The Deposition of the Precious Girdle of the Most Holy Mother of God in the Church of Chalkoprateia The Placing of the Venerable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos in a church of Constantinople’s Chalcoprateia district took place during the reign of the emperor Theodosius the Younger. Before this the holy relic, entrusted to the…

Venerable Father Alexander of Svir Saint Alexander of Svir was born on July 15, 1448, on the Feast Day of the Prophet Amos, and was named for him in Baptism. Saint Alexander was a beacon of monasticism in the deep forests of the Russian North, living in asceticism, and so he received remarkable gifts by…

The Beheading of the Holy and Glorious Prophet and Forerunner John The Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: The Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ.  Following the Baptism of the…

Venerable Father Moses the Ethiopian Saint Moses lived in Egypt during the fourth century. He was an Ethiopian, and since he was black of skin he was called “Murin” (meaning “like an Ethiopian”). In his youth he was the slave of an important man, but after he committed a murder, his master banished him, and…

Holy Martyr Phanourius We know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined…

Translation of the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir Moscow The Celebration of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was established to commemorate the deliverance of Moscow from an invasion of Tatars led by Khan Makhmet-Girei in 1521. The Tatar hordes approached Moscow, burning and destroying Russian cities and villages,…

Holy Apostle Titus, Bishop of Gortyna on Crete Saint Titus, Apostle of the Seventy was a native of the island of Crete, the son of an illustrious pagan. In his youth he studied Hellenistic philosophy and the ancient poets. Preoccupied by the sciences, Titus led a virtuous life, not devoting himself to the vices and…

Holy New Hieromartyr and Equal to the Apostles, Cosmas of Aitolia The New Hieromartyr Cosmas, Equal of the Apostles, in the world Constas, was a native of Aitolia. He studied at first under the guidance of the archdeacon Ananias Dervisanos, and afterwards continued his education on Mount Athos, at the Vatopedi school renowned for teachers…

Holy Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons The Hieromartyr Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, was born in the year 130 in the city of Smyrna (Asia Minor). He received there the finest education, studying poetics, philosophy, rhetoric, and the rest of the classical sciences considered necessary for a young man of the world.  His guide in the…

Holy Martyr Anthusa of Seleucia and Bishop Athanasius of Tarsus Saint Anthousa lived during the reign of Emperor Valerian (253-259)1 and was from Seleukeίa in Syria. She was the daughter of wealthy pagan parents, Antoninos and Martyria (Maria). Desiring to see her teacher Bishop Athanasios at Tarsus in Cilicia, she persuaded her mother to let her…