Lives of the Saints

Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Bishop of Heracleopolis, and his ten disciples

Hieromartyr Athenogenes, Bishop of Heracleopolis, and his ten disciples

Hieromartyr Athenogenes and his Ten Disciples suffered for Christ during the persecution of Christians in the city of Sebastea in Cappadocia. The governor Philomachos arranged a large festival in honor of the pagan gods and called upon the citizens of Sebastea to offer sacrifice to the idols. Most…

Martyrs Paul and two sisters, Chionia (Thea) and Alevtina (Valentina), at Cæsarea in Palestine

The Holy Martyrs Paul, Alevtina, and Chionia were from Egypt. During the persecution against Christians under the emperor Maximian (305-313), they were taken to Palestinian Caesarea. Without the slightest fear they confessed themselves as followers of Christ. In the year 308 the sisters Alevtina…

Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste

Martyr Antiochus the Physician of Sebaste

The Holy Martyr Antiochus, a native of Cappadocian Sebastea, was the brother of the holy Martyr Platon (November 18), and he was a physician. The pagans learned that he was a Christian, and they brought him to trial and subjected him to fierce tortures. Thrown into boiling water, the saint remained…

Virgin Martyr Julia of Carthage

Virgin Martyr Julia of Carthage

The Virgin Martyr Julia was born in Carthage into a Christian family. While still a girl she was captured by the Persians. They carried her off to Syria and sold her into slavery. Fulfilling the Christian commandments, Saint Julia faithfully served her master. She preserved herself in purity, kept…

Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov

Icon of the Mother of God of Chirsk-Pskov

In the XV century, in the territory of the Pskov principality, there was a certain village called Chirsk, or Chersk, where, in the church of the Nativity of Christ, there was a Hodēgḗtria Icon of the Mother of God. In 1420, during the reign of Tsar Basil I of Moscow, and when Archbishop Simeon…