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Orthodox icon of Saint Christina, the Great Martyr of Tyre.

Commemorated July 24th.

The Martyr Christina lived during the third century. By the age of 11 the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. Christina's father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. To this end he placed her in a special dwelling where he had set up many gold and silver idols, and he commanded his daughter to burn incense before them. Enlightened in her heart to believe in Christ, she broke her father's idols, made of gold and silver, and distributed the pieces to the poor. When her father learned this, he punished her ruthlessly, then cast her into prison. The rulers subjected her to imprisonments, hunger, torments, the cutting off of her breasts and tongue, and finally impalement.

Orthodox icon of Saint Christodoulos, the founder of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Patmos.

Commemorated March 16th.

Saint Christodoulos, who was from the region of Nicaea of Bithynia, was the son of Theodore and Anna, and was given the name John. He assumed the monastic habit in his youth and was renamed Christodoulos ("slave [or servant] of Christ" in Greek). At first, he lived the ascetical life in various places, then he received permission and monetary aid from the Emperor Alexis I Comnenos (reigned 1081-1118 AD), and built on the island of Patmos a church and monastery named in honour of St John the Evangelist. These buildings stand to this day. However, when the Arabs attacked that place, he fled with his disciples and went to Euboia (Euripus), where also he completed the course of his life about the end of the eleventh century on the 16th of March. The disciples of this righteous man took his sacred incorrupt remains and transferred them to his own monastery, where they repose to this day for the sanctification of those who have recourse to them with faith.

Reference: G.O.A.A.

Orthodox icon of Saint Christodoulos, the founder of the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian in Patmos.

Commemorated March 16th.

Saint Christodoulos, who was from the region of Nicaea of Bithynia, was the son of Theodore and Anna, and was given the name John. He assumed the monastic habit in his youth and was renamed Christodoulos ("slave [or servant] of Christ" in Greek). At first, he lived the ascetical life in various places, then he received permission and monetary aid from the Emperor Alexis I Comnenos (reigned 1081-1118 AD), and built on the island of Patmos a church and monastery named in honour of St John the Evangelist. These buildings stand to this day. However, when the Arabs attacked that place, he fled with his disciples and went to Euboia (Euripus), where also he completed the course of his life about the end of the eleventh century on the 16th of March. The disciples of this righteous man took his sacred incorrupt remains and transferred them to his own monastery, where they repose to this day for the sanctification of those who have recourse to them with faith.

Reference: G.O.A.A.

Orthodox icon of Saint Christopher of Lycia.

Protector of the drivers.

Commemorated May 9.

The Holy Martyr Christopher lived during the third century and suffered about the year 250, during the reign of the emperor Decius (249-251). There are various accounts of his life and miracles, and he is widely venerated throughout the world. St Christopher is especially venerated in Italy, where people pray to him in times of contagious diseases. In Greece, many churches place the icon of St Christopher at the entrance so that people can see it as they enter and leave the building. There is a rhyming couplet in Greek which says, When you see Christopher, you can walk in safety.This reflects the belief that whoever gazes upon the icon of St Christopher will not meet with sudden or accidental death that day.

Orthodox icon of Saint Christopher. Icon of 16th cent. Monastery of Anapsafsa, Mereora.

Commemorated May 8th.

Orthodox icon of Saint Christos the Gardener, protector Saint of the gardeners.

Commemorated February 12th.

Orthodox icon of Saint Chrysanthe.

Commemorated October 25th.

Orthodox icon of Saint Chryse, Chrysoula the Virgin Martyr of Rome.

Commemorated January 30th.

Martyr Chryse the Virgin and 20 Others suffered in the year 269. Chryse was arrested and bravely confessed herself a Christian. As a result she was subjected to torture and then drowned in the sea. With St Chryse suffered the martyrs Ares, Felix, Maximus, Herculianus, Venerius, Stiracius, Mennas, Commodus, Hermes, Maurus, Eusebius, Rusticus, Monagrius, Amandinus, Olympius, Cyprus, Theodore the Tribune, Maximus the Presbyter, Archelaus the Deacon, and Cyriacus the Bishop.

When the Moslems saw that they could not weaken the resolve of the saint, they tormented her for three months, beating her with clubs. Later, they peeled strips of skin from her body so that the earth was reddened by her blood. Then they heated a skewer and passed it through her ears. Nearby was her spiritual Father, the hieromonk Timothy of Stavronikita Monastery on Mt. Athos. She sent word to him to pray that she would successfully complete the course of martyrdom.

It was he who recorded her martyrdom. Finally, the Moslems fell into a fury at having been conquered by a woman, so they tied her to a tree and cut her to pieces with their knives. Her pure soul was received by Christ, Who bestowed on her the double crowns of virginity and martyrdom. Certain Christians gathered her relics secretly and buried them with reverence. St Zlata suffered for Christ in the year 1795.

