Lives of the Saints

Great and Holy Tuesday

Great and Holy Tuesday

Holy Week: A Liturgical Explanation for the Days of Holy Week 3. MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY: THE END These three days, which the Church calls Great and Holy have within the liturgical development of the Holy Week a very definite purpose. They place all its celebrations in the perspective of End…

Apostle James the Brother of Saint John the Theologian

Apostle James the Brother of Saint John the Theologian

The Holy Apostle James, the son of Zebedee, was the brother of Saint John the Theologian, and one of the Twelve Apostles. He and his brother, Saint John, were called to be Apostles by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who called them the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). It was this James, with John…

Uncovering of the relics of Saint Nikḗtas, Bishop of Novgorod

Uncovering of the relics of Saint Nikḗtas, Bishop of Novgorod

Saint Nikḗtas the former Recluse of the Kiev Caves fell asleep in the Lord in 1109, after serving as Bishop of Novgorod for thirteen years. Bishop Nikḗtas was glorified as a saint during the reign of Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, and his holy relics, dressed in full vestments, were uncovered on April…

Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus

Saint Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus

Saint Donatus lived during the reign of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-397) and was bishop of the city of Euroea (in Albania). Not far from this city, in the vicinity of Soreia, was a brackish spring of water. When the saint learned of this, he went with clergy to the spring and cast…

Uncovering of the relics of Saint Basil, Bishop of Amasea

Uncovering of the relics of Saint Basil, Bishop of Amasea

The Hieromartyr Basil, Bishop of Amasea, lived at the beginning of the fourth century in the Pontine city of Amasea. He encouraged and comforted the Christians suffering persecution by the pagans. During this time the Eastern part of the Roman Empire was ruled by Licinius (311-324), the…

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Bishop of the Caucasus and Stavropol

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, Bishop of the Caucasus and Stavropol

The future hierarch, Saint Ignatius, was chosen for the service of God even before his birth on February 6, 1807. His father Alexander S. Brianchaninov was a wealthy provincial landowner in the large village of Pokrovskoe in Vologda Gubernia. The Saint's birth was the result of his devout mother's…

Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion”

Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion”

The Icon of the Mother of God “Of the Passion” The icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord’s suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. There was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer…

New Martyr Argyra

The holy New Martyr Argyra lived in Proussa, Bithynia, and came from a pious family. She was a beautiful and virtuous woman. When she was eighteen, she married a pious Christian, and they moved into a neighborhood inhabited by many Moslems. After only a few days, she was approached by a Turkish…