Saints O - Q

Orthodox Icon of Saint Paraskevi, Paraskeve, Friday in silver plated (SP).

Commemorated July 26.

Silver-plated icon of Saint Friday on a special paper, with decoration.Silver-plated icons are made with the latest and very specific technique. The icon is a copy of a hand painted icon and the background is silver 958.

NOTICE: The colors of the icons seems little darker, because of the reflection in the scanner.

Orthodox icon of the Apostles and Martyrs Aquila, and Priscilla.

Commemorated on February 13

Protectors Saints of: Spouses

Aquila and his wife Priscilla (or Prisca) were Jews from Pontus who settled in Rome, where they worked as tent-makers. When the Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in 49-50, they moved to Corinth. (They may already have been Christians; at that time the Empire made no distinction between Christians and Jews.) In Corinth they hosted the Apostle Paul, who lived and worked with them for awhile (Acts 18:1-3). They worked diligently with the Apostle, traveled with him, and were considered worthy to bring Apollos (December 8) to a full knowledge of the Faith (Acts 18:26)

Priscilla and Aquila returned to Rome around 58, and later went to Ephesus; they were living there when St Paul asked his disciple Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus, to greet them (2 Tim. 4:19). It was probably in Ephesus that they were martyred by the pagans.

Orthodox icon of All the Saints of Optima Monastery.

Commemorated October 24th. Reference

Orthodox icon of Saints Paul of Theves and Saint John Calebytes (the Hut- Dweller). Icon of 13 cent. Mount Athos

Commemorated January 15.

Contemporary orthodox icon of Saints Peter and Paul.

Commemorated June 29.

This icon shows the two saints embracing each other depicting their unity of love and faith in Jesus Christ.

Saint Peter Peter is brother of Saint Andrew the First-Called, from Bethsaida. He was a fisherman by trade, unlearned and poor, and was called Simon. He was renamed Peter by the Lord Jesus Christ, Who looked at him and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which means rock)" (John 1:42).He regarded as the leader of the 12 Disciples of Jesus.

After the Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Spirit he preached in Judea, Antioch, and certain parts of Asia, and finally came to Rome. Peter was the first Bishop of Antioch where followers were first called Christians. St. Paul Paul was a Pharisee, belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, or in Tarsus of Asia Minor. He persecuted the Church with great zeal and violence. Later he was transformed on the road to Damascus and became the greatest of missionaries.

He spoke with eloquently and with strength in the synagogues, proclaiming that "Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 9:1-21). He traveled over large areas of the Roman Empire, preaching the Gospel, and fashioning the Christians Faith for all time. His fourteen letters are an important part of the New Testament. Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero in the year 87. Peter was crucified, head down at his own request so that he would not die in the same way as Christ. Because Paul was a Roman Citizen, he was beheaded.

Orthodox icon of Apostles Peter and Paul (3). Icon of 14th cent. Mount Athos.

Commemorated July 29.

The All-Praised Olga, Equal to the Apostles, Princess of Kiev icon.

Commemorated July 11.

Saint Olga, renowned for her wisdom and sobriety, in her youth became the wife of Igor, Great Prince of Kiev, who ruled during the tenth century. After her husband's death, she herself ruled capably, and was finally moved to accept the Faith of Christ. She traveled to Constantinople to receive Holy Baptism.

The Emperor, seeing her outward beauty and inward greatness, asked her to marry him. She said she could not do this before she was baptized; she furthermore asked him to be her Godfather at the font, which he agreed to do. After she was baptized (receiving the name of Helen), the Emperor repeated his proposal of marriage. She answered that now he was her father, through holy Baptism, and that not even among the heathen was it heard of a man marrying his daughter.

Gracefully accepting to be outwitted by her, he sent her back to her land with priests and sacred texts and holy icons. Although her son Svyatoslav remained a pagan, she planted the seed of faith in her grandson Vladimir (see July 15). She reposed in peace in 969.

Orthodox icon of Saint Olympias the Deaconess.

Commemorated July 25th.

Saint Opympias lived in Constantinople and was the Deaconess of Saint John the Chrysostom. She died in exile in Nikomedia on July 25 of 408.

Orthodox Icon of Venerable Onuphrius the Great.

Commemorated June 12.

The life of Saint Onuphrius shown in this icon was writen by St Paphnutius, who led an ascetical life in the Thebaid desert in Egypt. It occurred to St Paphnutius to go to the inner desert in order to see if there were a monk who labored for the Lord more than he did. once he made a jouney into the deseert and met Saint Onuphrius. St Onuphrius had lived in complete isolation in the wilds of the wilderness for sixty years. In his youth he had been raised at the Eratus monastery near the city of Hermopolis.

Having learned from the holy Fathers about the hardships and lofty life of the desert-dwellers, to whom the Lord sent help through His angels, St Onuphrius longed to imitate their exploits. He secretly left the monastery one night and saw a brilliant ray of light before him. St Onuphrius became frightened and decided to go back, but the voice of his Guardian Angel told him to go into the desert to serve the Lord. After walking six or seven miles, he saw a cave. At that moment the ray of light vanished. In the cave was an old man.

St Onuphrius stayed with him to learn of his manner of life and his struggle with demonic temptations. When the Elder was convinced that St Onuphrius had been enlightened somewhat, he then led him to another cave and left him there alone to struggle for the Lord. The Elder visited him once a year, until he fell asleep in the Lord. At the request of St Paphnutius, Abba Onuphrius told him of his labors and ascetic feats, and of how the Lord had cared for him. Near the cave where he lived was a date-palm tree and a spring of pure water issued forth. Twelve different branches of the palm tree bore fruit each month in succession, and so the monk endured neither hunger nor thirst.

