronia’s martyrdom in detail, and also her student Hieria. She came forth out of the crowd and in the hearing of all reproached Selinus for his boundless cruelty. He gave orders to arrest her, but learning that Hieria was of illustrious standing whom he could not readily subject to torture, he said, “By your speech you have brought on Febronia even greater torment.” Finally, they beheaded the holy Martyr Febronia.

Departing the place of execution, Lysimachus wept and withdrew to his quarters. Selinus made ready to eat, but he was not able to take food, and went off to the quiet of his own chambers. Suddenly, he became like one deranged. Looking up to the heavens, he raved and bellowed like a bull, then fell down and struck his head on a marble column and died. When Lysimachus learned of this, he said, “ Great is the God of the Christians, Who has avenged Febronia’s blood, so unrighteously shed!” He prepared a coffin, placed the martyr’s body in it, and took it to the convent.

Abbess Bryaίnē fell senseless, seeing the mutilated remains of Saint Febronia. Later, she recovered her senses and gave orders to open the convent gates so that all would be able to come and venerate the holy martyr and glorify God Who had given her such endurance in suffering for Christ. Lysimachus and Primus renounced their idol worship and accepted both Baptism and monasticism. Hieria gave her wealth to the convent and petitioned Abbess Bryaίnē to accept her at the convent in place of Saint Febronia.

Every year, on the day of the martyric death of Saint Febronia, a solemn feast was celebrated at the convent. During the time of the all-night Vigil the nuns always saw Saint Febronia, at her usual place in church. From the relics of Saint Febronia occurred numerous miracles and healings. The Life of Saint Febronia was recorded by the nun Thomais, an eyewitness to her deeds.

In the year 363 the relics of Saint Febronia were transferred to Constantinople.

Soon after the death of Saint Febronia, Saint James the Bishop of Nisibis (January 13) built a church and transferred into it a portion of the of the holy martyr’s relics.

Holy Prince Peter (David in monasticism) and Holy Princess Febronia (Euphrosynē in monasticism), Wonderworkers of Murom. Prince Peter was the second son of the Murom prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He entered upon the throne of Murom in the year 1203. Several years before this Saint Peter had fallen ill with leprosy, from which no one was able to heal him. In a vision it was revealed to the prince that the daughter of a bee-keeper would be able to heal him: the pious maiden Febronia, a peasant of Laskova village in Ryazan gubernia. Saint Peter sent his emissaries to this village.

When the prince saw Saint Febronia, he fell in love with her because of her piety, wisdom and virtue, and vowed to marry her after being healed. Saint Febronia healed the prince and became his wife. The holy couple loved each other through all their ordeals. The haughty boyars did not wish to have a princess of common origin, and they urged that the prince leave her. Saint Peter refused, and so they banished the couple. They sailed off on a boat from their native city along the River Oka, and Saint Febronia continued to console Saint Peter. Soon the wrath of God fell upon the city of Murom, and the people begged the prince return together with Saint Febronia.

The holy couple was famous for their piety and charity. They died on the same day and hour, June 25, 1228, having received the monastic tonsure with the names David and Evphrosyne. The bodies of the saints were put in the same grave.

Sts Peter and Febronia showed themselves exemplary models of Christian marriage, and are considered as the patron saints of newly-weds.

Saint Dionysios was born in the village of Korissos, Kastoria, to pious parents who were farmers. At a young age, he went to Mount Athos near his brother Theodosios. Dionysios, with the help of his brother’s own teacher, learned to study the Holy Scriptures, and quickly became distinguished for his humble mind and his charitable character.

A few years later, Emperor Alexios Komnenos III (1350 – 1390), Theodosios became a Metropolitan in Trebizond. Dionysios was very pleased when he learned of this, first out of brotherly love, and second because now he could more easily carry out a plan of his own.

After his ordination to the priesthood, Saint Dionysios transferred his place of asceticism to the steep mountain of little Athos or Antiathos, the so-called Old Prodromos and the Panagia. Shortly thereafter, he wanted to build a church and a suitable monastery. That plan eventually succeeded by the grace of God. Thus, in 1375, Alexios III, through the intercession of his brother, Metropolitan Theodosios, approved the building of the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner and Baptist John. The emperor in Dionysios gave 50 somia (400,000 grosia), and then three thousand komninata for his work. Thus Saint Dionysios built the Monastery of the honorable Forerunner, which was known afterwards by the name given by her builder.

Saint Dionysius reposed in Trebizond, where he had gone to ask for further help from the emperor for the iconography of the
monastery.

No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.

No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.

No information available at this time.

Saint Nikon was born on September 26, 1888, the son of Metrophanes and Vera Belyaev, and was named Nicholas at his Baptism. His parents, who were both very devout, belonged to one of Moscow’s merchant families.

The Belyaev family received a visit from Saint John of Kronstadt when Nicholas was in his first year. He blessed Vera and gave her a signed photograph of himself.

Both Nicholas and his brother John loved going to church and reading the Holy Scriptures and other spiritual books. When John and Nicholas decided to embrace monasticism, they cut up a list of Russia’s monasteries from an old book, and Nicholas was asked to pick one of the strips after praying to God. The strip he selected read, “The Optina Hermitage of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, Kozelsk.” Until that moment, neither of them had ever heard of this monastery.

The brothers traveled to Optina on February 24, 1907 with their mother’s blessing, and were accepted into the monastery on December 9, the commemoration of the “Unexpected Joy” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Nicholas was assigned as secretary to Father Barsanuphius, the Superior of the Skete, in October 1908. Except for reading and serving in church, this became his chief monastic obedience for the rest of his life. Saint Barsanuphius (April 1) foresaw that he would become an excellent monk as well as a worthy disciple. Nicholas was devoted to the Elder, and followed his will in all matters. Father Barsanuphius gave him the benefit of his knowledge and experience, guiding him to ascend the spiritual ladder of virtues.

Nicholas was tonsured into the Lesser Schema on May 24, 1915 with the new name Nikon in honor of the martyr Saint Nikon (September 28). He was ordained as a deacon on April 30, 1916, and as a priest on November 3, 1917. Father Nikon could not help but remember the prophecy of Father Barsanuphius made several years before the Russian Revolution. Saint Barsanuphius foresaw times of difficulty for monasteries when Christians would be persecuted and suffer martyrdom. He predicted that he himself would be dead before this happened, and that Father Nikon would live through those terrible times.

Father Nikon was arrested and jailed on September 18, 1919 without the benefit of a trial, just because he was a monk. He was later released and permitted to return to Optina, where the monks had formed a farming cooperative.

The Soviets closed the cooperative in 1923, and the monastery was turned into a museum. Two monks were allowed to stay and work in the museum, while the others were expelled and told to go wherever they wished. Father Nikon was blessed by Father Isaac to serve in the church dedicated to the Kazan Icon and to receive visitors. When people came to him for advice, he always quoted the words of the Optina Elders.

The last church at Optina was closed early in 1924, and Father Nikon was obliged to leave in June. He went to live at Kozelsk with Father Cyril Zlenko. There he continued to receive visitors and offer spiritual counsel, sharing money and food with those who were too old, or too sick to work. Father Nikon was a wise spiritual Father, who was able to help people overcome their shame and reveal the sins which had troubled them for a long time. People would leave Father Nikon feeling cleansed and renewed.

Father Nikon, Father Cyril, and Father Agapitus Taub were arrested and thrown into prison in June of 1927. Father Nikon and Father Agapitus were sent to the “Kemperpunkt” camp, where Father Nikon was assigned the duty of guarding the storehouses.

Saint Nikon wrote to his spiritual children from the camp with cheerful words of encouragement. Although he accepted his imprisonment as God’s will, it was nevertheless difficult for him to endure. When their prison term ended, the two monks were sent into exile at Archangelsk. Before leaving the camp, Father Nikon was examined and found to have tuberculosis. The doctors advised him to request that his place of exile be changed to a place with a more suitable climate.

