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St. Leonides Bishop of Athens icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Leonides or Leonidas, Bishop of Athens.
Commemorated April 15th.
Saint Leonides or Leonidas was the Bishop of Athens and a martyr of the church. He was martyred in the year 250.
He lived in the third century and was martyred along with seven other women (Harissa, Nike, Galini, Callida, Nunechia, Vasilissa, Theodora).
Originally from the area of Troizina, he operated in the area of Epidaurus. He developed a close spiritual bond with seven women, a bond that we do not know exactly when it began, however, some evidence that exists testifies to this sacred relationship. In 1833 the then vicar of the community, priest Nikolaos Natsoulis, built a church in honor and glory of Saint Leonides.
In Athens there is an early Christian church (crypt) in the name of Agios Leonides behind the pillars of Olympian Zeus.
Martyrdom and the finding of the relics.
On Great Saturday of the year 250, Saint Leonides and his escort of seven women were taken to Corinth, to the ruler Anthypatus Venustos. He asks them to deny their faith in order to be saved. But no one accepted to convert.
Thus they were sentenced to death. Saint Leonides was hanged after first being tortured. Then his body, together with the seven women, was driven into the sea. There, after tying them with stones, they threw them into the seabed, one day before Easter. Christians of Epidaurus, who watched from a distance the dramatic moments of the Saint and the seven Holy women, gathered the dead bodies and buried them.
In 1916, after continuous dreams, pious residents of Epidaurus, searched and found "hidden treasure" under the foundations of the ruins of the holy church of the Most Holy Theotokos. When they finally dug at the indicated spot, they found a holy icon of the Virgin Mary and then at a depth of 70 centimeters, they found seven skeletons that turned out to be women. At the same time, a stone slab was presented which after being moved revealed a male skeleton which testified that this man had suffered strangulation while a fragrance was emerging from the grave.
St. Love (Agape ) Icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Love, Agape.
Commemorated September 17th.
One of the three daughters of Saint Sophia.She was trotured to death as he mother Sophia watched.
St. Lucia of Syracuse icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Lucia, Lucy, Lucie of Syracuse.
Commemorated December 13th.
Saint Lucy was born in Syracuse, Sicily during the reign of Diocletian. She distributed her wealth to the poor, and made a vow of virginity. Since she refused to marry him, a rejected suitor denounced her to the prefect Paschasius as a Christian, and she was arrested. She was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel, but with God's help she preserved her purity.
Then the pagans attempted to burn her alive, but she was not harmed by the fire. Finally, she was killed by a sword thrust to the throat. The name Lucy (Lucia) is derived for the Latin word for light (lux), and so she is often invoked for afflictions of the eyes.
There is a tradition that she was blinded by her torturers, and the church of San Giovanni Maggiore in Naples even claims to possess her eyes.
Reference:O.C.A.
St. Lucian of Antioch icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Lucian the Martyr of Antioch, Αγ. Λουκιανός Αντιοχείας. Contemporary icon.
Commemorated October 15.
The Hieromartyr Lucian, Presbyter of Antioch, was born in the Syrian city of Samosata. At twelve years of age he was left orphaned. Lucian distributed his possessions to the poor, and went to the city of Edessa to the confessor Macarius, under the guidance of whom he diligently read Holy Scripture and learned the ascetic life. For his pious and zealous spreading of Christianity among the Jews and pagans, Lucian was made a presbyter.
In Antioch Saint Lucian opened a school where many students gathered. He taught them how to understand the Holy Scriptures, and how to live a virtuous life. Saint Lucian occupied himself with teaching, and he corrected the Greek text of the Septuagint, which had been corrupted in many places by copyists and by heretics who deliberately distorted it in order to support their false teachings. The entire Greek text of the Bible which he corrected was hidden in a wall at the time of his confession of Christ, and it was found during the lifetime of Saint Constantine the Great.
During the persecution of Diocletian, Saint Lucian was arrested and was sent to prison in Nicomedia, where for nine years he encouraged other Christians with him to remain steadfast in their confession of Christ, urging them not to fear tortures or death.