The shade of the palm tree sheltered him from the noonday heat. An angel brought Holy Communion to the saint each Saturday and Sunday, and to the other desert-dwellers as well. The monks conversed until evening, when Abba Paphnutius noticed a loaf of white bread lying between them, and also a vessel of water. After eating, he Elders spent the night in prayer. After the singing of the morning hymns, St Paphnutius saw that the face of the venerable Onuphrius had become transformed, and that frightened him. St Onuphrius said, God, Who is Merciful to all, has sent you to me so that you might bury my body.

Today I shall finish my earthly course and depart to my Christ, to live forever in eternal rest. St Onuphrius then asked Abba Paphnutius to remember him to all the brethren, and to all Christians. St Paphnutius wanted to remain there after the death of Abba Onuphrius. However, the holy ascetic told him that it was not God's will for him to stay there, he was to return to his own monastery instead and tell everyone about the virtuous lives of the desert-dwellers. Having then blessed Abba Paphnutius and bid him farewell, St Onuphrius prayed with tears and sighs, and then he lay down upon the earth, uttering his final words, Into Thy hands, my God, I commend my spirit, and died.

St Paphnutius wept and tore off a portion of his garment, and with it covered the body of the great ascetic. He placed it in the crevice of a large rock, which was hollow like a grave, and covered it over with a multitude of small stones. Then he began to pray that the Lord would permit him to remain in that place until the end of his life. Suddenly, the cave fell in, the palm tree withered, and the spring of water dried up. Realising that he had not been given a blessing to remain, St Paphnutius set out on his return journey.

Orthodox icon of Saint Orestes, the Martyr of Cappadocia.

Commemorated November 10th.

The Martyr Orestes the Physician of Cappadocia lived at the end of the third century in the city of Tyana in Cappadocia in the time of the emperor Diocletian (284-311). He was an illustrious and capable soldier, and from childhood St Orestes was truly a good Christian. By order of the emperor, the military officer Maximinus was sent to Tyana to deal with Christianity, which then had spread widely throughout Cappadocia. Orestes was among the first brought to trial to Maximinus.

He bravely and openly confessed his faith in the Crucified and Risen Lord, Jesus Christ. The prosecutor offered the saint riches, honors and renown to renounce God, but St Orestes was unyielding. At the order of Maximinus, they took Orestes to a resplendent pagan temple and again demanded that he worship idols. When he refused, forty soldiers, took turns one after the other, beating the holy martyr with lashes, with rods, with rawhide, and then they tormented him with fire.

St Orestes cried out to the Lord, Establish with me a sign for good, let those who hate me see it and be put to shame (Ps. 85/86:17). And the Lord heard His true servant. The earth began to tremble, and the idols fell down and were smashed. Everyone rushed out of the temple, and when St Orestes came out, the very temple tumbled down. Infuriated, Maximinus ordered the holy martyr to be locked up in prison for seven days giving him neither food nor drink, and on the eighth day to continue with the torture.

They hammered twenty nails into the martyr's legs, and then tied him to a wild horse. Dragged over the stones, the holy martyr departed to the Lord in the year 304. His relics were thrown into the sea. In 1685, when St Demetrius, later the Bishop of Rostov, (October 28) was preparing the Life of St Orestes to be printed by the Kiev Caves Lavra, he became tired and fell asleep. The holy martyr Orestes appeared to him in a dream.

He showed him the deep wound in his left side, his wounded and severed arms, and his legs which had been cut off. The holy martyr looked at St Demetrius and said, You see, I suffered more torments for Christ than you have described. The humble monk wondered whether this was St Orestes, one of the Five Martyrs of Sebaste (December 13). The martyr said, I am not that Orestes, but he whose Life you have just finished writing.

Reference: O.C.A.

Orthodox icon of Saint Ourania, the Virgin-Martyr.

Commemorated September 1.

Saint Ourania  was one of the forty women virgin martyrs who lived in Adrianoupolis of Thrace, in northeast Greece. They were were disciples of Deacon Ammoun. The names of these glorious Christian women are as follows:Adamantine, Athena, Akrive, Antigone, Arivea, Aspasia, Aphrodite, Dione, Dodone, Elpinike, Erasmia, Erato, Ermeneia, Evterpe, Thaleia, Theanoe, Theano, Theonymphe, Theophane, Kalliroe, Kalliste, Kleio, Kleonike, Kleopatra, Koralia, Lambro, Margarita, Marianthe, Melpomene, Moscho, Ourania, Pandora, Penelope, Polymnia, Polynike, Sapfo, Terpsichore, Troada, Haido, and Harikleia.

During that time, around 305 AD, the emperor of the eastern region of the Roman Empire was Licinius, a dreadful persecutor of Christianity. Licinius had instituted a decree for the annihilation of all Christians who refused to sacrifice to idols. These women and Deacon Ammon were arrested by Vavdon , the ruler of Adrianoupolis because they would not fall down and venerate the idols but would only pay tribute to the true God.

They united their godly prayers, and immediately and miraculously the priest of the idols was airborne. He remained suspended and hung in midair for many hours, and finally he landed on the ground and died. Deacon Ammoun was tortured severely but they caused no apparent harm to this athlete of Christ. They were all sent to Heraklea of Thrace, to the tyrant Licinius.

Along the way they were encouraged by Deacon Ammon to only gaze on their Bridegroom when they were to endure the pains of physical torture.  Licinius ordered to have ten of the virgin martyrs burned by fire, and another eight beheaded, along with deacon Ammoun. Another ten were put to death by the sword, being struck in the mouth or in the heart, thus giving up their spirit.

Of those remaining, six were martyred by being forced to swallow sizzling hot iron marbles, and the last six were cut to pieces by knives.

Reference: O.C.A.