He asked the advice of Father Agapitus, who told him not to make such a request. At Archangels, Father Nikon lodged in the home of an elderly woman who gave him little rest or peace. Every week he had to travel three kilometers to present himself before the authorities in the city of Pinyega.

While shoveling snow at the beginning of Great Lent, Father Nikon’s leg began to hemorrhage, and he developed a high fever. His landlady did not feel any pity for him, but told him that he must leave her house so that the others would not become infected with tuberculosis.

Soon, Father Nikon was visited by Father Peter, who had once lived at Optina. He begged Father Peter to take him in, which he did. Father Peter cared for the Elder to the best of his ability. For the last two months of his life, Father Nikon received Holy Communion almost every day, and his sufferings seemed to grow less severe. He often dictated letters to his spiritual children to Father Peter. One day, Father Nikon saw Saint Macarius of Optina (September 7) in a vision and told Sister Irene to pull up a chair for him. She was slow to obey him so he said, “Forgive her, Father, for she is not very experienced.”

On June 25, 1931 Father Nikon was so weak that he could not speak. Archimandrite Nikḗtas was called to bring him Communion, and to read the Canon for the Departure of the Soul. That night the Elder fell asleep in the Lord at the age of forty-three.

The Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996, glorifying them for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

No Information is available at this time.

No information available at this time.

The Nativity of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John: The Gospel (Luke. 1: 5) relates that the righteous parents of Saint John the Baptist, the Priest Zachariah and Elizabeth (September 5), lived in the ancient city of Hebron. They reached old age without having children, since Elizabeth was barren. Once, Saint Zachariah was serving in the Temple at Jerusalem and saw the Archangel Gabriel, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. He predicted that Saint Zachariah would father a son, who would announce the Savior, the Messiah, awaited by the Old Testament Church. Zachariah was troubled, and fear fell upon him. He had doubts that in old age it was possible to have a son, and he asked for a sign. It was given to him, and it was also a chastisement for his unbelief. Zachariah was struck speechless until the time of the fulfillment of the archangel’s words.

Saint Elizabeth came to be with child, and fearing derision at being pregnant so late in life, she kept it secret for five months. Then her relative, the Virgin Mary, came to share with her Her own joy. Elizabeth, “filled with the Holy Spirit,” was the first to greet the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. Saint John leaped in his mother’s womb at the visit of the Most Holy Virgin Mary and the Son of God incarnate within Her.

Soon Saint Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and all the relatives and acquaintances rejoiced together with her. On the eighth day, in accordance with the Law of Moses, he was circumcised and was called John. Everyone was amazed, since no one in the family had this name. When they asked Saint Zachariah about this, he motioned for a tablet and wrote on it: “His name is John.” Immediately his tongue was loosed, and Saint Zachariah glorified God. He also prophesied about the Coming into the world of the Messiah, and of his own son John, the Forerunner of the Lord (Luke. 1: 68-79).

After the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ and the worship of the shepherds and the Magi, wicked king Herod gave orders to kill all male infants. Hearing about this, Saint Elizabeth fled into the wilderness and hid in a cave. Saint Zachariah was at Jerusalem and was doing his priestly service in the Temple. Herod sent soldiers to him to find out the abode of the infant John and his mother. Zachariah answered that their whereabouts were unknown to him, and he was killed right there in the Temple. Righteous Elizabeth continued to live in the wilderness with her son and she died there. The child John, protected by an angel, dwelt in the wilderness until the time when he came preaching repentance, and was accounted worthy to baptize the Lord.

Saint Anthony of Dymsk was born at Novgorod about the year 1157. Once in church he heard the words of Christ: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Mt.16:24), the saint resolved to leave the world and receive monastic tonsure under Saint Barlaam of Khutyn (November 6) at his monastery.

When he was dying, Saint Barlaam appointed Saint Anthony as igumen in his place; but Anthony, shunning glory, left the monastery and settled at the shores of Lake Dyma, on the outskirts of the city of Tikhvin. Here he founded a monastery and struggled there until the end of his own life.

According to Tradition, Saint Anthony made a journey to Constantinople, and returned to his monastery on the day that the igumen Barlaam died. Saint Anthony fell asleep in the Lord on June 24, 1224. In the year 1330 his relics were found incorrupt, and from that time they were glorified by many miracles.

Saint Anthony of Dymsk is also commemorated on January 17.

The Righteous Youths James and John of Meniugi were brothers by birth, children of the pious couple Isidore and Barbara. They were killed by miscreants (James at three years of age, and John at five years of age).

Between the years 1682-1689 their relics were found incorrupt and were placed in a reliquary at the Trinity church in Meniugi village, Novgorod diocese, on the site of the former Trinity monastery.

Saints Orentios, Pharnakios, Erotas, Phirmos, Phirminos, Kyriakos, and Longinus were brothers, who were known for their courage and served as soldiers in Thrace during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.

During a battle with the Scythians, Saint Orentios killed their fierce and intrepid leader, Mararon. He received many honors for this achievement, but then he was asked to participate in a sacrifice that was being offered to the idols in thanksgiving for his victory. The Christian hero absolutely refused to do this, declaring that he had defeated his foe by the power of Jesus Christ, whom he worshiped as the one true God. They did not punish him right away, because of his bravery, but he and his brothers were detained.

After some time, they were questioned. All seven declared, as with one mouth, that they would remain faithful to Christ until their last breath,
and that the Savior would judge them on the Last Day. After saying this, they were sentenced to exile in the Caucasus.

One after another, the seven brothers died on the journey from their hardships and suffering. but they endured their afflictions without complaint. Erotas was the first to depart this life; he perished at Parembol on June 22. Next, Orentios was thrown into the sea with a stone tied around his neck. Pharnakios reposed on July 3 at Kordila. Phirmos and Phirminos received their heavenly crowns on July 7 at Aspara on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. Kyriakos went to the Lord on July 14 at Ziganeia, and Longinus gave his soul into God's hands on July 28 while on board a ship. The storm-tossed vessel went aground at Pitinda (Pitsnda), and so the last holy martyr was buried there.

We pray to these holy martyrs to protect us from our enemies. In Greek usage these saints are commemorated on June 25.

Saint Athanasius Parios, the distinguished theologian and great teacher of the Greek nation, was born in the village of Kostos on the island of Paros around 1721—1722. His father, Apostolos Toulios, was from Siphnos, and his mother was a native of Paros.

The future saint was a leading member of the Kollyvades movement which began on Mount Athos in the middle of the eighteenth century. The movement derives its name from the koliva (boiled wheat) which is used during memorial services. Its proponents were Athonite monks who adhered strictly to holy Tradition, and were opposed to unwarranted innovations. They were in favor of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, and they practiced unceasing prayer of the heart. They insisted that memorial services should not be performed on Sundays, because that is the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. In the Orthodox Church Saturday is the usual day for the commemoration of the dead.

Saint Athanasius went to Mount Athos in 1752. There he was ordained to the holy priesthood by Saint Macarius of Corinth (April 17), but was forced to leave the Holy Mountain when some of the monks rose in opposition to the Kollyvades. The righteous one was unjustly slandered for his views on frequent Communion and for his opposition to memorial services on Sundays.

As the result of personal attacks and intrigues against him, Saint Athanasius was suspended from exercising his priestly office from 1776—1781, and was even accused of being a heretic. When the charges against him were later proven to be absurd and unfounded, his suspension was lifted, and he was restored to his former rank.

Saint Athanasius knew and influenced many of his fellow Kollyvades, such as Saint Macarius of Corinth, Saint Nikēphóros of Chios (May 1), Saint Arsenius of Paros (January 31), and Saint Νikόdēmos of the Holy Mountain (July 14). He taught Saint Nikēphóros, and he encouraged Saint Νikόdēmos to publish a collection of the writings of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14). Unfortunately, his manuscript was lost before it could be printed.