Saint Lucian died in prison from many terrible tortures and from hunger. Before his death, he wished to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ on the Feast of Theophany. Certain Christians who visited him brought bread and wine for the Eucharist. The hieromartyr, bound by chains and lying on a bed of sharp potsherds, was compelled to offer the Bloodless Sacrifice upon his chest, and all the Christians there in prison received Communion. The next day the emperor sent people to see if the saint was still alive. Saint Lucian said three times, “I am a Christian,” then surrendered his soul to God. The body of the holy martyr was thrown into the sea, but after thirty days dolphins brought it to shore. Believers reverently buried the body of the much-suffering Saint Lucian.
Saint Lucian was originally commemorated on January 7, the day of his death. Later, when the celebration of the Synaxis of Saint John the Baptist was appointed for this day, the feast of Saint Lucian was transferred to October 15.
The October date may be associated with the dedication of a church which was built in Antioch by Saint Helen (May 21) over Saint Lucian’s holy relics.
Reference: OCA
St. Ludmila of Bohemia icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Ludmila of Bohemia.
Comemmorated September 16.
The Holy Martyr Ludmilla, a Czech (Bohemian) princess, was married to the Czech prince Borivoy. Both spouses received holy Baptism from St Methodius, Archbishop of Moravia and Enlightener of the Slavs (Comm. 11 May).
As Christians, they showed concern for the enlightening of their subjects with the light of the true Faith, they built churches and invited priests to celebrate the divine services. Prince Borivoy died early at age 36. St Ludmilla, as a widow, led an austere, pious life and continued to be concerned for the Church during the reign of her son Bratislav, which lasted for 33 years.
Bratislav was married to Dragomira, with whom he had a son, Vyacheslav. After the death of Bratislav, eighteen-year-old Vyacheslav came on the throne. Taking advantage of the inexperience and youth of her son, Dragomira began to introduce pagan manners and customs in the country.
St Ludmilla, of course, opposed this. Dragomira came to hate her mother-in-law and tried to destroy her. When St Ludmilla moved away to the city of Techin, Dragomira sent two boyars in secret to murder her. St Ludmilla was praying at the time, and the two assassins entered the house and carried out Dragomira’s orders.
The relics of the holy Martyr Ludmilla was buried in Techin in the city wall. Numerous healings occurred at her grave. Prince Vyacheslav transferred the body of St Ludmilla to the city of Prague and placed it in the church of St George.
St. Luke Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol.
Commemorated June 11.
Living in the Ukraine during the oppressive period of communism, St. Luke stood out among his fellow physicians both as a surgeon and as a Christian. Even the communists coveted his talents for healing the body.Born with the name Valentine Felixovitch Voino-Yassentsky April 27, 1877 in Kerch (east Crimea), his family members were civil servants to Lithuanian and Polish Kings. The family was impoverished over time but Saint Luke remembers that he received his religious inheritance from his pious father.
His first true understanding of the Christian faith came from the New Testament given to him at his high school graduation by his principal.He had an outstanding secular training. Having exceptional drawing abilities, he graduated the Kiev Academy of Fine Arts. (When consecrated Bishop, he was given the name Luke after the Apostle, who in addition to being a physician and evangelist was a talented iconographer). He decided against pursuing art in favor of doing service in helping people who suffer and chose to be a physician.
An extraordinary medical student, he excelled at anatomy. His superior knowledge of anatomy served him throughout his surgical career. Out of compassion to the blindness beggars were experiencing due to trachoma, Saint Luke studied ophthalmology at the Kiev ophthalmologic clinic. In a very short time he acquired a significant amount of ophthalmologic training. His knowledge of this subspecialty helped him treat not only his trachoma patients but many other serious eye conditions as well.Another important event in Valentine's life was the marriage to his wife Anna, a nurse.
They had four children. The family was transferred frequently to various regional health care facilities and from the very beginning Valentine never requested funds from his patients, nor would he turn anyone away because of his ethnic background or personal beliefs. During his early career he published many scientific treatises and eventually became the head surgeon and professor of surgery at the hospital in Tashkent March 1917.
In October, Lenin took over the government and civil war erupted in Tashkent in January 1919. To complicate matters his wife died. God in setting the path for Valentineu2019s Sainthood provided the family with Sofia Sergeevna who would be the joyful surrogate mother of his children during the harsh times ahead. Valentine never remarried.Lenin's government disfavored any religious witness. Valentine was under constant threat, especially when treating party members, but he refused to operate under any circumstances without the Icon of the Mother of God. His results were outstanding. Despite the dangers from the Lenin regime, he fearlessly attended theological discussions arranged by Archpriest Mikhail Andeev.
