The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silas was a disciple of the Savior. Saint Silas was a respected figure in the original Church at Jerusalem, one of the “chief men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). The Council of the Apostles was convened at Jerusalem in the year 51 to deal with the…

The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silvanus was a disciple of the Savior. The Holy Apostle Silvanus preached the Word of God together with the chief Apostles Peter and Paul. In his First Epistle, the holy Apostle Peter makes mention of him: “By Silvanus, a faithful brother to you, as I suppose,…

The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Crescens was a disciple of the Savior. The Holy Apostle Crescens is mentioned by the holy Apostle Paul (2 Tim. 4:10), saying that Crescens had gone preaching to Galatia. He was made bishop there, and afterwards he preached the Word of God in Gaul (modern-day…

The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Epenetus was a disciple of the Savior. The Holy Apostle Epenetus was made bishop at Carthage. In his Epistle to the Romans, the holy Apostle Paul writes: “Greet my dear Epenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ” (Rom. 16:5).

The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Andronicus was a disciple of the Savior. The Apostle Andronicus is mentioned by Saint Paul: “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, ... who are of note among the Apostles, who also were in Christ, before me” (Rom. 16:7). The holy Apostle Andronicus was…

The Holy Martyr John the Soldier served in the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363). He was sent with other soldiers to find and kill Christians. Although he seemed to persecute them, Saint John was actually a secret Christian, and provided much help to his fellow…

The Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Herman of Solovki took place in the year 1484. Saint Herman lived as a hermit at the River Vyg, by a chapel. It was here in the year 1429 that Saint Sabbatius of Valaam monastery came upon him while seeking a solitary place for his ascetic deeds. Herman told…

The Hieromartyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon; the presbyters Parmenius, Helimenas, and Chrysotelus; the deacons Luke and Mocius; the holy Persian Martyrs Abdon and Sennen; and the holy martyrs Olympius and Maximus suffered during the third century under the emperor Decius (249-251). When Decius…

The Hieromartyr Bishop Valentine and his three disciples, Proculus, Ephebus and Apollonius, and the righteous Abundius lived during the third century. Saint Valentine was a bishop in Umbria (Italy), in the city of Interamna. He received from God the gift of healing various maladies. At this time…

Saint Angelina was the daughter of Prince George Skenderbeg of Albania. Her mother’s name is not known, but she raised her daughter in Christian piety and taught her to love God. Saint Stephen Brancovich (October 9 and December 10), the ruler of Serbia, had come to Albania to escape those who…

The Okonsk Icon of the Mother of God, by tradition, was received by the Georgian emperor Vakhtang IV from Jerusalem and initially it was at the Gaenat monastery in Georgia. The Georgian emperor’s son George Alexandrovich transferred the holy icon to the cathedral church of the village of…

Saint Anatole the Younger (Alexander Potapov in the world) longed to be a monk from his youth. His mother would not give her blessing for this, so he entered Optina monastery only after her death. Anatole lived in the Skete for many years as cell attendant to Saint Ambrose (October 10). After his…

Saint Tsotne Dadiani, a virtuous military leader and the prince of Egrisi, lived in the middle of the 13th century. During that time Georgia languished under the yoke of Mongol oppression. After the death of Queen Rusudan, the Mongols began to exact exorbitant fees from the Georgian princes, and…