After teaching at the Athonias Academy and in Thessalonica, Saint Athanasius journeyed to the island of Chios in 1788, where he taught in the gymnasium for twenty-five years, and also served as Director of schools. He was a leading educator and distinguished theologian who revived the art of eloquent speech on Chios by teaching logic, rhetoric, metaphysics, and theology. His TREATISE ON RHETORIC, an analysis of some of the orations of Demosthenes, was a most influential work.

Saint Athanasius wrote many other useful books and treatises on various topics such as A HANDBOOK OF APOLOGETICS, “The Great Blessing of Water,” “On the Second Sunday of Great Lent,” “The Kneeling Prayers on Pentecost,” “On the Holy Icons,” “On Memorial Services,” “On the New Martyrs,” “On the Angels and Divine Beauty,” as well as numerous letters dealing with diverse subjects. His most important book was the EPITOME, which deals with Orthodox dogma.

Saint Athanasius was also a prolific writer of saints’ Lives and of liturgical services in their honor. He wrote the lives of Saint Mark the New (June 5) and Saint Macarius of Corinth, among others. He also wrote the Preface for the NEW LEIMONARION (New Spiritual Meadow), a collection of saints’ lives and services begun by Saint Macarius, with additional material contributed by Saint Nikēphóros of Chios and by Saint Athanasius himself.

Saint Athanasius retired as Director of schools in 1812, and went to join Saint Nikēphóros at the Hermitage of Saint George at Resta, Chios where he spent his final days. He departed to the Lord on June 24, 1813 at the age of ninety.

Saint Athanasius was very zealous for the teachings of Christ and His Church, and patiently endured persecution and suffering during his life because of his beliefs. Since he was opposed to the so-called Age of Enlightenment and fought against the “progressive” spirit of his time, he was censured by some of his contemporaries. Although his detractors enjoyed a certain fame during their lifetime, they are all but forgotten today. On the other hand, Saint Athanasius has been glorified by God and was officially recognized as a saint of the Orthodox Church in 1995.

In Slavonic practice, Saint Barlaam is commemorated during the Proskomedia along with the venerable and God-bearing Fathers who shone forth in asceticism (sixth particle).

Saint Barlaam is also commemorated on November 6 and February 10.

The Holy Martyr Agrippina, was by birth a Roman. She did not wish to enter into marriage, and totally dedicated her life to God. During the time of persecution against Christians under the emperor Valerian (253-259) the saint went before the court and bravely confessed her faith in Christ, for which she was given over to torture. They beat the holy virgin with sticks so severely that her bones broke. Afterwards they put Saint Agrippina in chains, but an angel freed her from her bonds.

The holy confessor died from the tortures she endured. The Christians Bassa, Paula and Agathonike secretly took the body of the holy martyr and transported it to Sicily, where many miracles were worked at her grave. In the eleventh century the relics of the holy Martyr Agrippina were transferred to Constantinople.

Holy Righteous Artemius of Verkola was born in the village of Dvina Verkola around the year 1532. The son of pious parents, Artemius was a child who was courageous, meek and diligent for every good deed. On June 23, 1545 the twelve-year-old Artemius and his father were taken by surprise in a field by a thunderstorm. A clap of thunder broke right over their heads, and the child Artemius fell dead. People thought that this was a sign of God’s judgment, therefore they left the body in a pine forest without a funeral, and without burial.

Some years later, the village reader beheld a light over the place where the incorrupt body of the Righteous Artemius lay. Taken to the church of Saint Nicholas in 1577, the holy relics were shown to be a source of numerous healings. In this village a monastery was later built, called the Verkola. In 1918, the impious Soviets chopped the holy relics into pieces and threw them into a well. The memory of Saint Artemius is also celebrated on October 20.

Today we commemorate the second translation of the relics of Saint Herman, Archbishop of Kazan, in 1714.

St Herman is also commemorated on November 6 (his repose) and on September 25 (transfer of his relics in 1595).

The Holy Martyrs Eustochius, Gaius, Probus, Lollia and Urban suffered for Christ during the time of a persecution under the emperor Maximian (286-310).

Saint Eustochius was a pagan priest, but seeing the unyielding courage of the Christian martyrs, and the miracles worked by them, he converted to Christ. He went to Bishop Eudoxius of Antioch, was baptized by him, and was ordained to the priesthood. In the city of Lystra Saint Eustochius converted his nephew Gaius and all his household, among which included the children Probus, Lollia and Urban. Soldiers of the emperor arrested Saint Eustochius and took him for trial, but tortures could not turn Eustochius from his faith. They then sent the saint to the governor Agrippinus in the Galatian city of Ancyra. The newly-converted Gaius was also sent with him with his household. All of them, even the women and children, underwent fierce torture, but the martyrs did not deny Christ and so were beheaded.

No information available at this time.

Today the church celebrates the miracle of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which led to the saving of Moscow from the invasion of Khan Achmed in 1480.

The Vladimir Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is also commemorated on May 21 and August 26.

According to Tradition, a copy of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was painted in 1521 by the devout Hieromonk Arsenios Khitrosh. Between 1529-1570 the Icon was brought to the Pskov Caves Monastery by the merchants Basil and Theodore, when Saint Cornelius († February 20, 1571) was the Igoumen. Since then, the Icon has repeatedly shown its mercy and miraculous assistance to the Russian Orthodox people.

Not just once have blind persons been cured while praying before the Icon. On May 28, 1587, when the Icon was in Pskov, Maria Terent'eva, a widow who was blind for about three years, was healed after she prayed before the Tenderness Icon in Holy Trinity Cathedral. Another miracle occurred on March 26, 1603, when the peasant Patapios Grigor'ev was cured after six years of blindness. At the same time, Ivan Supitsyn, a young man from a noble family, was healed of his ailment: the muscles of his left hand had been paralyzed for two years.

An ancient chronicle of the Monastery says: "Not only are the Orthodox healed by the Mother of God, but even non-believers, who come to the Most Pure Theotokos and to her wonderworking Icon with faith."

The Pskov Caves Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God was especially venerated during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in 1581, when Pskov and the Pskov Caves Monastery were besieged by the army of the Polish king Stephen Bathory. Several days before the siege, the Mother of God appeared to the pious Elder Father Dorótheos. The Most Holy Theotokos warned him of the impending disaster and explained that the people's sins were the cause of the misfortune which had befallen them, and told him how they might escape it. Then the Archbishop summoned Igoumen Tikhon of the Pskov Caves Monastery and ordered him to take the wonderworking Dormition (August 15) and Tenderness (June 23) Icons from the Caves, and to serve Molebens in the places which the Mother of God herself had chosen at the time of her appearance.

Stephen Bathory's 100,000 man army went to Pskov, because if he succeeded there, the king planned to go even farther in order to conquer Novgorod and Moscow. The wonderworking Tenderness Icon was brought from the Monastery to the city of Pskov. The Polish army shelled the city and the Monastery with heated cannonballs from the bell tower of Mirozh Monastery. One of the cannonballs struck the Icon of the Mother of God, which was in an opening of the wall, but it did not harm the Icon, nor the people who stood around it. The siege lasted for five months, and thirty times the Poles attempted to take Pskov, but they were unable to do so.

At the beginning of the XVII century the Monastery was attacked by several armies of Swedish, Lithuanian, and Polish invaders. In 1812 the French army threatened Russia. Napoleon's soldiers captured Polotsk on August 17-18, 1812, and the city of Pskov was endangered as well. The citizens asked for the Tenderness and Dormition Icons of the Mother of God to be brought from the Monastery, and also a banner depicting the Icon Not-made-by-hands. On October 7, a procession with the miraculous icons went through the city, and that very day the Russian army retook the city of Polotsk. A church in honor of Holy Archangel Michael was built there (1815-1827) to commemorate the event, and the Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God is kept there now.