At this time when clergymen and pious would prove their faith in blood, providence led the Archpriest to invite Valentine to the priesthood. For two years, this exceptional individual was active not only in his pastoral work but in public and scientific activity.Eventually Fr. Valentine was arrested and put on trial, falsely accused of giving inappropriate surgical care to injured Red Army soldiers. At his trial in his characteristic fearless way, he denounced the prosecutors claims by explaining: I cut people to save them. You, Mr. Public Prosecutor, why do you cut their heads off? Certainly the charges were never proven, but since the Party had to be infallible Fr. Valentine was convicted to sixteen years imprisonment. Noting Fr. Valentineu2019s spiritual gifts, prior to his departure from Tashkent, Bishop Andrey Ufimsky administered monastic tonsure and facilitated his consecration as Bishop.
Saint Luke realized that he would be cutting ties with family and friends for Greater Glory. u201cHe who loves his father and mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son and daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37). Almost immediately Saint Luke was sent to the first of his three imprisonments. Due to his talent as a surgeon there would always be placement at a remote medical facility where the attending colleagues would be astounded that a professor with such impeccable academic credentials would be subservient to the whims of the local civil authorities.
Despite the criticisms of lesser surgeons, Saint Luke would practice his medical skills. With the grace of God he amazed his colleagues with excellent medical outcomes in ophthalmologic and surgical cases that others deemed incurable. As a capable hierarch he strengthened the parishes and supported priests and church councils. As Saint Luke's surgical and pastoral popularity would increase the communist authorities would transfer him.
When blatant injustices would be committed against Christians and fellow political prisoners, he would initiate hunger strikes. He was submitted to humiliation and tortures. In fact, on December 5, 1937, after being sleep deprived and interrogated for three weeks he broke down in a state of hallucination and signed a confession that he was a counter-revolutionary.The people who met him during his ordeals bore witness to his true character. As a physician he was Unmercenary and never asked for money treating all his patients with immense love. He shared his patients pain and anguish for he saw each person as an image of God, unique and unrepeatable.
As a physician and professor he trained many students and colleagues in the art of surgery. As a scientist he found the time to publish many articles including his monograph Essays on the Surgery of Pyogenic Infections published in 1934. This monograph and the subsequent revisions was the gold standard reference for his colleagues at the time. In 1944 he received the Stalin Award for all his scientific publications.As a Bishop he preached incessantly not only about the need to live Orthodoxy but against the perils of the Living Church.
The latter was a defiled heretic sect propagated by the communist regime. He is credited with 1250 sermons over thirty-eight years of priesthood and episcopal service, of which 750 were preserved in twelve volumes. When he practiced surgery from this point on he wore his bishop's cassock in the operating room and refused to perform surgery without an icon.As the Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev regime came and went, Saint Luke's persecutions and frequent transfers only increased his popularity. Despite public slander he was known as an unselfish, loving physician and spiritual father.
This posed a great propaganda threat to each regime and towards the end of his life Saint Luke was restricted in his travels and his medical responsibilities to remedial services. The latter was also in God's plan as toward the end of his life Saint Luke lost his vision to glaucoma. He could now devote his time exclusively to matters of faith. He performed many healing miracles and had many spiritual children. Toward the end of his life he was worried if it would be permitted to chant Holy God at his funeral. He last liturgized on the feast of the Nativity of Christ in 1960 and his last sermon on Forgiveness Sunday.
His repose was June 11, 1961, the day of commemoration for All Saints who shone forth in the Land of Russia. The government made every effort to make Saint Luke's funeral as inconspicuous as possible. Busses were provided to hurry the funeral procession along the side-streets to the gravesite so there would be little fanfare and recognition.God had different plans for Saint Luke and a popular uprising occurred at the funeral.
The faithful refused to be hurried. They boldly ignored, at peril to life and limb, the roadblocks to the central corridors. The mayor was angered from the roses spread on the roads and flung a basket away claiming that the roses were litter and trash on the streets. (He soon after had a very ugly death).To the dismay of the government and to avoid an uprising, they conceded to allow the funeral to proceed for three and a half hours without interference. The roads were full and cars stopped everywhere. People had climbed on balconies, onto rooftops of houses. Such a funeral was a tribute of honor. The authorities wanted a silent event.
