The Translation of the Icon of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, the icon “not made by human hands,” from Edessa to Constantinople in 944: Tradition related that Abgar, prince of the city of Edessa, suffered from leprosy. Having heard of Jesus the healer in Palestine, he sent a portrait painter named Ananias with […]
Tag Archives: martyr
Aug. 5 The Holy Martyr Eusignius; Prefestive Day of the Transfiguration
The holy martyr Eusignius was a soldier under emperors Maximian, Constantine, and Constantine’s sons. Having spent sixty years in military service, he withdrew and went home to Antioch, where he lived a life of good works, prayer, and fasting. In the year 362, during the time of the emperor Julian the Apostate, he was arrested […]
Aug. 4 The Holy Seven Children of Ephesus; The Holy Venerable Martyr Eudoxia
The holy seven children of Ephesus: During the persecution of the emperor Decius, seven young soldiers refused to sacrifice to idols. Tradition says that their names were: Maximilian, Iamblichus, Martinian, John, Dionysius, Exacustodianus, and Antoninus. They concealed themselves in a cave outside of Ephesus, and the emperor sealed them into that cave to kill them […]
Aug. 2 Translation of the Relics of the Holy Proto-Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen; Our Venerable Father Basil, Fool for Christ
Tradition says that the body of the archdeacon Stephen was taken by the Rabbi Gamaliel, a secret disciple of Christ, and buried in a cave in the town of Capargamala. In the year 415, Gamaliel appeared in a dream to the priest Lucian in that town, and revealed the burial place of the Protomartyr. His […]
June 3 The Holy Martyr Lucillian and his Companions
The holy martyr Lucillian was a pagan priest during the reign of the Roman emperor Aurelian (270-275). In his old age he was persuaded to see the falseness of the pagan religion, and with all his heart he turned to the faith in Christ the Savior and was baptized. Under the influence of his preachings, […]
June 1 The Holy Martyr Justin the Philosopher and his Companions
The holy martyr Justin was a philosopher who followed purely the true wisdom he had recognized in the truth of Christ. He instructed by his character, taught the truth of the faith and fought by his writings. When he presented his Apology for the Christian religion to the emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (161-180) in Rome […]
May 31 The Holy Apostle Hermes & The Holy Martyr Hermeas
The holy apostle Hermes, bishop of Philipi, was a disciple of St. Paul. He endured much grief from the pagans for preaching the Gospel, but he died in peace. According to tradition, he composed the instructive book “The Shepherd,” based on revelations from angels. The holy martyr Hermeas, suffered during the persecution under the emperor […]
May 30 Our Venerable Father Isaac
Our venerable father Isaac lived during the fourth century, received monastic tonsure and pursued ascetic labors in the desert. During the reign of the emperor Valens (364-378), a zealous adherent of the Arian heresy, there was a persecution of the Orthodox, and churches were closed and destroyed. Hearing of the persecution, St. Isaac left the […]
May 29 The Holy Venerable Theodosia
The holy virgin martyr Theodosia of Tyre lived during the third and fourth centuries during a time of great Christian persecutions. At seventeen years of age, St. Theodosia visited some condemned Christian prisoners on Pascha to ask them to remember her when they appeared before the Lord. Soldiers grabbed her as she bowed before the […]
May 27 The Holy Priest-Martyr Therapontus
The Hieromartyr Therapontus, Bishop of Sardi, suffered for Christ in the third century. In fulfilling his priestly service, St. Therapontus enlightened many of the pagan Greeks with the light of the Christian Faith and baptized them. For this, he was brought before the governor Julian and put on trial where he fearlessly declared himself a […]