In the XX century the Pskov Caves Monastery had to endure two World Wars. But the ancient traditions faithfully preserved in the Monastery were not forgotten, even at that difficult time for Russian monasticism. On February 2, 1920, the Monastery and the city of Pechora were annexed to the territory of Estonia until 1940. For that reason, the Holy Dormition Pskov Caves Monastery was not subjected to ruin or desecration during the Soviet anti-Christian campaign. The Pskov Caves Monastery was one of few XX century Russian Orthodox monasteries which did not cease its prayerful service to God. Although neither the revolution nor the wars spared the Monastery (in May 1945 it lay in ruins), work and the prayer of the monastic brethren overcame further devastation, and again restored the Monastery to its beauty and splendor.

The Pskov Caves Tenderness Icon of the Mother of God belongs to the iconographic type "Eleousa," which comes from the Greek word for mercy. The Theotokos is depicted holding the Child Christ in her right hand, with His cheek pressed to hers. On the Eleousa Icons of the Theotokos (the symbol and ideal of the human race) there is no distance between the Virgin and the Son of God, their love is boundless. The Icon is a prototype of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross, as the highest expression of God's love for His people.

The Pskov Caves Tenderness Icon is commemorated on the following days: May 21 (Meeting of the Vladimir Icon, 1521); August 26 (Meeting of the Vladimir Icon, 1395); June 23 (Main Feast Day); October 7 (Procession around Pskov with the Tenderness and Dormition icons of the Mother of God, 1812); and on the Seventh Sunday of Pascha, the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Synod (Movable Feast).

Saint Nikḗtas of Thebes was a resident of the city of Heptapyle (Seven Gates) in Thebes. At the age of sixteen he became a monk and gathered around himself other ascetics who were attracted by his spiritual character and high moral standards. He was accounted worthy of the charism of working miracles, and fell asleep in the Lord, full of days.

In the Life of Saint Nikḗtas it is stated that he once traveled to Patras, where he met the ascetic Saint Daniel in the citadel. Saint Daniel lived in the 11th century and was from Patras, where he lived in great asceticism and prayer. He received from God the gift of hospitality, such as that of Abraham; that is, to receive and host people, offering them rest by giving them spiritual guidance.

The Most Holy Theotokos first appeared to Igoumen Evangelos, who was the Superior of the Monastery from 1864-1872. The late XIX century researcher I. Vinogradov dates the Icon's presence in the Monastery to
that period. If he was correct in thinking that the Icon was painted during that time, then it was lost for almost thirty years.

The Icon was found in the Monastery storeroom in 1894. On June 23 of that year, a sick merchant from St. Petersburg arrived alone at the Monastery. Speaking to the Igoumen, he told him in detail about his illness, and of the vision he had in a dream. The Mother of God told the merchant to go to Úglich, where her Icon was located, and to pray before it, promising that he would be healed.

The Igoumen ordered that a search be made for the Icon. This was done, and the Icon was moved into the Monastery's Dormition church in great triumph. When the sick merchant prayed before the Icon, he soon recovered. In gratitude for the healing he had received, he covered the Icon with a silver gilded riza.

Since that time, the wonderworking Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Theotokos has granted healing and consolation to those who resort to the Queen of Heaven with faith in her intercession before God.

In this Icon the Mother of God is depicted as a nun with a staff and a prayer rope in her left hand, and a candle in her right hand. This image is located in the Alekseev Women's Monastery in Úglich, Yaroslavl Province, and it is also known as the "Inextinguishable Candle."

The Úglich Portaίtissa Icon of the Mother of God bears a striking resemblance to the Igoumeness of Mount Athos Icon, which is commemorated on the second Sunday after Pentecost, along with All Saints of Mount Athos.

The Hieromartyr Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, stood firmly for the Orthodox Confession of Faith proclaimed at the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea in the year 325. For this he underwent persecution by the Arians, being repeatedly deprived of his see and banished. The emperor Constantius (337-361), patron of the Arians, learned that Saint Eusebius kept a conciliar decree regarding the election of the Orthodox Archbishop Meletius to the See of Antioch. He commanded him to give up the decree. The saint boldly refused to do as ordered. The enraged emperor sent a message that if he did not give up the decree, then his right hand would be cut off. Saint Eusebius stretched out both hands to the emissary saying, “Cut them off, but I will not give up the Decree of the Council, which denounces the wickedness and iniquity of the Arians.” The emperor Constantius marveled at the audacity of the bishop, but did not harm him.

During the reign of Julian the Apostate (361-363), even more difficult times ensued, and an open persecution against Christians began. Saint Eusebius, having concealed his identity, went about in the garb of a soldier across the whole of Syria, Phoenicia and Palestine, urging Christians to the Orthodox Faith. He established priests and deacons in desolated churches, and he consecrated bishops who renounced the Arian heresy. After Julian the Apostate’s death, he was succeeded by the pious emperor Jovian (363-364), during whose reign the persecutions stopped. Returning from exile, Saint Meletius (February 12) convened a local Council at Antioch in the year 379 on the advice of Saint Eusebius. Twenty-seven bishops participated, and it reaffirmed the Orthodox teaching of the First Ecumenical Council. The Arians signed the conciliar definition, fearing the steadfast defenders of Orthodoxy, the holy hierarchs Meletius, Eusebius and Pelagios, who had great influence with the emperor. After the death of Jovian the Arian Valentinian (364-378) came to power.

The Orthodox were again subjected to persecution. Saint Meletius was banished to Armenia, Saint Pelagius to Arabia, and Saint Eusebius was condemned to exile in Thrace. Having received the imperial decree, Saint Eusebius left Samosata by night so as to prevent tumult among the people that esteemed him. Having learned of of the bishop’s departure, believers followed after him and with tears entreated him to return. The saint refused the entreaty of those who had come, saying that he had to obey the authorities. The saint urged his flock to hold firm to Orthodoxy, blessed them and set off to the place of exile. The Arian Eunomios became Bishop of Samosata, but the people did not accept the heretic. The Orthodox would not go to the church and avoided meeting with him. The heretical Arian perceived that it was impossible to attract the independent flock to him.

The emperor Gracian (375-383) came upon the throne, and all the Orthodox hierarchs banished under the Arians were brought back from exile. Saint Eusebius also returned to Samosata and continued with the task of building up the Church. Together with Saint Meletius he supplied Orthodox hierarchs and clergy to Arian places. In the year 380 he arrived in the Arian city of Dolikhina to establish the Orthodox bishop Marinus there. An Arian woman threw a roof tile at the holy bishop’s head. As he lay dying, he asked her for wine and requested those around not to do her any harm. The body of Saint Eusebius was taken to Samosata and was buried by his flock. The saint’s nephew, Antiochus, succeeded him and the Samosata Church continued to confess the Orthodox Faith, firmly spread through the efforts of the holy Hieromartyr Eusebius.

The Holy Martyrs Zeno and Zenas lived in the Arabian city of Philadelphia, and led a pious life. Saint Zeno possessed a large fortune, but he distributed his substance to the poor and manumitted slaves. Together with his devoted servant Zenas, he went to the governor and urged him to give up idolatry and accept Christ. They were tied to pillars, struck with iron hooks, and their wounds were rubbed with vinegar and salt.

Their sides and chests were scorched with fire, they were thrown in a pit, and boiling oil was poured over the sufferers. The saints endured all the tortures with forbearance and by the power of God they remained alive. Finally, the martyrs were beheaded with a sword (+ 304).

Saint Galacteon was drowned in the sea for confessing faith in Christ. Saint Juliana was burned together with her son Saturninus because they were Christians.

Saint Alban (or Albanus), the protomartyr of Britain, was a Roman citizen who lived at Verulamium (modern Saint Albans), a few miles northwest of London, during a time of persecution. Nothing is known about his family or his occupation.

The chief magistrate of the city had orders to arrest all Christian clergy. One of them, a priest named Amphibalus, fled to Alban’s home in order to hide from the soldiers who wished to kill him. Alban was impressed by the priest’s constant prayer and vigil, and so he questioned Amphibalus about his beliefs. As a result, Alban came to believe in Christ and asked to be baptized.

