During a ninth-century war between the Byzantine Emperor Theophilus and the Saracens, the Saracens managed to besiege the city of Ammoria. As a result of treason by the military commander Baditses, Ammoria fell and forty-two of its generals were taken captive and sent off to Syria. During the seven years of their imprisonment, their captors […]
Tag Archives: prayer
Mar. 5 The Holy Martyr Conon
The holy martyr Conon was brought up in the Christian Faith and baptized in the name of the All-holy and Life-giving Trinity by the Archangel Michael himself. Until his death, the archangel of God invisibly watched over him. Conon was illumined and empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that his heart was […]
Mar. 4 Our Venerable Father Gerasimus of the Jordan
Our venerable father Gerasimus first learned about the ascetic life while he was in the Egyptian Thebaid. He went to the Jordan and founded a community in which there were seventy monks. He instituted a special rule in his monastery: each monk spent five days a week in their cell weaving baskets and rush mats. […]
Mar. 3 The Holy Martyr Eutropius and his Companions
The Holy martyrs Eutropius, Cleonicus and Basiliscus suffered in the city of Pontine Amasea (Asia Minor) in about the year 308. The brothers Eutropius and Cleonicus, and Basiliscus the nephew of the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit, were comrades. After the martyric death of St. Theodore, they wound up in prison and by their preaching […]
Feb. 27 Our Venerable Father and Confessor Procopius the Decapolite
Our venerable father and confessor Procopius the Decapolite lived during the eighth century in the region of Decapolis, to the east of Lake Galilee. There he labored for his salvation, struggling in asceticism. St. Procopius, his fellow ascetic St. Basil, and others zealous for holy Orthodoxy rose up against the Iconoclast heresy of those times. […]
Feb. 26 Our Holy Father Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza
Our holy father Porphyrius, Archbishop of Gaza was born in the year 346. He grew up with wealthy parents, but was drawn to monastic life. He left home at the age of twenty five and set off for Egypt, where he lived in the desert under the guidance of St. Macarius the Great. He made […]
Feb. 25 Our Holy Father Tarasius, Archbishop of Constantinople
Our holy father Tarasius, Patriarch of Constantinople was of illustrious lineage. He was born and raised in Constantinople, where he received a fine education. He was rapidly promoted at the court of emperor Constantine VI (780-797) and Constantine’s mother, the holy Empress Irene, and the saint attained the rank of senator. Proceeding through all the […]
Feb. 24 The First and Second Finding of the Head of the Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John
The great and glorious Baptist John was beheaded at the wish and instigation of the wicked Herodias, the wife of Herod. When John was beheaded, Herodias ordered that his head not be buried with his body, for she feared that this awesome prophet would somehow resurrect. Therefore, she took his head and buried it deep […]
Feb. 20 Our Venerable Father Leo Bishop of Catania
In the town of Catania below the volcanic Mount Ezra, lived our venerable father Leo, a good shepherd and compassionate teacher of the people. He had great concern for the sick and the poor. His zeal for the Faith was as great as his charity toward the less fortunate. A magician named Heliodorus appeared in […]
Feb. 19 The Holy Apostle Archippus
The holy apostle Archippus, one of the Seventy, was a student and companion of the holy Apostle Paul. In the Epistle Philemon, Paul mentions St. Archippus as his companion, and mentions him again in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:17). St. Archippus was bishop of Colossae in Phrygia. During the persecution against Christians under the […]