It was witness to God's Glory that throughout the walk there was a constant chant of Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal have mercy on us. Saint Luke's prayers to have Holy God chanted at his funeral during the atheistic times were answered!In November of 1995 he was announced as a Saint by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and was officially glorified by the Patriarchate of Russia May 25, 1996.
On March 17th 1996, St. Luke's remains were disinterred, with an estimated 40,000 people taking part. It is said that an indescribable aroma arose from his relics, while his heart was discovered incorrupt, a testament to the great love he bore towards Christ and his fellow men. Three days later on March 20th 1996, his relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Trinity.
His relics are in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Simferopol, in Sagmata Monastery in Greece, and throughout the world continue to work countless miracles.
Reference: O.C.A.
St. Luke of Crimea icon (2)
Orthodox icon of Saint Luke Archbishop of Simferopol of Crimea (2).
Commemorated June 11th.
St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Luke the Apostle and Evangelist. Icon of 14 cent., from Chilandar Monastery Mount Athos.
Protector/patron Saint of Physicians and Nurses.
Commemorated October 18.
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), and a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. Hearing about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. As one of the Seventy Apostles, St Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior's earthly life (Luke 10:1-3).
After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Sts Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. Luke accompanied St Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. When Paul's coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). After the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, St Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid.
He ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes. Tradition credits St Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons, said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. St Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. St Luke's Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), St Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings.
By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4). He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). In St Luke's Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. St Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior.
At the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church into all truth John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. The holy relics of St Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history.
Perhaps this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. In 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of St Luke's relics for the saint's empty sepulcher in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. The Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, appointed a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of St Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague.
The skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. In 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. The skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the Skeleton. The tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull. Bishop Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in St Luke's original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes.
Reference: O.C.A.
St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist icon (2)
Orthodox icon of Saint Luke the Evangelist (2).
Protector/patron Saint of Physicians and Nurses.
Commemorated October 18.
St. Luke the Apostle and Evangelist icon (3)
Orthodox icon of Saint Luke the Apostle and Evangelist (3). Copy of an icon of 16 cent. Moscow
Protector Saint of Physicians and Nurses.
Commemorated October 18. T
The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, was a native of Syrian Antioch, a companion of the holy Apostle Paul (Phil.1:24, 2 Tim. 4:10-11), and a physician enlightened in the Greek medical arts. Hearing about Christ, Luke arrived in Palestine and fervently accepted the preaching of salvation from the Lord Himself. As one of the Seventy Apostles, St Luke was sent by the Lord with the others to preach the Kingdom of Heaven during the Savior's earthly life (Luke 10:1-3).
After the Resurrection, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to Sts Luke and Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. Luke accompanied St Paul on his second missionary journey, and from that time they were inseparable. When Paul's coworkers had forsaken him, only Luke remained to assist him in his ministry (2 Tim. 4:10-11). After the martyric death of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul, St Luke left Rome to preach in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and the Thebaid. He ended his life by suffering martyrdom in the city of Thebes.
Tradition credits St Luke with painting the first icons of the Mother of God. Let the grace of Him Who was born of Me and My mercy be with these Icons, said the All-Pure Virgin after seeing the icons. St Luke also painted icons of the First-Ranked Apostles Peter and Paul. St Luke's Gospel was written in the years 62-63 at Rome, under the guidance of the Apostle Paul. In the preliminary verses (1:1-3), St Luke precisely sets forth the purpose of his work. He proposes to record, in chronological order, everything known by Christians about Jesus Christ and His teachings. By doing this, he provided a firmer historical basis for Christian teaching (1:4).
He carefully investigated the facts, and made generous use of the oral tradition of the Church and of what the All-Pure Virgin Mary Herself had told him (2:19, 51). In St Luke's Gospel, the message of the salvation made possible by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the preaching of the Gospel, are of primary importance. St Luke also wrote the Acts of the Holy Apostles at Rome around 62-63 A.D. The Book of Acts, which is a continuation of the four Gospels, speaks about the works and the fruits of the holy Apostles after the Ascension of the Savior.