Eventually, Amphibalus was forced to move on, and Alban changed clothes with him so that he could get away. The soldiers heard there was a priest hiding in Alban’s house, so they came to search it. Seeing Alban dressed in the priest’s clothes, they arrested him and brought him before the judge.

The magistrate was offering sacrifice to idols when Saint Alban appeared before him. After questioning him, he discovered how Alban and the priest had switched clothes. Furious because Alban had allowed a fugitive to escape, the magistrate threatened him with death unless he returned to paganism and revealed where Amphibalus had gone. Saint Alban replied, “I am also a Christian, and I worship the true God.”

After having the saint beaten and tortured, the magistrate threatened him with execution. Saint Alban rejoiced and glorified God. The magistrate ordered the soldiers to take Saint Alban to the Holmhurst Hill to be beheaded. When they came to the river Ver, they saw that the bridge was crowded with people who had come to witness Alban’s martyrdom. Since they could not proceed because of the multitude of people, Saint Alban prayed and made the Sign of the Cross over the river. At once, the waters parted so that they were able to cross over to the other side.

The executioner was so astonished by the miracle that he threw down his sword and refused to behead the saint. He was arrested, and another man was found to behead them both. There is a tradition that Saint Alban became thirsty while climbing the hill and asked for water. A small spring gushed forth near the top of the hill, and he was able to drink from it. Pilgrims used to come and drink from Saint Alban’s well, but it is now dry.

The date of Saint Alban’s martyrdom is uncertain, but it is believed that it took place during the reign of Decius (ca. 251) or Valerian (ca. 257). The eighteenth century Turin manuscript (which may be based on a fifth century source) suggests that Saint Alban may have been executed as early as 209, when the emperor Septimus Severus and his two sons were in Britain. The name of the executioner who was converted has not been preserved. The priest Amphibalus was ultimately caught and put to death at a place called Redbourn, four miles from Verulamium.

When people began to cry out against the magistrate, he put an end to the persecution. In later years a cathedral was built on the site of the martyrdom, and the relics of Saint Alban, the priest Amphibalus, and perhaps even the executioner were enshrined within. Saint Bede (May 27) tells us that miracles frequently took place at Saint Alban’s tomb. When the Danes invaded England in 860, the relics were removed for safekeeping, then later returned.

A new chapel and shrine were built for the relics in the early fourteenth century. Two hundred years later, during the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII, the marble shrine was destroyed. Much later, the fragments of the shrine were reassembled on its former site. What happened to the relics is uncertain, but it is probable that they were either destroyed or buried in an unmarked spot.

Although Saint Alban is sometimes depicted in military garb, there is no evidence that he was a soldier. After all, he was living in a private home when he was arrested, and not in a barracks. There is a medieval painting in the south aisle beside the Choir in the Abbey which depicts Saint Alban with red hair. A medieval seal, now in the Durham Cathedral Chapter Library, shows him with a thick beard. He is stocky, with a high, round and balding forehead, and a cloak covers his left side and right shoulder.

No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.

No information on the life of this saint is available at this time.

Saint Gregory (Dascalu) was Metropolitan of Wallachia.

St Gregory was glorified by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2005, and is commemorated on June 22.

The Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus was born in the Asia Minor province of Cilicia. He was the son of a pagan senator, but his mother was a Christian. After the death of her husband the mother of Saint Julian moved to Tarsus, where her son was baptized and raised in Christian piety. When Julian reached age 18, a persecution against Christians began under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Among those arrested was Saint Julian. They brought him before the governor Marcian for trial, and for a long time they urged him to renounce Christ. Neither tortures nor threats, nor promises of gifts and honors could convince the pious youth to offer pagan sacrifice and deny Christ. The holy confessor remained steadfast in his firm faith.

For a whole year they led the martyr through the cities of Cilicia, everywhere subjecting him to interrogation and tortures, after which they threw him in prison. Saint Julian’s mother followed after her son and prayed that the Lord would strengthen him. In the city of Aegea, she besought the governor to permit her to visit the prison, ostensibly to persuade her son to offer sacrifice to idols. She spent three days in prison with Saint Julian, exhorting him to be strong until the end.

Saint Julian was again brought to stand before the governor. Thinking that the mother had persuaded her son to submit to the imperial decree, the governor began to praise her prudence. But suddenly she boldly confessed Jesus Christ, and even more fearlessly and boldly denounced polytheism. The governor then gave orders to cut off her feet, since she had accompanied her son from Tarsus. They tied the Martyr Julian into a sack, filled with sand and poisonous snakes, and threw it into the sea. The body of the sufferer was carried by the waves to the shores of Alexandria, and with reverence was buried by a certain pious Christian. The martyr’s death occurred in about the year 305. Afterwards his relics were transferred to Antioch. Saint John Chrysostom honored the holy Martyr Julian with an encomium.

Saint Terence was Bishop of Iconium in Lycaonia in the first century. He was tortured and beheaded for his faith in Christ.

Saints Julius the presbyter and Julian the Deacon, brothers by birth, were natives of Myrmidonia. For his virtuous life Saint Julius was ordained to the priesthood, and his brother as a deacon. Inspired with zeal for the spreading of the Christian Faith, the holy brothers received permission for the building of churches and set off preaching to remote sections East and West within the Roman Empire, where pagan temples still existed and where offering of sacrifice to idols was still made. Visiting several lands, they converted many pagans to Christianity, persuading them not only by word, but also by numerous miracles. At Constantinople they turned to the pious emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450) requesting permission to build churches upon the sites of pagan temples.

Having received the blessing of the patriarch and the permission of the emperor, the holy brothers built many churches. The people considered it their duty to assist them in this matter. Once, some people went past a church under construction. Fearing that they would be talked into taking part in this work, they engaged in a deception, in order to get away. One of them feigned being dead, and when Saint Julius invited them to take part in the work, they excused themselves, saying that they had to bury a dead person. The saint asked, “You’re not lying, are you?” The passers-by persisted in their ruse. Then Saint Julian said to them, “Let it be according to your words.” Having continued on farther, they discovered that the one pretending to be dead really was dead. After this, no one else dared to lie to the holy brothers.

Foreseeing his own impending end, Saint Julius set off in search of a place to build his one hundredth church, which he believed would be his last. Reaching Lake Mukoros, he saw a beautiful island. Because of the huge quantity of snakes on it, no one was able to settle there. Saint Julius decided to build a church upon this island. Having prayed, he sailed off to the island on his mantle as though on a boat, and set up a cross on it. In the Name of God, the holy ascetic ordered all the snakes to gather together and leave the island. All the venomous vipers slithered into the lake and re-established themselves upon Mount Kamunkin.

On the island Saint Julius built a church in honor of the holy Twelve Apostles. At this time his brother, Saint Julian, finished construction on a church near the city of Gaudiana and decided to build a crypt for his brother Julius by the church. Saint Julius paid his brother a visit and advised him to hurry with the construction of the crypt, prophetically foretelling that he would lie in it. Indeed, Saint Julian the Deacon soon died and was buried in the crypt built by him. Saint Julius the Presbyter reverently buried his brother and returned to the island, where he soon died and was buried in the church of the Twelve Apostles he had built. From his grave many of the sick received healing. The blessed end of the holy brothers occurred after the first half of the fifth century.

The Holy Martyr Archil II, King of Georgia belonged to the dynasty of the Chosroidoi, and he was a direct descendant of the holy emperor Saint Mirian (+ 342).

During the reign of Archil II, Georgia was subjected to a devastating invasion by Murvana-Kru (“the Wild”), so called by the Georgian people for his inexorable cruelty. The position of the Georgian people was desperate, and the emperor Archil II, together with his brother Myro, the ruler of Western Georgia, tearfully implored the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, and She showed forth Her mercy.

At a battle by the Rivers Abasha and Tskhenis-Tskhali the Georgian forces miraculously gained the victory over the significantly superior forces of Murvana-Kru.

