St. Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was born in Jerusalem in the year 315 and was raised in strict Christian piety. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he became a monk, and in the year 346 he became a presbyter. In the year 350, upon the death of Archbishop Maximus, he…

St. Patrick, Bishop and Enlightener of Ireland Saint Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland was born around 385, the son of Calpurnius, a Roman decurion (an official responsible for collecting taxes). He lived in the village of Bannavem Taberniae, which may have been located at the mouth of the Severn River in Wales. The district was…

St. Christodulus the Wonderworker, founder of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on Patmos Our Venerable Father Christódoulos (1) was born near Nicaea of Bithynia circa 1020. His parents’ names were Theodore and Anna, and their son received the name John in Holy Baptism. He was renowned as an ascetic and a physician throughout…

Holy New Martyr Manuel the Cretan, slain by the sword in Chios in 1792 Saint Manuel was a neomartyr originally from Sfakia, Crete. Refusing to change his faith, he was beheaded by the Turks in the year 1792. He was born in the village of Kallikratis in Sfakia and as a small child he was…

St. Rotislav-Michael, Prince of Kiev Saint Rostislav-Michael, Great Prince of Kiev, was the son of the Kievan Great Prince Saint Mstislav the Great (June 14), and the brother of holy Prince Vsevolod-Gabriel (February 11, April 22, and November 27). He was one of the great civil and churchly figures of the mid-twelfth century.  His name…

Holy Martyr Christina, flogged to death in Persia The Holy Martyr Christina of Persia was scourged to death for confessing her faith in Christ, during the fourth century. Troparion — Tone 4 Your lamb Christina calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice: / “I love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You…

Venerable and God-Bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian Saint Simeon the New Theologian was born in the year 949 in the city of Galatea (Paphlagonia), and he was educated at Constantinople. His father prepared him for a career at court, and for a certain while the youth occupied a high position at the imperial court.…

St Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem Saint Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, was born in Damascus around 560. From his youth he was distinguished for his piety and his love for classical studies. He was especially proficient in philosophy, and so he was known as Sophronius the Wise. The future hierarch, however, sought the true philosophy of…

Venerable Mother Anastasia the Patrician Saint Anastasia the Patrician of Alexandria lived in Constantinople and was descended from an aristocratic family. She was an image of virtue, and she enjoyed the great esteem of the emperor Justinian (527-565). Widowed at a young age, Anastasia decided to leave the world and save her soul far from…

Forty Holy and Glorious Martyrs of Sebaste In the year 313 Saint Constantine the Great issued an edict granting Christians religious freedom, and officially recognizing Christianity as equal with paganism under the law. But his co-ruler Licinius was a pagan, and he decided to stamp out Christianity in his part of the Empire. As Licinius…