At the center of the narrative is the Council of the holy Apostles at Jerusalem in the year 51, a Church event of great significance, which resulted in the separation of Christianity from Judaism and its independent dissemination into the world (Acts 15:6-29). The theological focus of the Book of Acts is the coming of the Holy Spirit, Who will guide the Church into all truth John 16:13) until the Second Coming of Christ. The holy relics of St Luke were taken from Constantinople and brought to Padua, Italy at some point in history.
Perhaps this was during the infamous Crusade of 1204. In 1992, Metropolitan Hieronymus (Jerome) of Thebes requested the Roman Catholic bishop in Thebes to obtain a portion of St Luke's relics for the saint's empty sepulcher in the Orthodox cathedral in Thebes. The Roman Catholic bishop Antonio Mattiazzo of Padua, noting that Orthodox pilgrims came to Padua to venerate the relics while many Catholics did not even know that the relics were there, appointed a committee to investigate the relics in Padua, and the skull of St Luke in the Catholic Cathedral of St Vico in Prague.
The skeleton was determined to be that of an elderly man of strong build. In 2001, a tooth found in the coffin was judged to be consistent with the DNA of Syrians living near the area of Antioch dating from 72-416 A.D. The skull in Prague perfectly fit the neck bone of the skeleton. The tooth found in the coffin in Padua was also found to fit the jawbone of the skull.
Bishop Mattiazzo sent a rib from the relics to Metropolitan Hieronymus to be venerated in St Luke's original tomb in the Orthodox cathedral at Thebes.
Reference: O.C.A.
St. Lupus icon (2)
Orthodox icon of Saint Lupus, Lupos, Λούπος
Commemorated October 20.
The Martyr Lupus lived at the end of the third century and beginning of the fourth century, and was a faithful servant of the holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica (October 26). Being present at the death of his master, he soaked his own clothing with his blood and took a ring from his hand. With this clothing, and with the ring and the name of the Great Martyr Demetrius, Saint Lupus worked many miracles at Thessalonica. He destroyed pagan idols, for which he was subjected to persecution by the pagans, but he was preserved unharmed by the power of God.
Saint Lupus voluntarily delivered himself into the hands of the torturers, and by order of the emperor Maximian Galerius, he was beheaded by the sword.
St. Lydia icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Lydia of Philippi, the Equal To the Apostles.
Commemorated May 20.
This is an Orthodox icon of St. Lydia of Philippi who was born in Asia Minor in the city of Thiatira in the first century.As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles (16:12-30), Lydia of Philippi was the Apostle Paul's first convert to Christianity in Europe. Her conversion came after hearing Paul's words in Philippi proclaiming the Gospel of Christ during his second missionary journey. Looking for work, she traveled to the city of Philippi in Greek Macedonia.
St. Luke writes that St. Lydia was a porfiropolis, that is a merchant of purple cloth, an expensive type of Roman clothing. She was also a religious woman, showing great respect to the pagan gods. Lydia met with the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey about the year 50. St. Paul was preaching in the area of Troy when he had a dream. In it, a man told him, Come to Macedonia and help us. St. Paul, along with Silas, traveled to Philippi through Samothrace. At the Gaggitis River, they discovered a crowd praying to the pagan gods. Leading the group in prayer was St. Lydia.
After learning from St. Paul of Our Savior Jesus Christ, St. Lydia was baptized in the Gaggitis River and many idolaters became Christians. Paul and his companions were well received by Lydia as they stayed at her house after their release from the Philippi prison. Surely, during their imprisonment, Lydia and those who assembled in her home spent the night in prayer for the release of Paul and Silas, making her home the first Christian Church in Europe. When Paul departed from Philippi he left Luke behind to preach the Gospel and to establish firmly the church in Philippi, using as its core Lydia, the jailer, and their households.
St.Leontius, Patriarch of Jerusalem icon
Orthodox icon of Saint Leontius, Leondios, Leontios, Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Commemorated May 14th.
Saint Leontius was Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1223-1261, according to Saint Gregory Palamas (Nov. 14) and Theodore, a monk of Constantinople. His life was similarly described by Theodore, a monk of Constantinople.
This Life was translated from Greek into the Russian language in an abridged form. It was translated a second time more fully by Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (July 14), who says the death of the Patriarch actually occured in 1175.