After this victory the emperor Archil II was occupied with the restoration of the Georgian kingdom. He rebuilt the city of Nukhpatis, rebuilt ruined churches in Mtskheta and furthered the acceptance of Christianity by many of the mountain tribes. But soon Georgia suffered a new Arab invasion with the sudden appearance of Dzhidzhum-Asim (Jijum-Asim). Having paid a tribute to the Arabs, the emperor did not expect this invasion. In order to deliver the land from new devastation and avert the intrusion of Islam upon it, he deemed it beneficial to go himself to Dzhizhum-Asim, and subject formerly independent Georgia to the Arabs, and ask for peace. Placing all his hope on the mercy of God and ready to offer up his soul for his holy Faith and for his nation, Saint Archil went to the camp of the Arabs. Dzhidzhum-Asim received him hospitably and promised his suzerainty, but insisted on acceptance of Mohammedanism. As the “Georgian Chronicle” relates, the holy emperor Archil calmly said, “It will not be, that I should forsake Christ, the True God, Who for our salvation took upon Himself human flesh. I know, if I obey you, then I shall die a spiritual death and shall suffer eternally. If for my firmness you put me to death, I shall then rise as did my Lord, and I shall go to Him”.

Hearing these words, Dzhidzhum-Asim gave orders to seize the confessor and take him off to prison. But neither tortures nor promises could make the eighty-year-old emperor Archil apostasize.

On March 20, 744 the holy emperor Archil was beheaded. The body of the martyr was secretly taken by Georgian Christians to the locale Ertso and buried in Kakhetia, in the Notkor church built by the holy emperor himself.

The Holy Martyr Luarsab II, Emperor of Georgia was born in 1587. He was the son of George X (1600-1603), poisoned by the Persian shah Abbas I (1584-1628). After the death of his father Luarsab remained with his two sisters, Choreshan and Helen. He was still a child, but distinguished himself by his intellect and piety. Despite his youthful age, he was crowned with the name Luarsab II. In 1609 Georgia suffered invasion by a Turkish army under the leadership of Deli-Mamad-khan. The young emperor gave decisive battle to the Turks near the village of Kvenadkotsi (between Gori and Surami). On the eve of battle the 14,000 Georgians spent all night in prayer. In the morning after Divine Liturgy and having received the Holy Mysteries, the Georgian forces put 60,000 enemy soldiers to flight in a heroic battle.

The Persian shah Abbas I, alarmed over this victory by the Georgians, and bearing enmity towards Luarsab II, sought for an opportunity to destroy him. Because he saved Kartli (Central Georgia) from destruction Saint Luarsab was forced to give his sister Helen in marriage to the Moslem shah Abbas. But even this did not stop the shah. Several times he entered Georgia with a large army. Because of the treachery of several feudal lords, the emperor Luarsab and the Kakhetian emperor Teimuraz I were compelled at the end of 1615 to withdraw to Imeretia (Western Georgia) to the Imeretian emperor George III (1605-1639).

Shah Abbas I laid waste to Kakhetia and, threatening Kartli with ruin, he demanded that he should have Luarsab II, promising that if he came, he would conclude a peace. The emperor Luarsab II, trying to preserve the churches of Kartli from devastation, set out to shah Abbas with the words, “I place all my hope in Christ, and whatever fate awaits me, life or death, blessed be the Lord God!”

Shah Abbas I received Saint Luarsab II amicably and, it would seem, was prepared to fulfill his promise. After a hunt together Shah Abbas invited him to Mazandaran, but Luarsab II refused to eat fish (since it was Great Lent), despite the threats and demands of the shah. The enraged shah began to insist that the Georgian emperor accept Islam, in return for which he promised to let him go with great treasures to Kartli, threatening death by torture if he did not. The emperor Luarsab II, having from his youth kept strict fast and constantly at prayer, without hesitation refused the demands of the shah. They seized him and imprisoned him in the impenetrable fortress of Gulab-Kala, near Shiraz. The Mrovel Bishop Nicholas relates, that the emperor Luarsab spent seven years imprisoned in chains, undergoing cruel torments and frequent beatings to force him to accept Islam. But the holy confessor remained faithful to the Holy Church of Christ and accepted a martyr’s death in the year 1622 at 35 years of age. Two of his faithful retainers were martyred with him.

By night the bodies of the holy martyrs were cast out of the prison without burial, but on the next day Christians committed them to earth in a common grave.

Saint Anastasia was the mother of Saint Savva of Serbia (January 12). She was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus, and received the name Anna when she was baptized. Later, she married the Serbian king Stephen Nemanya (September 24).

She finished her life as a nun, receiving the name Anastasia.

The Holy New Martyr Nikḗtas was born in the town of Mandraki on the Aegean island of Nisyros (Νίσυρος), and his father was one of the town's leaders. The father had committed some crime for which he was arrested, and was put on trial by the Moslems. Afraid that he would be executed, he decided to save his life by becoming a Moslem along with his family. Nikḗtas, who was too young to understand the significance of this change, was given the name Mehmed. The Christians of Nisyros despised them for denying Christ, so the family had to move to the island of Rhodes.

One day Nikḗtas got into a fight with a Muslim boy with whom he was playing. When the boy's mother heard about it, she started to yell at Nikḗtas and called him an infidel. Puzzled by this, Nikḗtas asked his mother what it meant. She ignored his questions but Nikḗtas was persistent in his attempts to discover the truth. At last his mother relented and told him how they had become Moslems. Then he wished to know what his Christian name was, the one he had received at his Baptism. When he was told it was Nikḗtas, he was determined to return to his ancestral faith, and waited for an opportunity to escape from the island.

Nikḗtas took a ship to the island of Chios and landed at the harbor of Lithe. He walked without knowing where he was going, and soon he arrived at the Byzantine Monastery of Nea Moni. There he told his story to the Igoumen and asked for some advice concerning his salvation. The Igoumen told him to visit Makarios, the former Metropolitan of Corinth,¹ who was living on the island as an ascetic at that time. When Makarios heard his Confession, he was received back into the Church through Holy Chrism, and he also received spiritual guidance.

Nikḗtas decided to remain at the Monastery of Nea Moni, where he began to live an ascetical life. Wishing to undertake even greater struggles, Nikḗtas went to live in the Cave of the Holy Fathers near the Monastery. There he met the ascetic Anthimos. He was told that a Christian who has denied Christ must return to the place of his denial, and confess his faith in Jesus Christ, reject Islam and suffer martyrdom. Nikḗtas rejoiced when he heard this, and then he returned to the Monastery, where he told the Fathers of his desire. Seeing his determination, they chanted the Canon of Supplication to the Theotokos (Paraklesis), and he received a blessing to carry out his intention.

When the young man arrived at the port of Chora on Chios, he was arrested by a Moslem tax collector from the Crimea, because he had no proof that he paid the head tax, which was required of all Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire. As he was being led to prison, the tax collector stopped at a place called Bounaki, where he looked for other tax evaders. Just then a priest named Daniel, who knew Nikḗtas, happened to come by and called out to Nikḗtas using his Moslem name Mehmed. When he asked Nikḗtas why he was being detained, he was told it was because he did not pay the head tax. Then Father Daniel shouted: "Here is something new! Are Moslems now obliged to pay the head tax?"

When Nikḗtas explained to him that he was a Christian named Nikḗtas, the Moslem from the Crimea overheard their conversation and came to investigate. Then Nikḗtas was taken to the Turkish judge and was interrogated.

Nikḗtas admitted to the judge that he had been a Moslem and was circumcised, but then he decided to return to the Christian faith which is the true faith. He also wished to be called by his baptismal name Nikḗtas. The judge therefore ordered that Nikḗtas be imprisoned and tortured for ten days so he might come to his senses and return to Islam. Nikḗtas remained steadfast and was not afraid, even though they cursed him and beat him without mercy. They brought him food to eat, but he chose not to eat, saying: "I am being fed with food which you do not have, and I rejoice with joy which you cannot experience." He was also placed in a stable so he would be trampled by the wild horses, but when it was discovered that he was unharmed, he was returned to the prison.