 Orthodox icon of Saint Cleopa, Kleopa, the Apostle.

Commemorated Octomber 30.

The Holy Apostle Cleopas, was one of the Seventy Disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ and he was the one with Apostle Luke that accompanied Him to the road to Emmaus, according to the Gospel of Saint Luke, 24: 13-35.

Orthodox icon of Saint Cleopatra. Contemporary icon.

Commemorated September 1st.

Orthodox icon of Saint Climis of Viotia.

Commemorated September 10.

Orthodox icon of Saint Columba of Iona, the Enlightener of Scotland.

Commemorated June 9.

Our venerable and God-bearing Father Columba of Iona, Enlightener of Scotland (December 7, 521- June 9, 597) (also known as Columcille, meaning "Dove of the Church") was an Irish missionary who helped re-introduce Christianity to Scotland and the north of England. He was born to Fedhlimidh and Eithne of the Ui Neill clan in Gartan, near Lough Gartan, Donegal.

On his father's side he was great-great-grandson of Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish king of the fourth century. He became a monk and soon rose in the church hierarchy to the rank of priest. Tradition asserts that, sometime around 560, he became involved in a copyright wrangle with St.Finnian of Moville over psalter. The dispute eventually led to the pitched Battle of Cul Dremhe in 561, during which many men were killed. (Columba's copy of the psalter has been traditionally associated with the Cathach of St. Columba.).

As penance for these deaths, Columba was ordered to make the same number of new converts as had been killed. He was also ordered to leave Ireland and move such that he could not see his native country. He travelled to Scotland, where it is reputed he first landed at the southern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, near Southend. However, being still in sight of his native land he moved further north up the west coast of Scotland.

In 563 he founded a monastery on the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland which became the centre of his evangelizing mission to Scotland. There are many stories of miracles which he performed during his mission to convert the Picts. Columba is also the source of the first known reference to the Loch Ness Monster. According to the story, in 565 he came across a group of Picts who were burying a man killed by the monster, and brought the man back to life.

In another version, he is said to have saved the man while the man was being attacked, driving away the monster with the sign of the cross. St. Columba's feast day June 9, and with St.Patrick of Ireland (March 17) and St. Brigid of Kildare ( February 1) is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. The three are buried together in Downpatrick in County Down, deep within the famous Hill of Down.

Reference: O.C.A.

Orthodox icon of Saint Costantine, the Emperor, Equal of the Apostles. Icon of 14 cent by Panselinos, Church of Protato Karyes Mount Athos.

Commemorated May 21.

St Constantine was born in 274, possibly at Nish in Serbia. In 294, Constantine, the future ruler of all the whole Roman Empire, was raised to respect Christianity. His father did not persecute Christians in the lands he governed. This was at a time when Christians were persecuted throughout the Roman.

After the death of his father in 306, Constantine was acclaimed by the army at York as emperor of Gaul and Britain. The first act of the new emperor was to grant the freedom to practice Christianity in the lands subject to him. The pagan Maximian Galerius in the East and the fierce tyrant Maxentius in the West hated Constantine and they plotted to overthrow and kill him, but Constantine bested them in a series of battles, defeating his opponents with the help of God.

He prayed to God to give him a sign which would inspire his army to fight valiantly, and the Lord showed him a radiant Sign of the Cross in the heavens with the inscription "In this Sign, conquer". After Constantine became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 which guaranteed religious tolerance for Christians. Christians could finally practice their faith without fear. Renouncing paganism, the Emperor did not let his capital remain in ancient Rome, the former center of the pagan realm. He transferred his capital to the East, to the city of Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople, the city of Constantine (May 11). Constantine was deeply convinced that only Christianity could unify the immense Roman Empire with its diverse peoples.

He supported the Church in every way.The peaceful state of the Christian Church was disturbed by quarrels, dissensions and heresies which had appeared within the Church. Particularly ruinous for the Church was the rise of the Arian heresy in the East, which denied the Divine Nature of the Son of God, and taught that Jesus Christ was a mere creature. By order of the emperor, the First Ecumenical Council was convened in the city of Nicea in 325. 318 bishops attended this Council.

The heresy of Arius was condemned. After the Council of Nicea, St Constantine continued with his active role in the welfare of the Church. He accepted holy Baptism on his deathbed, having prepared for it all his whole life. St Constantine died on the day of Pentecost in the year 337 and was buried in the church of the Holy Apostles, in a crypt he had prepared for himself.

Reference: O.C.A. 

Orthodox icon of Saint Constantine the Emperor (2). Contemporary icon.

Commemorated May 21.