After the ten days had passed, the Turks realized that Nikḗtas had no desire to return to Islam, and was even more steadfast in his Orthodox Christian faith. They led Nikḗtas to the edge of the city, to a Metochion (Dependency) of the Athonite Monastery of Ivḗron. Once again, he was urged by the executioners to become a Moslem again and thereby escape death. Nikḗtas replied: "I am a Christian; my name is Nikḗtas, and I shall die as Nikḗtas."

The executioners made Nikḗtas kneel several times, trying to frighten him, but he said to them: "Why do you delay? Kill me quickly that I may enjoy the blessedness of Paradise." The executioner repeatedly struck his neck with the sword in order to cause him greater pain. After several blows, the seventeen-year-old Nikḗtas was decapitated and received the crown of martyrdom on June 21, 1732. Christians dipped cloths in his martyric blood, and when it was applied to the eyes of the blind, they received their sight. Although the Turks threw dirt over his body to dishonor it, the body would remain clean for many days. In order to prevent the Christians from taking his sacred relics, they were thrown into the sea.

The head of Saint Nikḗtas was preserved in a box with a glass cover in the Monastery of Saint Mark the Evangelist on Chios. It is thought that Christians bribed the guards, or stole the head. The next day, when the Saint's relics were tossed into the sea, the guards, hoping to avoid punishment, did not bother to inform the authorities that the head was missing. Later, the skull was given to Saint Parthenios of Chios (December 8), who founded the Monastery. There was no mention of where the holy relic was, so that the monks would not be punished for having it.

The Saint's holy relics are in the church of Saint Nikḗtas at Nisyros. His head is kept at Ivḗron Monastery on Mount Athos.

¹ This Makarios is not to be confused with Saint Makarios of Corinth (April 17), who lived from 1731-1805.

The Hieromartyr Methodius, Bishop of Patara (Lycia in Asia Minor), was distinguished for his genuine monastic humility. Calmly and with mildness he instructed his flock, but he firmly defended the purity of Orthodoxy and he energetically contended against heresies, especially the widespread heresy of the Origenists. He left behind him a rich literary legacy: works in defense of Christianity against paganism, explications of Orthodox dogmas against the heresy of Origen, moral discourses, and explanations of Holy Scripture.

St Methodius was arrested by the pagans, steadfastly confessed before them his faith in Christ, and he was sentenced to death by beheading in the year 312.

Holy Prince Gleb of Vladimir, named George in holy Baptism, was a younger son of the holy Prince Andrew Bogoliubsky (July 4). Under the influence of his pious parents he grew up with a deep faith, and from twelve years of age he led a solitary spiritual life. The parents did not hinder their son and even assisted him in spiritual growth. The prince especially loved the reading of holy books, he esteemed the clergy and he was charitable to all. Despite his young age, he chose for himself the exploit of strict fasting and prayerful vigilance. Prince Gleb died in the year 1174, at age nineteen.

His incorrupt relics were preserved and glorified by miracles. In the year 1238, during the time of the incursion of Batu upon the Russian Land, the Tatars burned the cathedral at Vladimir. In this conflagration perished Bishop Metrophanes, Great-princess Agatha, wife of Great-prince George Vsevolodovich (+ 1238), and many inhabitants of the city of Vladimir, who were locked in the cathedral church. The fire, however, did not even touch the tomb of Saint Gleb. Years later, in July 1410, Tatars again descended upon Vladimir. In plundering the city, they began to sack the cathedral church treasury, having murdered the door-keeper Patrick. Supposing that treasure was hidden in the saint’s tomb, they set about to break it open. Just as the Tatars touched the stone crypt of Saint Gleb, flames shot forth from it, and the Tatars fled the city in terror.

Through the prayers of the holy prince the city was saved from an incursion of Polish-Lithuanian plunderers in 1613.

The celebration of Saint Gleb was established in the year 1702, and then also a service was written to him, and somewhat later, a Life. His relics rest in the Dormition cathedral in Vladimir. In the year 1774 the south chapel of the cathedral was dedicated to him. Prince Gleb is revered as the special patron and defender of the city of Vladimir.

The Transfer of Relics of Saint Gurias, Archbishop of Kazan, from the Savior-Transfiguration monastery to the cathedral church of the city of Kazan occurred in the year 1630.

His Life is recorded under December 5, the day of his repose.

The transfer of the relics of Saints Inna, Pinna, and Rimma to Alushta took place during the first-second centuries. These holy martyrs are also commemorated on January 20.

The Holy Martyrs Aristocles the Presbyter, Demetrian, and Athanasius suffered for the Christian Faith during the persecution under the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311).

The presbyter Aristocles, a native of the Cypriot city of Tamasa, served in the cathedral church during the time of the persecution against Christians. He became terrified of the tortures, and he left the city and hid in a mountain cave. Once during prayer a light shone upon him, and he heard a command from the Lord to return to the island of Cyprus and suffer for Christ. Saint Aristocles obediently set out to return, and on the way he visited the church of the holy Apostle Barnabas (June 11), where he met Deacon Demetrian and Athanasius the Reader. He told them of his vision, and Saints Demetrian and Athanasius decided to endure martyrdom together with him.

Having arrived in the city of Salamis, all three began to preach to the people about the Lord Jesus Christ, and denounced the folly of idol-worship. The pagans arrested them, and the governor, seeing that they were steadfast in their faith in Christ, gave orders to behead Saint Aristocles, and to burn Saints Demetrian and Athanasius. But even in the fire, the martyrs remained unharmed. After this they were beheaded by the sword in the year 306.

In Greek usage, these saints are commemorated on June 23.

Saint Leucius the Confessor was born in the city of Alexandria of pious parents named Eudykius and Euphrosynē. They gave their son the name Eutropius. The mother died when the lad was 11 years old, and his father took monastic tonsure at the monastery of Saint Hermias, taking along his son with him to the monastery. The boy was raised under the spiritual guidance of the Igumen Nicetas and also experienced monastic elders. The boy showed himself to be very capable, and assiduously he studied Holy Scripture. Eutropius grew up into a quiet, meek and obedient lad. When he reached age 18, the Igumen Nicetas died.

The brethren of the monastery unanimously chose Eutropius as Igumen, even though he was not yet tonsured into monasticism. Reckoning himself unworthy to guide monks when he was not a monk himself, Eutropius refused. For seven years the monastery of Saint Hermias remained without a head. During these years Eutropius, struggling at monastic labors, attained to an high degree of spiritual life.

One time Eutropius set off on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God to visit all the churches of the Dormition around the city of Alexandria. At the celebrations Hellius, Bishop of Heliopolis, presided together with his clergy. At the same time he visited the monastery headed by the Igumen Theodore. It was at this monastery that both father and son then remained. By night the father Eudykios had a revelation about his own approaching end, and also that his son would become a bishop and enlighten with the light of the Christian Faith the city and region of Brundisium (now Brindisi in Calabria-Apuleia) in Italy.

And in this same vision a new name for Eutropius was revealed: Leucius, meaning “the Spirit of the Lord is come upon him.” And it was on the feast of the Dormition in the church of the Mother of God that Bishop Hellius heard a voice from Heaven, blessing Leucius for archpastoral service, and he directed the archdeacon to enquire of those praying who it was that bore this name. Then with love he blessed Saint Leucius and his father.

The monks of the Hermias monastery earnestly besought the bishop to install Saint Leucius as Igumen of the monastery. Although the ascetic initially refused, considering himself unworthy, he then submitted himself to the bishop and was ordained to the priesthood and was made Igumen.

From this time Saint Leucius intensified his efforts, and God granted him the grace of working miracles, and casting out demons. Once a devil assumed the form of an immense serpent, and killed many in the nearby villages. The holy ascetic hastened to come to the aid of the villagers and he delivered them from the power of the devil. Seeing this, about three thousand pagans in the vicinity accepted Baptism.

During this period Philip, Bishop of Alexandria, died a martyr, and Saint Leucius was chosen in his place. Seeing that Saint Leucius was converting many pagans to Christianity, the eparch Saturninus decided to kill him. Wishing to defend their archpastor, some of the Christians wanted to kill the eparch. Learning of this, the saint forbade them to cause the eparch any harm. Saint Leucius told his flock that the Lord had commanded him to go to a pagan land and to enlighten with the light of the Christian Faith the city of Brundisium and its surrounding region.

The holy archpastor established a worthy bishop in his place, and he then took with him the deacons Eusebius and Dionysius and five students, and they hastened onto a ship sailing for Italy. Along the way they were joined by the priests Leon and Sabinus. On their journey to Brundisium the saint met up with the tribune Armaleon and his 67 soldiers, all whom he converted to Christianity. In the city he began to preach to the people about Jesus Christ. The head of the city, named Antiochus, learned that the tribune Armaleon had converted to Christianity, and so he summoned him and questioned him about the Christian teaching for a long time. Learning about Saint Leucius, the governor wished to meet him.

At the meeting the governor said: “If you want us to believe in the God that you preach, beseech Him to send down rain upon our land, which we have not seen for two years already.” The saint summoned his clergy and all the newly-baptized Christians, and made fervent supplication. Then rain poured down in abundance, soaking the parched earth. Seeing this miracle, Antiochus and all the city of Brundisium (27,000 people) accepted Baptism. In memory of this event, a church was built in honor of the Mother of God, and at the place where the people were baptized, a second church in honor of Saint John the Baptist.

Soon the saint fell ill, and it was revealed to him in a vision that he would die of the sickness. Summoning his spiritual son Antiochus, Saint Leucius gave final instructions to bury him at the place where the ship carrying him from Alexandria had landed. Antiochus fulfilled the request of the archpastor and built a church dedicated to Saint Leucius. The relics of the saint were transferred to it, and numerous miracles occurred there.

Saint Callistus I, Patriarch of Constantinople, at first struggled on Athos under the spiritual guidance of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), whose Life he wrote. In 1350, he was elected as Patriarch of Constantinople, serving in that position during the reign of the emperors John Kantakuzenos (1341-1355) and John Paleologos (1341-1376).

In 1354, he withdrew to live in silence at the monastery he had built in honor of Saint Mamas at Tenedos. Later, he was elevated to the Patriarchal throne once again (1355-1363). The holy Patriarch Callistus reposed in the year 1363 in Serbia, where he had travelled with an embassy of Emperor John Paleologos. Saint Callistus is also known as a spiritual writer, and his edifying works appear in the PHILOKALIA with the writings of his close friend Ignatius of Xanthopoulos.

Saint Menas, Bishop of Polotsk led an ascetical life at the Kiev Caves monastery. On December 13, 1105 he was consecrated Bishop of Polotsk. The name of Saint Menas is mentioned in the service of the Holy Fathers of the Kiev Caves, since prior to his elevation to the episcopate, he was a monk at the monastery. Remembrance of him is contained in the Kiev Caves Paterikon. Saint Menas is renowned as one of the first Russian archpastors, continuing the spreading of the grace of faith in Christ after the Baptism of Russia.

The Venerable (Ὅσιος) Nicholas Cabasilas was born in Thessaloniki in 1322, and was the nephew of Neilos Cabasilas, who was the Archbishop of Thessaloniki. His father's surname was Khamaetos, but he preferred to use his uncle's name – Cabasilas.

Saint Nicholas received an excellent education, both at Thessaloniki and Constantinople, studying rhetoric, theology, philosophy, etc. For a time, he served as an advisor to Emperor John VI Cantacuzenos (reigned 1347-1354), who entrusted him with several important missions in this time of civil war (1341–1347) and religious strife. In the last year of his life, the Emperor abdicated and was tonsured as a monk with the name Joasaph. He remained in the renowned Manganon Monastery (Μονή των Μαγγάνων) until his death. Saint Nicholas seems to have become a monk at Manganon at the same time, and it is possible that he was ordained as a Hieromonk.

He was a disciple of Saint Gregory of Sinai (August 8), and a supporter of Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14), both of whom were proponents of hesychasm (stillness), involving the unceasing prayer of the heart, which can lead to a vision of the Uncreated Light of Tabor. Saint Nicholas took part in the Hesychast controversies of his time, which ended when the Council of 1351 proclaimed the teachings of Saint Gregory Palamas as Orthodox.

The fame of Saint Nicholas rests mainly on his two books: Explanation of the Divine Liturgy (Ἑρμηνεία τῆς θείας Λειτουργίας), and Concerning the Life in Christ (Περί της εν Χριστώ ζωής), which describes the Church's Holy Mysteries, divine grace, and perfection in the divine virtues.

In his writings Saint Nicholas expounds the hesychastic (and Patristic) teaching that the life in Christ, which begins in this life, is perfected in the Kingdom. Sanctification comes only from Christ, but sanctity is achieved when our wills are in harmony with Christ's will.

Book 6 of Concerning the Life in Christ contains some very instructive comments on the Beatitudes. Saint Nicholas points out that those who study and meditate on these sayings of Christ shall become truly happy. He compares the Beatitudes to "a ladder by which we may ascend to (the life of blessedness)."

Some of his sermons have survived: on the Ascension, on the Annunciation, etc. There are also encomia in honor of Saint Demetrios, Saint Theodora, Saint Nicholas, and the Three Hierarchs.

The date of Saint Nicholas's blessed repose is uncertain, but it probably occurred before 1391. If that is true, then he must have been aware of the fall of Thessaloniki to the Turks in 1387.

Saint Nicholas Cabasilas was glorified as a saint on July 19,1983. The Troparion composed in his honor describes him as "a divine teacher, a wise interpreter of the dogmas of faith, and of the divine virtues."

Saint Naum of Ochrid, a Bulgarian by descent, was one of the disciples of the holy Equals of the Apostles Cyril and Methodius (May 11), and he accompanied Saint Clement of Ochrid (July 27) when he preached the Gospel in Bulgaria. When Saint Clement set off to the southwestern regions, Saint Naum remained in the then capital city of Plisk. Afterwards Saint Naum succeeded Saint Clement in a monastery on the shores of Lake Ochrida, where he labored for ten years.

Saint Naum reposed on December 23, 910, and his relics were glorified by numerous miracles, especially healings of spiritual infirmities. The memory of the saint is also celebrated on December 23.

The Most Holy Hodēgḗtria Icon is one of the earliest Icons in the Church's history. The Mother of God holds her Divine Child with her left hand, and with her right hand she indicates that the way we must follow on our earthly pilgrimage is that which leads us to Christ, Who said: "I am the way (οδός), and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6).

The Icon is traditionally ascribed to Saint Luke, as the following Megalynarion from the Canon of Supplication to the Most Holy Theotokos bears witness: "Speechless be the lips of the impious, who refuse to venerate your revered Icon, which has been painted for us by the most holy Apostle Luke, and is called the Hodēgḗtria."

According to the Synaxaristes, the Holy Evangelist Luke painted an Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos on a panel, using various colors. Then he painted two more Icons of the Mother of God and showed them to her. Receiving them with great joy, she blessed them and said, "May the grace of Him Who was born of me be imparted to these Icons."

The Hodēgḗtria Icon was kept at Jerusalem, and was sent to Constantinople in the reign of Emperor Theodosios the Younger by Empress Eudokia, as a gift for Saint Pulkheria (February 17), the sister of Theodosios. She then brought it to the Odigon Monastery, which she had founded.

After performing innumerable miracles for centuries, the Hodēgḗtria Icon disappeared during the Fall of Constantinople (May 29, 1453).

There is a copy of the Hodēgḗtria Icon at Xenophontos Monastery on Mount Athos.

This icon of the Mother of God is of the Hodēgḗtria type, and is found in the Xenophontos Monastery on Mount Athos.